Digital+Story+Assignment

One of the strongest ways to integrate educational technology into school subject matter is with digital stories. Digital storytelling can be utilized with any subject matter and allows users to shape and craft content in powerful ways. Digital storytelling is grounded in creativity. It is a digital literacy which blends images, text, first-person narration, and music. The creative process of creating a digital story gives powerful representation to one’s voice; a process which Zhao (2008) suggests represents the knowledge that has the most worth. Thus, a key question for educators is: In what ways can digital storytelling be utilized in order to unleash the creativity of learners?
 * DIGITAL STORY** **ASSIGNMENT**


 * Purpose: **The purpose of this assignment is for you to create your own 2-5 minute digital story. While the topic for your digital story is up to you, I would like you to craft a story based on any subject that we have gone over in geometry this past year. The story could be based on how you make sense of a mathematical concept or it could be a story where the math that was used is a significant part of the story line.

**Directions**:
 * Identify a lesson or topic idea which you could create a digital story about. Examples and ideas for digital stories: the importance of zero, trigonometry, the use of surface area, ratios and proportions, etc.
 * Use PhotoStory 3, Windows Moviemaker, or iMovie for the creation of your digital story. See below for more details related to how to create a digital story using PhotoStory 3.
 * You will upload your digital story to youtube.com in order to embed your digital story onto our wiki. If you do not have a youtube.com account, please create one for this assignment.
 * In order to embed a video on the wiki, follow these directions: Go to Our Digital Stories - 2012 page on the wiki. Click on the Edit this Page icon. When the Editor tool bar opens up, click on the TV icon. Choose the Video widget and click on the online video format (i.e. teachertube.com or youtube.com). The widget will pop-up these directions for embedding the video:
 * Go to your video on Youtube.com that you want to embed
 * Look for the "Embeddable" or "Embed" field on the video page
 * Copy the text from Embed field
 * Paste into Video widget box (wiki editor)
 * Click Preview to preview the video or click Save


 * What to include in your digital story: **

a.)A title and your name

b.) At least 10-15 photographs

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">c.)Voice narration that explains and narrates the images in a story format (i.e. a beginning introduction, a middle, an ending conclusion) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> **Important:** Please note that sound editing and background music are two important presentation elements to any digital story. As you create your digital story for the digital storytelling assignment be sure to check, listen to, and edit your narration volume. I recommend narrating and previewing a couple of test slides to be sure the narration is at a consistently loud volume. This is especially true if you are going to use the computer's built-in microphone. You want to speak clearly and at a "conversation with friends in a crowded coffee shop" volume level. This doesn't mean you have to shout, but your volume should be loud enough to consistently hear your voice over any background music. Err on the side of being louder when you narrate.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">d.) Appropriate credits for all the pictures (this is best done as a slide at the end of your digital story, unless you created all your pictures/images for your digital story.) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Important:** To cite a picture properly, include image author's name/website source (e.g., Photo 1: John Doe/flickr.com)

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">e.) Music <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> **Important:** As I explained on the Copyright & Fair Use page, educators also have "fair use" to copyright music. You can legally use up to 10% of a musical composition in print, sound, or multimedia form. However, there are plenty of royalty free music sites on the Internet which allow you to legally use entire songs. Sites like www.freeplaymusic.com and [] offer a variety of musical genres. A simple Google search will help you identify other such sites. Please remember that even when you use royalty free music or "free music" you should still cite the musician(s) name(s) if given.Your citation can be formatted as follows - Digital story background music: "Free Music is Fun" by Jane Smith.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Materials needed**:
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Go to Flickr.com or another free photo or stock image search engine to find most, if not all, of the images you need for your digital story. Please know that if you use images off Flickr (or any photo sharing site) make sure you are aware of copyrights. Flickr has recently changed some of it licensing agreements. At one time, most of the images on Flickr were licensed under a Creative Commons agreement which allowed users to "copy and share alike." Now Flickr offers users the ability to either release their images under certain common usage licenses or label their images as "all rights reserved". Creative Commons spells out exactly how an image can be used and how attributes should be given. In order to be completely sure and safe with copyright - I recommend starting your Flickr searches in the Creative Commons area of the Flickr site. Go to the following links for Creative Commons' Flickr images:
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|http://www.flickr.com/commons/]
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> If you choose to capture/create your own images you will need a digital camera
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">For more information about copyright issues and the educators "fair use" clause related to copyrights, see the following:
 * [|http://home.earthlink.net/~cnew/research.htm]
 * []
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Your laptop - I suggest PC users create their digital story using PhotoStory 3, a free download. If you are a Mac user, you can use iMovieto create a digital story.PC users can use MovieMaker or download Photo Story 3: [] Mac users can use iMovie. If you use Photo Story 3 (the easiest software to use for digital stories), please follow the “how-to’s” below to create a digital story in the next section below.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Most laptops have internal microphones to capture your voice narration. However, if you have access to a standard microphone headset or a USB microphone - it will enhance the sound quality of your digital story.


