Visual media has taken over our world. We may not even realize how many of our decisions are based on the visual media that is a backdrop to our daily lives on our phones, televisions, and computer screens. However loathe we may be to admit it, videos are affecting how we think, act, and speak.
As a society, it might be fair to say we have become increasingly dependent on visual media. Especially in the current state of our country, where social media has become our source for news coverage surrounding the pandemic.
We’re not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing. The sad part is that we are not adequately preparing our youth for this future.Visual media is the present and the future but our dependence on the traditional educational system seems to be holding us back, and now more than ever it has become extremely important to modernize the use of technology for the virtual classroom. We desperately need to update our virtual educational plans, beginning with our earliest students, to give them the tools to shape the medium to their own uses.
Digital storytelling is at the core of effectively creating visual media.
What Makes Digital Storytelling Such an Important Skill?
The use of visual media to educate, teach or simply transfer a new concept, thought, information or idea has been found to be 70% more effective than any other traditional method. The future belongs to those who can communicate their thoughts effectively in a way that incorporates images and sounds along with words and ideas. As early as first grade, students in Digistars® digital storytelling programs learn the elements necessary to effectively convey a thought or message in a medium that combines both visual and audio effects. This trains the brain to look for solutions in more than one way.
A survey of top corporations as to what skills will be most needed in the workers of the future concluded that “creativity,” or the ability to“think out of the box,” will be of the utmost importance in tomorrow’s economy. Digital storytelling skills extend far beyond basic literacy, though literacy is boosted, too. Moviemaking as the structure for study means that any topic can be explored through the production process and culminate in a movie to show and share.
David Sousa’s Learning Pyramid tells us that the highest level of knowledge acquisition comes from teaching others. Just as the regular steps of research and then content organization, writing, and editing will culminate in a written demonstration of knowledge, so, too, can these same steps be used to complete a movie to demonstrate knowledge. The production process assembles the elements during the “pre-production” phase, records the story during the “production” period, and finally pulls it all together during “post-production.”
How Do I Learn How to Teach Digital Storytelling?
Digistars® provides curricula for three types of moviemaking useful for academic endeavors: Documentary Filmmaking, Live Action Filmmaking, and Stop Motion Animation. Each of these programs lead students along the path from acquiring to presenting knowledge. Instructional videos are interwoven with film analysis and production activities to come together into the finished movie project by the end of the program.
Not only that, but filmmaking is also known to enhance the creative potential of a student. It helps them see things differently. When they see differently, they act differently. And that is what encourages them to make a difference in the truest sense of the word.
This is why Digistars programs focus on educating students through various digital storytelling means. This makes us one of the first educational services to adopt this approach and help students in enhancing their learning. With the free flow of information that we witness today, it is difficult to retain things, especially the ones that we read. Students make the digital stories themselves, rather than videos being delivered to them.
When students create a multimedia experience by themselves, studies have shown they retain more of the information they present. This is why the students that are part of the programs at DigiStars see a prominent difference in their learning ability.
We are preparing the next generation of our students by equipping them with a skill that seems to be one of the most important skills of the future. Our courses are designed to tap into creativity and technological mastery for students, which helps them in unlocking their full potential.
Enrich learning through moviemaking with Digistars. Find the right STEAM course for your student or teacher today!