Voices from the heart: the use of digital storytelling in education

Headnote

Abstract

Digital storytelling has emerged as a powerful teaching and learning tool, which presents personal narratives, images and music to create a unique and sometimes emotional snapshot into another person's experience. By offering a platform for sharing and understanding such narratives, professionals may gain insight into a perceived experience and construct their role accordingly. Used effectively, they can engage the listener and offer opportunity to reflect and consider the impact of their professional role on the storyteller. This article looks at how digital storytelling can enhance professional practice and enable vulnerable voices to be heard.

Key words

Voices, education, user involvement, empowerment

Introduction

People who tell stories have a need to share their thoughts, feelings and information with others, and to create meaning about an event. Individuals may tell their stories to come to terms with or understand their experience, legitimise their behaviour or share with others the emotional experience. The use of these stories gives the teller a voice, empowering and enabling vulnerable individuals, and offering the professional an ideal vehicle with which to really listen to and engage with their clients.

Digital storytelling is the practice of people using digital tools to share their stories. These stories are often powerful, use emotionally engaging images and can cover a wide range of digital formats. This can include web-based stories, interactive stories and computer games and films, which may be used for education, promotion, advertising and charitable enterprises. With the advent of new technologies and accessible equipment, such as mobile phones and digital cameras, individuals can now make and share their experiences across the internet to a global audience. These digital stories may include photographs, animation, video, sound, music and the storyteller's own voice to convey an intimate insight into a lived personal experience.

Legislation and professional practice

The Equality Act (Department of Health (DH), 2010) and the Health and Social Care Act (DH, 2012a) have been instrumental in the government's legislation to drive forward patients' inclusion in their care. No Decision About Me Without Me (DH, 2012b: 4), the 'Big Society' and the government's declared desire to promote research, recruiting and involving patients in their care to give them a 'voice', puts them at the very heart of the NHS and decisions about...