Digital Storytellling in the Classroom by Ohler

The more I read Ohler's Digital Storytelling in the Classroom, the more I understand his take on the purpose of the digital story and the role it can play in the classroom.  However, the more I read, the less I think it is plausible for a high school math teacher like me to truly implement his idea of a digital story within the strict curriculum we are confined by.   Ohler seems to consistently describe stories with character conflict and it seems to limit itself to an ELA or Social Studies classroom.  I cannot understand how this can easily be included in a mathematics classroom regardless of the curriculum.  His chapter on storyboards has helped me in our EDT 503 class in planning the most effective digital story, but it has left me discouraged as I struggle to think of the activities in my high school classroom that would lend themselves to digital storytelling and would be worth the time and dedication it takes for a student to create a digital story.

Despite my conflict, I really appreciate all of the information Ohler discloses in the text, and it provides me a ton of ideas that I can utilize in our classroom (EDT 503).  Ohler's vast knowledge of digital stories has provided me a lot of insight that I previously did not have when I entered the class.  For example, when I began this class I had assumed that every digital story would include a strong audible presence in the form of music, but Ohler makes me realize how a digital story may actually lose its effectiveness with an overwhelming soundtrack.  His text has also revealed how essential it is to thoroughly plan out your stories beforehand and utilize techniques like story mapping.  It is apparent to me through the reading and our experience working on the group project that digital storytelling can be a great educational tool, but it can also be an extremely time-consuming activity.  Despite how much I have enjoyed working with my group on our digital story, I am stuck asking the question: How many activities can I see myself utilizing digital storytelling in my math classroom, and how much do I gain by doing so?

Group Project Update

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Story Center: "Bruises" by Olga Vigil

My response to the digital story "Bruises" by Olga Vigil.

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