The Power of Story

Abstract

Accomplished speakers recognize the value of incorporating stories into presentations to make a point and/or help the audience remember a concept. This principle is no less true for instructors in an academic setting. As technology advances, faculty are increasingly challenged not only to engage students, but maintain learner interest throughout content presentation. Lectures and overhead transparencies have been overused and today are often ineffective, especially when competing with presentation software files, videos, DVDs, CDs, and distance learning techniques; consequently, maintaining participant engagement becomes a daunting task for facilitators of learning. Digital storytelling has recently come to the forefront as both an accompaniment and an alternative to traditional delivery modes. With the advent of easy-to-use scanning, presentation, video editing, and sound recording software at reasonable prices, instructors have more options. This presentation and paper review the process and the results of a digital story workshop conducted with faculty at California Lutheran University.