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February 27, 2025

katieDS
A Story of Change
https://vimeo.com/110722454

  1. Sign in and stow your phones out of sight. Log into a Chromebook and complete the WYAW activities.

  2. Table Groups: Using your Vintage Whiteboards, choose three or more words or phrases you can think of to describe the intro story from Katie Cahn. What do you notice about the visuals and narration? How much music is used and for what purposes? Divide the board in two and on one side list 2-3 positives about the creative aspect of the story and on the other side, 2-3 positives about the technical aspects.

  3. A little history of digital storytelling from StoryCenter formerly known as The Center for Digital Storytelling (:01 to 5:16) Let's hear from Joe Lambert about some groovy artists and community activists wanting to tell their story to the world and a powerful example of the first "official" digital story that we'll discuss. What is your response? NOTE: This is storytelling by adult makers/tellers.
    [Video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hcf1WwVJPc&t=19s]

  4. Story break: Let's view some examples of digital stories from past classes. Format: Two compliments.

  5. Let's talk about writing a script for a Digital Story. We'll use the suggested format developed by StoryCenter. You should plan your script for a piece between 1:30 and 4:00 minutes. If you go over this time, you will need to edit "down" your script. This is hard, but you CAN do it! This makes for a more watchable story that will draw in your viewer and keep their attention throughout the piece. BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR SCRIPT, READ IT TO MAKE SURE IT'S BETWEEN 1:30 AND 4:00!

    Your story may have sections where there is no narration but only visuals with music or visuals without music. This is fine but remember you'll need to keep it between 1:30 and 4:00. 

    For the script, you will follow a suggested format using the StoryCenter model of the 4Cs. These are different from the 4Cs related to 21st century skills (Communication. Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity). 

    These 4 Cs are the following: 

    • Connect (1-3 sentences)
      Grab the viewer’s attention and pull us into the story.
    • Context
      Give enough information for the listener to understand what is happening and to set the stage.
    • Change
      What happened to bring about the change or resolution of the challenge?
    • Closure (1 sentence)
      Close with one sentence that captures the heart of the story

    Tips for (Digital) Storytelling:

    • Remember that you own your story. While it is important for the story to be honest, it is also important to share your experience in a way that feels comfortable for you.
    • If stories matter as many assert, why and how does this story matter to you? What is your message to your audience and to yourself?
    • Digital stories are only a few minutes long, so you should think about which details are most important to include in order to communicate your message.  
      stories matter quote

    SOURCE: https://www.storycenter.org/Links to an external site. 

  6. Let's look at some examples of scripts from stories we have watched......

BE THINKING.....

    Start thinking about a personal story you want to tell. The focus is on one of the topics below but within this broad topic, it can be a personal story of your choice. There are some "must haves" including visuals, narration, duration (between 1:30 and 4:00 minutes), and a title and credits. Otherwise, you can include also - video, sound effects, music, and animations. Want to try out chroma key (green screen) - go for it!

    DIGITAL STORYTELLING ASSIGNMENT:

    Your Personal Digital Story:
    This is an open-ended story that can be about any story with a focus on one of these broad topics:

    A story of challenge or change - an event or other circumstance that has shaped who you are as a person

    Tell your teaching journey story - the how and the why.

    		Who do you love? A story about a person who has had a significant impact on your life past or present. (No dogs allowed.....)
    challenge
    nodogsallowed

     

This assignment has three parts and ALL will be submitted in Canvas:

    1. A link to your personal digital story from WeVideo once it has been "Finished" and published. DON'T link to your editing/timeline environment.

    2. Your script for the project using the StoryCenter 4Cs format: Connect, Context, Change, Closure. (DUE earlier than final project)

    3. The personal digital story reflection using the designated word template for in Canvas under Assignments
      (filename: "personal_digital_story_reflection.docx").

    4. You can see all the requirements for this assignment and how you will be assessed by viewing the rubric in Canvas.

RESOURCES O' THE DAY:

THE Source for Digital Storytelling: http://www.storycenter.org/

THE Top Academic Source for Digital Storytelling: http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/

More about StoryCenter (formerly the Center for Digital Storytelling) http://www.storycenter.org/press/