 * [[image:te831s11/standardheadset.jpg width="118" height="118" caption="A standard microphone headset. Image source: logitech.com, used with permission."]] || [[image:te831s11/USBmicrophone.jpg width="160" height="160" caption="A USB microphone. Image source: logitech.com, used with permission."]] ||
 * A standard microphone headset. Image source: logitech.com, used with permission. || A USB microphone. Image source: logitech.com, used with permission. ||  ||   ||   ||

What to do first:
1 - Create a storyboard (a rough outline) of your story and what it is about (Due on Tuesday, May 29 at 11:59pm) a.) The outline must contain a beginning introduction, a middle, and an ending conclusion. b.) The outline must indicate that the content is appropriate for high school. c.) The outline must indicate the mathematical concept(s) that is being used.

2 - See the "**Directions**" above and put together the digital story using pictures from the internet as indicated or your own pictures.

3 - Make sure that you have a voice narration for the story.

4 - Have the appropriate credits for all images (every single one unless you take your own pictures) as well as credits for the music and voices used.

5 - Read the "**Evaluation**" below to make sure you are following directions.


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Evaluation **:

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> I will use the Digital Story Grading Rubric to evaluate your digital stories based on the "presentation value" (i.e., narration volume, image clarity, correct spelling of text), digital citizenship (i.e., image credits), and whether you have included the following:

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> a.) A title and your name <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> b.) 10-15 images (if you have more than 15 that is fine) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> c.) Voice narration that clearly and audibly narrates the images in a story format (i.e., a beginning introduction, a middle, an ending conclusion) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> d.) Appropriate credits for all the images and pictures (this is best done as a slide at the end of your digital story) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> **Important:** To cite an image or picture properly, include image author's name/website source (e.g., Photo 1: John Doe/flickr.com). <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> e.) Music (optional but recommended, if you do include background music, be sure to check the volume, and include a credit for song title and musician name)

=== DUE DATE: The digital story is due Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at 11:59pm. You will embed your digital story on the Our Digital Stories - 2013 page of the wiki. ===

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The How-To's of Digital Storytelling: A 7 Step Process - Using Photo Story 3
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Background: Remember a digital story is powerful and elegant because it is simple and short. Keep it around two to three minutes. Here’s how:


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Step 1 - Download Photo Story 3on your computer. Identify the topic or lesson plan idea for your story. Brainstorm ideas you have to create your “big idea” as a story. Outline a simple storyboard for your digital story. Keep the story simple.


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Step 2 – Create a folder on your desktop to store the media. Find images and photos on a photo sharing website like flickr.com. Download and save all images to your desktop folder. (If you use a digital camera for creating pictures, please save your pictures to a folder on your desktop or somewhere you can easily access and remember).


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Step 3 – Make sure that you have downloaded Photo Story 3. Open up Photo Story 3 on your desktop and select “begin new project.” Import images from your saved on the folder desktop. Rearrange the images to fit your storyboard ideas. Click next and create titles and overlay text on selected images.


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Step 4 – Begin drafting your story. Think about your storyboard. Decide on the purpose and point of view of your digital story. Write a short narration for each of the images.


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Step 5 – Click next and use a computer microphone (USB mic) to record the narration of each photo based on your script. Speaking loudly into the computer microphone, maintain a constant volume in your voice narration.


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Step 6 – Score digital story with music. Select music from your library or create music on Photo Story 3. Make sure to preview your story to make sure that the music volume is at a low enough setting is that you can still hear the narration. Likewise, make sure to click “save project” as a wp3 file (Photo Story 3) which allows you to go back and edit your digital story.


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Step 7 – Click next. Once you have previewed your digital story, finalize the story as a Windows Media Video (.wmv) and upload to youtube.com.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Congratulations on your digital story creation!

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> For more information about creating digital stories see: []

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> For more information about how to create a digital story using iMovie see: [|http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/#imovie]

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Digital Storytelling Examples
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