Digital Storytelling
Digital stories in the classroomKeystone 2007
www.jasonOhler.com/storytelling
Digital Storytelling
Digital stories in the classroomNew Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, & Creativity(Corwin Press, August, 2007)
www.jasonOhler.com/storytelling
Digital Storytelling
MATERIALS
Digital Storytelling
1. Tell, watch stories some…2. Story core, story map…3. You create a story map…4. Peer pitch it…5. Develop media lists…6. Assessment…7. DST talking points…
Today’s plan:
Digital Storytelling
•New media narrative
•Creation vs. consumption
•Speaking their own language with their tools
•New media, games, tecosystem are story environments
What’s digital storytelling about?
Digital Storytelling
Digital native info landscape…
Then…
Digital Storytelling
Digital native info landscape…
(Prensky)
Then… Now…
Digital Storytelling
•New media narrative
•Creation vs. consumption
•Speaking their own language with their own tools
•New media, games, tecosystem are story environments
What’s digital storytelling about?
Digital Storytelling
What’s digital storytelling about?•Tech serving story,
and not vice versa…
•What happens when give bad guitar player a bigger amplifier?
•Transformation 1st, events 2nd…
•Being hero of own, life learning story…
Digital Storytelling
What’s digital storytelling about?•Tech serving story,
and not vice versa…
•What happens when give bad guitar player a bigger amplifier?
•Transformation 1st, events 2nd…
•Being hero of own, life learning story…
Digital Storytelling
What’s digital storytelling about?•Low end vs. high end
•Bullodozers vs. hammers
•Working with what you have - it’s all good!
•Adapting to a no budget, no time environment
•Working around, with existing school day
Digital Storytelling
What’s digital storytelling about?•Low end vs. high end
•Bullodozers vs. hammers
•Working with what you have - it’s all good
•Adapting to a no budget, no time environment
•Working around, with existing school day
Digital Storytelling
• Leave clicks, tricks to kids with time
• Deputize: guide on side not technician magician
• Create learning communities
• Quality, wisdom
• Assessment, feedback
Teacher more important now…
Digital Storytelling
Teacher more important now…• Leave clicks, tricks to
kids with time
• Deputize: guide on side not technician magician
• Create learning communities
• Quality, wisdom
• Assessment, feedback
Digital Storytelling
AssessmentReason teachers don’t require more new media projects from students??
Not comfortable assessing new media…
So, let’s help them…
Role of media grammar in new media…
Digital Storytelling
Beneath story: storyboards, story maps, scripts, photos, footage, music, logs, media lists, narratives, treatments…lots of writing “under the radar”…if it ain’t on the page…
A digital story is:
• Just tip of iceberg
• Portfolio unto itself
Assessment
William Tell and the Young Girl Who Could Fix Computers…”
“
Digital Storytelling
Problem(tension) Solution
(resolution)
Transformation
Story Core
Story
Digital Storytelling
Story Core
Digital Storytelling
Trans-formation
Digital Storytelling
Nature of transformation?
