Without a doubt....

Jason Ohler, author of "Orchestrating the Media Collage", "Being able to read and write multiple forms of media and integrate them into a meaningful whole is the new hallmark of literacy." I agree completely that the creation of a photo story, with an assigned topic, could and most absolutely should replace or at least complement the outdated method of paper writing. This archaic approach to education is only hindering students that are living in the 21st century.

According to ISTE's Educational Technology Standards for teachers: 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity - d. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify student's conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. A photo story, such as "The power of one", reflects that with careful planning and thinking on the assigned topic the student is able to present a creative project that unveils the students conceptual understanding of the subject matter.

Students in the 21st century, according to the ISTE's standards, should 2. Design and Develop Digital-age Learning Experiences and Assessments: d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching. Using a photo story is a unique assessment tool that prepares and teaches today's student that paper and pen is not the only way to validate learning. This type of media form allows students to use new media collectively as well as individually. This is modern literacy and it is only advantageous for students to learn it because these days it is hard to avoid.