"Digital storytelling adds new formal and material features to narrative as an object of study, as a means of sharing research, and as a method for student expression. Stories serve a pedagogical function, since storytelling has long been a classic object of study across the humanities. Pedagogical benefits and opportunities are evident, most particularly in terms of teaching students to be critical, creative consumers and producers of digital media."

This definition is adapted from Bryan Alexander, Digital Pedagogy in the Digital Humanities

Sample Tool

There are a very large number of tools that can be used as the basis for student storytelling projects. Any platform that allows students to create a webpage or even social media content can be used for storytelling projects. My personal opinion is that technologies that are complicated and difficult to learn or use are roadblocks that prevent students from focusing on the narrative or creative elements of their projects. On the other hand, learning to work with digital publishing tools is an increasingly important and marketable skill.

I think the Scalar publishing platform is a pretty good compromise. It allows students to create multimedia projects without being too difficult to learn. (The learning curve for you as an instructor will be higher since there are elements of the project you will need to manage on behalf of the students). At its heart, Scalar is a digital publishing platform for books so students can collaborate on a shared publication. You could also use Scalar for your own projects. I created an open access textbook for one of my courses using Scalar. Here is a showcase with examples of Scalar projects.

Once you have an account, login and select the "Dashboard" link. Choose the "Create New Book" option from the Dashboard to get started. Once you have a book created, the tutorials and guides below will help you create your content. I will be glad to answer questions about scalar or talk further about how it could be used at CCBC now or anytime in the future.

Tutorials and Guides