ePals Global Community-Digital Storytelling Classroom Project: Project Elements Project Index

Digital Storytelling Classroom Project: Project Elements
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Overview In this unit, students will learn about the age-old practice of storytelling and use 21st century tools to create their own digital story.  Students will explore digital storytelling as a way to tell a story, promote cross-cultural understanding and build meaningful connections with others.  Students will participate in an email exchange to discuss the process.  They will 1) develop a story topic 2) write their story 3) create or find appropriate images to support their story and 4) share their story and reflect on their work.
Objectives Students will understand that digital storytelling is an effective way to have their voices heard and make a meaningful connection with others.
Students will identify a topic, brainstorm ideas around that topic and write a personal narrative.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the role images play in a story and will create or find appropriate images to support their story.
Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of digital storytelling.  They will translate their words and images into a digital story in such a way that others will understand or appreciate their point of view.
Students will communicate and work collaboratively with peers, teachers and ePals.
Essential Questions What is digital storytelling?
What are the elements of a good story?
Why do people tell stories?
How is my personal story the same or different from others?
Supporting Questions How is digital storytelling the same as traditional storytelling?  How is it different?
When/why would you use digital media to tell a story?
What is point-of-view?
What role do images and sounds play in storytelling?
What is editing?  Why is it important?
Academic Vocabulary details, digital media, digital story, draft, edit, footage, image, narrate/narration, production, record, storyboard, video
Culminating Activity  The culminating activity is for students to create their own 2-3 minute digital stories and share them with their peers.
Materials/Handouts
Student-made digital stories from:http://cybersmart.org/africa/storytelling/gallery/
Digital Storytelling Journal with:
1. Quick-Write and Response sheet
2. What Makes A Good Story?
3. Story Ideas (list)
4. Story Organizer (graphic organizer)
5. Storyboard (graphic organizer)
6. Peer Edit Checklist
7. End of Project Reflection sheet
Reflections/Assessments  Student reflections on the project
Monitoring of email exchanges for key concepts and insights
Evaluation of digital story for effective use of personal narrative and images
Related Resources
Cybersmart! Africa, Digital Storytelling Initiative
Center for Digital Storytelling
Digital Storytelling Cookbook
Tech and Learning: (Teaching) Tips for Digital Story Telling
7 Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling
Examples of Student &Teacher Digital Stories, Scott County Schools
Sounds, music, and images can be downloaded for your students' digital stories from the following public domain sites:
Freeplay Music
Free Music for Children
FindSounds
Sounddogs.com
American Memory from the Library of Congress
Pics4Learning
FreeFoto.com
Extended Learning  Create posters advertising the digital story projects.  Write a one sentence tag-line for each video.  Make them exciting so people will want to see the videos.
Create a class website documenting the experience of creating a digital story and post the projects for viewing.
Create a manual for other classes that might like to try this project explaining the production steps.
Invite a filmmaker to speak to the class.