DIGITAL STORYTELLING
“Tell me a fact and I’ll learn
Tell me a truth and I’ll believe
Tell me a story and I’ll remember it forever”
(Matthews-DeNatale, Ph.D., 2008)
I was not familiar with digital storytelling until this assignment. Digital storytelling is the process of telling a story with the use of digital tools. It is usually a 3-5 minute video produced by a novice user, and it is typically about a personal experience that is important to the creator.
This technology is becoming widely used in the classroom and can improve students understanding of subject areas. It also helps with writing, technical, and presentational skills. Students also gain in higher level thinking, social, and language skills. Educators report that they successfully use this technology in all subject areas with language arts and social studies receiving the highest percentage of votes. The process of creating a digital story appeals to all learning styles: aural, visual, and kinesthetic. To successfully implement a digital story assignment, teachers must plan properly. Below I have included a recommended time line.
Two Months Prior to Start of Class
· Inform technology and media staff of the upcoming assignment. This will allow them time to plan for an increase demand of equipment.
· Meet with media staff to help plan training for students on equipment and video editing software
· Plan for the additional media space needed for this project. (Possible solution – external hard drives)
The Assignment
· Develop a clear project outline. Include all requirements for the assignment.
· Provide students with a rubric so that students know the criteria for success.
· Provide a timeline with periodic progress reviews. Suggested stages for review are:
o Brainstorming: Students share their ideas with others in the class (sometimes called a “story circle”). Peers and instructor ask questions and help each other refine their ideas.
o Scripting: Students author a 200-300 word script that will become the audio for their stories. Peers and instructor can ask questions and provide feedback on the script as well.
o Storyboarding: Using a comic strip format, students show how the words in their scripts will synch up with the images they plan to use in their stories. Time permitting, this is another opportunity for feedback.
o Recording and Editing: This is where the piece comes together
o Fine Tuning and Titling: Students add transitions, titles, and credits. It’s important for this to come last, as transitions can change the timing of a piece.
o Burning: Students export their projects and burn them to CD or DVD – at least one copy for the student and another for the teacher.
o Sharing: It’s important to schedule a final screening so that students can present and discuss their work. This is where some of the most important reflective learning takes place!
When designing a digital story, The Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS) in Berkeley, California has developed “The 7 Elements of Storytelling” as a useful starting point. I have listed those elements below.
CDS' Seven Elements of Digital Storytelling | ||||||||||||||
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Resources for Assignment Development and Assessment
Banaszewski, Tom Digital Storytelling Finds Its Place in the Classroom
Teach Story Blog and Teach Story http://techszewski.blogs.com
Barrett, Helen "Digital Storytelling Research Design" (includes rubrics)
Digital Directors Guild: How to Create a Digital Moviemaking Activity
Digital Storytelling Education http://story.e2bn.net
Digital Storytelling: Using Technology to Tell Stories
EdTech Center (Northeastern University) “Digital Storytelling”
The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling
Educause/ELI: Seven Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling
The Elements of Digital Storytelling http://www.inms.umn.edu/elements
Integrating Digital Storytelling into your Classroom http://its.ksbe.edu/dst
May, Kathie "Digital Storytelling as a Narrative Approach to Public Speaking"
Middlebury Community Digital Storytelling Collaborative
Ohler, Jason Digital Storytelling Overview http://www.jasonohler.com/storytelling
Widson Lists http://www.jasonohler.com/resources/educwisdom.cfm
Photobus: Digital Storytelling Tutorial http://www.photobus.co.uk/dstory_pages/find.html
Shewbridge, Bill “Intergenerational Storytelling as Process and Product”
Spinning Yarns Around the Digital Fire http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_1/huffaker
Rubistar http://rubistar.4teachers.org
Tip: In the "Find a Rubric" section, enter the keywords "digital storytelling," search type "match all of your words" Thinking Spaces: Handouts (Templates, Revision Strategies, Elements of Narrative) http://www.thinkingspaces.org/resources_handouts.html
Visible Knowledge Project: Learning Technology Inquiry
Visible Knowledge Project: Three Types of Grading Rubrics for Digital Stories
EBOOKS
I personally own a Kindle, and I love it. I can’t imagine now picking up a traditional book to read. The portability and vast access to multiple texts at any time makes the Kindle a must have in my life.
Ebooks are becoming more and more popular and accessible. The platforms that can support this technology are expanding. Free eBooks by project Gutenberg can download books to a PC, iPad, Kindle, Sony Reader, iPhone, Android, and other portable devices. With this expanding technology, the media center must address this new demand. My school media center does not have fictional ebooks, but does have access to electronic encyclopedias.
This technology could solve some existing issues found in the media center. Electronic books could be set to have timers so that late charges and lost books will become a thing of the past. No longer will the media specialist have to apply the sixth layer of tape to the most popular book because electronic files will not show everyday wear and tear. As the technology expands, I believe the cost of an electronic book will be less than a conventional printed book. So the media center collections can expand. Finally, students could have access to books 24/7. As this technology expands, students could “check out” books at night, on weekends, and possible during the summer months.
References
Digital Storytelling. (n.d.). Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. Retrieved April 02, 2011, from http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/survey/index.html
Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2011, from http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/7elements.html
Matthews-DeNatale, Ph.D., G. (2008). Digital storytelling: Tips and resources. Retrieved April 2, 2011, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI08167B.pdf
I like your interpretation about digital storytelling. I think that this activity could be fused into the classroom to improve students' knowledge of the curriculum. A high school history teacher could encourage his or her students to build a digital story on the Civil War. This assignment would improve students' information literacy skills and teach students about the fundamental concepts of the subject.
