Abstract
This study tests an instructional model designed to empower students in an early childhood classroom as emerging digital storytellers. Educators can use digital storytelling to support students’ learning by encouraging them to organize and express their ideas and knowledge in an individual and meaningful way while developing voice and facility in child–computer interactions. This work also helps develop traditional communication skills, fosters collaboration, and strengthens emergent literacy practices. Students develop enhanced communication skills by learning to organize their ideas, ask questions, express opinions, and construct narratives as they interact with others and computers in the creation of digital stories. The “Emerging Digital Storytellers” instructional model focuses on social-emotional development and finding student voice through writing and digital content construction in the early childhood educational context.
Highlights
Storytelling has a rich tradition, and it has evolved and expanded to assume a dynamic, contemporary presence across settings and functions
Prior literature has argued that educators should use digital storytelling to support students’ learning by encouraging them to organize and express their ideas and knowledge in an individual and meaningful way (Robin, 2008)
The “Emerging Digital Storytellers” instructional model focuses on social-emotional development and finding student voice through writing and digital content construction in the early childhood educational context
Summary
Storytelling has a rich tradition, and it has evolved and expanded to assume a dynamic, contemporary presence across settings and functions. Prior literature has argued that educators should use digital storytelling to support students’ learning by encouraging them to organize and express their ideas and knowledge in an individual and meaningful way (Robin, 2008) We believe work such as this helps students develop voice and facility in the child–computer interactions (Iversen and Brodersen, 2008), but it helps them develop traditional communication skills, fosters collaboration, and strengthens emergent literacy practices. This qualitative, participatory action research (Whyte, 1991; Merriam, 1998) investigated the use of an instructional approach focused on storytelling and digital storytelling in an early childhood classroom to explore the impact on the learner’s connection with computers, content, and classmates
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