Storytelling curriculum & kits

Screen-based Storytelling Kits at the Fredericton Public Library

In collaboration with the GLAM Incubator and Prof. Sara Grimes at the University of Toronto, the Fredericton Public Library will produce screen-based storytelling kits and a corresponding curriculum to foster digital literacy and creative skill-building in school-aged children. Children are increasingly immersed in passive screen experiences through tablets, smartphones, and TVs located in their homes, public spaces, and schools. This project will encourage them to harness the ubiquitous “screen” to express their own voices and views on the world. Libraries are invested in fostering literacy in its many iterations, and a screen-based storytelling project enriches a child’s engagement with screens from a creative generative perspective. In addition, the library aims to close existing gaps in digital access in their community by offering this program for free. The library will provide instruction in filmmaking, animation, basic world-building and videogame design, with a focus on fostering hard skills in relevant technology and software (e.g. videography, editing, sound recording, digital illustration, and storyboarding) as well as soft skills such as project planning, group work, communication, adaptability, and motivation. The kits and curriculum developed by this project will be shared with other public libraries in New Brunswick, meeting a crucial need in the community and supporting child development and technical literacy province-wide. The curriculum will be a timely and significant contribution to pedagogies of child development and technical literary with implications reaching far beyond this local library.