Chapter 2 Reflection, Defining and Discussing Digital Storytelling: Helping Teachers See, Think, and Talk About Digital Storytelling

There were many interesting concepts that I found in chapter two of Ohler’s book. While a lot of the descriptions of types of storytelling, purposes, or the impact that various pieces could have didn’t make complete sense to me, I can see that I will be going back to this chapter as a reference when I begin doing my own digital storytelling. So much of this chapter consists of information that is necessary for anyone hoping to infuse this concept in an actual classroom. 

Regarding my own classroom though, I definitely agreed with Ohler’s discussions of time needed to complete projects and overall production time. He hit the nail on the head when he made the comment that “teachers are already slammed for time, and anything that is going to make that situation worse is unwelcome,” (Ohler, 2008, p. 32). Even though teachers might want to spend more time on digital storytelling projects in their classrooms, with the emphasis on testing, and so much focus on API/AYP, sometimes it just isn’t feasible to think of it actually fitting into our daily schedules. Ohler also made a good point though when he mentioned that when a school or district didn’t value digital skill building, then most teachers wouldn’t be drawn to it either. That, unfortunately, is very true, and something that won’t change anytime soon, as long as the testing emphasis is still so strong. However, luckily there are those few teachers who do make a point to find the time to fit these elements into their already-jam-packed days. Hopefully, when those teachers can show the benefits of what the students are learning with these concepts, other teachers, schools, and/or districts will follow their lead.