Digital+Storytelling

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What is Digtial Storytelling?
Storytelling is an art that been in existence since the dawn of humankind. Digital storytelling is the art of combining text, music, audio, and images/and or video to tell a story. The result is a compelling narrative that combines design and writing in an emotional piece. It involves using the writing process to plan, map, and publish a story. For a closer look at what digital storytelling is, read the Center for Digital Storytelling's [|"What is Digital Storytelling?"].

The Planning Process
The planning process of creating a digital story involves planning, writing, and refining that writing. Often, the process requires a story map, an essay from the story map, then a storyboard derived from that writing. Here are examples of two storyboards, [|side versiion] and [|top version], shared by David Jakes, from [|JakesOnline], who has created and gathered many [|useful resources] for digital storytelling. After the storyboard is created, resources need to be gathered. These include images, music, and other items included in the storyboard. See the Resources section below to find [|Creative Commons] and other resources that can be used in digital stories.

The Production Process
Production involves using the prepared storyboard and multimedia software to compose the digital story. Many free tools exist to create digtial stories.
 * **Web-based**
 * [|VoiceThread]- Upload images, add audio, video, and text comments, then invite conversation.
 * More Voicethread resources
 * 50 (and counting) Ways to Tell a Story by Alan Levine
 * **Apple** offers free tools with their [|iLife]suite with every purchased Macintosh
 * iPhoto - Create slideshows with music - [|iPhoto Tutorial]
 * iMovie - Gather photos and video together with music and narration to create a digital story. [|iMovie Tutorial]
 * GarageBand - Add sound effects, music, and additional narration to your iMovie story for more impact. [|GarageBand Tutorial]
 * **Windows**offers free downloads for creating digital stories.
 * [|MovieMaker2] - Window's free tool for creating stories out of images and video. [|MovieMaker Basics]
 * [|PhotoStory3] - Great tool for combining images, narration, and music to create a story. [|Photostory3 Tutorials] by David Jakes
 * **Cross-Platform**Presentation Tools
 * PowerPoint - although not free, is included on many computers purchased by schools (especially LAUSD)
 * Impress by [|OpenOffice] - Free alternative to PowerPoint

The Publishing Process
Publishing a final product can be as easy as creating a document to share in the classroom, or powerful enough to reach a larger audience through sharing online. Students are motivated to create their best work when they know that the audience is larger than the four walls of the classroom. Use the EMBED code to publish to your blog, wiki, or website.
 * **Podcasts**: The most efficient way to publish and share digital stories would be through a podcast. Podcasts allow an audience to subscribe to a podcast so that new episodes can be easily accessed and downloaded. To learn more about creating podcasts, please visit: http://lausdpodcast.wikispaces.com/
 * [|Fliggo]: Easily upload digital stories to Fliggo to share. The service allows you to create a public url or embed the video in another online published document like blogs or web pages. [|YouTube] is another popular online video sharing site, but it is blocked in LAUSD.
 * By phone, use [|Yodio] to create digital stories.

Resources

 * General**

Creative Commons

 * The [|FireFox] browser contains a Creative Commons [|search tool] built into the Search bar. Easily search for images, video, and music that can be used to publish digital content on the internet. Many people share their digital content and allow others to reuse it through a [|CreativeCommons] license.
 * For more about Creative Commons, watch this TedTalks video by [|Dr. Lawrence Lessig on Laws that Choke Creativity]

Copyright and Fair Use
[|Teaching Copyright] is a fair and balanced curriculum on teaching copyright.

Places to find creative commons (and other) images that are free to use with attribution
 * [|Flickr] (Blocked in LAUSD and many other school districts)
 * [|Free Photo Gallery]
 * []
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[|Check out this document] by Terry Richards [|30 Places to Find Creative Commons Media]

If you are going to use Google Image Search for published works, please [|search with the Creative Commons filter].

Music

 * [|ccMixter] - //browse this site to hear some of the [|great remixes] people have built from sampling music on this site, all licensed for use under Creative Commons license.//
 * [|GarageBand] for Apple has many great music loops that can be used. Students can also create their own music using this tool.
 * [|Podsafe Music] - Artists share their music through CreativeCommons
 * [|Incompetech] - Music sorted by genres. Easy to navigate and download, but limited selection of instruments.
 * [|Common Content]
 * [|GarageBand] - A collection of independent music

Digital Storytelling Examples

 * San Fernando students create [|amazing digital stories].
 * Student example - [|Grass Born to be Stepped On] - at the Apple Learning Interchange
 * [|The Very Sloppy Brush] - by 5th Grade Students.
 * [|The Digitales Collection] - Click on one of the StoryKeepers' Galleries
 * [|Center for Digital Storytelling]
 * [|ShoeBox Stories] from BBC - Wales

Digital StoryTelling Resources
Dennis Grice's Digital Storytelling Wiki