Storytelling in its traditional form, with active participation by tellers and listeners, is a valuable model for contemporary library and classroom experiences. Digital storytelling expands opportunities for storytelling in libraries, and reflects a continuity of innovative library services for children and students. For this study, "digital storytelling" is defined as a short, multimedia presentation of a story, created by students, under the guidance of school librarians or teachers. Because much of the literature and practice of digital storytelling emphasizes the creator, or teller, this research examines the response of the "listener-viewers" to explore and support in a digital environment the interactions afforded to audiences of traditional, live storytelling. This research study is a mixed methods investigation centered upon participant-observation of digital storytelling in intermediate classroom and middle school library settings. The research findings show six prominent themes representing how students respond to and engage in digital storytelling, presented in the study in a conceptual model. The themes are Engagement, Action, Emotions, Learning, Similar Experiences, and Next Steps. Key components of digital storytelling as a classroom and school library activity are the "self" as a viewer of digital storytelling, formative and summative viewing practices, and how classroom teachers and school librarians teach and facilitate digital storytelling, including integration of technology and information literacies and collaboration.
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