Digital Storytelling with PowerPoint

Digital storytelling is one of the most effective types of new media projects teachers are using.  They provide students with a way to express their ideas by combining pictures, writing, audio, and more.  In classrooms where multiple learning styles are present, this makes it easier for teachers to assess student learning without relying upon a single, standardized exam.  Furthermore, the use of new technologies and the opportunity for creativity serves as a motivator for many students.

There exists an increasing array of tech tools that can be used for digital storytelling.  From freeware like Audacity to online video editors like Animoto, teachers have many choices available.  Still, one of the simplest and most commonly available tools is Microsoft PowerPoint.  This is my preferred method of digital storytelling for a number of reasons.  First, it allows students to work even when internet access is limited or nonexistent.  Second, learning PowerPoint is a valuable skill for future career endeavors.  Finally, many online tools allow PowerPoint presentations to be uploaded and easily shared, and these projects can even be converted into other formats like videos.

When it comes to creating digital stories, my students participate in a variety of different formats depending on content area and skill level.  For example, my sixth grade students write and create their own short children's stories.  They then use clip-art to create illustrations and add narration to their text in Powerpoint. Another project I conduct involves making "choose your own ending" style stories.  By using PowerPoint's hyperlink features, students create multiple paths in their stories that readers can choose.

With both these, and other potential, digital storytelling projects, I expect my students to follow the assigned rubric and demonstrate creativity, effort, and a variety of technology / language arts skills.  These are utimately very popualr projects in which students become very engaged.  Sharing these works, both in our classroom and online, is a highlight of my computer courses, and it is amazing the difference in students' motivation between writing stories on paper and crafting these digital projects.