Digital Storytelling
8 Levels of character transformation…1. Physical/kinesthetic - strength, dexterity,
realizing potential
2. Inner strength - courage, realizing potential
Digital Storytelling
8 Levels of character transformation…1. Physical/kinesthetic - strength, dexterity,
realizing potential
2. Inner strength - courage, realizing potential
3. Emotional - maturity, realization
4. Moral - conscience, realizing “right”
Digital Storytelling
8 Levels of character transformation…1. Physical/kinesthetic - strength, dexterity,
realizing potential
2. Inner strength - courage, realizing potential
3. Emotional - maturity, realization
4. Moral - conscience, realizing “right”
5. Psychological - insight, self-awareness, realization, revelation
6. Social - realizing responsibility
Digital Storytelling
8 Levels of character transformation…1. Physical/kinesthetic - strength, dexterity,
realizing potential
2. Inner strength - courage, realizing potential
3. Emotional - maturity, realization
4. Moral - conscience, realizing “right”
5. Psychological - insight, self-awareness, realization, revelation
6. Social - realizing responsibility
7. Intellectual/creative - learning, problem solving, critical thinking, realizing new understandings
8. Spiritual - awakening, revelation
Digital Storytelling
8 Levels of character transformation…1. Physical/kinesthetic - strength, dexterity,
realizing potential
2. Inner strength - courage, realizing potential
3. Emotional - maturity, realization
4. Moral - conscience, realizing “right”
5. Psychological - insight, self-awareness, realization, revelation
6. Social - realizing responsibility
7. Intellectual/creative - learning, problem solving, critical thinking, realizing new understandings
8. Spiritual - awakening, revelation
Digital Storytelling
Bloom’s taxonomy as transformation…Level Kind Explanation
#6 Evaluation Character assesses situation, critiques and/or defends idea, person; evaluates a situation in order to respond to it…
#5 Synthesis Character pieces together parts to form new understanding of situation…
#4 Analysis Character deconstructs a situation, distinguishes among options, plans or organizes something, compares and contrasts different things…
#3 Application Character discovers, constructs or changes something; applies understanding to a new situation…
#2 Comprehension Character explains, interprets, predicts something…
#1 Knowledge Character knows, remembers, describes something…
Digital Storytelling
Watch, discuss: Rolling ball Hannah Piano Good dad Life w/o air travel
Digital Storytelling
- Learning -
Story Core for learning-
Quest story question story…
InquiryDiscover
y
Digital Storytelling
Make students heroes of their own learning stories…
Digital Storytelling
Watch, discuss: Rolling ball Hannah Piano Good dad Life w/o air travel
Digital Storytelling
Story Core
Digital Storytelling
Watch, discuss: Rolling ball Hannah Piano Good dad Life w/o air travel
Digital Storytelling
Story Core
Digital Storytelling
Watch, discuss: Rolling ball Hannah Piano Good dad Life w/o air travel
Digital Storytelling
Story Core
Digital Storytelling
Watch, discuss: Rolling ball Hannah Piano Good dad Life w/o air travel
Digital Storytelling
Story Core
Digital Storytelling
Putting story core to work:
Story mapping
Digital Storytelling
Traditional story planning process
1. Get a story idea
2. Develop storyboard or outline and script
Digital Storytelling
Traditional story boarding
Angle:
Shot:
Movement:
Audio:
Angle:
Shot:
Movement:
Audio:
Technical direction
Technical direction
Digital Storytelling
Angle: wide
Shot: side of bus, going to school
Movement: follow bus Audio: music (Born to Learn)
Angle: wide, zoom in
Shot: front of school, students entering
Movement: stationary
Audio: music, cont.
Technical directionNone - ambient happy school bus noise
Teacher at door, greeting each child as they enter
Story board for “We Won’t Leave School”
Technical direction
Digital Storytelling
http://www.csupomona.edu/~wcweber/325/storybd.htm
Teacher at door, greeting each child as they enter
Script, voice over narration:
“Once upon a time there were children so in love with school they refused to leave when summer vacation came. They demanded to keep learning. ‘More math problems!’ they cried.”
None - voice over with ambient happy school, bus noise
Story board for “We Won’t Leave School”
Angle: wide
Shot: side of bus, going to school
Movement: follow bus Audio: music (Born to Learn)
Technical direction
Digital Storytelling
Traditional story planning process
1. Get a story idea
2. Develop storyboard or outline and script
Digital Storytelling
Traditional story planning process
1. Get a story idea
NO!2. Develop storyboard or outline and script
Digital Storytelling
New story planning process
1. Get a story idea
3. Develop storyboard or outline and script
2. Develop story mapNew!
Digital Storytelling
Key concept: Story mapping vs. boarding…
…the flow of emotion vs. the flow of motion…
VS.
:
New!
