Digital storytelling involves combining multimedia elements like text, images, audio, and video to tell a story. It can be used across content areas by having students create movies demonstrating their understanding of curricular concepts. Benefits include engaging higher-order thinking, while challenges include planning and managing student movie projects. The document provides examples of digital storytelling project types and tools to create them.

1. Digital
Storytelling
Jennifer Gingerich
jennifergingerich@mac.com
Presentation materials available at
https://sites.google.com/site/edtechsimple
Video samples available at
http://goo.gl/jl8zM

2. Description
Digital storytelling is a form of project-based
learning that involves combining text, images,
audio,and video to tell a story. See how to engage
your students in higher levels of thinking as they
create movies to show their level of understanding
about a curricular concept. Digital Stories can come
in a variety of formats (poetry, riddles,
documentaries) and can be produced in any content
area (math in the real world, a science explanation,
or a literary interpretation). Explore a wide variety of
technology tools and applications to create simple to
sophisticated digital stories and discuss ways to plan,
manage, and assess your students to ensure digital
storytelling success.

3. Think About It
What is the biggest
benefit to making
movies in the
classroom? Why?
What is the biggest
hurdle to making
movies in the
classroom?

4. Biggest Benefits to Making Movies in the Classroom

5. Biggest Hurdles to Making Movies in the Classroom

6. Scaffold
Project
‣Story
‣Paragraph
‣Sentence
‣Word

7. Project Possibilities
• Digital Poetry • Digital Report
• Digital Riddle • Fast Fiction
• Historical • Vocabulary
Documentary Video
or Diary

8. Scaffold Skills
‣Photos
‣Text
‣Music
‣Voice
‣Video
‣Effects

9. Photos Music Citations
Sounds Video Segments Web Sites
Use a Digital Kit
*Distribute via thumb drive, CD, shared folder, Picasa Web Album

10. Movie Creation Tools
Garage Band iMovie Keynote
Mac
PhotoStory Movie Maker PowerPoint
PC
XtraNormal VoiceThread
Web
StoryKit Show Me EduCreations Videolicious
iPad

11. Gradual Release of Responsibility
I do... whole class, model
We do... pairs, structured, timelines
You do... small groups, roles, independence

12. 4 First Photo Projects
Students take on a role in history and
Historical tell a first person account of an event.
Documentary Use a mix of “aged and staged” student
photos and primary source documents.
Students give three clues to answer the
Digital riddle “What am I?” Use one photo,
Riddle importing four times. Zoom in for each
clue, and zoom out to reveal answer.
Any form of poetry will do: Haiku, Bio
Digital Poem, GLAD Chant. Match up with
Poem curriculum or vocabulary. Record
voices or insert titles.
Five photos and five sentences to tell a
story or demonstrate a literary device
Fast Fiction - tone, mood, metaphor, simile,
hyperbole, alliteration, onomatopoeia...

13. GarageBand Enhanced Podcast
for Photo Projects on a Mac
1. Gather Photos/Slides in iPhoto 2. Record Narration
3. Add Audio Loops: 4. Add Photos/Slides 5. Export and play
Jingles, Stingers, and (or even video) in Quicktime
Sound Effects

14. PhotoStory 3 Simplicity
for Photo Projects on a Windows Machine
1. Import and Arrange Photos 2. Add Titles to Photos
3. Record 4. Import or Create 5. Export to
Narration Background Music play in WMP

15. • Take student photos Historical
and apply sepia
Documentary
• Use historical photos
and/or primary
source documents
Text
• Use Essential and
Guiding historical
questions
• Written narrative
and voice are crucial

16. plan photos, titles, narration, and timing

17. • Distribute Photos
• Write poem Digital Poetry
• Storyboard it ~
30 seconds
• Import Photos
• Add Titles
• Add Sound ~ music
and/or narration
• Export and Share

18. Created by
Digital Poetry
PHOTO
Title:
PHOTO
1
PHOTO
2
PHOTO
3
PHOTO
Citations:

19. • Any grade level, any Digital Riddle
curriculum
• Use just one photo!
• Add the same
photo 4 times
• Zoom in to
match the 3 clues
• Zoom out to
reveal answer

21. • Focus on a Fast Fiction
literary element
• 5 Photos
• 5 Sentences
• Record your
story - fluency
and expression!

22. 4 First Video Projects
Voiceover Student writes report and records this as
Video the new soundtrack for a video.
Student groups each act out/lip sync a
Music portion of an educational song. Hint:
Video Check out the Lodge McCammon songs
Students work in groups to create paper
Paper Slide slides to explain a concepts and then
Video record a one shot video.
Vocabulary Students act out a vocabulary word and
Video supply a definition using titles.

23. • Use editable
video segment Digital Report
• Remove Audio
• Write Report
• Read and
Record Report
as Voiceover
• Can Add
Personal
Element

24. • Assign Vocab Videos
vocabulary word
• Text definition
with image
• Video of your
example
• BrainyFlix.com ~
SAT prep

25. • The Power of Advertisement
Persuasion
• Complimentary
text, images, and
audio
• Move from
Consumers to
Producers
• Think Critically

26. Paper Slide Videos
• Assign concept to
explain
• Students write
script
• Create paper slides
• PRACTICE!
• Take Video http://bit.ly/nJpcQ4

27. Music Video
• Download Song &
Lyrics iamlodge.com
• Watch Kinesthetic
Lectures or Make up
Your Own Moves
• Divide into groups
for verses/chorus
• PRACTICE!!!
• Take Video

28. Next Steps
Evaluate Share Locally
Post Online Global Partnerships

29. Create a Rubric at Rubistar
Assess across content, writing, and technical categories.

30. Think Pair Share
Which digital storytelling project
interests you most. How would
you modify and connect this to
your curriculum and instruction?

31. Tips for Project Success
• Scaffold projects/skills over the year
• Gradual Release of Responsibility --
whole class, pairs, groups
• Use a Digital Kit
• Pre-production is the crucial step
• Stay together to minimize chaos
• Narrow choices and set timer
• Tackle one skill/task at a time
• Use Techsperts

32. Media Collection Sites
•Discovery streaming •NASA Multimedia
unitedstreaming.com •nasa.gov/multimedia
•Wikimedia •Find Sounds
• commons.wikimedia.org •findsounds.com
• American Memory •Arkive
Collection •arkive.org
• memory.loc.gov
•YouTube
• FreePlay Music •convert with zamzar.com
• freeplaymusic.com

33. Key
Learning
Muddiest
Point