Tell Me a Story

   Prior to the articles and discussion in class, I had never heard of Digital Storytelling.  However, I love the idea and believe that I will use this as a future educator.  I have always learned better by being able to make real life connections to the information that I am being given.  I believe that learning new material needs to go beyond the books and notes.  By using Digital Storytelling, the learner will be able to make connections to the material using real life examples.  No matter how small these connections, I believe that they will help the learner understand and retain the material, while being more engaged in the learning process.

                In The Art of Digital Storytelling, by Bernajean Porter there is a quote that I find to describe the exact way that I feel about the topic; “Tell your tales, make them true. If they endure, so will you”.  I feel as though even if it is not the learner’s personal story that they are making a connection with, hearing another person’s story can also bring many connections to the subject that is being learned.  Learners can listen and watch another person’s story, and remember this while they are thinking about the material at a later time. 

            I found the article The Science of Storytelling: Why Telling a Story is the Most Powerful Way to Activate Our Brains interesting.  I have always preferred and felt like I learned better if I can visually see something happening and if I can make a connection to it, rather than just looking at bullet points on a PowerPoint.  I found it interesting that listening to a story activates different parts of our brain, which in turn helps us learn and retain the material.  I have always agreed with this and felt like this is how I retained information, and found it interesting that science has proved what I have thought all along!