This Monday I finished my 30 day challenge with The Daily Create on ds106 and I can say I did learn a few things as a result of doing the challenges but I still do not feel like I know or understand much about digital storytelling. In the article about digital storytelling, the definition of this process is given and it is explained to readers why it is a good tool to use in teaching. There is even a list of ideas for teachers on assignments in which digital storytelling can be effectively used. Unfortunately, I was still rather confused about how to create and use digital storytelling. In fact, it wasn’t until I watched an example of digital storytelling that I really understood what it is meant to accomplish. Unfortunately, I still have no idea how to create a digital story like the one I watched.
Just as is the case with digital storytelling, I had no idea what a podcast was until today. Yes, I have heard of podcasts before, but never looked into what they are or why I would want to listen to one. I was however, able to understand better about podcasts as a result of reading the article about Serial and I wanted to know more. I felt a sense of excitement about listening to Serial myself where as I did not find myself looking forward to looking at examples of digital stories.
I can definitely see where knowing how to create podcasts or digital stories would boost creativity among students. I think these would also help students to gain a better sense of organization as well as communication. I could imagine that students would get hooked on listening to podcasts like Serial…I have been listening to the first season of Serial all day and cannot seem to turn it off! And while I do feel these podcasts would be a very good tool and could help pique critical thinking skills in students as well as other areas, I would be concerned about reading comprehension levels decreasing among students.
Although, I do feel strongly that technology should be incorporated into the classroom I have many questions still. How are students learning to create these digital stories or animations or even podcasts? I have not taken a class yet that will teach me specifically how to create these and although some things are better learned on your own, I have not been able to find enough clear information to properly teach me how to create these digital creations. In other words, I need help and I wonder if students are being taught these skills or just being expected to learn on their own.
Aspiring Teachers 
You made some interesting points in your post this week! I don’t think that podcasts and digital stories are meant to completely override reading books. I believe that they should be used in an appropriate balance between the two, which will further benefit the development of the student.
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Oh, I definitely understand that you couldn’t use podcasts and digital stories 100% of the time but I feel like these things may cause students’ desire to read decrease. Its kind of like the idea of a dishwasher. Once you have used one, why would you ever want to hand wash dishes?
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Great post. I am glad you admitted you did not learn all you could have or need to in order to do this on your own. I am sure a lot of people feel the same.
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Thank you. It is not always easy admitting confusion.
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Great post. I agree that you can’t learn everything from a podcast post. I think that we still need to use books in the classroom. Great job.
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Thank you!
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I think you bring up a good point in the fact that while it is going to be expected of us to incorporate technology into the classroom, we are not explicitly taught how to run the technology ourselves. I think learning how to create a podcast would have been a much better use of time in a class like Multimedia Support and Instruction as opposed to creating PowerPoints on digital concepts… However, I feel like playing with things like blogging can indirectly help us in future digital endeavors. Once we learn how to navigate the Internet, we can then help ourselves by finding articles, tutorials, and commentaries online that can instruct us when it comes to more challenging concepts. Thank you for your great insights!
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Thank you and you’re welcome. I do feel like I have learned how to do quite a bit in this class and I definitely do have a great amount of appreciation to our teacher however, I do not necessarily learn very well from online tutorials so I think a class that would actually teach me how to would be beneficial.
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I was also somewhat confused on how to make my own digital story. I bet there are some sites that if you google how make one it will come right up. I agree that these two concepts could boost creativity in students. Worth a shot! Great post.
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Thank you. As I was telling someone else, I unfortunately am not the best at learning by using online tutorials on these things but hopefully I will improve.
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I too had not known much about podcasts and had not listened to one before this week. I like how you stated this and we got to hear about this learning experience for you. I feel the same way about learning these types of “creations.” I would not know how to begin learning about how to make one but I would start with a general Google search. It might actually be as simple as downloading an app, who knows?
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That is true. I ran into quite a bit of trouble creating gifs for the daily create challenge even though most people seemed to be able to create one with just a few clicks of the mouse. I guess it will just take me time and more effort.
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