After reading the text and viewing the University of Houston's Digital Storytelling website, I must say I am excited to begin my Digital Storytelling Resource Kit. Digital storytelling provides a new spin on storytelling, in which digital graphics, text, recorded audio narration, video, and music are combined as a movie to tell a story. There are several types of digital storytelling, such as personal narratives, stories that inform or instruct, and stories that examine historical themes or events. Most digital stories revolve around a theme. For example, I watched a digital story about the Holocaust.
In order to create a digital story, you can use Photo Story, Movie Maker, iMovie, or Power Point. After reading,
The 7 Elements of Storytelling, I learned that you should consider the following elements when designing a digital story:
- Point of View
- A Dramatic Question
- Emotional Content
- The Gift of Your Voice
- The Power of the Soundtrack
- Economy
- Pacing
Digital Storytelling can be an effective tool for teachers to use to aid in instruction. Teachers can use digital stories as a lesson hook or as a way to make learning more meaningful. The visual aspect of digital storytelling will be beneficial for many students. Digital storytelling can be a wonderful tool to facilitate classroom discussion as well. Students can create their own digital stories, which would improve their abilities in research, writing, presentation, organization, and problem solving skills. Some challenges that teachers and students may face when creating digital stories include issues with copyright, access to the necessary hardware and software, and time constraints.
Here is an example of a student created digital story:
Student Example
I remember being in 8th or 9th grade and being assigned a research project about a certain decade. My team and I decided to create a video to highlight certain aspects of the 1970s.
ReplyDeleteWhat's funny is that the video quality was terrible! The old equipment was very difficult to use, we didn't have editing software, and certainly no digital programs to assist us. I can only imagine the amazing projects that students are capable of producing in this exciting digital age.
I think it's really valuable that students can dive deep into a digital project and realize that they're capable of producing things that they see on tv and on the computer. Today's youTube world certainly makes everyone a potential producer.
It's exciting to envision the voice and perspective a student may express using a digital storytelling outlet.
I am so glad you are excited about creating your Digital Storytelling Resource Kit. I'm a nervous wreck about it! I'm teaching a math intervention class and have no idea what direction to take with that. The digital story about The Pythagoreans was pretty awesome, but still not sure what to do. I watched the one on the Holocaust and one on Gettysburg and thought I may do something for 8th grade social studies. I would like to create something that can be used in someone's classroom now. Thanks for including the 7 elements. I'll definitely keep those in mind when I finally decide about a topic. Your blog also helps me categorize my ideas better: stories that inform or instruct or stories that examine historical themes or events.
ReplyDeleteKelly, your could revamp this a little, but I'm doing vodcast tutorials (or will be in my big master plan) having math students produce videos on how to work certain types of problems or application of rules with a problem to demonstrate. I can see how you could use digital story telling for this.
DeleteKelly, I too am excited to begin... though still at a loss on the KIT we must create. Your post inspired me to visit and view the videos myself. I plan to send the link to my ss department as there are Several that apply to standards. They will both educate students and demonstrate to teachers the potential for creating their own.
ReplyDeleteKelly,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tips and instructions. I love the fact that you included a student made digital story. Your enthusiasm obviously spills over to your students. The way you have explained the different types of storytelling is helpful and will be used when I am completing my own digital story.
Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI agree that Digital Stories can be a great instructional tool. The visual component of digital stories really helps students understand new material. Thank you for including the 7 Elements of Storytelling- these tips are good to keep in mind when we're creating digital stories for students, but they would also bee a good thing to teach students as they create their own digital stories.
As a side note, I love Penny's idea about creating digital story-like vodcasts of students solving and explaining math problems. These would be GREAT to include on a math teacher's website, and if students are creating them, it means that the math teacher doesn't have to spend all of her time making them! This would be a great project for a school's Math Club. I love how delegation of these tasks helps save time and energy.
The Digital Story Kit is a capstone project for this course. It has been amazing how all of the projects will influence the final project. I has been an amazing journey. I know that this form of presentation will captivate the students in my school who are working on their 11th grade research papers. The ability to bring those words to life will motivate many of the visual learners to complete the paper in order to have an opportunity to create a digitall story.
ReplyDeleteThe intergration of technology across the curriculium is a challenge for us all. Many of you have made excellent suggestions for the use in Math. I believe that the more we expose the students to, the more affective we become as educators.
The magnet students will use this resource to compete in the Georgia Movie Academy contest. All of the tips are much appreciated. Thank you for providing an example of student work.
Oh my goodness! That was the cutest story ever. I loved hearing that little guy telling the story of how he got his dog.
ReplyDeleteI admit, I was a little nervous about making a digital story when Dr. Cooper first mentioned it. I am beginning to realize that it might even be easier than writing a paper. Basically it's finding music and pictures that enhance the "story" you want to present. It would be great to see more of this encouraged in schools rather than boring old research papers.
Prior to exploring our digital storytelling assignment, completing the readings, and viewing various blog posts on the topic, I hadn't considered using digital stories as a part of my instruction. I am now seeing, through several examples, how these really can be a great hook for a lesson or as a means to reteach or review an important concept. I am starting to feel gradually more comfortable and excited about completing our digital storytelling project as I view more examples and develop a deeper understanding of the wide range of possibilities that digital storytelling creates.
ReplyDeleteI loved the student video that you included. Every time I see an example I keep making mental notes of all of the ways that my own students could use digital storytelling to share their personal stories as well as what they are learning in third grade. I have heard about digital storytelling for a number of years now, but have never done anything with it. I am excited to have a project that requires me to buckle down and complete a digital story as well as a resource kit that I will be able to take back to my classroom and use with my students.
I am also very excited about making our digital story, however I am also a little nervous about it. The elements that you gave us are sure to help me as I get started with this project. I think they are a great idea and I think they would also be great for the students to do reports as a digital story. I also think that if a teacher is using this tool it is helping reach out to the multiple learners such as a visual learner.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of digital story telling. I agree that it can help strengthen the research capabilities of students, but also agree that it can certainly be time consuming. I have young learners that many times don't even know how to use the mouse, so doing anything on the computer calls for the allotment of time to acquaint them with the technology, which at many times I feel isn't enough:/
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