Articles in Digital Storytelling
Comics are educationally effective because they create a story (Mallia, 2007). Narrative is a powerful tool in teaching, and provides necessary context for a learner to assimilate the new information into existing cognitive schemas (Nelson, 1989). Since comics are meant to be humorous and entertaining, they can use fantasy to simulate scenarios where a certain concept has been taken to the extreme – sometimes the best way to really understand the uniqueness and limitations of a new concept.
Because they are primarily visual, comics are appealing to younger children who might …
Play is a powerful medium for learning, yet comes naturally to children and seems like a pleasant way to pass the time between more “serious” work. It is very appealing to educators to be able to harness this power because of the seemingly effortless way in which children learn important skills while playing, as well as the fact that they generally choose to engage in play rather than needing it to be scheduled for them by adults.
The first problem with utilizing play for education is defining what exactly play is. …