Literature Review Paper: Benefits of Digital Storytelling within the Classroom

Cynthia Nguyen

CUIN 7347

Instructor: Dr. Bulent Dogan

09 November 2020

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Table of Contents

Introduction 2

Definition and History of Digital Storytelling 3

Process of Digital Storytelling 4

Constructivist Approach 5

Media Literacy 6

Enhanced Creativity 6

Positive Confidence & Self-Image 7

Literacy Applications (Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, Thinking) 7

Math and Science Applications 8

Conclusion 9

References 11

Introduction

Virtual learning has become a popular and relevant topic in education amidst a national

pandemic. As educators and administrators navigate Covid-19, student learning and engagement

has become an area of interest among educational institutions. As a result, an extensive amount

of resources and software have been developed and utilized by educators in an attempt to engage

students virtually. Tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Flip Grid, and SeeSaw are among the

most popular resources during this time. Project-based learning, an instructional approach

designed to give students the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills through engaging

challenges and problems, is one solution. Digital storytelling, a branch of project-based learning

and an approach that supports Universal Design for Learning (UDL), enables students to

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demonstrate their learning in an authentic way and gives educators and parents a lens to assess

student learning. This literature review seeks to define digital storytelling, discuss the many

benefits and skills that students may develop through the process of digital storytelling, and

explore the ways it may be utilized in the 21st Century classroom.

Definition and History of Digital Storytelling

Storytelling is the core of every culture and one of the oldest arts in the world (Schwartz,

M., 2012). Folktales and myths are traditional stories that explain a person’s worldview and

beliefs. The use of myths and folktales throughout time is seen as a valuable tool for passing

along cultural and pertinent information. Neuroscience research indicates that the human mind is

intricately wired to form long-term memory. Memory and imagination play an important role in

conscious thinking and self-expression. According to Schwartz, M. (2012), stories saved in

printed media are slowly disappearing because of the invention of the Internet, television, video

blogging, etc. However, stories remain an important tool for learning and cultivating

relationships with those around us. Digital storytelling was developed in the early to mid 1990s

as a way to extend the ancient art of oral storytelling. Indeed, digital storytelling is a modern

strategy used to enhance stories by incorporating visuals, audio, narration, and more. Digital

storytelling is the art of storytelling by combining various digital multimedia, such as text,

images, narrative recordings, video, music, and other forms of media that results in a unique

short film to present information on a particular topic. The topic presented can be personal,

historical, or involve other subject areas like math or science.

Historically, success in school is dependent upon the development of skills in reading and

writing during the early childhood years (Maureen, 2018). The development of literacy skills

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should be nurtured from an early age. However, young children are now expected to learn to read

and write as young as kindergarten. This expectation leaves little room for natural play and

exploration. In response, storytelling is a natural way of communicating with young children that

supports literacy development and greater child engagement in the learning process (Maureen,

2018). Young children in today’s time are developing a range of digital and literate skills.

Although digital technology is a central part of young children’s everyday lives in most societies

today, digital technology as a learning tool to improve learning is a recent and emerging idea

(Undheim, J., 2020). The increasing integration of digital forms of reading and writing into

everyday life suggests that the role of technology literacy in young students is an important topic.

Young and older children can both benefit from engaging in digital storytelling.

Process of Digital Storytelling

Storytelling is a process in which the storyteller uses narration, music, mental imagery,

and other forms of media, to communicate with an audience (Maureen, 2018). The audience uses

mental imagery and communicates back to the storyteller through body language and facial

expressions. Storytelling supports literacy development and recently, humans have explored new

ways to make stories compelling and everlasting. We have accomplished this by integrating

information and communication technologies. The first step in creating an engaging digital story

is to determine a goal. What lesson or feeling does the creator want his or her audience to take

away from the story? Secondly, the key to a successful digital story is organization. Creating a

script or outline keeps the creator on topic. Using the script as the foundation, students must

build on their stories using multiple forms of media to illustrate their message or goal. Through

the use of images, the audience can better visualize the message or lesson. Students must

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remember to captivate their audience. When students have completed their product, they can

publish and share their stories with peers and to the world. As a final step, students would benefit

from reflecting on their products because there is always room for improvement. Some questions

students may ask include: How could I have conveyed my message in a different way? What

other forms of media could I have chosen? Could I have told my story through a different

perspective? Being a reflective learner enhances metacognitive skills and self-awareness.

Constructivist Approach

Researchers proposed that a combination of constructivism and technology-integrated

learning is essential for accomplishing today’s academic goals (Moradi, H., & Chen, H., 2019).

Constructivism recognizes the significance of integrating concepts, beliefs, and ideas through the

use of learning activities, resources and tools. Knowledge is not transmitted solely from teachers

to students. Constructivists believe that students construct their own knowledge daily through the

positive interactions with their social, physical, and technological environment.

