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Leaders Sharing The Connected Classroom Digital Storytelling By Glen Bull and Sara Kajder Subject: Using new technology in the effectively Language Arts Technology: Digital media and video editing Classroom Standards: NETS•T II, III; NETS•S 3, 4 (http://www.iste.org/standards/) 46 Learning & Leading with Technology Volume 32 Number 4 Copyright © 2004, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved. The Connected Classroom Technology off ers a number In particular, the story should be in of opportunities for con- the foreground and the technology necting classrooms with the in the background. Th e focus in the world. Th e advent of the Internet has language arts classroom should be off ered unprecedented prospects for on the writing and communication classroom connections, but the recent process rather than technical eff ects. diff usion of digital cameras through- Th e K–12 students and teachers with out society off ers instructional pos- whom we have worked center their sibilities as well. Th e May 2004 issue eff orts on the practice of the story- of L&L described potential connec- teller, with the computer serving as tions to the curriculum in science, a tool for eventual publication and mathematics, language arts, and social sharing. studies. Technology has the capacity to Digital storytelling was one of sev- amplify the writer’s voice in a well- eral methods presented in the article written story. In particular, digital on “Digital Images in the Language storytelling can be used to engage Arts Classroom” (Kajder and Swen- struggling readers and writers who son) in that issue. We provide a more have not yet experienced the power detailed examination of this process of personal expression. in the current column. Th e Seven Elements Th e Wellsprings of Digital Stories costly, required specialized hardware, of Eff ective Digital Stories A digital story consists of a series of and were complex and diffi cult to Lambert identifi es seven elements still images combined with a narrated master. Today Movie Maker is in- of eff ective digital stories based on soundtrack to tell a story. Ken Burns cluded at no additional charge with more than a decade of work in this used this technique to good eff ect in Windows XP, and iMovie is provided medium. Th e distillation of his expe- his popular series of documentaries with the Macintosh operating system. rience has fueled much of our own for PBS. Although short video clips With appropriate support, students work in school settings. Th e seven ele- are sometimes included, students can readily master these tools. ments of digital storytelling include: create digital stories without access to Th e second technical advance is 1. a point of view video equipment. the ubiquitous presence of digital 2. a dramatic question Digital storytelling as we practice cameras and digital images. Last year 3. emotional content and teach it grew out of the work of the tipping point marking the transi- 4. economy Joe Lambert and Dana Atchley at tion to digital cameras occurred—for 5. pacing the Center for Digital Storytelling at the fi rst time, more digital cameras 6. the gift of your voice U.C. Berkeley in 1993. Th e commu- were sold than fi lm cameras. Th is year 7. an accompanying soundtrack nity of practice that has evolved from several manufacturers, including Ko- this work is based on the premise that dak, are discontinuing sales of many Joe Lambert generously provides an everyone has a story to tell. Digital of their fi lm cameras. Th e presence of extended discussion of these elements technologies off er particularly power- these tools is already aff ecting and al- with illustrations in a slightly diff er- ful means of conveying these stories. tering society. Th ey allow students to ent order and format in the Digital We have adapted their work for capture visual images from their lives Storytelling Cookbook available in PDF school settings. Two technical advanc- to tell their personal stories. on the Center for Digital Storytelling es have made this feasible. Th e fi rst is Although technical advances have Web site. (Editor’s note: Find this and inclusion of digital video editors with made digital storytelling practical in other URLs in Resources, p. 49.) operating systems off ered by Apple today’s schools, connections to the We like to group these elements, and Microsoft. A decade ago, digital language arts classroom should re- focusing on the phases of writing video editors were relatively new and main grounded in the curriculum. (1–4) and construction (5–7). Dur- December/January 2004–05 Learning & Leading with Technology 47 Copyright © 2004, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved. TThhee CCoonnnneecctteedd CCllaassssrroooomm ing the writing and planning phase, to pursue, discover, and communicate students draft and