The World of Digital Storytelling

This article addresses something that I think is important in a classroom, but very hard to teach everyone. While the digital storytelling is a great idea, I think that it would be rather difficult to do in a large class setting. I also think that it would be difficult to get students who are shy or consider themselves to not be very creative, to actually get actively involved in this type of assignment. I know that I would be very apprehensive to start on a project like this becuase not only am I not comfortable around a computer, but I also do think that I am very creative. I would think that my story was boring and would get frustrated when things did not turn out the way I would like them to.
Now don't get me wrong, I think that the digital storytelling is great, I just think that teachers need to be prepared to have a lot of work ahead of them if they plan on having their students make them. It is imperative that teachers first prepare themselves and become knowledgeable with the programs that the students will be using. Although there will be some students who will already be able to work the programs, there will be others who may have never worked on a computer or those who only have experience with Word and playing games. Teachers must be ready to answer questions, or have another aid to help them when the process begins.
I think that the storymaps and Visual Portraits are a great idea because they allow students to get their ideas on paper and make decisions before they begin the process of making the digital stories. I am someone who likes to put things down on paper first so I can see what it would look like. I do not like to make mistakes and to not have a plan, so something like that would be great for me. Teachers must be prepared for students like me as well as for the students who like to get things done and may not want to plan ahead because it takes up too much time. So, the preplanning is fantastic in this sense! However, teachers must be flexible and allow their students freedom in their preplanning, since not every students will want to plan every little detail beforehand.
So far I am all for the digital storytelling, even though it really scares me. My concern is not only that some students will have a lot of difficulty with it, but also that it must tie in to academics in the classroom. When students learn a new task like this, it is imperative that they see the connection to the real world and their academics. Students will take this new knowledge and use it in the future. Teachers must show the connection and also ask the students for examples of times they can use the digital storytelling. Teachers should also have the topics of the digital stories relate to things that are being studied in the class. As long as everything relates somehow, I think that it is a great idea because our technology is going to grow everyday, so as teachers we must show our students new ways to use it.