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Digital Storytelling

This course begins with a rationale for engaging the mind through narrative in any form and sets the groundwork for using digital narratives as learning experiences for your students. Participants will see how a digital story is pieced together using videos, images, and sounds to create a story that is crafted to be both engaging and informative. Using several examples as a springboard, Discovery Education Professional Development master teachers will demonstrate each step of the process from storyboarding to resource selection to the use of available technology to pull the pieces together into a coherent product. Participants will be given time to create their own digital stories to use in their classrooms as instructional tools and examples. This course is designed not only to teach participants how to create a digital story, but to show them how to guide their students through the process as well. This course will allow you to explore free tools for your computer, such as PhotoStory and Movie Maker (PC) or iMovie and Garage Band (Mac).

Audience

  • Teachers
  • Facilitators
  • Instructional Coaches

Length

  • 6 hours

Maximum Participants

  • 25

System Requirements

  • Lab setting with one computer for each participant
  • Internet access
  • Presentation station with computer for presenter
  • Software requirements: PhotoStory, Movie Maker, and/or iMovie, GarageBand (free downloads)

Prerequisites

  • None

Recommended Companion Courses

  • n/a

Learning Outcomes

By the completion of this session participants will be able to:

  • Explore the art of digital storytelling by creating digital poetry, stories, reports or historical documentaries.
  • Combine text, images, audio, and video to create movies using free software such as PhotoStory, iMovie and Movie Maker.
  • Explore the literacy component of movie making through the use of storyboards, script writing, and recording narration.
  • Examine how making movies can deepen understanding of curricular content, including social studies and science and more.

Sample Agenda

  1. Students and digital storytelling
  2. Examples of digital stories made with PhotoStory
  3. Introduction to PhotoStory
  4. Creating a story using PhotoStory
  5. Hands on time to create a PhotoStory
  6. Introduction to Movie Maker or iMovie
  7. Creating a story using Movie Maker or iMovie
  8. Hands on time to create a story with Movie Maker
  9. Debrief and evaluations

It has been a great experience with the trainers (Discovery Education Professional Development). They know exactly what we need......we have conversations to make sure that everything we're doing is targeted to support our coaches.

Alma Gonzalez

Director, English Learning Services, Coachella Valley Unified School District