revise scripts and new understanding that is rooted in design storyboards. Th ey decide what who we are as humans. the story will say and how the story panying narrative, sprightly music, Economy. Economy is the most dif- will look during this stage. Once the and cutting-edge transitional eff ects. fi cult element for both novices and script and accompanying storyboard However, it does not hold our atten- experienced writers to attain. Th e art are completed, they use a digital tion in the same manner as a well- form of the digital story as practiced video editor to construct the story. constructed digital story. in the Center for Digital Storytelling Narratives that lead the reader to Point of View. Scholarly writing at- consists of a short two- to three-min- become invested typically pursue a tempts to achieve objectivity by ute vignette. Th is limits the script to compelling question that evokes in- distancing the writer from the mate- a single double-spaced page or the terest and commitment. Th is sets the rial. In contrast, the goal of digital amount of text that can be printed on reader up for the eventual payoff at storytelling is to allow a writer to one side of a standard note card. the close of the story. Student writers experience the power of personal ex- Limiting the scope of the digital often bury the question too deeply pression. Th erefore, students’ digital story has two practical benefi ts. It in the story, or the story structure stories need to be constructed from makes the construction process man- may fail to articulate a clear question. their own experience and understand- ageable in a school setting, and it Story circle activities allow students ing. Using the fi rst-person pronoun makes it practical for an audience to to shape their stories into a text that “I” rather than the more distant view the stories of an entire class in a rewards and surprises their audience. third-person point of view is essential. single session. From the perspective of Th is separates the digital story Emotional Content. Th e most ef- the writing process, the discipline in- from the third-person PowerPoint fective digital stories evoke an emo- volved in achieving this sharpens the report that sometimes replaces or tion from the audience. We often focus of the story, requiring the writer supplements the traditional research see laughter, tears, and expressions to decide what is essential to the story. report. Th e digital story reveals the of pleasure from the audience when Economy is equally important as writer, as opposed to off ering facts digital stories are screened. Th is can the digital story is assembled. Mod- about a distanced topic. Script revi- be tremendously rewarding to student ern digital editors off er a plethora of sion often involves an eff ort to bring writers, validating the eff ort and in- special eff ects and transitions. It can the focus of the story back to the vestment they have made. be tempting to replicate the visual writer. Some Web sites have begun to of- onslaught of music videos on MTV. Dramatic Question. A story that fer digital videos that document the However, the curricular objective in holds the attention of the audience progress of a class through a unit or the language arts classroom is to en- has a dramatic question that is re- project. Although these digital docu- courage writing and storytelling. We solved by the end of the story. Th is mentaries off er an eff ective use of dig- have found that the eff ective digital characteristic distinguishes the digital ital video, they are not digital stories story uses only a few images, a few story from a travelogue. A neighbor’s in the sense that Lambert employs the words, and even fewer special eff ects vacation slides may have an accom- term. An eff ective digital story works to clearly and powerfully communicate intended meaning. The goal of digital storytelling is Pacing. Monotonous refers to an un- to allow a writer to experience varied infl ection and pace. Th e word has become synonymous with boring the power of personal expression. because an unvaried pace will not hold the audience’s attention. You 48 Learning & Leading with Technology Volume 32 Number 4 Copyright © 2004, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved. The Connected Classroom may remember childhood hours sit- adding complexity and depth to the 6. Add special eff ects and transitions. ting up with a parent whose stories narrative. 