“Digital Storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories. As with traditional storytelling, most digital stories focus on a specific topic and contain a particular point of view. However, as the name implies, digital stories usually contain some mixture of computer-based images, text, recorded audio narration, video clips and/or music. Digital stories can vary in length, but most of the stories used in education typically last between two and ten minutes. And the topics that are used in Digital Storytelling range from personal tales to the recounting of historical events, from exploring life in one's own community to the search for life in other corners of the universe, and literally, everything in between. “

                        -The University of Houston

Integration Ideas

Digital Picture Stories
Photo Journals for labs, trips, etc.
Instructional Videos
Short Stories using student Illustrations
Assessment for science labs
Illustration of a process
History projects
Commercials
Documentaries
Showing how to Solve Equations in Math
Vocabulary

Stories Created by Teachers Can Serve: As a Lesson Hook As a Way to Integrate Multimedia into the Curriculum
As a Way to Make Difficult Content More Understandable To Facilitate Classroom Discussion

7 Elements of Digital Storytelling

  1. The Overall Purpose of the Story
  2. The Narrator’s Point of View
  3. A Dramatic Question(s)
  4. The Choice of Content
  5. Clarity of Voice
  6. Pacing of the Narrative
  7. Use of a Meaningful Audio Soundtrack
  8. Quality of Images
  9. Economy of the Story Detail
  10. Good Grammar and Language Usage

My Hero Project

Examples of Personal Narratives

Almost Paradise The Computer and I http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/computer-I.htm
Fleeing Hurricane Rita http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/rita.htm
Coming to Houston http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/comingtohouston.htm My Mama http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/mymama.htm

Examples of Historical Digital Stories

The Gettysburg Address http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/stories/gettysburg-with-intro-final.wmv Race to the Moon http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/civilization.htm The Holocaust http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/holocaust.htm Hiroshima http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/hiroshima.htm

Examples of Stories that Inform or Instruct

Geometry: Art & Architecture - Using the van Hiele Levels of Geometric Understanding to Improve Student Achievement http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/geo-story.htm Pinhole Cameras http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/pinhole.htm Aging Well http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/agingwell.htm

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Download This Software to Create a Digital Story

Microsoft Photostory 3 (PC only)

Windows Movie Maker (PC only)

Apple iMovie (Mac only)

changed June 19, 2009