9 Free Digital Storytelling Tools for Teachers and Students

Before the digital era took over, storytelling was a popular way of teaching. Teachers used puppets, pictures, voice modulations, and other techniques to make learning fun for students.

Stories are an effective way to engage with students and educate them on different topics. It triggers emotions and creates strong feelings.

As the name suggests, digital storytelling means telling a story using digital methods. stories that include videos, photographs, animations, sounds, and music. Compared to the traditional way, digital storytelling feels more real, and kids are more engaged in learning.

However, creating such extraordinary stories digitally is daunting. Not all teachers are tech savvy enough to use complex apps and interfaces to create perfect stories.

So, here we are, helping you find the best free digital storytelling tools for teachers and students.

Table of Contents

Free digital storytelling tools for teachers and students

Canva

Canva is an all-in-one tool where you can create amazing storyboards, infographics, videos, and collages. The platform has thousands of templates for every occasion. So, if you want something super customizable and easy-to-use, then Canva should be your option.

Features of Canva

Canva works right in your browser, so you don’t need to download any apps.

There are hundreds of thousands of free photos and graphics available for use.

You get a free collection of storyboard templates to create excellent storytelling projects.

You can collaborate with other members in real-time to get additional feedback.

Animoto

Videos are one of the best ways to incorporate storytelling; they are simple and easy to digest. Animoto is one of the free digital storytelling tools that help create quick, eye-catching videos for students. You can create and customize your videos using Animoto’s editing tools.

Features of Animoto

Built-in library of millions of photos, videos, and music.

Various customization options to create videos that bring your vision to reality.

You can also share your videos on social media and websites or download them to share anywhere else you want.

Teachers can create videos on Animoto in three simple steps. First, select the template, then customize it according to your needs and share it with the world.

Adobe Express

Adobe Spark, now turned into Adobe Express, helps teachers create excellent digital stories. It is incredibly easy to use, with a library of photos, videos, graphics, and templates. You can add effects, remove backgrounds, play with text, and share your work with the world using Adobe Express.

Features of Adobe Express

Adobe Express offers Premier Rush and Photoshop Express that helps in creating videos and editing photos.

Adobe Express works well with classroom tools like Canvas, Clever, Microsoft Teams, One Note, Google Classroom, and more.

The tool offers you a space to connect with and collaborate with like-minded educators and get recognized for your creativity.

You can create your stories online or use the Adobe Express app.

You don’t need any technical knowledge to get started with Adobe Express.

Smile Box

Smile Box lets you create greetings, invitations, slideshows, scrapbooks, and photo albums. You can create your favorite stories in three simple ways. First, select the template, customize it using photos, videos, and music, and share it with your students.

Features of the Simple Box

Smile Box provides over 1000 templates to choose from. You will find inspiration in every corner.

You get unlimited storage to keep all your creations in one place.

You can share your videos online or even download them.

Smile Box lets you customize your text and add music, images, and videos to create excellent stories.

You can also turn your videos into still photos, which you can use in future projects.

WeVideo

WeVideo is another excellent free digital storytelling tools for teachers. It sparks creativity, collaboration, and learning in your classroom. Teachers can create multimedia content and assess students within the app to give real-time feedback.

Features of the Smile Box

WeVideo works well with Canvas, Schoology, ClassLink, Microsft Education Partner, and Google.

Using WeVideo, you can make instructional videos, create assignments and give feedback in real-time.

Users get access to a built-in free media library of over 1 million stock videos, audio files, and images.

You can use a green screen to create videos from anywhere. This feature works well when curating stories for your students.

Pixton

Pixton is one tool specially made for educators to infuse storytelling into their students’ learning. It’s an incredibly powerful writing tool that’s easy to use and has plenty of storytelling features. Pixton is based on the feedback of thousands of educators, which keeps its quality in check.

Features of Pixton

Using Pixton, you can create digital avatars of yourself and your students. This helps students discover a personal connection with the topic.

You can create comics, storyboards, or graphic novels for excellent storytelling.

You can print or share your stories digitally with your students.

Pixton is super-easy to use. You don’t require any technical knowledge to use the app.

Toontastic 3D

Toontastic 3D is a popular storytelling app used by thousands of educators worldwide. This free digital storytelling tool lets you draw, animate, and narrate stories in unique ways. You can bring your characters to life by adding motions and voices. Toontastic is a great tool for primary school students because it lets you infuse learning with fun.

Features of Toontastic 3D

Toontastic works well for iOS and Android users.

There are no in-app purchases; the app is free of charge and without ads.

Using Toontastic 3D, you can create fan fiction, social lessons, school reports, and historical films.

You can design characters, plot your stories, add animation and mix your soundtrack, all in Toontastic.

Piktochart

Piktochart is an excellent visual storytelling tool to create infographics, presentations, and videos. It’s an extremely easy-to-use platform with a drag-and-drop editor for quick editing. You can browse through the templates to create eye-popping visuals for your students.

Features of Piktochart

Using charts, graphs, and interactive maps, turn complex data into clear, catchy visuals.

Video editing is quite straightforward in Piktochart. You can automatically transcribe, edit texts, add subtitles, and crop videos in minutes.

You can also easily communicate and collaborate with other staff members in Piktochart.

You can download your visuals into PNG and PDF formats for easy sharing with educators and students.

Infuse digital storytelling with Graphy

Storytelling isn’t limited to traditional classes; you can also infuse it with online courses. If you are a course creator looking to create online courses with digital storytelling, then Graphy is the ultimate option.

The platform lets you upload rich media course content, including videos, pdfs, and images. You can create unique storyboards and upload them to your Graphy accounts.

Graphy has thousands of active content creators who have created online courses and monetized their skills. You can also do the same, and the best thing is that you can start for free.

Graphy offers a load of features that will add stars to your success, features like:

Branded website and mobile app
Advanced-level marketing and sales tools and features
Multi-layer content security
Rich multimedia
24*7 customer support
Customizable landing/sales pages
Personalized course completion certificates for your learners
Integrated payment gateways and country-specific pricing

Isn’t it amazing?