7. Add a soundtrack if time permits. would unfold with a rhythm and We place addition of the Establishing a sequence of steps to energy that led you to cling to each soundtrack to the story at the end of follow off ers two central advantages. word spoken. Th at is the art of the the construction process for several First, students will maximize instruc- storyteller. reasons. When time becomes an issue, tional and lab time when the tasks are Th ere is an important interaction the story can be screened in a draft well framed and specifi c. Th e order is between economy and pacing. Novice format without music, allowing this designed to tap into the organic pro- storytellers often attempt to shoehorn element to be added at a later date. cess of storytelling as well as to work several pages of script into a two- Also, in some instances, students have around some of the quirks found in minute digital story by narrating it as successfully made the case for digital diff erent digital video tools. In addi- rapidly as they can. Th is is achieved stories that rely on voice alone. Th is tion, teachers can easily track individ- at the expense of pacing, because this can be evaluated on a case-by-case ual progress using a chart placed on a approach does not allow them to basis. blackboard or classroom whiteboard. pause or vary the pace. For student It is important to address copy- writers, pacing means pulling back or right when music is employed. Some Summary racing forward when the story calls sites such as the Creative Commons Digital storytelling is a particularly for it, as opposed to when the time off er music that can be legally down- appealing use of an emerging technol- limit approaches. loaded and used for educational ap- ogy for several reasons. It can provide Th is may require tough decisions plications. For example, the Magna- a voice to struggling readers and writ- about what parts of the story can be tune record label off ers a license that ers who might not otherwise fi nd omitted. It is important to confront states “No paid license is required for an authentic means of expression. these decisions during the script revi- non-commercial use.” Regardless of It places the technology in the hands sion process to allow a natural pace the source of the music employed, it of the learner, allowing him or her and varied fl ow when the digital story is important to provide students with to control its use within objectives is constructed. a lesson in music copyright in an era carefully constructed by the teacher. of fi le sharing. Th e Gift of Your Voice. Many of our Th e school setting off ers signifi cant classrooms have unheard and unseen logistical challenges, but they Classroom Strategies students who enter, submit work, and are manageable with proper planning. Th e staff of the Center for Digital leave at the sound of the bell without Some of the lessons learned in a vari- Storytelling have worked with thou- participating in discussion, group ac- ety of settings will be the subject sands in many settings and countries tivities, or any task that asks for their of future columns on this topic. who have found this to be an invalu- voice. Th e process of digital storytell- able means of expression. Adapt- ing allows students to record them- Resources ing these methods to the classroom selves narrating their own scripts. Center for Digital Storytelling: http://www. requires some thought. We have storycenter.org/cookbook.html Th e pitch, infl ection, and timbre found that the twin constraints of Creative Commons: http://creative of the storyteller’s voice convey mean- commons.org limited class time and limited access ing and intent in a very personal way. Magnatune: http://magnatune.com to technology are always factors in a Th is has proven to be one of the most classroom setting. Th erefore a plan- essential elements that contribute ning sequence for working with 20 GGlleenn BBuullll iiss tthhee WWaarrdd PPrrooffeess-- to the eff ectiveness of a digital story. ssoorr ooff EEdduuccaattiioonn iinn tthhee CCuurrrryy students and a limited number of Th ere is no substitute for using your SScchhooooll ooff EEdduuccaattiioonn aatt tthhee computers is essential. own voice to tell your story. UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff VViirrggiinniiaa.. We have found that the following Soundtrack. Music is an important sequence of steps works well: element of the professional cinema. 1. Write an initial script. Lambert also incorporates music into SSSaaarrraaa KKKaaajjjdddeeerrr iiisss aaa gggrrraaaddduuuaaattteee fffeeelll--- the stories developed at the Center for 2. Plan an accompanying storyboard. llooww iinn tthhee CCeenntteerr ffoorr TTeecchhnnooll-- Digital Storytelling, and lists it as one 3. Discuss and revise the script. ooggyy aanndd TTeeaacchheerr EEdduuccaattiioonn wwiitthhiinn tthhee CCuurrrryy SScchhooooll ooff of the seven essential elements. Prop- 4. Sequence the images in the EEdduuccaattiioonn aatt tthhee UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff erly employed music can enhance and video editor. VViirrggiinniiaa.. underscore the accompanying story, 5. Add the narrative track. December/January 2004–05 Learning & Leading with Technology 49 Copyright © 2004, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved.