Digital stories: Overview

This article provides an overview of how digital stories (DSs)—storylines that integrate text, images, and sound—have been used in second-language (L2) contexts. The article first reviews the methodical and planned, albeit non-linear, steps required for successful implementation of DSs in the L2 classroom and then assesses the observed linguistic and rhetorical gains learners may experience in their language skills (speaking, listening, and writing), including their use of correct grammar, vocabulary, and writing conventions. This article also points out the shift from a traditional literacy concept to a new concept of multi-literacies, exploring the notions of new genres and the application of social-semiotic perspectives to understanding the development of DSs. The final section illustrates limitations of current DS research and concludes with a discussion of the future roles of DSs in CALL.