As aspect of my second and third grade students’ writing that I have been trying to hone this school year is the need for more details and creativity (of their characters, storylines, settings) in their writing. At times, it is like pulling teeth to get my students to imagine the characters and plots of their stories. What is the character wearing? What are they doing? How are they interacting with each other? Who starts the conflict? What is everyone else doing while this is going on? What does the house look like? I think a lot of this can be attributed to the overall increase of technology (video games/television) usage of children in general – which is why I think digital storytelling can be a very valuable tool for students to engage that intertwines the imaginative creativity and storyline that were traditionally created through just pen and paper.
In The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling, Robin quotes Riesland, who “challenges the educational community to reconsider what it means to be literate in the age of technology and argues that teachers must equip their students with skills that will enable them to understand and communicate through visual modes, and ‘thrive in increasingly media-varied environments.’” I completely agree with this quote that times have change and our mindsets also need to change about how to educate children in their time.
A feature of storytelling that I love is the oral aspect of it. Many of my students will tell me elaborate stories, but when it comes time to write it down, they freeze. To tell their story orally is much less intimidating than having to gather their thoughts and writing it down (worry about spelling, grammar), and therefore, will encourage them to explore and expand on their ideas in a learning environment (use of technology) that they are more use to in their generation.
No comments:
Post a Comment