Digital Composition: Design Technology in the Classroom

This single-panel storyboard sample was created using Canva and art from MidJourney.

Universal Design for Learning

Using design technology, whether video, audio, or visual composition software, is an exciting way to give students various choices and media to demonstrate what they know and can do! These tools build the digital and online literacies necessary for navigating an increasingly interconnected world while developing relevant transferable skills.

Digital Texts and Students

I agree with Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher (2022) that digital texts are prominent in our students' lives. For better or worse, students engage with multimedia platforms for communication, entertainment, creative expression, and keeping up with the world. Their reality has been conditioned and shaped by a virtual web instantly connecting them to information and people across the globe.

Using digital composition, educators can curate worthwhile learning opportunities that build on the skills and literacies our students are developing in their personal lives while also guiding them to become compassionate, empathetic, ethically minded digital citizens. In short, we can teach them to be better than a significant population of adults whose online behaviors are shameful and abhorrent at best.

Digital Tools

Image created using MidJourney AI

I understand that iMovie is an excellent tool for editing and composing movies. My colleagues and acquaintances swear by its ease of use and versatility. Unfortunately, I teach in one of the many school districts that don't have funding to support the purchase of iPads or MacBooks, so iMovie remains out of my students' reach.

There are alternatives. Canva is a digital composition site that supports multimedia design. Users can create a free account or pay a monthly subscription fee to access premium content. Students can develop and design videos by uploading video clips and images. Canva includes direct recording and voice-over features. In addition to video, it can be used to create slide presentations, posters, infographics, and more!

Audacity is a free audio editor that is available for download. Users have the option to purchase extended features, but for classroom content, the free download is more than sufficient. Audacity can be used to record and edit podcasts and other audio content. Students using Audacity to create podcasts can sign up for a free account with Podbean, a hosting service allowing up to five hours of monthly uploads to their site.

Blogs are another tool students can use to create and publish content online. WordPress is one of the best options. In minutes, students can sign up and design their first blog for free. The site's features are user-friendly and easy to use.

Don't Neglect Your Students' Funds of Knowledge

Students are adept at using online multimedia tools. Don't limit them to the recommendations above. Check with your school and district to see what media platforms can be accessed through district-provided technology. Students can create short video series using Instagram Reels, YouTube, or even TikTok.

Personal Samples

Below are digital composition samples I created using video editing tools and software from Splice and Canva, images created using MidJourney AI, and videos hosted for free on YouTube. Additionally, if you've paid attention, this entire site is a work of digital composition.