Storytelling with Purpose: Digital Projects to Ignite Student Curiosity

This book connects the elements associated with conventional storytelling with the expansive elements of a digital story. Both use questions and story lines to captivate audiences, but it’s the power of technology that transforms a written story into a multimedia experience that engages both creator and audience. Digital storytelling adds inquiry and design to traditional storytelling. As a bonus, students work independently and then collaborate to develop real-life work skills that can be put to use in school and on the job. Digital storytelling also promotes design thinking in which students tackle problems and develop solutions. Since storytelling can also function as an assessment, teachers have an additional option for students to demonstrate their learning. Through countless examples, embedded case studies, and teacher profiles, Hernandez demonstrates how digital storytelling can be employed across curricula. The last section of the book features an in-depth exploration of project ideas including anthologies, documentaries, advocacy messages, and podcasts. This book is full of useful information and concepts, but it is not overwhelming; the layout uses color, pull-outs, and tables to focus attention on shorter blocks of information. Hernandez gives teachers everything they need to get started and carry out a project. Back matter includes a bibliography and index as well as three useful appendices: A Toolbox for Digital Storytelling, Ethical Storytelling, and Teaching and Learning Resources.