ReplyDeleteI also like your strategies for building a digital storytelling assignment. I think that these tactics would improve the teacher's ability to design this activity. I suggest that the digital storytelling assignments allow the media specialist to collaborate with the teacher. The media specialist can provide workshops informing teachers about how to use these resources in the classroom.
I also like your writing about ebooks in the classroom. I volunteer at a local middle school, and they also do not have ebooks. The students can use some encyclopedias on CD-Rom; however, these resources are not checked out to the students. The library also neglects to include other fiction or non-fiction ebooks. I think that ebooks are innovative resources. I allege that these tools provide students with an unconventional technique for reading literature. These resources also mandate that the media specialist become informed about ebooks and learn strategies for teaching the students and teachers how to use these resources.
Excellent post. Your detailed explanation of DST and links to numerous resources was very helpful. But I especially appreciated your sample timeline. This timeline helps to break the project up into smaller, more manageable steps - helping to make the project seem less intimating to tackle. I also think that you suggestion for including periodic progress reviews is very important. It is important to ensure that students are progressing in the right direction so their time and effort resultin a successful project. I think it would be great to share this timeline with teachers.
ReplyDeleteYour comments about ebooks sound very similiar to an article in our local paper about the public library purchasing hundreds of ebooks for patron use. The article cited the same positive reasons you mentioned (24/7 access, no wear and tear, lower purchase price). However, the public library is relying on the fact that the patrons have an ereader that can read the ebook. This makes me wonder about the Digital Divide that affects many students. What about the students that cannot afford their own ereader? Will the media center have ereaders they can borrow? But what happens if the student loses or breaks the ereader? A student who needs to borrow an ereader probably will not have the money to replace the ereader. With today's tight budgets, can a media center afford to absord the cost of lost and broken ereaders? Hopefully, the cost of ereaders will continue to drop and the devices will be more affordable for a school media center.
I really like the pacing for the digital stories you posted. I can’t see this working for elementary students at my school unless they were the gifted. Our set-up simply doesn’t give students enough library/computer time to work on projects of this length. Few students in my area have internet access as budgets tighten and parents struggle to pay bills. The public library computers are always being used at capacity. I see a wealth of learning for students who do make these or experience digital stories. It would demonstrate their level of understanding of the topic in how effective and complete their story. This is also another area where teachers could share resources. Being able to access digital stories would surely be a plus with standards. They could add these to the Standards website.
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts on the ebooks make me really see the long term value in the investment. It pains me to see the disregard and abuse of library and textbooks by students. I know my district would like ebooks for textbooks so that they could keep up with revisions quickly and at a low price instead of having to replace paper books district-wide. For library checkout, I like the idea of the timer to perhaps shut down the reader or alert them to encourage students to return them. Can we add a GPS to track them? Is that too aggressive? I’m sure someone at the district level would be making the decisions regarding insurance and privacy issues. As a media specialist, we should be happy with anything that encourages students to read. Soon, e-readers will be as common as desktops and laptops. I am sure we will adjust and complain about those never working right, too.
You make a great point about how digital stories appeal to all learning styles. I, personally, am a kinesthetic learner and having the opportunity to put together a digital story on a topic will allow me to learn the topic much better than just by listening to a lecture or reading it via text. Because this project draws the interest of all learners, digital stories are a great addition to an instructional setting. I also think having students create digital stories empowers the introverted students. Students who might normally dread research projects that conclude with a presentation in front of classmates, such as English Language Learners and students with disabilities are likely to be more receptive to creating a digital story and providing a personal experience. This helps instill a positive classroom environment suitable for everybody.
ReplyDeleteOn one of your reference sites at the University of Houston, a British photography, Daniel Meadows is quoted as saying that digital stories “can be created by people everywhere”. This makes me think of all the ways stories can be shared across the globe. Students in a small town in Montana can share their stories with students in Japan and vice versa. What a great way to learn about cultures and traditions from around the world.
The information you have provided on how to plan the digital storytelling assignment with students is great. It provides a wonderful time line that will allow any teacher to plan and execute the digital storytelling activity at a great pace. The fact that you have provided excellent resources to assist with the process is also great. I am looking forward to putting together the digital story lesson. After looking at the various examples of how the stories can be told, I am inspired. There are so many wonderful ways to share what you want others to know. This activity is a great way to engage all students as there is an appropriate format for all of them. I was especially drawn to the story on To Kill a Mockingbird on the University of Houston site. Not only is that one of my favorite novels of all time, but some great points are made as to why the question is relevant as to whether or not it should continue to be taught in high schools across the country.
ReplyDeleteI was forced to rethink some of my insight regarding the e-books being a viable investment in schools. Although I am an advocate for hard copy books being an economic forerunner for schools and libraries over the course of time, I still cannot ignore the fact that e-books and e-readers are relevant and a sign of the times. Students will love them and many adults already can't live without them. If sufficient planning is allowed, they can become a relevant resource in schools and libraries alike.
It seems like a lot of us had not heard of digital storytelling until this assignment. I think digital storytelling would be a great way to teach and learn! I agree with the points you make about digital storytelling appealing to students with different learning styles. Digital storytelling incorporates visual elements, sound elements, and kinesthetic elements in order to create the final product. I also like the fact that digital storytelling hinges on a personal element. Whether you are the digital story’s creator or its audience, the personal touch of a digital story is beneficial because it adds meaning. This makes it interesting and effective.
ReplyDeleteI also find your explanation about how e-book readers could affect libraries and how (and when) students could check out books interesting. I haven’t thought too far into the implications of how e-readers would change certain ways the library operates once these tools are incorporated heavily into the library’s circulating collection. It is true that wear and tear on books would become a thing of the past, and students would have access to materials that is not limited by the library’s hours. I think another important point to be made relates to physical space. Since digital devices can hold such vast amounts of information, using these tools could seriously minimize space used for the library collection.