Digital Storytelling
(Dillingham, 2003; modified Ohler 2005)
VPS + transformation = quest
Transformation
Problem(tension) Solution
(resolution)
Beginning End
Digital Storytelling
Story Core
Digital Storytelling
Story Core within the story map
(Ohler, 2005)
Transformation
Story
Problem(tension) Solution
(resolution)
Beginning End
Digital Storytelling
Story Map
(Ohler, 2005)
Transformation
Story
Problem(tension) Solution
(resolution)
- challenge - opportunity
- obstacle- goal
-meet challenge
-realize opportunity
-overcome obstacle
-reach goal
Ordinary life…
“the call to adventure…” closure
“Life” resumes…
Beginning End
Digital Storytelling
Story Map
(Ohler, 2005)
Transformation
Problem(tension) Solution
(resolution)
- challenge - opportunity
- obstacle- goal
-meet challenge
-realize opportunity
-overcome obstacle
-reach goal
Ordinary life…
“the call to adventure…” closure
“Life” resumes…
Beginning End
Digital Storytelling
Story Map (VPS)- Hannah’s story?
(Dillingham, 2003, with Transformation (Ohler, 2005)
Digital Storytelling
Many maps…
Digital Storytelling
End
Aristotle - Story Map/Diagram
complication
peripeteia
Aristotle
(reversal of fortune)
tying of the knot untying
anagnorisis(transformation, realization)
- - Middle - -
(denouement)
Beginning
From THE POETICS by Aristotle
Digital Storytelling
Freytag’s story pyramid
("untying the knot”)
From DIE TECHNIK DES DRAMAS by Freytag, 1863
Inciting incident Resolution
Digital Storytelling
Joseph Campbellcall to adventure
tests
challenges
problems
rescue
resolution
resurrection
moral, lessons learned, changed habits
threshold of adventure
transformation
helpers
flight
From HERO HAS A THOUSAND FACES by Campbell
Digital Storytelling
Breneman
Minor climaxes
Quick ending after climax
From ONCE UPON A TIME - A STORYTELLING BOOK by Breneman and Breneman
Digital Storytelling
McKee
From STORY by McKee
Bringing life back into balance…watch “Adaptation”…
Digital Storytelling
Treasure map
Less structure, more adaptable… begin here or evolve into this approach…?
reversal
smaller conflict
relatively more significant conflict
steep resolution
medium gradual rise to adventure
sharp change
smoother change
start here…
end here…
Digital Storytelling
Adapt-a-map
by Michael Christenson, Media Literacy class, 2005
Digital Storytelling
From maps to media development process…
Digital Storytelling
Pre-production Production
Post-production
Performance, distribution
•make media list
•gather raw media components
•begin editing raw media components& creating new ones
•finish creating, editing media components (voice-over, music, pics, video, scans, etc.)
•assemble media into final product
•formative review
•mix, add transitions, titles
•add credits & citations
•final review•final editing•export final
product into readable format
•showing in class, community
•Web posting•local TV?•local
festival?•DVD?•notifying
others
- MEDIA PRODUCTION PROCESS -Story planning
•ideas•story
storming•story map•peer
pitching•scripting,
writing•story-
boarding•telling/re-
telling
Digital Storytelling
Pre-production Production
Post-production
Performance, distribution
•make media list
•gather raw media components
•begin editing raw media components& creating new ones
•finish creating, editing media components (voice-over, music, pics, video, scans, etc.)
•assemble media into final product
•formative review
•mix, add transitions, titles
•add credits & citations
•final review•final editing•export final
product into readable format
•showing in class, community
•Web posting•local TV?•local
festival?•DVD?•notifying
others
- MEDIA PRODUCTION PROCESS -
•ideas•story
storming•story map•peer
pitching•scripting,
writing•story-
boarding•telling/re-
telling
Story planning
Digital Storytelling
Pre-production Production
Post-production
Performance, distribution
•make media list
•gather raw media components
•begin editing raw media components& creating new ones
•finish creating, editing media components (voice-over, music, pics, video, scans, etc.)
