MDL4000 - Media and Digital Literacy
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  • Intro
    • Description >
      • Topics
    • Readings
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  • Fall Term
    • 1.1 Me and Media >
      • 1.2 Me & Media: Fun-damentals
    • 2.1 Web Literacy >
      • 2.2 Competencies
    • 3.1 Digital Storytelling >
      • 3.2 Connected Learning
    • 4.1 DS: Making Meaning >
      • 4.2 Where are the stories?
    • 5.1 Visual Literacy and S.J. >
      • 5.2 Visual Literacy and CC
    • 6.1 Creating with Purpose >
      • 6.2 Creating - PSA
    • 7.1 Mobile & Learning >
      • 7.2 Fluid Environments
    • 8.1 Makers & Making >
      • 8.2 Making Media
    • 9.1 Media - teacher & learner >
      • 9.2 Media in teaching
  • Winter Term
    • 1.1 New Media & .... >
      • 1. 2 New Media & ....
    • 2.1 Participatory Culture >
      • 2.2 Participatory Culture
    • 3.1 DS: Digging Deeper >
      • 3.2 DS: Digging Deeper
    • 4.1 DS: Tools of the Trade >
      • 4.2 DS: Tools of the Trade
    • 5.1 DS: Process & Plan >
      • 5.2 DS: Process & Plan
    • 6.1 DS: Minds On
    • 7.1 DS: Hands On >
      • 7.2 DS: Hands On
    • 8.1 DS: Reflect & .... >
      • 8.2 DS: ... and Connect
    • 9.1 Assessment Tools >
      • 9.2 DS: Show & Share
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4.1 Digital Storytelling - Tools of the Trade

This week we will focus on essential elements of good storytelling, taking time to examine how personal stories become living legacies and reflections on lessons learned to find the 'author's voice'. Sharing your story will come alive once you select the tools to use to create your digital story. This session will be one of exploration and analysis of story, tools and purpose.
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Readings

  • Digital Storytelling Across the Curriculum, Bernajean Porter
  • Digital Storytelling Tips and Resources by Gail Matthews-DeNatale, 2008
  • ​Digital Storytelling Guide, Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano   

Activating your Understanding - Connecting Media Literacy to Digital Storytelling

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Web 2.0 tools can activate and engage classroom learning.  There is a rich and varied set of resources for teachers and students interested in developing, creating, and producing digital media. Keep digital citizenship elements in mind.

While keeping the media triangle in mind, the tools you select for any media project need to consider the text, audience, production and the context. Start by defining these elements, analyzing them from a critical viewpoint and then begin to make decisions about your digital story production based on your decisions. Keep in mind that the process is as important as the product. Throughout the storytelling process, analysis and creation is cyclic and recursive. Changes are expected, resulting from this ongoing analysis/creation cycle.

Bernajean Porter emphasizes that "Good storytelling lets our students be deeply heard and honored. And those are the stories that need to be told!" Porter, p. 16. During this session, you will explore the stories you are living, that are unfolding, and that need to be told. You will look critically at tools to tell your story.

PictureRosenthal Tolisano, p.7
Digital storytelling "no matter in what form and created in whatever media is a powerful tool to transmit knowledge, culture, perspective and points of view." Rosenthal Tolisano p. 7

Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano presents links between digital storytelling and higher order thinking skills, national standards for 21st century skills and ISTE-NETS-S. These provide the reason for applying digital storytelling to teaching practices. The 'how' is also provided in the document - linking to tools for audio, image, text and video production. The process for applying each tool is dependent on the story being told.


Planning and Brainstorming

Story Boards
Screen Shots
image of cover to screen shot list
Click image to see Storyboard Glossary

Digital Storytelling - The PLOT thickens

fear factor logo
You've started with a storymap, a plan and outline for the sequence and elements for your story.  From the storymap, you will need to create a storyboard that will integrate the audio, visual and camera movements. As you storymap and storyboard, review some of the information from earlier in this course about image, sound, moving media and how decisions you make will impact the story you tell. Consider bias, perspective and cultural awareness when planning your story.
Jason Ohler provides insights on the differences between creating the map (a sketch of the story line) and the story 'table' (a plan for the media elements that will weave together to tell the story). 


