Digital Storytelling in the Classroom

Currently, in Instructional Technology, we are exploring PhotoPeach and the power of using digital storytelling in the classroom. PhotoPeach is an interesting spice for slideshows; it gives a different spin to a presentation so students do not have to suffer from "death-by-Powerpoint". PhotoPeach allows a teacher or student to choose images, create quick, concise captions, add music (or upload sounds/voice,) and even create a quiz to keep students on their toes!

Now the question is can such a thing really be useful in the classroom? Absolutely. Simple shows like these can help students by bringing a new perspective to lectures. For teachers using this concept, review sessions can go by smoother through creation of a slideshow on main topics of an upcoming exam or just quickly recapping the last class session. Students can work in small groups on questions placed within the slideshow to test what they remember/what they learned. Students can use this as a new way to present reports or group projects. This can be a way for students to further customize their projects and embed part of their personalities within their work. Getting to create small quizzes for classmates can excite the students and it can also show how well the presenters understand the information through their ability to teach the other students. PhotoPeach and other digital storytelling ideas do not have to be an everyday tool, but they absolutely can be a useful one. 


Here is the project I created using PhotoPeach:
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Colors on PhotoPeach