Despite the notion that digital storytelling is considered by many scholars to be democratic and participatory, many workshops such as those offered by the Center for Digital Storytelling revolve around a trained staff teaching digital tools to those without knowledge. While digital storytelling does reflect a changing discourse in new media communication, this practice raises questions regarding the power relationship between digital technology and ethics. Just like when considering institutions and organizations, when looking at digital storytelling within study abroad, one must also acknowledge institutional gazes and power relationships between students and universities. The benefits of using digital storytelling in study abroad communities is to get students to be able to critically think and articulate their experience abroad. However, although self-reflection is important and these digital stories do serve as a tool for coping with re-entry, many times digital storytelling has an alternative motive. While digital storytelling in the study abroad community is not facilitated through workshops and students are asked to make these videos on their own time, the videos are usually owned by the university. Universities in having access to the videos often use them for publicity and advertising purposes as digital storytelling often forms an important part of the academic sales-pitch (Rodriguez, 2010). To get students to make these videos for the university, contests such as the one hosted by Emory University: Center for International Programs Abroad are held frequently. In this contest, students are judged on their creativity, audio and visual appeal, and cultural sensitivity. The goal of each video is to communicate the essence of the student’s experience. Although the winner receives a cash prize, the university gains the upper hand by having a digital collection of student’s testimonials that document the amazing program the university sponsors, which serves to bring in more students.
Digital storytelling as a Pedagogical Tool
Digital storytelling serves as a pedagogical tool for developing new media skills. In making a digital story, students must learn how to use digital tools such as cameras, editing software, and the Internet. In this way, students learn to use audio and video as primary source material as they have to brainstorm write scripts and arrange photos as a way to present an argument in an academic context. In addition, digital stories affect how students understand themselves and how they engage with their community. Students can record stories about the highlights of their trip, the struggles they experience, first impressions, cultural faux pas, new people met both in the program itself and in the community, and new things that they learned about themselves. Digital storytelling raises critical questions about how culture can be generated through this new media art form as it provides a widely accessible means for exposing and challenging mainstream stereotypes and misleading cultural representations. Digital storytelling gives students the opportunities to expose situations of inequality or even offer solutions to existing problems. As a pedagogical tool, digital storytelling serves as a form of validation as it works to capture local experiences as well as inner social and political thoughts. In being able to see through the videos they make, moments of change, digital storytelling can “make students more aware of the potential growth available to them on their sojourn and increase the likelihood of maximizing their learning on the program” (Rodriguez, 2010). Making a digital story is a process of self-discovery and the process of recording narratives leads students to reflect more deeply on their time abroad. This discovery and exploration through audio and narrative contributes in turning a student into a global citizen.