; a post in which I try to find a purpose
This week’s assignment has left me feeling a tad overwhelmed. At the start of the course, I focused on Digital Storytelling, which you can read more about in posts here (in which I narrow down my topics of interest), here (in which I find pertinent resources) and here (in which I ruminate on what I found and didn’t find). At the end of Reading Review 3, I bemoaned the fact that while I could find lots of information out there for the who, what, when, where and why of digital storytelling; I felt like there needed to be a how.
And so, I’m thinking that a how-to is the next step. But what exactly am I how-to-ing? A key idea about Digital Storytelling is that it’s anything that contains digital multimodalities to create meaning – this could be countless things. What format do I choose then?
Another issue that has caused me some grief is that I want this project to somehow create connections between people, ideally on a global level. Simply putting something out there on the internet doesn’t mean others are going to engage with it at all. And this project might rely on technologies that are out of reach for many around the globe. How do I reconcile myself with these issues? I do not have an answer to this question.
Potential final project ideas or parts
After some brainstorming, I had several potential options:
– Create a digital video using Adobe Premiere Pro explaining the how-to process for creating a digital story. This would take viewers through the steps of planning and creating a digital story through my story of completing this course.
– Use Adobe Spark Page to create an interactive how-to guide, less focused on video created by myself and instead linking to content created by others, but still working through the process and tips for digital storytelling.
– Same as above but use Microsoft Sway.
– Create a green screen tutorial to share with students and staff.
– Create a sample student project, complete with an example, outline and important resources.
– Some combination of the above, most likely an interactive digital how-to-guide with examples and including a resource collection of important materials and documents to provide for students during the planning phase, and apps that they might use during creation.
I think I’m leaning towards the last example, with a combination of video created by myself, and linked resources from others. Because there is so much to do for this project, I probably won’t use Premiere Pro, but will instead use Spark Video, which seems like it has a much gentler learning curve. It also has fewer features, but I feel like going all out might be a bit overwhelming for students and staff anyway.
We do have a Mac in the library that I could use for video editing, but 99% of the computers in the school run on Microsoft, so it makes sense to use the OS that the majority of students can access. All Grade 7 students in the division have just received access to many Adobe Creative Cloud programs, so it makes sense to use these resources. These can also be accessed from the small set of iPads that we have in the library, so it is accessible even on different operating systems. This work could also be done on student owned devices.
Alright, but what’s the plan, Stan?
Right now, my planned outline looks like the following, which will be ultimately hosted using Adobe Spark Page, and featuring embedded videos and content.
1) What is digital storytelling?
2) Why you should be doing it.
3) A step by step guide – featuring self made video edited using Spark Video.
4) Lists of helpful apps and programs
5) ‘Tips and Trick’ videos (so far I have brainstormed that this should include green screen tips, storyboarding info, links to sites for CC images/sounds/videos)
6) Some sample project ideas
7) Useful handouts for students (linked)
8) Some example digital storytelling projects
In my last week’s blog post, a reflection on our inquiry posts of the previous four weeks that you can see here I observed that the thread that wove our research together has been connection. I think in many ways, this project will serve this purpose. Students will be connected to important literacies that they are going to need in the future. Digital, technological, visual and information literacies are all readily apparent in the digital storytelling process through student use of cameras, production software, collecting appropriate multimedia, and the use of these things to create a more profound meaning. Students will also be connected to important skills like researching, writing, organization, technology, presentation, interviewing, interpersonal, problem solving and assessment.
Recently, I was fortunate enough to take a day’s Professional Development with Garfield Gini-Newman, and it focused heavily on the importance of creating rich learning tasks that don’t necessarily have a correct answer. I think that digital storytelling is just that; a truly rich learning task that will “challenge them to think and allow them to deepen their understanding over a period of time” (Newman & Case, 2018, p. 218). We can’t tell someone that their story is wrong, we can only suggest strategies to strengthen its telling. This will also hopefully give students the ability to connect what they are learning to themselves personally.
When I am complete, I hope this project will connect teachers to the resources they need to start storytelling in their classrooms and give them the skills necessary to expand beyond the walls of their classrooms. I hope that it will also remind them of all the great Creative Commons resources that are available for use in multimedia projects.
Sources
Gini-Newman, G., & Case, R. (2018). Creating thinking classrooms : leading educational change for this century. A Sage Company.
Sandu, A. (2017, September 28). 120+ Places To Find Creative Commons Media. SitePoint. https://www.sitepoint.com/creative-commons-sources/
Image Source
Future of the Earth, conceptual image. [Photograph]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
https://quest.eb.com/search/132_1352780/1/132_1352780/cite
themarksey blog 
I really like how you pull in last week’s blog about connections. It’s so true — we can “lead a horse to water, but we can’t make it drink” or we can lead a student to a great resource, but we can’t make them connect without a little guidance or help. I really think video is key in this (as you mention you’ll use). Just watching how my own Grade 7 daughter prefers to watch YouTube rather than be told how to do something just reiterates the kind of visual learners our students have become! Your outline draws off of this — can’t wait to see what results!
LikeLike
Your thought process in developing the next step of your shared learning is greatly appreciated….the “how” in digital storytelling. I look forward to seeing how your project develops. All your ideas sound great!
LikeLike
You are asking excellent questions here and have a strong direction for your Final Project. I appreciate the way that you have itemized what you want to include in your Digital Storytelling How-To. Something you will want to consider is where will your final project live? Will you upload it to YouTube? How will others access it? You will also want to consider a plan for sharing your project within your school, district and possibly beyond (how will you make those connections?). Looking forward to seeing what you create. I know it will be a valuable resource!
LikeLike