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Articles

Bringing Digital Storytelling to the Elementary Classroom: Video Production for Preservice Teachers

 

Abstract

This study presents and evaluates a 7-week learning experience embedded in a required content-area course in a teacher preparation program, in which 31 preservice elementary teachers produced digital storytelling videos and considered how this approach may apply to their future classrooms. Qualitative and quantitative data from preservice teachers' entry and exit surveys and their completed digital stories were analyzed. Results show that in spite of technology and content challenges, all preservice teachers created appropriate videos, reported an increased appreciation for the pedagogical value of digital storytelling, and reported increased interest in using the approach with future students. For future teachers, digital storytelling production experiences can be a salient demonstration of engaging with interdisciplinary topics via relevant technological mediums.

Acknowledgments

We thank the Pathfinder Center at the Biodesign Institute, the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, the School of Sustainability, and the Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes located at Arizona State University for advice and many experienced students who helped with the project. We extend a special heartfelt thank you to all current and past Sustainability Science Education Project team members, colleagues, instructors, students, participants, and friends.

Funding

The authors and the research development team at the Biodesign Institute thank Arizona State University (ASU) for the generous Strategic Initiative Funds (SIF) provided to form the Sustainability Science Education Project, to develop the Sustainability Science for Teachers course, and other related projects at ASU. The project was developed under the leadership of Dr. Lee Hartwell.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Catharyn C. Shelton

Catharyn C. Shelton is pursuing a PhD in Learning, Literacies, and Technologies in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Guided by her experience as a former classroom teacher, her research seeks ways to advance teacher preparation and development concerning online education and innovative technologies. Recently, she is exploring digital storytelling as a way for preservice teachers to engage with complex sustainability ideas by integrating narrative story and video technology. Please address correspondence regarding this article to Catharyn C. Shelton, Arizona State University, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, 1050 S. Forest Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA. E-mail:

Leanna M. Archambault

Leanna M. Archambault is an assistant professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Her current research interests include increasing sustainability literacy among teachers, teacher preparation for online and blended classrooms, the use of innovative technologies to improve learning outcomes, and the nature of technological pedagogical content knowledge. Thorough the collaborative course development centered on sustainability and the Sustainability Education Framework for Teachers (SEFT), Dr. Archambault seeks to have a lasting impact on the practice of future and existing teachers.

Annie E. Hale

Annie E. Hale is the Director of Research & Development for the Sustainability Science Education Project housed in the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. She directs educational programs that target sustainability science and 21st-century learning and that aim to inspire, engage, and empower a variety of publics, from teachers to community leaders, with an enhanced understanding of the social dimensions of science and technology. She is pursuing her PhD in the Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology at ASU's School for the Future of Innovation in Society.

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