"I'm Tellin' Because it's Mine and I Can": Digital Storytelling Projects in Two Different Elementary Age Communities
Date
2012
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Swarthmore College. Dept. of Educational Studies
Swarthmore College. Dept. of English Literature
Swarthmore College. Dept. of English Literature
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Thesis (B.A.)
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en_US
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Full copyright to this work is retained by the student author. It may only be used for non-commercial, research, and educational purposes. All other uses are restricted.
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Abstract
Digital storytelling, a project designed to build communities and develop multiliterate
community members, has been reserved almost exclusively for adults.
This practitioner research project challenges this practice by bringing the project to two
groups of elementary school students under the assumption that students from diverse
backgrounds would be able engage productively with the medium. While running these
two workshops over the summer, a pre-service teacher collected data on her students’
experiences using ethnographic methods. This study looks at how these students engage
with digital storytelling, what stories they decide to tell, and how they give and receive
feedback. Ultimately, this study suggests that teachers need to do three things. They must
recognize the complex process that takes place when students respond to one another’s
stories. Teachers must create spaces in their classrooms where students can develop skills
through creative work. And finally, teachers must challenge who gets to use what tools
while also thinking critically about where these tools fall short.