This past week, I've been busy with working on my Digital Story project.
Basically, a digital story is a way of narrating a certain personal event in a way that is informative and interactive through a video format, constructed through technological tools such as Audacity and WeVideo.
I enjoyed the concept of it, as I think it would be a great tool for my students who could not stand Powerpoints and would prefer videos that they could later rewatch and review outside of class. It is also presented in a personal, narrative style which could appeal to students who best learn that way.
Though as a teacher I think it is a great way to accommodate to my students with differentiated instruction, as a student I don't enjoy it quite as much. I notice that when I was making the voice narration I had to slow down a lot in my speaking and when constructing the video, the pace is much slower than I would like. As a learner I prefer engaging, spirited discussion and so this does not appeal to me.
I also did not like that WeVideo only provides the Ken Burns effect for transitions (or that I know of), because there are certain points in which I feel I wanted it to be more instantaneous and fast paced and thus prefer the fast slide shows. Ken Burns effect is great at creating movement in still images but I think it forces to make things go really slowly and can be boring.
Overall, the digital story project could be a good assignment for students to do, but am hoping for a transitional effect that is not annoying like most random powerpoint animation, but faster and more exciting than the Ken Burns effect.
Kezia, the real value of a digital story is not when teachers create one for students to watch; the real value is when students go through the process of creating one. This process requires them to learn about the topic, sort info, organize, make connections to their own lives, and figure out how best to portray the topic so others can understand. They really learn well when they do this.
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