I am currently seeking work as either a Media Specialist or ESE teacher. An ideal position would combine both. Will I work in an elementary school? Middle school? High school? As a Media Specialist, I would collaborate with classroom teachers and have students create digital storytelling projects related to the curriculum. For example, an EnglishLiterature class could create projects based on a book unit, a Chemistry class could create projects on elements of the Periodic Table, and an elementary school class could create travel guides for their state projects.
First, I would have to introduce digital storytelling. I would do this by having students create an “About Me” project. For the sake of this particular assignment, I am focusing this digital storytelling project on collaboration between a Media Specialist/Technology teacher and an ESE Language Arts teacher in a middle school setting.
Camp ASCCA. “Teen Week 2007 at Camp ASCCA”.
July 25, 2007 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/campascca/900872360
Grade(s)/ Subject
Grades 6-8/ Media/Technology and ESE/Language Arts
Topic
“About Me”
Create a digital biography. If someone discovered this project 100 years in the future, what would you want them to know about you? Suggested topics to include: family members; friends; your favorite color, sport, song, food, book, movie, TV show, hobby, game, vacation, school subject; memorable anecdote; family story; information about a topic you are passionate about.
Standards (CPALMS)
NGSSS: Reading/Language Arts, Strand: Information and Media Literacy
“The student develops and demonstrates an understanding of media literacy as a life skill that is integral to informed decision making.” (LA.6.6.3, LA.7.6.3, LA.8.6.3)
“The student develops the essential technology skills for using and understanding conventional and current tools, materials and processes.” (LA.6.6.4, LA.7.6.4, LA.8.6.4)
Because I am focusing on ESE students, I would look at Related Access Points (Independent, Supportive, Participatory).
Process of creating digital stories
Digital stories should be approximately three minutes, based on platform capabilities and time. The process of creating a digital story could take sixteen hours or six months to complete.
- Determine purpose and audience
- Brainstorm and organize ideas
- Construct storyboard
- Acquire and edit images
- Write at least one sentence describing each image
- Record a verbal description of each image
- Add royalty-free music
- Add animation, transitions, sound effects, and special effects (optional)
- Export project
- Save finished product in electronic portfolio
I would have to experiment with the various audio, image, and video-editing software available. I would have to take into consideration cost, features, difficulty, and skill levels of my students. Of course, if my school already has a version of one of these software programs, all the better. No need to reinvent the wheel or spend unnecessary funds.
Visual Mapping Software
Video
iMovie
Windows Movie Maker
Images
Adobe Photoshop Elements
iPhoto
Microsoft Photo Story 3
Photoshop
Music/Audio
Works Cited
Banaszewski, T. (2002). Digital storytelling finds its place in the classroom. MultiMedia & Internet @ Schools. Retrieved October 24, 2012, from http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan02/banaszewski.htm
Biddle, J. (2006). Scott County digital storytelling: Resources, tips, tools, and FAQs for creating digital stories. Scott County Schools website. Retrieved October 24, 2012, from http://www.dtc.scott.k12.ky.us/technology/digitalstorytelling/res.tips.faqs.html
Campbell, P. (2011). A hotlist on digital storytelling: An Internet hotlist on digital storytelling. Retrieved October 24, 2012, from http://www.kn.sbc.com/wired/fil/pages/listdigitalpe.html
Florida Department of Education. (2012). M/J library skills/information literacy-1100000. CPALMS. Retrieved October 24, 2012, from http://www.cpalms.org/Courses/PublicPreviewCourse821.aspx
Greller, J. (2012). 60 sites for digital storytelling tools and information. A Media Specialist’s Guide to the Internet. Retrieved October 22, 2012, from http://mediaspecialistsguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/58-sites-for-digital-storytelling-tools.html
Hobgood, B. & Ormsby, L. (2012). Inclusion in the 21st-century classroom: Differentiating with technology. LEARN NC. Retrieved October 22, 2012, from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/every-learner/6776
Huson, C., Bosch, K., Clemens, S., Burg, J., Harmon, J., & Devoto, P. (2012). Digital storytelling with the iPad. Retrieved October 24, 2012, from https://sites.google.com/site/digitalstorytellingwiththeipad/
Michalski, P., Hodges, D., & Banister, S. (2005). Digital storytelling in the middle childhood special education classroom: A teacher’s story of adaptations. TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 1(4), Article 3. Retrieved October 13, 2012, from ERIC database.
Porter, B. (n.d.) Digital storytelling across the curriculum: Finding content’s deeper meaning. The Creative Educator, 7-9.
Porter, B. (2006). Beyond words: The craftsmanship of digital products. Learning & Leading with Technology, 33(8), 28-31. Retrieved October 24, 2012, from http://digitales.us/sites/default/files/BeyondWordsISTE.pdf
Robin, B. (2011) The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling Website. Retrieved October 14, 2012, from http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu
Skouge, J., & Rao, K. (2009). Digital storytelling in teacher education: Creating transformations through narrative. Educational Perspectives, 42(1-2), 54-60. Retrieved October 13, 2012, from ERIC database.
Excellent blog! Very detailed plan on how to incorporate the digital storytelling. The collaboration with the teachers is a great idea. As a media specialist we do a lot of collaborating. You may want to involve the music and art teacher into your plans. One area that I have difficulty in is finding royalty free pictures and music. Maybe you can provide your students with those resources too. Great plan!
I like your suggestion of involving multiple specials teachers. I have found some possible sites for royalty free pictures and music.
I think it’s great that you would like to combine and collaborate with all of your teachers as a media specialist. Don’t forget, though…you are one person (and generally the only media specialist). Try not to spread yourself too thin!
I love the fact that you have so many different resources listed in your blog. Some of them I know…others, I have never heard of! I wonder if the kids are more “in tune” with some of them.
I have a question that I would like to ask, and I am asking all of the students in our class:
How much time should content area teachers spend teaching students how to use programs like Prezi or other digital storytelling platforms? I mean, in a time when we are given more content to cover and fewer hours/days to deliver it…can we afford to spend time showing students (those who do not understand) how to use the digital platforms? Or better yet, can we afford to NOT teach them?
You raise some valid points. How do I incorporate digital media into my lessons in a limited amount of time without confusing my students and spreading myself too thin? That is one thing I am worried about. I just have to remember not to make things too complicated – sometimes, simple is better. Technology should supplement the curriculum, not the other way around. Look at the lesson and see if a digital media application will be an asset. Don’t look at a digital media application and then plan a lesson.