•assemble media into final product
•formative review
•mix, add transitions, titles
•add credits & citations
•final review•final editing•export final
product into readable format
•showing in class, community
•Web posting•local TV?•local
festival?•DVD?•notifying
others
- MEDIA PRODUCTION PROCESS -
•ideas•story
storming•story map•peer
pitching•scripting,
writing•story-
boarding•telling/re-
telling
Story planning
Digital Storytelling
Pre-production Production
Post-production
Performance, distribution
•make media list
•gather raw media components
•begin editing raw media components& creating new ones
•finish creating, editing media components (voice-over, music, pics, video, scans, etc.)
•assemble media into final product
•formative review
•mix, add transitions, titles
•add credits & citations
•final review•final editing•export final
product into readable format
•showing in class, community
•Web posting•local TV?•local
festival?•DVD?•notifying
others
- MEDIA PRODUCTION PROCESS -
•ideas•story
storming•story map•peer
pitching•scripting,
writing•story-
boarding•telling/re-
telling
Story planning
Digital Storytelling
Pre-production Production
Post-production
Performance, distribution
•make media list
•gather raw media components
•begin editing raw media components& creating new ones
•finish creating, editing media components (voice-over, music, pics, video, scans, etc.)
•assemble media into final product
•formative review
•mix, add transitions, titles
•add credits & citations
•final review•final editing•export final
product into readable format
•showing in class, community
•Web posting•local TV?•local
festival?•DVD?•notifying
others
- MEDIA PRODUCTION PROCESS -
•ideas•story
storming•story map•peer
pitching•scripting,
writing•story-
boarding•telling/re-
telling
Story planning
Digital Storytelling
Pre-production Production
Post-production
Performance, distribution
•make media list
•gather raw media components
•begin editing raw media components& creating new ones
•finish creating, editing media components (voice-over, music, pics, video, scans, etc.)
•assemble media into final product
•formative review
•mix, add transitions, titles
•add credits & citations
•final review•final editing•export final
product into readable format
•showing in class, community
•Web posting•local TV?•local
festival?•DVD?•notifying
others
- MEDIA PRODUCTION PROCESS -
•ideas•story
storming•story map•peer
pitching•scripting,
writing•story-
boarding•telling/re-
telling
Story planning
Digital Storytelling
•make ingredients list
•gather, buy ingredients
•begin making cake components
•frost
•decorate
•add candles
•credits, citations for those who helped
•cut the cake
•distribute, share
•seconds anyone?
•take leftovers to work
•share recipe
•ideas
•brain-storm
•decide on cake
•get recipe, directions
•finish components (dough, frosting, etc.)
•taste test
•assemble cake into final product
•bake, let cool
Pre-production Production
Post-production
Performance, distribution
Cake planning
- CAKE PRODUCTION PROCESS -
Digital Storytelling
Pre-production Production
Post-production
Performance, distribution
•make media list
•gather raw media components
•begin editing raw media components& creating new ones
•finish creating, editing media components (voice-over, music, pics, video, scans, etc.)
•assemble media into final product
•formative review
•mix, add transitions, titles
•add credits & citations
•final review•final editing•export final
product into readable format
•showing in class, community
•Web posting•local TV?•local
festival?•DVD?•notifying
others
- MEDIA PRODUCTION PROCESS -
•ideas•story
storming•story map•peer
pitching•scripting,
writing•story-
boarding•telling/re-
telling
Story planning
Digital Storytelling
Pre-production Production
Post-production
Performance, distribution
•make media list
•gather raw media components
•begin editing raw media components& creating new ones
•finish creating, editing media components (voice-over, music, pics, video, scans, etc.)
