Digital Storytelling

New Ways to Tell Stories of Old

If you asked me a few weeks ago about storytelling, I would tell you “I LOVE storytelling. It is one of the most rewarding things that I do in PreK and what has drawn me to the field of library media."  Storytelling to me is engaging the listener using props, costumes, musical instruments, singing, and any type of interaction with the audience. It is also telling stories in unconventional ways, such as drawing a picture, folding or cutting paper to create something that will captivate and surprise the audience. 

Storytelling has been around for centuries.  It is not merely reciting events that have happened, but adding emotional content, humor and suspense.  It is an ongoing process of give and take between storyteller and listener.  The storyteller engages the audience, while the audience responds empathetically with nods, laughter or tears (Courtney, 2007)     

If you asked me about digital storytelling a few weeks ago, I would have wondered to myself, “How do you tell a story with a computer?” I watch movies, but they are not interactive.  Digital storytelling is much more than simply creating a movie.  It is used to inform others about a subject area or share an experience in a way that invokes emotion and empathy from the listener.  With a computer, microphone and some video editing software, you and your students are on your way to becoming documentary film producers.  According to Joe Lambert, one of the founders of the Center for Digital Storytelling, there are seven elements to digital storytelling (Courtney, 2007):

Point (of view) – is the author’s overall goal for telling their story and their perspective. 

Dramatic Question – is the device to keep the listener engaged from beginning to end. It may be only suggested or hinted until the story reaches a dramatic conclusion.

Emotional Content – is what keeps the content from being just a report.  This forms the connection between the storyteller and listener. 

Gift of Your Voice – helps the listener form a “picture” of the storyteller, thus making the story more meaningful.

Power of the Soundtrack – music is used strategically throughout the story to enhance emotion and create a mood.

Economy – Less is more.  Fewer words are used, but much communication is done using pictures and sound.  Presentation is kept short or within a 3-5 minute range. 

Pacing – narration, pictures and music are coordinated using volume, transitions, and tempo to create the greatest impact on the viewer.

Digital Storytelling in a Digital Story

Copyright

I was concerned about using materials online without breaking any copyright laws. Digital storytelling is ideal in that it is short and if you are using your media for educational purposes and not publishing copyrighted material on the internet, it falls under Educational Fair Use.  Otherwise, you do need to obtain permission before you publish copyrighted material in your digital story.  Below you will find more helpful information regarding copyright and digital storytelling:

• You can use anything that is in the Public Domain and use it anywhere, including making it available via the Internet.
• You can prepare and give a presentation that displays photographs, even if permission was not obtained to use the photographs, as long as the presentation is given in a traditional classroom, a remote class location, or for distance instruction. You can also broadcast this presentation to students at their homes or offices if they are enrolled in your course and viewing the presentation for purposes of criticism, comment, teaching or instruction, scholarship or research.
• You can copy your digital story and broadcast it to a closed course or the school’s intranet even if it contains copyrighted music and photos. The key is to restrict access to those who are viewing it for educational purposes.

For more information on copyright, go to the following website: http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/copyright.html#01

Media specialists and teachers now have tools to engage children in very creative and appealing ways to demonstrate their aptitudes and knowledge in different areas.  Storytelling has taken a new turn and in the hands of our students can help us to build a community of learners.

References:

(2011). Copyright and Digital Storytelling. Retrieved     from http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/copyright.html#01

Courtney, Nancy (2007). Library and Beyond. Libraries Unlimited: Connecticut