Ms. Inderjeet Kaur and Ms. Chaitali conducted a comprehensive and captivating workshop on the integration of digital tools in teaching and learning. The workshop delved into various aspects of digital storytelling and its benefits in education.
The session commenced by exploring the use of digital tools across different media platforms to create captivating digital stories. Participants learned how to craft narratives using various formats such as photo stories, video clips, audio stories, interactive videos, and animations. Digital storytelling was highlighted as a powerful tool for sharing experiences and learnings with others, fostering engagement, enhancing cognition, improving digital literacy, and developing communication skills. Moreover, the online nature of digital stories allows for wider dissemination and visibility.
To illustrate the concept, a digital story in the form of a video was presented, providing an opportunity for participants to understand and analyze its content. Following this, a constructive worksheet based on character and plot analysis was provided. Ms. Inderjeet shared the video along with questions to pique the students’ interest. Such video worksheets were suggested as a means for all subject teachers to make their classes more interesting and interactive. Additionally, participants explored different types of questions, including inferential and open-ended, to deepen their understanding of the story.
Furthermore, the workshop delved into seven reading strategies aimed at enhancing students’ comprehension of texts. These strategies included summarizing, making connections (text to self, text to text, and text to world), questioning (using the 5 W’s and How), visualizing, determining importance, inferring, and synthesizing. By employing these strategies, students are empowered to summarize texts, establish connections, ask relevant questions, create mental images, identify important information, make logical inferences, and synthesize new knowledge.
Overall, the workshop proved to be engaging and fruitful for all subject teachers in attendance. The incorporation of digital tools and storytelling techniques in the classroom environment has the potential to transform teaching and learning, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and active participation among students. By leveraging digital platforms and embracing interactive approaches, educators can enrich the educational experience and equip students with essential skills for the digital age.
