By now, the kids are really excited. They have brainstormed ideas, created their avatars, and traveled through virtual spaces to get inspiration. Then, they have drafted and published their digital stories, which – needless to say – they are very proud of! Today, we’ll explore the final stages of the digital storytelling educational process.
Sharing and Peer Evaluation
Research tells us that writes benefit from discussing their writing with peers. The best thing about a digital story is that students get to share their stories with each other and get feedback and ideas while their stories are still evolving and developing!
Assessing Results
Teachers have many ways of assessing results and measuring learning. These include presentations, eBooks, student journals and writing samples. Although the Avatar Storytellers curricula is designed to be completed over a five-week frame using the provided lessons, teachers are encouraged to take as much time as their students need to complete the assignment and master the technology.
Emphasis on Creativity
At the very foundation of Avatar Storytellers rests the the idea that as educators, we should be focusing less on repetitive tasks and on memorizing, and more on creative expression and addressing imaginative thought processing. Since we are after all in the 21st century, we should be using educational technology to do so, and especially virtual worlds, because they are so engaging for students.
Digital storytelling in the classroom works because it turns writing into an engaging, creative activity. Immersed in a fascinating 3D world, identifying with their 3D avatar, students learn without even realizing they’re learning. Teachers who leverage this sense of identity with the avatars can teach writing skills in a way that the students readily absorb, simply because they are having so much fun!
