“The shortest distance between two people is a story” - Using Digital Storytelling to Transform Learning
Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Digital Storytelling workshop at the StoryCenter virtually for six weeks. This immersive experience gave me an opportunity to explore digital storytelling and its power to engage audiences. It was an incredibly rewarding experience for me, as it opened a world of possibilities for how I could use digital storytelling in my research – such as a powerful tool for self-reflection, collective storytelling, and digital advocacy. It was a pleasure to also to meet amazing people from different fields and locations in the United States and Canada.
The Digital Storytelling Workshop was designed to introduce participants to the basics of digital storytelling. We were taught how to tell stories using different multimedia elements such as video, audio, animation, and still images. The emphasis was on creating engaging stories that can capture an audience’s attention and communicate a message or emotion in an effective way. We also explored ways in which digital storytelling could be used in educational settings such as classrooms and lecture halls.
During the workshop, we had the chance to put our newfound knowledge into practice by creating our own digital stories. We were given access to WeVideo software so that we could create high quality stories without needing any prior technical expertise. At the last day of the workshop, we all presented our stories. It was beautiful to see and know that everyone created truly unique stories that showcased their individual style and creative vision.
In addition to learning about digital storytelling techniques and tools, we also looked at case studies of successful projects that have used digital storytelling effectively. This allowed us to gain insight into how people approach digital story creation and what it takes for a project to be successful in terms of audience engagement, production quality, etc. All these insights helped us understand the power of digital storytelling more deeply and enabled us to create better stories ourselves during the course of the workshop.
Another highlight for me throughout the workshop was the storycircle sessions. These sessions provided the space to share our digital stories with one another and give constructive feedback. This space created an environment of openness and mutual understanding, which encouraged us to share our stories without fear. I am piqued to see how this intriguing approach plays out in the classroom and other learning environments.
Overall, the Digital Storytelling Workshop at the StoryCenter was an incredible experience that made me realize just how powerful digital storytelling can be when done right. From exploring different media formats to learning about successful case studies, I left with knowledge that will not only enable me to create more engaging content for my audiences in both professional and educational settings alike but also take me forward in my research on Digital Mathematics Storytelling. I am thankful to my supportive advisor Dr. Theodore Chao for this amazing experience.
Lastly, I would like to share my favorite quote from this workshop: “The shortest distance between two people is a story”. This quote resonates deeply with me and was one of the reasons why I chose to tell and share my final story titled “Second Chances”.
Here's the link to my story and I do hope it resonates and inspires you: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16x73QdSn9ACG5vXld6GQTv_1C0XZLZ5j/view?usp=share_link
Thank you for reading...
Warm regards,
Ruth Oliwe (The Mathematics Storyteller)
