Digital Storytelling

Mary CosbyWalden University

Need

What problem or need existed that gave rise to your innovation?

The reality is that advocates of instructional technologies in schools have, for many years, been urging educational administrators and policymakers to change the focus from the technology itself to ways that technology can be used to bring out the very best in how teachers teach and how students learn.

Research

What research organization or people developed a solution to this problem or need?

Joe Lambert and the late Dana Atchley helpedcreate the digital storytelling movement in thelate 1980s as cofounders of the Center for DigitalStorytelling (CDS), a nonprofit, community artsorganization in Berkeley, California.

Research

Who was the intended audience for your innovation?

Digital storytelling is a technology applicationthat is well-positioned to take advantageof user-contributed content and to help teachers overcome some of the obstacles to productivelyusing technology in their classrooms.

Research

What were their findings?

The combination of powerful, yet affordable,

technology hardware and software meshes perfectly

with the needs of many of today’s classrooms,

where the focus is on providing students

with the skills they will need to “thrive in

increasingly media-varied environments” (Riesland,

2005).

Research

Who were the “lead thinkers” for this innovation, and how did they convince a manufacturer to produce it? Joe Lambert and the late Dana Atchley helpedcreate the digital storytelling movement in thelate 1980s as cofounders of the Center for DigitalStorytelling (CDS), a nonprofit, community artsorganization in Berkeley, California.

Development

What problems did your innovation encounter in the development process?

The cost of the equipment needed to make the movies made it difficult for some schools to afford.

Commercialization

Describe the production, manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and distribution of your innovation.

The San Francisco Center for Digital Media was established in 1994 and in 1998 became the Center for Digital Storytelling. They train many people and organizations on how to utilize digital storytelling to benefit their individual needs through workshops.

Benefits

Perhaps the greatest benefit in the classroommay be found when students are given the task ofcreating their own digital stories, either individuallyor as members of a small group. This creativework provides students with a strong foundationin what many educators (Brown, Bryan, &Brown, 2005; Jakes, 2006; Partnership for 21stCentury Skills, 2004) have begun calling 21stCentury Literacy, Digital Age Literacies, or 21stCentury Skills.

References

Robin, B. R. (2008). Digital Storytelling: A Powerful Technology Tool for the 21st Century Classroom. Theory Into Practice, 47(3), 220-228. doi:10.1080/00405840802153916