Digital Storytelling

Digital Storytelling

What is digital storytelling?

Digital storytelling was a form of storytelling developed by Dana Atchley and Joe Lambert in the early 1990s. Their collaboration with others evolved into the center for Digital Storytelling which supports this art form with workshops around the country. Read more about what it is and how it can be used instructionally.

Key points of digital storytelling

  • Stories usually run two to five minutes
  • Pictures may be hand drawn, digital image from a camera, or be pictures of real objects such as letter, medals, diary entries. Limiting the images will help with the economy of the story.
  • A digital story can take a variety of forms, be created with many different multimedia tools yet all typically containthese seven elements as described by the Center for Digital Storytelling.
  • Point of View—stories are told to make a point. What are you as an author trying to communicate? Why this story now for this group of people? All stories should be personal and work well when told in 1st person.
  • A Dramatic Question—tension should be set from the beginning. Think about the model of desire action realization. Think of the story as being over when you have answered the dramatic question. Can I be happy? Will the girl get the guy? Will have meet the demands of this role?
  • Emotional Content—Think of the story as a resurrection tale where all is lost and then found, all is destroyed and renewed, victory is lost and then happens. Tell what is it we have done to get past the hard part and find our success.
  • The Gift of your Voice—your voice should be natural as if telling the story and not reading a script. Keep your writing terse. Make several recordings of the narration. You can edit and mix the parts of the recording that work the best for the story.
  • The Power of the Soundtrack—instrumental music is often better suited to enhancing the story than a song with lyrics. The lyrics can override the voice. Sounds effects can become a distraction so it might be best to steer away from their use.
  • Economy—stories can be told with a small number of images and text. Keep stories to a two–five minute length.
  • Pacing—the pacing of a story has a lot to do with the maintaining the interest of the audience. Changing pace can be effective.

Classic examples of digital stories that follow the CDS model

Momnotmon—A Story This is the story used as a model by the Center for Digital Storytelling

My Potato Story—2004 first place winner of the Coming to California - Tales of the JourneyDigital storytelling contest for high school students

Scissors—is one of several digital stories created by Daniel Meadows about his family in England during the period surrounding the Second World War.

Digital Storytellinginthe ScottCounty Schools—This is a collection of elementary and secondary student stories of students trained by the CDS

Technology tools for digital storytelling

  • — a full list of resources for creating digital stories that includes search tools, free images, free speeches, free sound, and free music
  • Sound Effects

These will download as a ZIP file. Once it is saved click the Open Folder button. Right click on the file and choose Extract Here. That will unzip the file and make it usable when you need to insert it.

  • Sound Loops

These will download as a ZIP file. Once it is saved click the Open Folder button. Right click on the file and choose Extract Here. That will unzip the file and make it usable when you need to insert it.

Resource sites for learning more about Digital Storytelling

  • Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling—created by Dr. Bernard R. Robin, PhD who is with the Instructional Technology Department of the University of Houston. This is the site we will refer to often in class
  • Center for Digital Storytelling—this is where it all began in the early 1990s with Dana Atchley and Joe Lambert. They have trained over 10,000 teachers in their model for digital storytelling.

Nettie Briggs
Klein ISD District Instructional Technology Teacher

832.249.4429

Created on 3/28/2006 3:50:00 PM