More on Digital Storytelling June 23, 2011

Summer for me is a time to teach writing camp. I have been fortunate to teach at two camps this year. This week I have been working with kids from grades 3-8 in Martin, TN. We blasted off the week with Digital Storytelling. We used the website LittleBirdTales to create our stories. On the site students can upload pictures or use a paint program to draw their very own pictures. This site now allows teachers to create student accounts and the teacher is able to manage each account. See my post from February.  The only thing that I wish this site had now was a spelling/grammar check option.

I just love digital stories. They are a great way for students to showcase their work. The best part about them is the students can work on them at home! I loved seeing their creativity shine.

Below is my digital story and two student examples from this week:

The Two Koalas

Alan by a soon to be third grader

Bad Day for Baldwin by a High school student

Digital Storytelling February 26, 2011

Today I taught a young writer’s clubhouse, which is where writing project teachers teach a writing workshop based on a theme. The theme today was digital storytelling. I taught the students how to make a picture book type story using power point and this cool website called Little Bird Tales. This site allows the author to either draw or upload photos to their stories. Authors also have the option of having a private or public story and the opportunity to share it by emailing their contacts.

We started the day by analyzing picture books. We looked at the layouts, characters, pictures, and wording. We also discussed the audience and why we really need to think about our audience when creating a digital story. Since most of the students didn’t know what digital storytelling was, I had them peruse through examples on-line using Reading at pppst.  The students then brainstormed a list of topics that they could do a story on. Several students changed their topics many times. I loved seeing their processing. After the students decided on a topic, I had them storyboard their story so that they had a plan.

The students were eager to start their stories digitally, but I had to convince them that it was best to plan their story first. Once they planned their story, I taught them how to use insert sound, clip art, and how to move their pictures. Then they were off! They didn’t want to stop when it was time to wrap up.

There is so much that your students can do with digital storytelling. Their stories can be as simple or high tech as they want them to be.