Digital Story Telling in the Classroom

Do you need a way to hook student interest?  Try digital storytelling. 

Last week I participated in an Elluminate presentation given by Alan Levine.  For those of you who have ever looked up information on Digital Storytelling, you’ll probably know that name.  Alan is practically a pioneer in the area, and he is kindly sharing his knowledge in a wonderful resource: 
http://50ways.wikispaces.com/

Very briefly here is how you can tell a story digitally…

STEP 1.  Pick a topic that interests you.  If you have trouble choosing a topic, Alan suggested you tell a story about your family, or you can do something that is pure fun: tell a story based on a prompt like “you wouldn’t believe who showed up at dinner…”

Then lay out your story in 5 to 10 points.

STEP 2. Find some media.  You can use Google advanced search for content that is licensed for re-use.

Pick one image (and maybe some audio) or video for each of your story points. 

STEP 3.  Pick your tool and create your story.  Alan lists dozens of tools.  Many may already be familiar to you (Picassa, Glogster, Flickr, Wiki, OneTrueMedia, Slideshare).  Alan suggests that you try a tool; if it doesn’t fit your preferences, there are plenty of others to choose from.

A great way to differentiate instruction!  Imagine a science class that hooks you in by posing the question: How many oranges does it take to power an iPhone?  How could you not be engaged? 

And what about allowing students to demonstrate learning using Digital Storytelling?  Now, that’s a fun project!

Thank you Alan for the great information! 

You can follow Alan on Twitter: @cogdog