Digital storytelling is a way to tell a story or present information
for others using computers-based tools and programs. It is truly an art form that opens doors for
educators to present material to students.
Before researching digital storytelling, my experience with it was close
to none. I have never heard of it or
used it in my classroom. After reading
about the different ways educators can use media to tell a story I am wondering
why I haven’t used it before! The
University of Houston’s website on digital storytelling gives a direct
definition and examples of digital storytelling. I loved the idea of using these digital
stories to “hook” students for a new unit or even assign students to create a
digital story as they reflect on their own learning.
As I was researching I found two factors that seem to be the
most important as we begin our journey into digital storytelling: following
copyright laws and how to use digital stories.
Copyright (cue Jaws theme song...)
Throughout our program we have been prepared for one of the
biggest parts of our job as a media specialist, the copyright liaison. From most of us already being in the
classroom, we know that many teachers do not honor copyright laws or are even
aware of them. As we begin using more
and more technology in our lessons, it has become evident that copyright laws
need to be followed. Being the media
specialist, we are responsible for presenting these laws to our colleagues and
making ourselves available to help answer questions (or find answers to
questions we may not know, because really, who knows everything about
copyright!?). Even after reading about
Fair Use I am weary about using some media in my own educational work. Creating a digital story opens up a whole new
can of worms when it comes to copyright and Fair Use. After reading about the laws and tips on the
University of Houston’s website, I came to the conclusion of three important
parts when using media in digital stories:
1. Try to find media that is public domain (creative commons
anyone?)
2. Remember to cite EVERYTHING and make notes of media that you
may change for your story.
3. Only make it available to those using it for educational
purposes. No posting onto an open
website without the permission of the material’s owner.
Whew…copyright is exhausting. Now for the fun part of digital storytelling.
How You Can Use It
Digital storytelling is a way to present ideas through using
multimedia tools. Stories work around a
central theme that “tells the story”.
Because they are used in education and (we all know how long an attention
span of a student can last) digital stories should stay within the 2-10 minute
time span. Although short, digital
stories can be very powerful tools involving images, videos, audio narration, music,
and text. They can be used by the teacher
to present material to students or as an assignment for students to present
information they have learned.
The following are some suggestions on using digital stories
in the media center or classroom:
-
Used as a hook for the students in a new lesson
or unit.
-
Book review from a character’s perspective.
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Exploration of a different culture or region; a
look into another way of life.
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Narrative on a personal experience or journey.
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Informational story of a new concept or idea.
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Timeline of an important event(s) in history.
-
Interview of a significant or historical person.
All this talk about digital storytelling has made me so
excited to start one that I can’t decide where to begin! I’ll definitely visit these sites below for
more guidance and information:
Remember having to do those reports at the beginning of each school year of "How I spent my Summer vacation"? How much cooler would that be with a digital story? family pictures could even be used to avoid the copyright beast.
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea of teachers using digital stories as a way to introduce a new lesson. It gets the students' attention and would be something that, if done right, could stay with them for a while.
I've started into the digital storytelling arena in small ways in my classes. In trying to make the kids see how science connects to their real world, I've had them take digital photos, label them, and submit them based on a topic or unit. While this is only a baby step, I think it is opening the doors for digital storytelling. By using their own photos, no copyrights are an issue; however, if we start tapping into areas to which the students do not have exposure or if they want to start using music with their presentations, the copyright issues could be substantial. Using sites like http://www.royalty-free-music-room.com/ could help, and it's a great opportunity to teach students about their responsibility in digital citizenship.
ReplyDeleteWow your post has a lot of useful inforamtion. You are exactly right about the copy right issues but I think the three things that you have listed help make it a little easier. I am so scared of the copyright law and it makes me just want to avoid everything at all cost.
ReplyDeleteI like your ideas about Digital story telling. It is a great way to hook the students. They love technology and it gets them excited. Whats a better way to do that then to use it to help them learn
You did a wonderful job presenting the information about digital story telling. As a teacher, i have yet to use this tool in my classroom. But it sounds like a great way for teachers to introduce new information or for students to present what they have learned throughout a unit. Like you said, most educators are aware or familiar with the copyright laws, but definitely need to know the baseline of.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post on digital storytelling! I have never used digital storytelling in my classroom, but see it as a great tool to present information from either the teacher or the student. I did have a digital storytelling assignment for another course. I had a lot of fun putting it together and learned a great deal on the topic I was discussing. It's a great alternative to a powerpoint. I also like how you included the copyright information as I would not have even considered that.
ReplyDeleteI too love the idea of digital storytelling and plan on using it a lot in reading to help develop biographies and using it to tell the story of characters within text. I appreciate the tips on how to avoid breaking copyright laws too. You can never be too careful!
ReplyDeleteDigital storytelling seems to be a tool that would be very useful in the classroom, for any teacher who was willing to put in the time to create the stories. Teachers could use them to present new information and engage students. Instead of telling students about the history of colonial america, for example, they could introduce this topic with a story. This would give the students an idea of what it would be like to live during the time period they are studying. This technique could be used particularly well in social studies and science classes.
ReplyDelete