7 Elements of Digital Storytelling

Any successful movie usually has been through the storyboard phase. To make sure that the storyboard, and subsequently the story being told, is successful, you can use the 7 elements of digital storytelling as a checklist of sorts. My own story will have the audience following along with the student as they use the Scientific Method to decide upon, create, execute, and evaluate a science experiment.

The first element is the point of view. In this activity, the audience is experiencing, with the student, every step of the SM, so the point of view will be that of the student. The dramatic question in this case will be the problem step of the SM. "What happens when..." "Why does..." "Which will...", etc. This question will be answered by the end of the story by going through the right steps. The emotional conent is very important. The student will need to find a topic that is important, and will have to communicate to the audience WHY it is important, through word choice and tone. With the gift of voice they will make their experiment uniquely theirs. During certain parts of the process there may bot be any reason to speak, which is a great opportunity to incorporate a soundtrack that gives power to their story. They will also have to walk a fine line between too little and too much information. They have to learn economy to decide how to proceed. And lastly, they have to learn how to pace their story so it doesn't pass to quickly for the audience to understand or connect, or so slowly that the audience is bored.

You can see the basics for this activity in my mini unit plan.

Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is a combination of images, video, audio, text, or music, that tells a story or instructs on a certain topic. DS is a great way to integrate technology into the classroom, and into lesson plans. Students are able to present their topic, story, or ideas in a fun interactive way. DS can include Slideshare, SlideCast, and Voice Threads.

For my unit plan I liked the idea of students using a slideshare to display their knowledge on parts of a map. Below is a student example.

How to Read a Map

View more OpenOffice presentations from adykman.

You can see how I would use it in my sample template.

Internet Resources

My unit plan revolves around my essential question of how and why we use tools to evaluate the world around us, and my unit questions are based on social studies, science, and math TEKS. The exact activities haven't fully taken shape, but I've been looking at communication tools I can use to enhance them. The social studies TEK involves map reading, so images of Texas maps will be useful, and I've used the Handbook of Texas website as a research tool before, so I would like to use that in researching Texas explorers (since 4th grade has a unit on Texas history). With the science unit, I think covering the Scientific Method, in conjunction with science fair projects would work really well with blogs (students are sometimes required to keep a log of their observations) or video recording of them performing their experiments. The video clips could even be uploaded to their blogs. I have a few other ideas here that might change as the semester goes on.

I mentioned in my last post that I was intrigued by using blogs in the classroom, and particularly liked the idea of having a collaborative blog written by the students in my class. Other tools could also be useful. Definitely search engines and internet research have definite possiblities. Students can gleem so much more information from those than a hand full of encylopedias from 20 years ago. Once they learn how to recognize when a site can be trusted, they have access to frequently updated verified information. Wikis and Google Docs are also tools that I'd like incorporate. The possibility of students being able to collaboratively work on a single document at the same time from different locations lends itself to a multitude of ideas. These are just a few of the many communication tools that I am considering.

Utilizing Blogs in the Classroom

The mass of different the applications of technology that could be used to support students' search for knowledge is astounding. A weblog is just one, but there are so many ways it can be implemented in the classroom. I've always liked the idea of a classroom newspaper. How much better (not to mention easier) would a blog be? Easy editing, no paper waste, quick communication with parents, and students ownership. Students can hyperlink to a newstory, upload a video or voice thread they made in class, and link to presentations made on an application like Google Documents. Imagine having a community of classrooms from around the state, the country, even the world, comparing what they're learning, showing their work to more than just the teacher, getting feedback from kids their age.

As a teacher, being connected through blogs I can see what is going on in the world of education, innovative ideas for integrating technology in all disciplines and subjects, and connect with my peers to give and ask for advice. There are hundreds of professional blogs out there, among them one by David Warlick, who writes about modernizing our education system.

Project and Inquiry based learning

To inquire is to seek the truth by questioning. Inquiry based learning is a way to lead students to knowledge through questions, including many they have created for themselves. When combined with project based learning, students choose a topic that captures their interests, and frame questions that could lead them to understanding. This approach gives students control over their learning, gives them ownership the the knowledge they work hard to aquire. The entire thing hinges on the questions that have been asked. These questions are the Curriculum-Framing questions. Curriculum-framing questions build upon each other. Content Questions support Unit Questions and both support Essential Questions.

Essential questions are big ideas, that cross all areas of study. Answers to these cannot be found in a book. They usually ask 'how' and 'why.' Unit questions are open-ended and are specific to a topic, subject, or unit of study. They serve as discussion starters that support the essential question. Content questions are generally closed, with right or wrong answers. Students use the questions to find information they need to know to answer the unit questions. They usually align with TEKS, or other learning standards. An example of Curriculum-Framing Questions to create a unit plan is one I've started on exploring tools, both physical and cognitive, to understand the world that surrounds us.