+

Make your voice heard through digital storytelling!

Presented by Tuba Angay-Crowder

on the behalf of

IRC & Clarkston High School

+ What is a digital storytelling?

love of learning
stories for others to share and enjoy

How to tell a great digital story?

Creating

powerful and memorable digital stories is easy, once you know what makes a great story and how to work together to produce it.

SUGGESTIONS:

1. step: Find your story / Your topic

What kind of story best suits the sort of project youre working on? For example, is your story about a great artist or scientist or more a story of struggle or discovery? Is your self-portrait, family history, or presentation about a famous person in history a character story? Do you want to present your research on war victims as a memorial story? Do you want to present what you learned about an environmental issue or period of history as a story about a particular place?

2. step

Identify a problem & create a dramatic question in your topic Find out solutions for it & work towards resolution!

A Dramatic Question:

A story that holds the attention of the audience has a dramatic question that is resolved by the end of the story. Narratives that lead the reader to become invested typically pursue a compelling question that evokes interest and commitment.

The purpose of storytelling

We

will change the traditional way of storytelling and use our voices actively to critique the world around them.

3. step: Map your story

How do you want to tell your story from the present to the past, or from the past to the present?
Identify the key elements, and arrange them into a beginning, a middle, and an end. Map out the story using storyboards

STORYBOARDING

An example procedure for + creating a storyboard

Write your script. Write your script in Word normally, using a normal Word document. Create a table consisting of two columns. This is your story table. Put your script in the left-hand column. Chunk your text into rows. Separate your text into rows, with each row consisting of a significant "chunk" of the story. That is, create a new row wherever you think you might want to change speakers, or images we see on the screen.

Describe your media in the right hand column. With your "chunked" text in the left-hand column, in the right-hand column describe the media you will need to support this; it should be directly adjacent to the text. For example, in the case of a voiceover narration, describe what the audience will be looking at on the screen as they hear your voice speaking the script that appears in the left-hand column.
An example of a two-column story table appears on the next slide. It was created using a simple table created in Word.

4. Capture your audiences attention right away, and keep it

Find a way to grab your audiences interest right away, and then keep them expecting more.
Will you start with a dramatic question? Raise more questions

or suspense along the way. Answer your question at the end

Who is my audience?
When

planning, or pre-writing, your story, consider the needs of your audience. background information would your audience need in order to appreciate your story? upon the age and reading level of your audience, you will want to choose your words and details with an appropriate level of complexity and sophistication.

What

Depending

+ What details will I want to include in order to get

the attention of my audience and begin my story? Story beginnings vary. Informative stories frequently begin with a surprising or interesting fact, a question to pique readers curiosity, or a general statement of the content or information to be explained. Entertaining stories use interesting, surprising, or intentionally confusing openingsfor example, opening in the middle of the actionto immediate engage the readers attention. Some writers find that dialogue or a quotation creates a strong beginning. Stories need a central conflict. What problem is the character trying to solve? What issue is the information meant to clarify or resolve?

5. Tell your story from your unique point of view

Telling a story is not pouring facts into empty heads; its a way of persuading others to see something about the world as you have understood it. All parts of the story should contribute to this point of view. Also, do enough research about your subject so that you are an expert and are entitled to your unique, informed point of view.

Point of View:
The

goal of digital storytelling is to allow a writer to experience the power of personal expression. Therefore, your digital stories need to be constructed from your own experience and understanding. Using the first-person pronoun "I" rather than the more distant third-person point of view is essential.

6. Use fresh and vivid language

Even digistories have to use words. Dont let the words take a back seat to the power of the images and sounds. Be clear, be specific, and use metaphors and similes to help your audience understand at deeper levels

7. Integrate emotion yours and the audiences

Every story has a tone or emotional feel that affects the audience. Figure out what yours is, and make sure the words, images, and sounds you choose all enhance that tone.

+ Emotional Content: The

most effective digital stories evoke an emotion from the audience. We often see laughter, tears, and expressions of pleasure from the audience when digital stories are screened. This can be tremendously rewarding to writers, validating the effort and investment they have made.

8. Use your own voice, in the script and in the audio

Much of the power of stories comes from the distinctiveness of the voice that tells them. When you write the script, write it in your style of speaking. When you record your script or voiceovers, be yourself

The Gift of your Voice:

The pitch, inflection, and timbre of the storyteller's voice convey meaning and intent in a very personal way. This has proven to be one of the most essential elements that contribute to the effectiveness of a digital story. There is no substitute for using your own voice to tell your story.

9. Choose your images and sounds carefully

Each image, each sound or piece of music, and each combination evokes a different response in your audience. When editing, make sure that each image and sound does exactly what you want it to do to further your story. Make sure that you use images in a nonliteral way; dont just choose an image to illustrate your words, ideas, or tone, but use images that comment on them, expand them, or interact with them in some way

+ The Power of the

Soundtrack:
Properly

employed music can enhance and underscore the accompanying story, adding complexity and depth to the narrative.

10. Be as brief as you can be.

Longer doesnt mean better in digistorytelling. The challenge is to create a moving story that will affect your audience so powerfully that they will remember it. Dont try to tell everything. Select only the details or events that will sharpen the story and keep it moving

Economy: Modern digital editors offer a plethora of special effects and transitions. Effective digital story uses only a few images, a few words, and even fewer special effects to clearly and powerfully communicate intended meaning.

11. Make sure your story has a good rhythm

Rhythm is the heart of all stories. If a story isnt moving, its boring. If it goes too fast, it leaves the audience behind.

Pacing:
Monotonous

refers to an unvaried inflection and pace. The word has become synonymous with boring because an unvaried pace will not hold the audience's attention. For student writers, pacing means pulling back or racing forward when the story calls for it, as opposed to when the time limit approaches.

Be Creative!

The story is . . .

Is the vehicle we use to make sense of our lives

An example topic for storytelling

Suggested topics for your story:

Who am I (My family, history and my dreams)?

Leadership
Culture (traditions, value, music, dance, language etc.) Community services for for my people Environmental problems (pollution, traffic, etc.) Science

Math
Art Sports

1. My past - What is the traditional story about me?

About myself . . .
My family . . . Languages

Cultural
History Community Country

1. Past lives
Write

about your past life and select or draw pictures that tell me about your past.

1. Past lives

You may select photos from your family album.

Or, you may interview the family members.

2. Present lives:
How to represent a better self in the present?

How

to criticize traditional stories of the past?

How do I see the world differently?

About myself . . .
My family . . . Languages

Cultural
History Community Country

Present identities:

Think about the pictures that represent your past. How is my present self is changing in a positive way?
Talk to your peers and discuss the choice of words and pictures that represent your present.

3. Future identities:
What is my imagined identity, aspirations, dreams? How will I improve my present in the future?
How

to take a leadership role in their society?

3. Future identities:
Set

your goals and tell the world about your future endeavors.