The passing of knowledge is truly the cornerstone of civilization. For thousands of years humans have been developing and distributing systems designed to educate the young in how to become productive members of society. From Aristotle to Anne Sullivan, Plato to Maria Montessori, Emma Willard to Jaime Escalante, great teachers have pioneered educational methods designed to stimulate learning and facilitate knowledge acquisition in their students. These methods utilized the best technologies and practices available to enlighten, engage, and enrich young minds and opened up new avenues in education.
Today, our modern world demands we update our approach to education once again. We need to recognize that today’s world is driven by digital media and visual messaging. We are saturated by a multimedia universe where we increasingly expect to be addressed not just through the written word, but with images and sounds as well. It’s time for our educational methods to come into the 21st century, too, so that as educators we can adequately prepare our young charges for their future. Let’s face it: their future will contain video.
Are We Adequately Preparing Our Students for Their Digital Future?
Every teacher wants to reach and inspire their students, but they may not have been trained to teach students how to effectively use the technology in their world. Fortunately, teaching digital storytelling doesn’t require a background in film, artistic skill or creativity, or even an interest in technology. The secret? Using a tried-and-true, professionally-designed multimedia curriculum like those offered by Digistars® Make-a-Movie Workshop.
Digital storytelling makes compelling sight, sound, and motion possible and brings to life everything from historical events to scientific phenomena, dramatic narratives, or even mathematical concepts in a creative way. Just remember how the classic cartoons of “Schoolhouse Rock” presented math, grammar, and even civics in fresh, memorable ways to realize the educational power of harnessing video as a teaching and learning tool.
Digital storytelling involves the same steps of research, content organization, writing, and presentation as writing a paper, making a poster, or building a diorama does, with the added benefits of using technology in the classroom in a meaningful, enriching way. Multi-sensory projects such as making movies engage learners with different learning styles, and multimedia instruction reaches even reluctant learners by showing rather than telling what to do.
The production process for digital storytelling leads students through the tasks needed to complete a movie with a clear storyline. Crafting a story, be it about Jackie Robinson or biofuel technology or two cats on a swing set, is the core of all storytelling, be it digital or otherwise. Learning the elements of crafting a story while making a movie can only contribute to improved literacy and better communication skills overall. These are skills every 21st century adult should have.
Education is the best key for humanity to keep moving forward.
A Far from Perfect Education System
The familiar educational system around us hasn’t changed significantly for thousands of years. But our technologies have evolved. Our ancestors didn’t have the advantages of computers, iPads or smartphones. We need to update our teaching with new 21st century skills. This is what Digistars aims to achieve through our tailor-made courses for the modern day student.
Improve the Classroom with Movie Making Projects
Our workshops and classes take students individually or in small groups through a moviemaking project to enhance their learning experience. We have gone beyond the clichéd diorama. The students are trained and motivated in such a way that their projects are impressively professional. Digitals storytelling opens the doors of possibilities for students to express what they are learning.
Check out our full range of modern STEAM teaching and learning courses at Digistars and register today to embark on a journey to become a better teacher.