Digital Story

50 Ways to Tell a Story

I really enjoyed this week`s storytelling assignment. It was both exciting and a little daunting to be exposed to so many web 2.0 tools that I could potentially use for the assignment. Nevertheless a decision would need to be made so I immediately began to explore the Story Tools website. The site possesses an impressive amount of web 2.0 tools, some of which I had never heard of, making it extremely difficult to make a choice. How was I going to decide on which storytelling tool to use? After a few hours of deliberation, I finally narrowed down my choice to Pixton. For those of you who do not know, Pixton is comic making software.

Pixton was the right tool to use for my storytelling activity for several  reasons. Firstly, I wanted to create a get-to-know-you activity that I could use with my students at the beginning of the school year. Pixton seemed to fit the bill because it looked super easy to use and therefore very age appropriate for students at the elementary level. Students could effortlessly create a very polished story about themselves with little know how. Without the need of a manual, I was able to work my way around the software with relative ease. The GUI is very well laid out and logical consisting of a blank work space for your comic and an assortment of tool buttons which gives the user control over all aspects of the creative process. In addition, Pixton allows for the easy manipulation of characters and backgrounds. This would provide students with a vast array of options in creating their stories. They can even insert their own pictures to use as a background if need be. All of these features combined make the program a joy to use and a perfect tool for a storytelling activity.

In the past I have witnessed a great deal of enthusiasm by my students when working with different types of media and programs such as Pixton. Therefore I feel that using this type of tool is a great way to engage students in writing that would otherwise be disinterested.  As Ohler explains, “…media production is a great way to engage kids in writing in an authentic way. Anecdotally, I have heard from teachers that students who don’t want to write school reports are happy to write video plans and scripts because it is not perceived as ‘school work’” (Ohler).  Furthermore, Pixton incorporates the ability to  allow users to remix other people’s comics to create their own version of someone else’s work (Digital Mashup of sorts). I believe that this feature provides students to expand their creativity and collaboration with one another.

Having taught a grade 7 class in the past, I have realized the importance of providing students with the opportunity to express themselves and work in a collaborative environment.  Web 2.0 tools such as Pixton, gives students an opportunity to work together and share their stories. As Alexander states, web 2.0 tools “offer an alternative platform for peer editing, supporting the now-traditional elements of computer-mediated writing—asynchronous writing, groupwork for distributed members, and so on” (Alexander, pg.38). In addition, I feel that it is important for teachers to develop a strong professional relationship with their students. Creating a comic strip depicting certain aspects and activities that I engage in would provide my students with a greater understanding of who I am and would help foster a positive teacher student relationship.

Since Pixton is a highly editable comic making tool, my story took on a rather comic like appearance. I was able to create the characters I needed (i.e. my brother, sister, and girlfriend) and manipulate pretty much every aspect of the way they look and the pose that I wanted them to be in. I was also able to pick from a number of premade backgrounds to help tell my story. You can even add “props” to your scene or insert your own background. For most of the frames of my comic, I customized the backgrounds to include props that were not initially included.

As great as Pixton is, it is not without its faults. For example, some of the backgrounds and props are not available to the user unless they purchase credits to unlock them. Numerous times while making my comic, I was felt somewhat frustrated as I was asked to purchase credits if I wanted to use a particular background. This may pose a slight problem if using Pixton in a classroom. If using Pixton in a classroom, I would highly recommend talking to students about this before starting any project. Perhaps the best recommendation would be to ask students to work with only the backgrounds and props that come free.

Web 2.0 tools can provide instructors with some highly addictive, effective tools in which to teach students the art of storytelling. I believe that the greatest strengths of the storytelling approach is that it gives students a voice, provides a vehicle in which to share their story, gives them a chance to be creative,  and provides them with a medium in which to practice their writing. I also believe that storytelling exposes students to a greater understanding of the world that surrounds them. Where I believe limitations exist in the storytelling approach is that some students may need to be explained that not all stories are accurate or may be construed to fit the storyteller’s agenda. As a result, many students may need guidance in formulating opinions and understanding.

References:

Alexander, B. (2006) Web 2.0: A new wave of innovation for teaching and learning? EDUCAUSE Review, 41(2), 34-44.  Accessed online November 13th 2010. http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0621.pdf

Lamb, B. (2007). Dr. Mashup; or, Why Educators Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the Remix. EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 42, no. 4 (July/August 2007): 12–25.  Accessed online November 13th 2010http://www.educause.edu/ER/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume42/DrMashuporWhyEducatorsShouldLe/161747

Ohler, J. (n.d.). jason ohler : Digital Storytelling – DAOW of storytelling. Home page. Retrieved November 11, 2010, from http://www.jasonohler.com/storytelling/storyeducation.cfm

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