Africa
Digital Storytelling Project
A stepping stone to the future
Introducing digital learning to young students is a powerful way to prepare them for the future. Through digital storytelling, students can establish meaningful connections with the rest of the world in ways never before possible. For the first time, this school can establish its place in a global community of learners, and the students can begin to make their voices heard. Most importantly, digital storytelling gives these students pride that their lives and thoughts can touch others and have meaning beyond their wildest dreams. And this pride impacts the entire community, paving the way for a brighter future in our information-based world.
Digital storytelling is a term used to describe how ordinary people can use digital media to tell authentic, real-life stories. It's a grassroots movement that has been adapted by educators, the media, and social activists who see value in applying today's digital tools to the age-old storytelling process.
In addition to its benefits as a powerful and sustainable 21st century learning tool, digital storytelling can also be effectively used to promote cross-cultural understanding around the globe.
Our perspective: In search of what binds us
What is it that binds all people together? What do kids in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, have in common with kids from M'bour, Senegal, Africa? Through digital storytelling we can discover those connections and forge new, valuable relationships that were never before possible.
It starts with reaching out and sharing our humanity through stories in which the only agenda is friendship. Digital storytelling projects often focus on topics such as health, AIDS prevention, the environment, history and events, and social change. These stories focus on something much more universally personal—the stories of daily life. Their purpose is to share how and why we do what we do every day, to spark thought and discussion, and to gain new insights about our lives and the lives of others.
Then and now
The history of digital storytelling dates back to an early 1990s workshop at the American Film Institute that was further refined into a method of training by the Center for Digital Storytelling. Students are taught to create narratives and collect images (photos, videos, music, drawings, and so on) to accompany their words. They are then guided through tutorials that teach them how to edit their stories.
From a 21st century education perspective, the process of digital storytelling requires creative thinking and collaboration, where students often work in teams. Problem solving, interpersonal skills, and self-direction are also key components to success. In addition to its benefits as a powerful learning tool, digital storytelling can also be effectively used to benefit entire communities, bringing people together through an open dialogue of ideas and feelings.
Our digital storytelling project team
With the initial decision to use digital storytelling as a starting point, Jeremy Teicher was a natural recruit. Jeremy had previously designed and implemented a project for Hispanic youths to develop their English literacy skills. It was Jeremy who developed the unique template for adapting this digital storytelling project into a rural Senegalese school setting.
Operating in the role of film director or project manager, Jeremy created this initiative's personal perspective and process, and worked closely with the students to help them tell their personal stories. Jeremy is an undergraduate at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA, where he studies Film, English, and Theatre.
Issa Sow is an undergraduate student at Centre Africain d'Etudes Superieures en Gestion, Dakar, Senegal, where he studies business administration. Issa worked closely with Jeremy on every aspect of project implementation. Issa and Jeremy worked in French, the official language of Senegal, with Issa translating into Wolof, a native language of Senegal, when speaking to the parents of the students.
Acknowledgements
First and most importantly, we want to thank the director, the teachers, and students of Ecole Sinthiou Mbadane 1 for their inspiring motivation and commitment to education. In particular, we want to acknowledge Mounirou Cisse, the teacher whose initial gesture of friendship made this project possible.
We gratefully acknowledge the participation of USAID/Senegal in helping guide us through the process to work with Ecole Sinthiou Mbadane 1. CyberSmart! has also received training and video equipment from the Pearson Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the international media company Pearson, plc. The Pearson Foundation is a leader in facilitating the digital arts, bringing together two increasingly important learning approaches: project based learning and digital arts technology integration. We also want to acknowledge the participation of the Senegal Ministry of Education in facilitating global collaboration among students and supporting our efforts to prepare students to meet the challenges of this century.