KAREN ANEWALTJENNIFER POLACK-WAHL

UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTONFREDERICKSBURG, VA

Digital Storytelling Tutorial

Digital Storytelling Course

Motivation Enrollments Looking for new angle Natural fit for student interests

Benefits to Teaching Storytelling/Digital Media

Way to Show Connection Between CS and Humanities Fields

Flexible Course Content Emphasize CS, graphic design/art, storytelling, ….

Provide Context for Traditional CS Topics Compression Algorithms User Interface Design Net-centric/Web Topics

Our Approach

Teach Digital Storytelling (Arts & Literature Gen Ed)

Emphasize CS Topics Problem Solving Algorithm development Introduce programming

Use Free and Open Source Tools Talk about Open Source Software movement

Have Fun!

Video Spin

http://www.videospin.com/Redesign/ What is it?

Video creation and editing toolWhat can it do?

Create video with audio Create slideshows with audio

What can you emphasize? Create an algorithm for combining different

components to create a final project

Video Spin

Create a story out of five images, one video clip, three transitions and at least one audio track.

Must come up with a storyboard of each component before starting

For each image, video clip and audio track you must produce the list of steps that you are going to take to get them ready for Video Spin

Insert Photo 1 and have it slide in from the right Insert Photo 2 and have it checker in Fade In and Fade Out Audio to Fit Video Timeline Create an intro transition slide Create an end slide

Audacity

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/What is it?

Tool for recording live audioWhat can it do?

Record audio Edit & mix sounds Multi-track recording Convert files to popular formats

What can you emphasize? Open source software movement

Audacity

Change the Bart Simpson Audio Clip  OPEN the bart.wav

Once loaded will appear as a "wave pattern" in the Audacity Window.

If you play the sound file a few times, you will notice that it ends with the sound of a door closing. Our first task will be to remove this sound from the end of the wave pattern.

Play the sound a few times until you "See" where the door sound is in the wave pattern. Then, using your mouse, carefully select the door sound section of the graph. Then use the EDIT --> CUT menu option and remove this part of the sound file.

For our next task, we will AMPLIFY Bart's excuse for missing the makeup test, "Ohhhhh my ovaries".

To AMPLIFY, we first find and select the section, then use the menu item EFFECT --> AMPLIFY. Use the default amplify settings provided.

Audacity

Next, we will FADE OUT the last half of Bart's "Ohhh" exclamation.

To do this, simply select the right-most half of the section we just AMPLIFIED, and use the menu command EFFECT --> FADE OUT. Once completed, this should make this section of the wave pattern look bullet like.

Our last edit will be our most difficult. We will be modifying the section where Bart's Teacher says, "...then you are ready for your MAKEUP TEST." Instead, we want to have it say, "...then you are ready for your TEST."

The key to this removal is to SELECT the area you think consists of the word MAKEUP by trial and error. Use the PLAY button to make sure by repeatedly playing just that selection until it sounds right. If you don't hear just the word MAKEUP, then reselect until you are satisfied. Use the menu option EDIT --> CUT again to remove the word once you are satisfied.

GIMP

http://www.gimp.org/What is it?

GNU Image Manipulation ProgramWhat can it do?

Edit photos Image composition and authoring

What can you emphasize? Introduce concepts of computer graphics and digital

image processing

GIMP

Standard Functionality Digital Image Processing

Noise smoothing. Noise typically can be seen as RGB “flecks”

Techniques #1 Right-click in the image and select Filters/Enhance/Despeckle. You

can play around with the settings, but you’ll likely want to keep the radius pretty small and watch the White Level parameter too–too large a radius coupled with a lowered White Level and you’ll destroy details like the catchlights in the eye.

The “Recursive” option seems to cause a more aggressive filter effect. Try it if you have an especially noisy image.

Examine the resulting image, zooming in to examine shadow areas. You’ll notice that the noise is appreciably less objectionable. You cannot really eliminate it, but it is “smoothed out”.

Unfortunately, you may also notice that the image is softer; the despeckle filter actually blurs the image.

GIMP

Noise smoothing. Technique #2

As an alternative to Despeckle, you can try Selective Gaussian Blur. Right-click in the image and select Filters/Blur/Selective Gaussian

Blur.The radius works like you’d expect for a regular gaussian blur; as with Despeckle, you probably don’t want to get too aggressive with it or the image will be too soft.

The “Max. Delta” parameter controls how much of an edge needs to be defined for the blur to selectively skip it. It is a very rough control, obviously, so experimentation is the key.

I happen to think this one is just a tad better in terms of blurring the noise. It also is a little softer.

GIMP

Noise smoothing. Technique #2

As an alternative to Despeckle, you can try Selective Gaussian Blur. Right-click in the image and select Filters/Blur/Selective Gaussian

Blur.The radius works like you’d expect for a regular gaussian blur; as with Despeckle, you probably don’t want to get too aggressive with it or the image will be too soft.

The “Max. Delta” parameter controls how much of an edge needs to be defined for the blur to selectively skip it. It is a very rough control, obviously, so experimentation is the key.

I happen to think this one is just a tad better in terms of blurring the noise. It also is a little softer.

Other Digital Image Processing Techniques Contrast Manipulation Blurring Compression

Storytelling Alice

http://www.alice.org/kelleher/storytelling/What is it?

Similar to Alice 2.0 but with emphasis on storytellingWhat can it do?

Create stories and gamesWhat can you emphasize?

Programming basics

Storytelling Alice

Differences from “traditional” Alice Story-based tutorial introduction to Alice Different characters/methods and scenes “Users of Storytelling Alice spent 42% more time

programming than users of traditional Alice.” -Kelleher

“Users of Storytelling Alice were just as successful at learning basic programming concepts as users of Generic Alice” – Kelleher

Storytelling Alice Example : Traditional Alice Example :Snow Love

Picassa

http://picasaweb.google.com/homeWhat is it?

Google tool for photo organizationWhat can it do?

Create slideshows with captionsWhat can you emphasize?

Web hosting software Integration with other Google tools lets you perform

complex tasks like geotagging phtos in George Earth.

Picassa

CollageVideoTo geotag a photo, follow these steps:

Click the Geotag button in the Photo Tray. Google Earth opens up and a small Picasa window appears in the lower-right corner.

Navigate and zoom to the location in Google Earth that corresponds with where your picture was taken, and place the yellow cross-hairs on your chosen spot.

Blabberize

http://www.blabberize.com/What is it?

Funny tool for video creationWhat can it do?

Turn a photo into a “talking” imageWhat can you emphasize?

Grab students attention & spark creativity

Outcomes: Course Survey

Outcomes: Course Survey

Outcomes: Course Survey

Digital Storytelling Blogs

Jim Groom: http://digitalstorytelling.umwblogs.org/ http://ds106.umwblogs.org/

Jennifer Polack: http://cpsc106.umwblogs.org/