Telling a Story Digitally

Digital storytelling can be used as an assessment tool that gives students the opportunity to be creative and share their knowledge without the constraints of a test, essay, or project. In this respect it would definitely be considered an authentic assessment tool.  Students would create a piece of work that shows what they know, shows what they can do, and helps them develop a deeper understanding of the material during the process.  Its also a piece of work they would be proud of and could keep as evidence in a portfolio or used an additional resource for other students who might be struggling with the content.  

I can see using digital storytelling in the math classroom as a way for students to present what they have learned at the end of a unit. Students could be asked to create a story about one aspect of the unit or how all the concepts are connected. This would give them a chance to showcase their knowledge of the material and teachers would be able to tell how deep the student's understanding is.

Digital storytelling certainly isn't just for students; teachers should use it to introduce a lesson or unit. They could use it as the hook by creating a digital story that presents like a movie trailer. It would pique student interest and motivate them to learn the material. This would also help to increase understanding because there are so many digital resources available that are multidimensional; resulting in lessons that go deeper into the material, more so than the pages of a textbook.