From a pedagogical standpoint, the key elements to project design include, but are not

limited to, the following characteristics: authenticity, student voice and choice, reflection,

critique and revision, and some sort of product. According to Faruk Islim, O., Ozudogru, G., &

Sevim-Cirak, N. (2018), using digital stories in education provides a process that is based on a

“learning by doing” mindset, which is part of the constructivist approach. In other words,

students are granted the opportunity to create content based on their own learning through

blending technology. Students become content creators and experts in their own topics. Learners

are able to construct their own meaning through the multi-faceted experience of selecting a story

topic, conducting extensive research, writing an organized script, collecting images, recording an

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audio narration, and utilizing an editing software to construct their final product. The result is an

authentic, multimedia artifact that richly illustrates what the student has researched and brought

to life (Robin, 2016).

Media Literacy

As previously mentioned, students are content creators and experts in their own topics.

Alongside researching a topic and organizing information, students must also learn to utilize

technology in an engaging and fun way. Students develop media literacy as they make sense of

their topic and deliver information in a way that captivates their audience. Yang, Y., & Wu, W.

(2012) emphasizes that when students take advantage of advancements in technology and

instructional design, learning is enhanced, content acquisition is gained, and other areas such as

critical thinking skills, motivation, and information literacy are supported. Students are

challenged with thinking critically about effective combinations of content and multimedia

elements while considering the audience’s perspective. In this way, students have control of their

learning and opportunities to express themselves creatively. Each project challenges creators to

meticulously select and edit artifacts from a personal library or other multimedia resources that

meaningfully support their project and learning goals. In the process, students develop

multimedia and technological skills.

Enhanced Creativity

Opportunities to create and tell stories forces students to think critically and creatively.

The use of voice narration is personable and powerful because it enhances the entire story and

helps the audience create mental images by influencing the emotions of the audience.

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Interestingly, a complex mental image is formed by integrating factual, cultural, and emotional

aspects into a project, thus enhancing its quality. Digital stories are powerful because they are

often times personal and individually narrated and become even more powerful when shared

with others on platforms such as social media, where millions of people can be reached. Based

on experiences, students only feel truly comfortable being creative when the classroom

environment is welcoming and accepting of new ideas. Creativity and multiple perspectives must

be encouraged within the classroom.

Positive Confidence & Self-Image

Just like memories, photos capture the past, and hold many memories and feelings. A

photo shares a story, an experience, and a moment in time. Sometimes, these stories go untold.

When students have the opportunity to choose media in their projects, they can bring to life a

photo that was once dead or forgotten. People have powerful stories and messages of

overcoming challenges and obstacles. When these stories are shared, viewers can relate to these

stories because of a shared experience of pain, joy, or accomplishment. Stories can elicit feelings

of inspiration, happiness, sadness, and much more. Furthermore, telling personal stories enables

a personal connection with the audience and encourages interaction and personal expression. A

person’s own voice is unique which makes their story different from other digital stories.

Literacy Applications (Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, Thinking)

Assigning students digital story projects provides a myriad of benefits. Literacy

applications in all areas of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and even thinking are required

during the process of creating a digital story. Projects are motivating and often help students

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improve in writing because the process motivates students to think about how stories are created

(Morgan, 2014). Students gain more awareness of many elements of media and enhance their

literacy skills. In a study aimed to investigate the effects of digital storytelling in improving the

writing skills in third graders, the results indicated that digital storytelling enhanced students’

ideas, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions in terms of writing quality

(Yamaç, U., 2016). Other benefits of digital storytelling include creating a safe learning

community by encouraging interactions among students in the classroom, thus, increasing their

motivation to write.

The use of multimedia, such as voice narration and other forms of audio, helps students

who may have language limitations feel more comfortable and confident in telling their stories.

Yang, Y., & Wu, W. (2012) explored the impact of digital storytelling on the academic

achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivations of senior high school students who are

English Language Learners. They discovered that students who engaged in digital storytelling

performed significantly better than those that did not in the areas of English achievement, critical

thinking, and learning motivation. Other benefits include an increase in students’ understanding

of course content, willingness to explore, and the increase ability to think critically. In another

study, it was found that digital storytelling provided students who were limited in English, a

platform to exercise and further advance their cognitive and metacognitive skills (Hung, 2019).

Students exercised a variety of skills like analyzing, generating, information gathering,

organizing, remembering, integrating, planning, etc. All of these skills are vitally important in an

ever changing 21st century.

Math and Science Applications

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 While digital storytelling is most often associated with the arts and humanities, research

suggests that digital storytelling can also be an effective strategy for mathematics and science.