Selecting the Tools for YOUR Story - some tried and true

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Tools for the Technology Teacher in Ontario Schools
Through a partnership between the Ministry of Education and Ontario teachers, there exists a rich set of technology tools along with a process for acquiring, distributing and managing these resources for educators, students and parents. The Ontario Software Acquisition Program Advisory Committe (OSAPAC) maintains a current listing of software titles, links for local access and support, and details about software, curriculum connections and resources for schools. There are many FREE digital storytelling software resources available in Ontario schools.
  • Intro to OSAPAC
  • Link to OSAPAC listing​

Link to these software sites for more information and resources.
​Collect information in this shared document.

Pixton

Pixie 3

Comic Life 2

Frames 6

Clicker 5.28

Mindomo

Clicker 6

Clicker Paint

Adobe Photoshop Elements 8​​


CREATION

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Selecting the tools to create each unique element of your digital story is also an important decision. Again, you can work with tools that are tried and true or shiny and new. Make sure there are clear ways to share and integrate the elements from each of the tools you select. Check for limitations or connectivity issues. Look for users guides, how-to videos and community blogs to support your efforts. ​

Sign up for a FREE account to extend and learn!


Images

Flickr Creative Commons
Photobucket
Pics4Learning-free photos
Cowbird - image and text
​

Eight FREE photo sites that require no attribution
National Gallery UK - free images, sounds, video
British Library - free images, historical content
​
Morgue Files - free images 
Pixabay - free images
​
Unsplash (Canadian) 

Sound

Garage Band
Audacity
Soundation
Audioboo
iTalk
Soundcloud

​Free Sounds Sites:
MacJams
Jamendo
FreeSound
Free Music Archive

Motion Video

iMovie
Movie Maker
Voicethread
Animoto
We Video
Picovico
PhotoPeach
​
Adobe Spark
​Haiku Deck



Digital Stories - connecting the craft to the practice

As you begin to create and plan your digital story, think about how you would use the tools, processes, and ideas in your teaching practice.
What are some big ideas that come to mind as you investigate the process and tools?
How can your story become a model for others?
​Where are the issues and considerations you will need to make if you bring this experience into your classroom?

social media wordle
Application of tools for story planning
As you begin to explore your digital story ideas, you will apply digital and web 2.0 tools to the creation of your story map and your storyboard.  
STORY MAP EXPECTATIONS
  • have a main topic or title
  • have up to 5 connecting ideas or themes
  • have up to 5 secondary branches for each idea and/or theme
  • will outline the essential elements of the story you will tell (theme, plot, characters, actions, etc.)
  • will include decisions on tools you will use for some of the story elements
  • created in digital or Web 2.0 software Mindomo
STORYBOARD EXPECTATIONS
  • have a main topic or title (frame or slide)
  • have up to 10 frames/ slides outlining a general sequence of the story
  • each frame/slide will include a draft of the directions for content (image, sound, movement) and some ideas for how you would like to create the transitions, camera angle, and/or pan/zoom motion.
  • created in digital or web 2.0 software - google doc - presentation, powerpoint, Comic Life
Consider this: both of these tasks will be completed and you will receive feedback before moving forward toward your final submission of your digital story. This will be done as part of the digital storytelling process. This will allow you to focus on getting your ideas down in some form. Both the storymap and storyboard are NOT SET IN STONE. They are subject to dramatic shifts as you continue working toward the finished product. Do not feel that this is an end product - it is only the beginning of your digital storytelling experience.

Resources/Links:

    • Online Tools for Teaching and Learning - collection and curation of digital resources by teacher education students at UMass (link from image below)


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Course Website and Design
by HJ. DeWaard
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