Digital Storytelling by Anne Daugherty

These are my notes from Anne Daugherty‘s presentation “Digital Storytelling” at the Enhancing Teaching & Learning Conference (ETL) on March 3, 2012, hosted by the Kansas City Professional Development Council. Anne teaches at Baker University. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS.

The official session description of this was:

Digital storytelling affords ordinary people the ability to share aspects of their life stories through short (less than 3 minute) multimedia movies combining photographs, video, animation, sound, music, text, and narration. Digital storytelling affords students the opportunity to work individually or collaboratively on personal stories, communal experiences, historical events, or anything the imagination conceives. This workshop includes details on the “what, why, and how” of digital storytelling, by introducing participants to the concepts of digital storytelling and walks participants through the process of creating a digital story using free software and minimal technological expertise.

Anne’s Prezi presentation is available:

Several book recommendations for paper-books to use when discussing and doing digital storytelling with students

“The Crayon Box that Talked” by Shane DeRolf

“It’s a Book” by Lane Smith (trailer)

“Griffin and Sabine” by Nick Bantock

“The Invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick

Chopsticks by Jeane Anthony
– for $7 there is an app that goes with this

Jason Ohler’s book: “Digital Storytelling in the Classroom”

Digital Storytelling: Guide for Educators by Midge Frazel

We are all people of stories
– gives us all opportunities to easily and affordably create stories like these
– lets us interact with information and ideas in ways we might not otherwise be able to do

A short, first person video-narrative created by combining recorded voice, still and moving images, and music or other sounds. (via the Center for Digital Storytelling)

Example: “A Dog’s Day”
– In a short, 4 minute video we’ve been able to convey a experiences from 4 years of vacations at the beach with our dog

7 pieces of a story
1- point of view
2- dramatic question
3- emotion
4- voice (yours!)
5- soundtrack
6- economy
7- pacing

I LIKE THE USE OF THE TERM “ECONOMY” FOR COMMUNICATING SUCCINCTLY AND EFFECTIVELY

Key piece is: You have to have a point
– without guidance and careful use of a rubric, I’d often get people taking 30 pictures of their daughter and setting that to the song, “It’s a Wonderful World”
– a digital story should have a beginning, a middle and an end

Why use it?
– “The story is the vehicle we use to make sense of our lives” – Jim Trelease

Contest from Good Morning America to submit a 3 word story:
abcnews.go.com/GMA/Your3Words

I have my students post their videos on YouTube and ask them to make them unlisted
– that way they don’t get negative comments
– for students who are uncomfortable putting their work online, I ask students to give me a 2 hour window to view it

Great digital storytelling resources from University of Houston: http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu

MY COMMENT: Q&A ABOUT COPYRIGHT ON YOUTUBE VIDEOS: NEEDED CLARIFICATION ON FAIR USE…. RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: CHAPTER ON COPYRIGHT (FREE) FROM “PLAYING WITH MEDIA: SIMPLE IDEAS FOR POWERFUL SHARING”

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