According to Sadik (2008), story problems are the most common form of problem solving in

mathematics education. Students begin to solve story problems as early as preschool, and

problem solving does not escape them until graduate school or beyond. In a study done with

math teachers, researchers interviewed participants after they received training on utilizing

digital stories about whether they had plans to utilize these strategies within their classrooms,

and if so, what their views on the process were. They discovered that prospective teachers aspire

to use the strategy of digital storytelling because of their many benefits. When students have the

opportunities to create their own digital stories on subjects they are passionate about, they own

their learning and are more self-motivated (Faruk Islim, O., Ozudogru, G., & Sevim-Cirak, N.,

2018).

Dewi (2018) studied the relationship between digital storytelling in science and students’

cognitive ability. This research indicated that not only did digital storytelling increase students’

cognitive abilities, but it also cultivated cooperation and mutual respect, fostered critical and

creative thinking skills, and encouraged students to be active participants in their learning.

Conclusion

This body of research suggests that digital storytelling provides many benefits, and

develops students’ 21st Century skills including improved critical thinking, enhanced self-

expression, increased motivation, and much more. There was overlap in findings that I would

like to further explore including other technological strategies and resources being utilized

during the pandemic and their effects on student learning and motivation. Digital storytelling has

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changed drastically over time by allowing users to enhance information and be more

sophisticated in their animation. For example, most software contains features that allow users to

enhance information, such as, the tool to live scribe and to animate alongside a narration. It is

incredible how information is delivered and received now with the widespread use of social

media, and with video-formatting as the main way in which information is received. According

to my research, digital stories provide students opportunities to engage in multiple literacies.

Indeed, students are no longer asked to simply read and write, but to also navigate a complex and

creative world using various technological tools. Software programs used do matter and are

useful in creating and delivering engaging content, especially now during virtual learning. These

tools will help facilitate online learning and teaching now and in the future.

In conclusion, strategies such as digital storytelling are beneficial to both students and

educators and are a vital educational tool today and continuing into the future. We live in the

digital era and teachers and students must learn to be more tech savvy. It is imperative that

educators and researchers examine the new literacy skills that are required to thrive in today’s

world (Shelby-Caffey, Ú., 2014). Being literate involves more than just being able to read and

write, but also being able to blog, Zoom, and engage in this new digital era. Further, we also live

in a time where people crave connection more than ever! We are connected and at the same time

very disconnected in this digital era. The magic of storytelling connects us together. Stories

encourages us to empathize and communicate with one another. Through stories, we thrive and

understand one another.

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 References

Dewi, S. (2018). Using science digital storytelling to increase students’ cognitive ability. Journal of

Physics. Conference Series, 1006, 012020–. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1006/1/012020

Faruk Islim, O., Ozudogru, G., & Sevim-Cirak, N. (2018). The use of digital storytelling in elementary

Math teachers’ education. Educational Media International, 55(2), 107–122.

https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2018.1484045

Hung, S. (2019). Creating Digital Stories: EFL Learners’ Engagement, Cognitive and Metacognitive

Skills. Educational Technology & Society, 22(2), 26–37.

Maureen, v. (2018). Supporting Literacy and Digital Literacy Development in Early Childhood

Education Using Storytelling Activities. International Journal of Early Childhood, 50(3), 371–

389. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-018-0230-z

Moradi, H., & Chen, H. (2019). Digital Storytelling in Language Education. Behavioral sciences (Basel,

Switzerland), 9(12), 147. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs9120147

Morgan, H. (2014). Using digital story projects to help students improve in reading and writing. Reading

Improvement, 51(1), 20–.

Robin, B. (2016). The Power of Digital Storytelling to Support Teaching and Learning. Digital

Education Review, 30, 17–.

Sadik, A. (2008). Digital storytelling: a meaningful technology-integrated approach for engaged student

learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 56(4), 487–506.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-008-9091-8

Schwartz, M. (2012). Storytelling in the Digital World: Achieving Higher-Level Learning

Objectives. Nurse Educator, 37(6), 248–251. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0b013e31826f2c21

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Shelby-Caffey, Ú. (2014). DIGITAL STORYTELLING REVISITED: An Educator’s Use of an

Innovative Literacy Practice. The Reading Teacher, 68(3), 191–199.

https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1273

Undheim, J. (2020). Teachers’ pedagogical strategies when creating digital stories with young

children. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 28(2), 256–271.

https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2020.1735743

Yamaç, U. (2016). The Effect of Digital Storytelling in Improving the Third Graders’ Writing

Skills. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(1), 59–86.

Yang, Y., & Wu, W. (2012). Digital storytelling for enhancing student academic achievement, critical

thinking, and learning motivation: A year-long experimental study. Computers and Education,

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