Digital Storytelling

Show Notes:

• 4:40Digital storytelling brings our personal stories to life using digital media. They are 3-5 minutes in length and incorporate a voiceover, found images, and music.
• 5:50Storytelling has always been a powerful tool in the film industry but is now emerging as a key strategy in many other fields.
• 7:35The essential question for the middle school students for whom this project was designed is, “Why would anyone want to hear my story?”
• 9:15Every story has a purpose. When students are supported to analyze the purpose of other stories, they discover a reason for telling their own.
• 10:20This is a perfect Language Arts project as it touches on all six strands of the curriculum: speaking/listening, reading/writing, and viewing/representing.
• 11:00Story circles allow students to practice giving and receiving feedback in a way that honours the human and keeps the audience at the forefront of the students’ minds.
• 13:40“Empowering Writers” by Barbara Mariconda and Dea Paoletta Auray is a program that supports students to write a concise, impactful narrative.
• 15:50A great story begins in the middle of things and includes a descriptive paragraph, a main event, and a reflective ending.
• 17:10Storyboarding is a strategy that is used by the experts and is essential in helping students plan their digital story.
• 18:30Find a soundproof room to record high-quality voiceovers for each student while the rest of the class is working asynchronously on digital editing using instructional videos to guide their work.
• 21:45Pro tips: create your own digital story alongside the students, share your struggles as a writer, and watch examples of digital stories throughout the project.
• 27:00Community is built by creating a safe environment where all members of that community can experience the vulnerability of sharing their personal stories.