Integrating the old and the new: Digital Storytelling in the EFL language classroom

Abstract

With the advent of new technologies and their consequent integration within the curriculum, teachers need to find attractive activities to substitute and complement more traditional ones. Digital storytelling is one possibility since it contributes to: a) the enrichment of the ePortfolio and b) the use of Web 2.0 technology for language learning. Digital storytelling engages students in both traditional and innovative ways of telling a story, since they learn how to combine basic multimedia tools (e.g., animations) with activities as varied as doing research, writing and delivering presentations (cf. Robin, 2005; Barrett, 2006a, 2006b). In this article, I pay attention to one type of digital story: Personal-Educational Digital Storytelling. I will expand on the adequacy of educational stories as a language learning and teaching tool in EFL and indicate some ways of using them in different subjects by sketching out some activities designed for such a purpose.