Reluctant readers and writers often have a difficult time with literacy. They may not like to read, or they find the process arduous because of poor reading skills or attention deficits.

Traditional literacy is about reading and writing, but digital technology has encouraged more broad definitions of literacy that include visual, media, and information literacy. Multiliteracy has reignited learners’ interest in literacy through digital storytelling, and teachers have discovered that they can capture the hearts of struggling learners with digital storytelling.

Digital storytelling lets struggling students bring their ideas to life in creative ways.

• Imagistory –The wordless picture books at Imagistory let students use their imagination to tell a story aligned to what they see on the pages. The students record their storytelling and can play back the narrative afterward.
• Powtoon – For students wanting to create cartoon-style animated digital videos, Powtoon offers a simple way to create slides, animate the characters, insert text, and lay in background music.
• Pictello – Combine pictures from your photo albums with books that can talk, and you have Pictello. This multi-lingual app assists children in developing literacy skills. You can choose whether to read the stories page by page or in slideshow format.
• PuppetPals HD – Future dramatists can create puppet shows amid a variety of prepared backdrops. Once you select the scene and the characters, you’re ready to record your story.
• ScribblePress – Students have plenty of digital media options with ScribblePress. They can use story starters, draw and add stickers, and even place themselves in the stories they create. This app also offers musical scores, voice narration, and movie-making capabilities.
• Storyjumper – Students and teachers using this website have access to intuitive storyboards. Authors choose their backgrounds and insert pictures captured from the library or their own photo galleries. Add the text and decide if you’d like to record yourself reading it.
• VoiceThread – This app encourages collaborative communication by allowing users to add voiceovers to any visual content, including photos, videos, and even documents. VoiceThread is the tool reluctant readers need because they can talk through their projects and reports. The audience can continue the conversation with voice or text comments.

Whether you choose these suggestions or others for digital storytelling, consider these tips for selecting the digital storytelling tools that will capture the hearts of your reluctant learners:

• Insist on using an authoring tool that will look good on any device.
• Look for a variety of easy-to-use graphics.
• Select tools that are intuitive and simple to use.

With the right apps, your struggling learners will develop a passion for storytelling, but more importantly, they’ll connect with writing and reading.