Digital StorytellingHeather Naughten / Lois McGill-HornBalmoral Hall School, Winnipeg, Manitoba

BALMORAL HALL SCHOOL

• Independent all girl’s school. • 525 students from Nursery to Senior 4. • IB PYP program in Junior School • Pre-Advanced and Advanced Placement

Program in Middle and Senior School.• Technology integration is a focus of our

school and is supported by our wireless, mobile carts and dual-platform labs.

TEAM MEMBERS

Heather Naughten• Grade 6 English Teacher• Little experience with technology• Hesitant user of technology in the

classroom• Risk Taker

Lois McGill-Horn1. Curriculum Integration Specialist

OVERVIEW – Digital Storytelling

• Learning Areas: English, Technology Integration, Social Studies

• Level: Grade 6 (age 11/12) - 36 Students

• Software/Technology Used: Movie Maker or Photo Story 3PhotoshopInternet ExplorerScannersDigital cameras

OVERVIEW CONT’D

Objectives: To have students identify the main points of each chapter of a novel and re-tell the story through images, audio, and personal perspective

Questions?• How can we use technology to help meet the

different learning styles of each of our students?• How can we use technology to meet the unique

learning styles of girls? • How can we meet the curriculum requirements

and the Gr. 6 technology outcomes?

Mapping the Standards

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Phase 1:Choose a historical novel (Canadian) to read

independently or in partners.

Examples: (Irish Chain, Charlie Wilcox, The Brideship, Hollow Tree)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Phase 2:Storyboard the main idea of each chapter visually and include a brief written overview.

Decide how images will be represented. digital photographs of a “staged scene” * scanned drawings Computer generated images combination of drawings and photographs

Storyboard

EXAMPLES OF IMAGES

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Phase 3Assemble all media into one location (designated student drive)Import images into Movie Maker or Photo Story 3 and arrange on the timeline. Record narrations for each of the images. (adjust the length of each image to match the length of narration.)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Phase 4Export finished project as a Windows Media File for sharing

Burn a CD and include in each student’s Merit Portfolio(Gr. 6 portfolio’s are not electronic)

ASSESSMENT

Analytical Student Scoring Guide1. Preparation Process2. Content Knowledge3. Format Structure

Craftsmanship of Communication1. Text Communication2. Voice/Sound Communication3. Image Communication4. Design of Communication

Assessment Rubric

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

1. Students work in groups – project became to extensive for those working alone

2. More digital cameras3. Drawings scanned at too high a resolution4. Involve the Performing Arts teacher to help

students with “setting the scene”5. Emphasize file management !6. Costumes and props organized ahead of time7. Wireless environment became sluggish as

projects increased in size

STUDENT FEEDBACK“My feelings about making a movie about our book is

that I thought it was really fun because it made me understand the book more and enjoy novel studies more. It was awesome.”

“I thought movie maker was fun. I learned how to do my own audio, how to import pictures, and how to scan pictures. I also found it kind of neat that you get to see other peoples movies. I hope we get to do it again.”

”It helped me understand the book better and I learned how to use a new program that I could use for other projects. It is time consuming but worth it.”

“Movie Maker was really fun and it helped me understand the book better. I have a greater understanding of the program. It required a lot of organization with the actors and the costumes, but it was worth it when we shared them.”

“I thought the process was fun, but I think we should have partners because it would make it all easier.”

Digital StorytellingHeather Naughten

Balmoral Hall School

“I think the technology helped the students with synopsis of the story. They had to be extremely precise in picking a main event from the chapter and this was great for their overall comprehension of the story. It also suited the varied learning styles within the class and was a great project for girls that are less expressive with written words. I will definitely do this again.“