Accessibility

__//** How can the use and creation of digital storytelling and dynamic media be made accessible to students at all levels? **//__

Digital stories can be used at any level. At K-1 levels, each student can generate art work or photographs and portions of the narrative, while the teacher can compile the story using the technology, producing and editing the final product. As students move from grades 2-6, they can be given more of the responsibility for creating the digital story itself, interacting more and more with dynamic media. At the middle school and high school levels, student s can complete their own stories from start to finish. Students with special needs or ESL learners can benefit from creating personal stories at their own level of learning.

Some sample digital stories produced at various grade levels can be found [|here].

By providing students with the opportunity for “a truly authentic learning experience that represents value-added technology use,” all students can develop their own “competitive voice,” no matter their grade or ability level. Through digital storytelling, students “explore the meaning of their own experience, give value to it, and communicate that experience” promoting the development of life-long learners with the desire and capacity to also communicate their stories to the world. ([|Jakes, 2008]) .

Schools should be equipped with the basics needed for creating digital stories:

A) A computer B) A microphone for recording voiceover track C) A digital camera or phone D) Editing software

A simple program to use is Windows Movie Maker, which should be available on most school computers, but other free resources can be found online. Teachers can choose to have students complete all of their work in school in the computer lab or assign some parts of the project for homework. This depends on the student population, the teacher and the resources available at home and in the surrounding community. A basic guide to creating digital stories with Windows Movie Maker is found below along with links to more in depth guidelines.


 * 1) Create a folder on the desktop for the project. Put all pictures and/or videos for your movie in the folder.
 * 2) Open Windows Movie Maker.
 * 3) Add your pictures and video.
 * 4) Add effects and transitions.
 * 5) Add narration.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Add titles and credits.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Save your project so that you can return and edit it.
 * 8) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Complete a final save on your project – save it as an uneditable Windows Media File. This is the version that is sharable.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Additional Resources . <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Windows Movie Maker (Tutorial 1)]

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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Options Other Than Movie Maker