Digital storytelling involves using computer tools to tell stories that usually include some combination of images, text, audio narration, video clips, and music. Stories are typically 2-10 minutes long. Benefits include serving as a multidimensional assessment tool that fosters 21st century skills like creativity, collaboration, and digital literacy. Elements of an effective digital story include a dramatic hook, emotional content, concise writing or script, and pacing. Teachers can use digital stories for novel studies, assessments, writing assignments, autobiographies, and more.

1. Digital Storytelling:
Narratives for the 21st Century
Stories move in circles they don’t move in straight
lines…there are stories inside stories, between
stories, and finding your way through them is as
easy and as hard as finding your way home.
Source: Digital Storytelling Cookbook
Kristen R. Stephens, Ph.D.
Duke University

2. What is Digital Storytelling?
• The practice of using computer-based tools to tell
stories.
• Digital stories usually contain some mixture of
computer-based images, text, recorded audio
narration, video clips and/or music.
• They can vary in length, but most of the stories used in
education typically last between two and ten minutes.

3. So Easy…
Even WE Can Do It!
Hugh(The Expert)
Kristen(Novice)
Susan(The Recruit)

4. Benefits for Teachers & Learners
Digital Stories …
• Serve as a multi-dimensional assessment tool (Content AND
Skill Mastery)
• Foster innovative teaching and learning methods that
integrate technology, problem-based learning, and higher
order thinking skills
• Integrate 21st Century Skills
• Support different types of intelligences and learning styles
• Foster creativity
• Engage learners in individual and group projects that result in
academically-oriented social event

5. All six of the National Education Technology
Standards (NETS) for students are addressed by
digital storytelling
1. Creativity and innovation
2. Communication and collaboration
3. Research and information fluency
4. Critical thinking, problem-solving, and
decision-making
5. Digital citizenship
6. Technology operations and concepts

6. Kinds of Stories…
• Personal Narratives
– About someone important
– An event in my life
– Place in my life
– What I do
• Discipline-Based
– Big ideas/themes within a content area
– Demonstrating content knowledge
– Enrichment /depth and breadth of a topic within
a content area or unit
• Combination of Personal Narrative and
Discipline-Based

7. Script Writing Elements
• Point of View
• Dramatic Question or Hook
• Emotional Content
• Economy
• Voice
• Soundtrack
• Pacing

8. The Dramatic Question or Hook
• Established suspense and creates a story arc
• Usually a statement at the beginning of the story—
often the first sentence.
• Creates a question in the mind of the people who are
listening to the story.
• The hook that draws in the listener. The listener wants
to know more about the situation.
• Example: When I was younger I confused friendship
with popularity.

9. Emotional Content
Star Points
1. Who are the main characters of the story? Include yourself.
2. Where is the story set? It could be in more than one place.
3. Think of your story as a mini-movie running in your head. How do
you feel at the beginning of the story?
4. What happens during the most important moment of the story?
5. How does this event (or realization) change your life, or the way you
feel about the world?
In the center of the star: Write the answer to: Why do you want to tell
this particular story?
Underneath the star: Begin writing the first few sentences of your story.

10. Economy
• Digital stories are short. Great stories are often just 200
words long.
• They take a poetic form where the writer must be very
thoughtful about every word, phrase, and pause.
• During the editing phase, prune away ideas that are
redundant or do not contribute to the central focus of
the story.
• Keep in mind that editing can also be informed by
visual narrative (i.e., descriptive language can be
deleted altogether because an image will convey the
same information)

11. Story Circle
• Guidelines for participating in a story:
– The storyteller is allowed to tell or read their complete story
without any interruption.
– Feedback should always begin with a specific affirmation about the
story.
– Suggestions are couched by saying “If it were my story, I ...”
• If your students need more structure, you can give them
specific aspects of the digital story on which to comment:
– What I liked about your story...
– What stood out about the story...
– What I didn’t understand about the story...
– The feeling I got from the story...
– Your story makes me think of these pictures/images...

12. Ideas for Using Digital Stories in the Classroom
• Novel Study
• Content-Specific Presentations
• End-of-Unit Assessment Tool (Summative)
• Writing Assignments (reflections, journals,
critiques, essay, etc.)
• Autobiography
• Documentary
• Commentary
• Others?

13. Contact Information
• Kstephen@duke.edu