Digital+Storytelling

Draft

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The above digital storytelling was produced by a seventh grader participating in an after school reading and writing program. Students in this program were assessed as below grade level. Incorporating digital storytelling as a component of the program supported reading, rereading text, writing, and technology. Observing the student in his writing process led to future research in Digital Storytelling as a tool for revision.

The students were assigned to write about a topic they felt passionate about. This young student's grandfather passed away and chose to write about him. In his initial drafts he wrote sentences regarding the different memories of his grandfather. Below is an example of his first draft.

//The big hill, me and m brother would go down on our standing up on our sled. y sister would always go down on her belly on her sled. On Christmas we would wake up and he would put a bunch of candy canes on the tree. So when we woke up we would eat all of the on Christmas. When it was warm out my grandpa would always take us to play baseball.//

After several session of writing, the student produced a 500 word essay filled with the memories of his time with his grandpa. The student felt he had completed the assignment. The writing however, expresses his memories as he remembered something leading to a lack of organization in his writing. Instruction, through conferencing, supported the students in understanding ideas about revision.