7 Best Digital Storytelling Tools for Teachers and Students

<Discover the best digital storytelling tools for the classroom. Help students build communication skills through video, audio, and interactive books using these 7 EdTech apps.

Digital storytelling is a powerful way to bring learning to life in the classroom. With the right tools, students can create, share, and explore stories using text, images, video, and audio.

In this post, you’ll find practical tools and ideas to help you get started with digital storytelling across grade levels and subject areas.

What is digital storytelling?

Digital storytelling is the use of digital tools to tell stories through a combination of text, images, video, audio, and animation.

In the classroom, it gives students a way to create and communicate their understanding in meaningful ways. Instead of simply consuming information, students actively build stories that reflect their ideas, learning, and perspective.

Benefits of digital storytelling for students

Digital storytelling in the classroom supports student engagement while helping learners develop essential communication and thinking skills. When students create and share stories using digital tools, they move beyond passive consumption and become active participants in their learning.

Encourages creative thinking

Digital storytelling encourages students to think creatively about how to express ideas using text, images, audio, and video. It supports problem solving, decision making, and self-expression across subject areas.

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.” – Albert Einstein

As students design their stories, they make choices about structure, perspective, and message. This kind of thinking helps them develop a stronger sense of voice while exploring content in a more meaningful way.

Improves communication skills

Creating digital stories requires students to organize their ideas and communicate them clearly to an audience. They learn to combine written, visual, and audio elements to strengthen their message.

This process helps students develop communication skills that go beyond traditional writing, including digital literacy and audience awareness, which are essential across grade levels and subjects.

Supports deeper understanding across subjects

Digital storytelling can be used in any subject area, from retelling historical events to explaining scientific processes or reflecting on literature. It encourages students to process information and present it in their own words.

By transforming content into a story, students engage more deeply with the material, making connections and demonstrating understanding in a meaningful and memorable way.

Builds confidence

Digital storytelling gives students a more comfortable entry point into sharing their ideas. Instead of presenting live right away, students can record, revise, and refine their work before sharing it with others.

Over time, students begin to see that their ideas have value and that they can communicate them clearly, whether working independently or collaboratively.

7 digital storytelling tools for students and teachers

There are many digital tools available to support storytelling in the classroom. Each offers different ways for students to create, share, and explore ideas, whether through books, videos, presentations, or interactive experiences.

The tools below are a starting point. Some are designed for creating stories, while others help guide students through the storytelling process. You don’t need to use them all. Instead, choose the tools that fit your students, your subject area, and your learning goals.

1. BookWidgets

BookWidgets is an interactive learning platform that allows teachers to create digital activities and assessments using text, images, video, and audio.

Teachers can use BookWidgets to guide students through storytelling experiences, not just assign a final project. Students might respond to prompts, sequence events, analyze images, or reflect on a story they’ve created or explored. This works across grade levels, from simple picture-based storytelling in elementary classrooms to deeper analysis and multimedia responses in secondary and higher education.

Looking for activities that can support digital storytelling skills? Explore these interactive reading lesson ideas and image-based lesson activities to help students practice close reading, visual analysis, and creative response with BookWidgets.

2. Book Creator

Book Creator is a digital tool that allows students to create their own multimedia books using text, images, audio, and video.

Students can build anything from simple picture books in elementary school to research-based digital publications in higher grades. It’s a flexible way to support storytelling, reflection, and publishing, giving students ownership over both the content and presentation of their work.

3. Canva

Canva is a design platform that allows users to create presentations, videos, posters, and visual stories using drag-and-drop tools and templates.

In the classroom, students can storyboard ideas, design visual narratives, or create presentations that tell a story. Its ease of use makes it accessible for younger students, while its range of features supports more advanced projects in secondary and higher education.

Canva can be a simple entry point into digital storytelling. If you're looking for inspiration, explore these free and creative Canva templates for teachers and see how they can support student storytelling.

4. Adobe Express

Adobe Express is a web-based design tool that allows users to create visual stories, webpages, graphics, and short videos without needing advanced design skills.

Teachers can have students create visual narratives, digital reports, or story-based webpages that combine images, text, and media. It works well for older students who are ready to think more intentionally about layout, audience, and visual communication.

5. WeVideo

WeVideo is an online video creation and editing platform designed for classroom use, allowing students to create and edit videos in the cloud.

Students can tell stories through video by combining clips, voiceovers, music, and text. This works across subjects and grade levels, from simple narrated slideshows to more complex documentary-style projects or creative storytelling.

6. Genially

Genially is an interactive content creation tool that allows users to build presentations, infographics, and stories with clickable and animated elements.

Students can create interactive stories where readers explore content, make choices, or move through different paths. Teachers can also design storytelling experiences such as digital escape rooms or branching scenarios that encourage exploration and engagement.

Genially becomes even more powerful when paired with other tools. This app smashing example with BookWidgets and Genially shows how to build more interactive learning and storytelling experiences for students.

7. Google Slides / Microsoft PowerPoint

Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint are widely used presentation tools that allow students to combine text, images, video, and animations.

Because they are familiar and accessible, students can focus on storytelling rather than learning a new tool. They can create slide-based narratives, timelines, or visual explanations, making these tools a practical option for digital storytelling at any grade level.

Start your digital storytelling journey

Digital storytelling opens up new ways for students to engage with content, express their ideas, and demonstrate their understanding. Whether students are creating simple picture stories, producing videos, or designing interactive experiences, storytelling can deepen learning across any subject.

You don’t need to start with something complex. Begin with one tool, one idea, or one lesson, and build from there. Small shifts in how students create and share their thinking can lead to meaningful learning experiences.

Explore the tools above, try one with your students, and see where their stories take you.

Discover more with BookWidgets

Want to create and assess engaging digital activities with BookWidgets?

✔️ New to BookWidgets? Start with our Getting Started with BookWidgets guide.

✔️ Sign up for upcoming free webinars or watch recordings on the BookWidgets Teacher Academy page.

✔️ Follow BookWidgets on BlueSky, LinkedIn, or join our teacher community on Facebook.