Children are digital natives who are comfortable using technology to express themselves. A study explored using digital storytelling in schools from kindergarten through upper grades. Digital storytelling involves creating short multimedia stories using devices to record video, photos, music, and narration. Students used an online platform to edit and collaborate on stories. The digital stories created covered topics from tutorials to views of students' realities. They showed students' eagerness to teach others and get feedback from peers. Digital storytelling helps develop students' communication, creativity, and collaboration skills while allowing them to demonstrate understanding in familiar digital formats.

1. What could we learn
from children as digital
storytellers?
Johanna Penttilä, CICERO Learning, University of Helsinki
Anne Kuokkanen, DiSEL21 Ltd

2. Background –
Where do we
come from?
 FINNABLE2020 and SAVI projects (2010-2015)
 Experimenting with digital storytelling in school context
 From kindergarten to upper comprehensive school
 Variety of subjects and topics
 Developing a digital storytelling platform for educational use

3. Digital
storytelling for
’digital natives’  ‘Remember the times when we had only three television channels,
cassette recorders, or cell phones that could only make phone
calls…’
 ’Digital generation uses digital technology transparently, without
thinking about it, marveling at it, or wondering about how it
works’ (Jukes, McCain & Crockett, 2010).
 Today’s children are used to capturing photos and videos during
their free time, and thus, digital storytelling allows them to
express content-area understanding familiar ways (Ohler, 2013.)
 However, digital storytelling is not just about using technology for
learning. Moreover, it is about story scripting, knowledge building,
creativity, communication, and collaboration.

4. (Pedagogical)
digital story
 Short duration (1-4 minutes)
 Multimedia production that contains video clips, photos, music,
animation, and written or narrated content
 Multiple shapes and forms: autobiographies, portfolios,
documentaries, informative and instructive narratives…
 Mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets) for capturing the
story material
 Editing with a variety of software and apps
 The final product is often shared through social networking site(s)

5. Tool for
creating digital
stories
• An Internet based video service developed atTampere
University ofTechnology and University of Helsinki
• Open for users having an user ID for the system, but closed
from outsiders
• Enables easy-to-use video editing tools, collaboration, and
global sharing

6. Frontpage

7. Editing tool

8. Inviting others
to collaborate

9. Communicate
through
private
messages

10. Features of
children’s
digital stories
 Using formats familiar from Internet’s video sharing servides, e.g.,
tutorials
 Strong pursuit for ’teaching others something new’, and offering a
window to their own reality
 Privacy protection or being camera shy: hiding faces, cropping
images
 Natural born commentators!
 Behaviour adopted from social media: willingness to know, what
others think about their videos and eagerness to give feedback /
discuss with others

11. Example
stories
 Slippery slime
 http://cicero-movie.edu.helsinki.fi/?l=0&c=1&g=145&d=mnstge&ms=0&mx=0&a=wtch&vw=1&med=4875&stg=2
 What does the surface tension do?
 http://cicero-movie.edu.helsinki.fi/?l=0&c=1&g=0&d=frntpg&ms=0&mx=280&a=wtch&vw=1&med=7050&stg=0
 Bio bag
 http://cicero-movie.edu.helsinki.fi/?l=0&c=1&g=145&d=frntpg&sw=bio%20bag&ss=3&a=wtch&vw=1&med=1855&stg=0

12. Key take
aways
 Story comes first – scripting is important
 Give room to your own voice and personality
 Define your purposes, and find a right kind of technology
 Curious and experimental attitude towards technology

13. Kiitos!
johanna.penttila@helsinki.fi
anne.kuokkanen@helsinki.fi