Había una vez...

Once upon a time…

We have all been read a bedtime story that began with these familiar words. Storytelling is as old as human history; it began as an oral tradition, has since been carried on through books, movies and television, and the growing trend is now known as digital storytelling. The University of Houston’s Education site defines digital storytelling as, “the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories,” (What is Digital Storytelling?). Digital story telling allows the creative combination of a variety of media such as images, sound and video to accompany a narrative (7 Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling).

Digital storytelling lends itself perfectly to foreign language teaching. First, teachers can use it as an instructional tool (Educational Uses). Teachers can create their own digital stories to share with students. This could be effective when discussing historical events relevant to learning the L2 (i.e. Spanish Colonialism, the Panama Canal or the Spanish-American War). The multi-media aspect allows teachers to transform a class lecture or presentation into a more lively narrative. Moreover, as language teachers, we could also apply this tool to sharing already existing stories. By creating a recording of any piece of literature in the L2 (i.e. a children’s book such as Numeralia by Jorge Luján or a book translated into the L2 such as Como el Grinch robó la Navidad) we are able to produce our own listening materials. Students could then replay these recordings and follow the story by viewing the accompanying images (photos of the illustrations).

In addition to an instruction tool, digital storytelling is a great learning tool for students (Educational Uses). Students can develop and create their own digital stories based on prompts, research topics, or other assignments – and they can do it in the L2! Students could apply relevant vocabulary and structures discussed in class and then record their own story in Spanish. This is an authentic, communicative task, but without the risk or pressure of a class watching since it is recorded. It could also be turned into a collaborative project with students either working together to create one product, or creating individual stories but commenting and interacting with other students’ projects.

These are just a few suggested ideas for how to apply digital storytelling to L2 learning. We all have stories to share and we are fascinated and captivated by the ones we hear. Truly, digital storytelling is a great tool that provides a creative outlet for students to share their stories while using the L2.