Digital Storytelling as an Instrument of Learning: Storytelling as a Primary Form of Communicative Learning through Mobile App Books

• Published in: The international journal of the book 2014-01, Vol.11 (2), p.23
• Main Authors: Crawford, Caroline M, Smith, Marion
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Digital storytelling; Distance learning; Grass roots movement; Mobile communications networks
• ISSN: 1447-9516
• DOI: 10.18848/1447-9516/CGP/v11i02/37015

Storytelling has been a generational way for people to share cultural history, develop one’s own presentation style, and teach others important lessons. With the introduction of the Digital Age, the engagement and understanding of the information that is shared through digital storytelling efforts help further support one’s understanding of the information necessary to take away from the storytelling effort. Further, what was once framed through primarily textual displays can now return to its performance art realm, wherein mobile application products have the opportunity to frame multimedia books into storytelling endeavors. Further, with Digital Age tools available, mobile application books are no longer only the purview of publishing organizations but, instead, can be designed, developed and made globally available through a grassroots effort. The hypothesis suggests the philosophical understanding of the cultural impact of storytelling within the Digital Age, specifically supported by the work of Vygotsky, Wittgenstein, and similar social learning theory researchers. This proposed idea advances knowledge in the fields of instruction, especially realms of distance education such as mobile application books, and supports rethinking the importance and framework of what is termed the “book” within the Digital Age.