Digital Storytelling Project

Overview
In terms of what kind of story to tell, there is a great deal of latitude. But I think you will gain most by creating something related to your content area.

Here is how I am suggesting students look at it. Suppose you gave your students a digital storytelling assignment. Create a digital story that would fit your requirements. That is, treat yourself as one of your own students who is responding to your assignment. You can then use your story as a model for students when you actually do your unit.

What you complete and post
You will need to post the following on your blogfolio to meet the requirements of this project:

1. A description of your assignment for your students. Describe this project in terms of an assignment you would give to your students. This posting should be a paragraph, plus a few bullets.
   


2. Your VPS Story Map. You can read about this (as well as the story core, from which maps emerge) in pages 71 through 85 of my book.
   


3. Reflective paragraph. Post a paragraph about your project and what you learned from doing it. Include a link to your story that is posted on YouTube or other video service.


4. Rubric. Post a rubric you might use with your students to assess their digital stories. This should be short, and to the point. Using 4-6 rubric traits will work. You can read about digital story assessment, and see examples or rubrics, on my assessment site.
   

Helpful tools
Here are some tools that should be helpful in developing a project for yourself, and in creating assignments for your students.

1. Story box or research box. This is addressed on page 99 of my book. It is a tool to help students create a project that is manageable.


2. Jason's storytelling site. My storytelling site is in 4 parts. You will probably be most interested in Part II: The Art of Storytelling, which addresses storymapping. Also, Part IV: Assessment you will find helpful with rubric development.


3. Designing a documentary project. This step-by-step how-to handout shows how to use a documentary story in a content area. Then it shows how it was used with an actual project, called The Life of a Monk, that you can you watch on YouTube.
   

Examples
Here are some examples of projects that your colleagues have proposed:

1. Where's the math in my life? A story about a student's search for how math is used in everyday life.


2. What is my connection to Alaska? Students will explain a significant connection they have with the state through an experience, an object or other means.
   


3. Line Goes for a Walk. Two pencils meet, take a walk, become lost in a world of media, and help each make sense of the chaos. The story is both a “what is” and “how to” regarding the elements of design. It is also a love story that reveals to us a life lesson: during times of confusion and chaos, we are able to connect with greater truths.


4. Life of a Monk. This is an actual project that you can watch on YouTube. Tenth grade history students studying the Middle Ages were asked to create a short documentary expressing their understanding of some aspect of life during that period in first person narrative. This piece pertains to life as a monk. Production was limited to a few hours.

Marsha's PDA website

Hi, folks. Marsha asked that I post a PDA website for you. This is it.
(Here it is in long hand: http://uashome.alaska.edu/~magladhart/Handhelds/ED_630.html)

Have fun- and behave!

Ed Tech Standards

Focus: ed tech standards. Today in Juneau with the onsite class I will be talking about technology standards for education. There are two sets in particular that you should be familiar with:

• Alaska Technology Standards. Last time I checked, many school districts in Alaska default to these as their district standards.
  
• ISTE NETS standards (ISTE = International Society for Technology in Education); these are also what NCATE has adopted as its standards

They are very straightforward. The two also correlate fairly well.

ISTE Standard VI Tutorial. Also, in class I showed a tutorial I created about ISTE Teacher Standard VI, which addresses the social, ethical, human and legals issues related to technology in education. Go ahead and click through it when you have time. I am happy to send you the original PowerPoint so you can adapt it for your use in your classroom:

• ISTE Standard VI tutorial

How to view standards. There is a good deal of discussion about the utility of standards (which there always should be). My suggestion is that you adopt the perspective that "standards are your friend." They can provide guidance for you if you are trying to understand what to do with regards to technology in your classroom, and they can provide "cover" for you as you innovate.

How to: Add links in blog posts, upload to TeacherTube

Announcement! We're using TeacherTube, not YouTube!
YouTube is blocked in too many places, so we are switching to TeacherTube. I am posting how-to movies there. So far it seems to be working just fine.

Questions from students lead to movies by me
In response to questions from students, I have created the following how-to movies and posted them on TeacherTube.

They are a little fuzzy, but if you squint and listen to my narration you should be fine. Click on the links to watch them:

• Putting a link in a blog entry. How to link to anything within your blog.
• Using TeacherTube, Part 1. Signing up for TeacherTube, uploading your movie.
• Using TeacherTube, Part 2. Putting a link to your movie in a blog entry.

Movies are 3-5 minutes long.

Let me know if you have questions.

The web-based media pieces that wouldn't play

When I was in Sitka, there were three media pieces that didn't play well on the PC I was using (as you might recall, we could hear them but not see them). This may have been because the PC I was using did not have a Quicktime player loaded on it. Quicktime is standard issue for Macs, but not for PCs. However, it is free for Windows.

Click here if you would like to download Quicktime player for either the Mac or PC.

I promised to give you alternative ways to see these three pieces. Fortunately, they are on the web:

• School Train. Glen Bledsoe’s 4th graders created this as an alternative way to show they understood the concept of metaphor for a language arts class. They compare going to school with riding on a train; 4 minutes long.
• Fox Becomes a Better Person. Hannah’s performance combines traditional and digital storytelling; 5 minutes long.
• Epic 2015. This gives you a glimpse into a possible future. Pay particular attention to the role that podcasts play at the end of the piece; 8 minutes long.

Let me know if you have questions.

Jason