22 Digital Storytelling
Digital stories are short-form video productions (usually less than five minutes long) that combine video, audio, images, and narrative voice to share a unique and personal perspective on an experience, event, or phenomenon. Typically, digital stories are used to tell a personal narrative, inform or instruct on a topic, or examine historical or current events. Digital stories can be designed as individual or small group activities and support the following learning outcomes:
- Higher-order learning
- Curation and critical evaluation of source materials
- Digital and information literacy, including attribution, copyright, and intellectual property
- Self-assessment and reflection skills
- Collaboration and communication
Practice examples
Select the following links to explore examples of digital stories in practice:
- University of Houston: Educational uses of digital storytelling
- University of Maryland: Digital stories in the classroom
- University of Wisconsin (psychology): Example of a digital storytelling assignment
Additional resources
- Morra, S. (2013 June 5). Eight steps to great digital storytelling
- Robin, B. R. (2016). The power of digital storytelling to support teaching and learning. Digital Education, 30.
- Smalkoski, K., Buturian, L., & Spicer, S. (2017 Aug 16). Using digital storytelling to transform learning. Inside Higher Ed
- Wang, S., & Zhan, H. (2010). Enhancing teaching and learning with digital storytelling. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 6(2), 76–87. doi: 10.4018/jicte.2010040107
