21 st Century Digital Storytelling – Getting It “Write!”

1. 21st Century Digital Storytelling – Getting It “Write!” It’s a “Small(er)” World Sue Summerford Educational Technology Consultant Lenawee Intermediate School District July 13-21, 2010

2. What is your favorite story? • Introduce yourself • Name • Where/who you teach • What is your favorite story?

3. Group Norms • Take care of your needs. • Honor the learning needs of others. • Turn off cell phones or set to vibrate, • please. • Allow “processing” time • “One man’s junk . . .” • The best way might be the way that works for me right now.

4. Digital Divide Equity – they don’t have a computer at home. Have we given them a reason to need one? Where’s the connection to anytime, anyplace learning?

5. Digital Storytelling Digital storytelling begins with the notion that in the not too distant future, sharing one’s story through the multiple mediums of digital imagery, text, voice, sound, music, video and animation will be the principal hobby of the world’s people. ~Anonymous

6. What is Digital Storytelling? • What do kids really learn? Interesting Book: The Director in the Classroom by Nikos Theodosakis - talks about how filmmaking engages children in the classroom. http://www.thedirectorintheclassroom.com/profile4.php

7. Digital Storytelling • Develops visual and multimedia literacy in students. • Provides students with a competitive and compelling voice • Permits students to recapture creativity, develop it and intensify it, apply it, extend it . . .

8. Digital Storytelling • Helps students write more effectively by permitting the visualization of the writing • Provides an authentic personal learning experience • Teaches technology and information literacy

9. What makes up a digital story? • Voice • Still frame imagery • Video • Music

10. Additional Elements • Black space • Text • Transitions • Title Slides

11. Digital Storytelling Process • Write • Write some more • Storyboard • Locate Resources • Create • Share

12. or, the Beginning! Ready for Viewing

13. Storytelling As Old As Time • 77% of the population are visual learners • We will all respond – have different “favorites” at the end of the workshop Redheads

14. Why DigitalStories? • Students today are different • Disconnect between the way students live and the way they are being taught • Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.~Marc Prensky

15. Digital Natives

16. Digital Immigrants… the rest of us http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsc/00000/00056r.jpg

17. Or, Not Even Immigrants . . . TOURISTS!

18. Why Digital Storytelling? • Develops visual and multimedia literacy in students. • Provides students with a competitive and compelling voice • Permits students to recapture creativity, develop it and intensify it, apply it, extend it . . .

19. Why Digital Storytelling? • Helps students write more effectively by permitting the visualization of the writing • Provides an authentic personal learning experience • Teaches technology and information literacy

20. Dealing With Today’s Students • Succinct, not PowerPoint generation story • The narration is the story • Seven elements or story will sink • Ask permission to share – some are private. • Personal = “Conference with me first.” • The Kiva, Sacred Story Circle Renee

21. Writing Is Key • Do writing first, then voice track, then bring in pictures • Students need to write “facts” because they may not have lived long enough to have personal narrative • “Buffalo” by Josiah • Have student “teams” – Cropping, Audio, Web, Scanning, Music

22. What Is The Writer Trying To Say? • Cover eyes, listen to narrative. • Do these stories fit qualifications for highly proficient according to Michigan Holistic Scoring Guide? • Bring in pictures last! • “Nugget”

23. The Writing Process I wrote you a long letter. I would have written you a short letter but I didn’t have the time. ~Mark Twain

24. Process or Product? • Writing vs. Technology Component • Pull out one “nugget” or one idea • “Carolina Dreaming” 2:36

25. Other Forms • Farther removed from the life of the storyteller • documenting history and lives of others • community and culture • taking a stand, making a point • classrooms and education • teach or explain

26. It’s the Process, not the Product • What do you want your audience to take with them?

27. Seven Elements of Storytelling • Point of View • Dramatic Question • Emotional Content • Gift of Their Voice • Power of the Soundtrack • Economy • Pacing

28. Seven Elements #1-3 Construction - Story Content: Point of View Dramatic Question Emotional Content #4-7 Technical Elements: Gift of Their Voice Power of the Soundtrack Economy Pacing Identified by Center for Digital Storytelling – www.storycenter.org

29. Tone, Effect • Picture Me Black - Tenth Grader, California • Voice? • Tone? • Effect?

30. The Closet by Penny Harris & Pacita Luckey Observe the seven elements What do you notice? • Story Content: • Point of View • Dramatic Question • Emotional Content • Technical Elements: • Gift of Their Voice • Power of the Soundtrack • Economy • Pacing The Closet

31. Rubric on Rubistar • Revise for elementary • Use “writing” rubric for the writing • All in a “nutshell” http://rubistar.4teachers.org

32. Use What You Have • Premiere expensive; Photoshop ELE less expensive – go with what’s free (picasa.google.com; picnik.com) • Need good piece of writing work at beginning or movie will sink • We need lots of examples – personal narrative, what did you notice? • “The Art Room” • Teachers need to experience the struggle of the writing process again

33. Step-by-Step • Writing Process – double-spaced • Storyboarding (Atomic Learning “Storyboard” free download) – use stick figures, other free online storyboard sites (i.e. graphic organizers - Inspiration, Kidspiration gliffy.com; bubbl.us;) • Voiceover • Bring in images • Sequential • Music

34. defining moment mentor, hero scared a first embarrassing moment pet in trouble trip kindness home dream family folklore family names pride, strength determination something lost or found heirlooms tradition map of neighborhood special item mystery Write the Narrative

35. Storyboard • Blueprint or map of finished product • Very important to plan before sitting at computer • Poster board and post-its • Paper template • Software – AtomicLearning, Inspiration

36. Organize Folders • Create folder with subfolders • soundtrack • video • images-raw • images-edit • voiceover • project

37. Create Voiceover • Can be very time-consuming • Need quiet room and stable microphone • Save each sentence/paragraph as separate file(use naming convention)

38. Hands-on Activity: Storyboard Alex’s Script • 9 boxes on chart paper • Hint: 1st one = title, last one = credits • Can be complex or simplistic • Everyone has copy of script • Report out • Story Arc, Dramatic Question about Nurturing • Aunt Angie’s Video

39. Publishing “When the digital storytelling is finished, you want your story to be remembered for its soul, not the bells and whistles.” ~Bernajean Porter