Tell Me a Story....Digitally?

Digital storytelling is when computer and web based tools are used to create and tell a story.  These stories focus on a specific topic, contains a particular point of view, and a mixture of digital images, text, audio, video, and/or music.  Topics for digital stories can range from personal takes to recounting historical events.

Many teachers like the idea of having students create digital stories, but have the same concern.  Time.  When do you fit it all in?  The beauty of digital storytelling is that it can be integrated into any topic/subject that is being taught in the classroom.  It can be a way to integrate writing into a social studies or science lesson.  Students can share what they have learned by creating a story about the content.  Using the writing process and research skills students can write digital stories and bring them to life with technology.

There is so much technology that can be used to create digital stories.  Programs such as iMovie, Microsoft Photo Story 3, Windows Movie Maker and Garageband are great computer based programs to use. You can also use programs like Wordle, PowerPoint and Keynote to create digital stories. There are also many iOS/Android apps that can be used to create digital stories.  One of my favorites is Haiku Deck.  Other apps such as Puppet Pals, ExplainEverything, Creative Book Builder, Little Bird Tales and Videolicious are great options too.

There are 7 elements that are the building blocks of digital storytelling.

1. Point of View - The storyteller must decide what the main point of the story will be. What is their perspective as the author? 
2. Emotional Content - This is a chance for issues to come alive in a personal and powerful way that connects the story to the audience. 
3. Gift of Voice - This element helps personalize the story to help the audience understand the context of the story.
4. Economy - The storyteller should use just enough content to tell the story without overloading the viewer.  
5. Pacing -This is the rhythm of the story, and how slowly or quickly it progresses.
6. Dramatic Question - This is a key question that keeps the viewer’s attention and will be answered by the end of the story.
7. Power of Soundtrack - The music or other sounds used in the story should support and embellish the storyline.

Here is an example of a digital story that was created with Haiku Deck.  The students had to tell a story in six words.

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app

Here is a digital story created in iMovie and told from the point of view of a 3 year old named Max.

Texting School?

I had a conversation with my 2nd grade daughter that went like this on Sunday: 

Rylee:  "Mom, when will I get to go to texting school?"

Me:  "Texting school? What do you mean?" (Bewildered)

Rylee:  "When will I get to text in school?" (She asked me seriously.)

I wasn't really sure how to answer that question.  Rylee has her own devices and likes to text people and it has been a good way for her to work on her spelling.  I worry about her not being engaged enough at school because she often doesn't complete her work and I will often find worksheets stuffed in the back of her desk as I go in to see what missing work she needs to turn in.  She only gets to use computers once a week during her school week and that is about the extent her of technology use during the day.  The entire second grade class just completed a project that was labeled the The Great Brain Report.  Rylee's report was about how ice cream was made and if it was nutritious or not.  She had to write a two page report, create a project, and then share it with the class.  There was a celebration at the end of last week where family and friends were invited to come and observe the projects and celebrate with the students.  The list of ideas for projects that were sent home did not include anything technology driven.  Rylee loves to use her iPad to take pictures and videos.  She decided that she wanted to create her project using her iPad.  So she created an iMovie trailer that showed how ice cream is created.  She did her own videoing and added her own text.  She was very "engaged" with her project and actually enjoyed creating it and learned a lot.  Learning became fun!!! Why aren't teachers suggesting these types of ideas for their students to create in the classroom? I have been thinking about Rylee's question, "When will I get to go to texting school?"  I sure hope that she doesn't have to wait until middle school before she can use a device as part of her learning.

Ice Cream: It's Delicious and Nutritious