I actually use digital stories often in the library. I love to use book trailers when I do book talks for classes. The visual images, in combination with music and words, can "sell" a student on a book much better than my description alone. When I talk about books, I usually have a combination of trailers and those without. The books with trailers always get checked out first.
Book talks is only a portion of what I do. I can see that digital stories could really add to the actual lessons that I teach as well. It's reminding of when I used to teach high school social studies. I used to try hard to make the "stories" come alive to my students by painting a word picture, and talking in a conversational way that pulled them in. Why then have I started doing all of my library lessons as power points with bullets? Wouldn't these lessons be impacted just as much by "stories"? I have tried some things, but there is really so much more out there that will really allow me to impact my students more.
I think that one reason a lot of people/us sway towards text is because that's how we were taught and learned how to do; reading & writing. We are so ingrained with the alphabet that it's hard for us to think in other ways. Artists and craftsmen I'm sure think more visually. It's not that we aren't able. We just haven't been trained and that part of us hasn't been developed. Which courses are the first to go? Art, music ... so it's not surprising that these areas are not developed in more people. Those that have the proclivity towards these areas of course naturally go that way if they can. I love to play with visuals and graphics but it's not always my first train of thought when I'm trying to do something.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of these "book trailer" things you have mentioned. My office is attached to the library and I've never seen my librarian use them. Can you tell me what they are and how to find them. They sound cool.
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