•assemble media into final product
•formative review
•mix, add transitions, titles
•add credits & citations
•final review•final editing•export final
product into readable format
•showing in class, community
•Web posting•local TV?•local
festival?•DVD?•notifying
others
- MEDIA PRODUCTION PROCESS -
•ideas•story
storming•story map•peer
pitching•scripting,
writing•story-
boarding•telling/re-
telling
TODAY
3
2
1
Story planning
Digital Storytelling
Narrative development process
Digital Storytelling
Digital storytelling thinkpointsWhat’s it all about…?
Digital Storytelling
DST Thinkpoints: Backwards design DAOW of literacy Combine story,
critical thinking Assess everything Rule of 80/20
Digital Storytelling
Transformation?
Problem (tension)
Solution (resolution)
Ordinary life…
closure
“Life” resumes…
Start your story anywhere…
Middle(conflict, growth)
End
Build story around a key transformation you want to illustrate…
‘Problem/ resolution scenario you want to flesh out? Start here…
I rarely start here…
Do you have a “moral” you want students to understand? Start here and work backwards…
Opportunities or challenges for your students? Start here…
(Dillingham, 2003; modified, Ohler 2005)
- challenge - opportunity
- obstacle- goal
-meet challenge
-realize opportunity
-overcome obstacle
-reach goal
Beginning
Digital Storytelling
DST Thinkpoints: Backwards design DAOW of literacy Combine story,
critical thinking Assess everything Rule of 80/20
Digital Storytelling
DAOW of literacy…
Digital storytelling blends a number of literacies…
Including MEDIA LITERACY…
(4thR)
Digital Storytelling
DST Thinkpoints: Backwards design DAOW of literacy Combine story,
critical thinking Assess everything Rule of 80/20
Digital Storytelling
New frontier…
= new pedagogies…
+
Story thinking Analytic thinking+
Digital Storytelling
DST Thinkpoints: Backwards design DAOW of literacy Combine story,
critical thinking Assess everything Rule of 80/20
Digital Storytelling
Beneath story: storyboards, story maps, scripts, photos, footage, music, logs, media lists, narratives, treatments…lots of writing “under the radar”…if it ain’t on the page…
A digital story is:
• Just tip of iceberg
• Portfolio unto itself
Assessment
Digital Storytelling
AssessmentReason teachers don’t require more new media projects from students??
Not comfortable assessing new media…
So, let’s help them…
Role of media grammar in new media…
Digital Storytelling
Digital story rubric1. Story2. Voice3. Length, pacing, economy4. Media use5. Technique, media
grammar6. Assessable artifacts7. Citations ©
Digital Storytelling
DST Thinkpoints: Backwards design DAOW of literacy Combine story,
critical thinking Assess everything Rule of 80/20
Digital Storytelling
First 80%Last 20%
20%
las
t 8
0 %
glitz, fixing every little thing…
the production wall
- project completion -
Hitting the production wall
Rule of 80/20
- co
sts,
reso
urc
es
-
Digital Storytelling
First 80%Last 20%
20%
las
t 8
0 %
My advice?
Forget the last 20%!!!
- project completion -
Rule of 80/20
- co
sts,
reso
urc
es
-
Digital Storytelling
Media grammar…
www.jasonOhler.com
Digital Storytelling
Media grammar•Most important question: are you assigning an essay or a poem?
•Role of audience…
•Bump and squint…
Digital Storytelling
Bump… (huh..?)
Squint…? (eyes, ear, mind)
Confused or distracted…?
Story clear, supported, focused, prioritized, no bird walking?
Use of music… (show three “music” movies)
Media grammar
Digital Storytelling
Steady camera…
Clear audio… (ear squinting?)
Well-mixed audio…
Clear, effective lighting… (eye squinting?)
Subject-oriented shot…
Relevant background…
Unless on purpose!
Media grammar-video
Digital Storytelling
Go tell your story!
www.jasonOhler.comThank you…
Digital Storytelling
Go tell your story!
www.jasonOhler.comThank you…
Digital Storytelling
Report/ DocumentaryStory
Two kinds of thinking…
VS.
Where…? ?
Story thinking vs. Analytic thinking