Tuesday Tech Tip: Getting Started with Digital Storytelling & Project-based Learning

As a participating district in the Colorado Digital Storytelling Project, we are starting to think about ways to include digital storytelling projects into our classrooms and curriculum.  For us, that's mostly happening at the 4th grade level as we've tied specific project ideas to our Colorado history curriculum, but we have other grade levels across the state (and in our district) who are bringing the power of student creativity and voice into the mix.

At the heart of this, though, is really a focus on how to start looking at project-based learning or PBL.  If PBL is something foreign to you, the video below from the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) is a good overview .


A good project will focus on critical thinking, collaboration, and communication, so as a teacher, it's a good idea to think about what kinds of questions you want your students to answer related to the standards you're addressing, how they will collaborate together and with you, what type of video project will best communicate ideas most effectively, and how you will pace the interim steps and assess the final product.  If you need some starter ideas, we have created some projects to help you think about how to incorporate, pace, and assess video-based projects into your classroom:  https://app.schoology.com/group/241618906/materials#/group/241618906/materials?f=6091296.  If you would like to take a look at an essential project design checklist, the Buck Institute has a good version to use as you're getting started:  http://bie.org/object/document/pbl_essential_elements_checklist.

Here are some quick tips for getting started with students on digital storytelling projects:

1. Start with "why".  Be clear about your instructional goals.  Why are students doing this project?  Why a video?  Why is knowledge they are building and connecting important?
2. Address the" how."  When in the planning stages for any project, you'll want to think about how you will help guide students through the different steps involved in the project.  Perhaps providing a check-list would work well, or maybe students will be accountable to each other as a team.  How will the final project be assessed?  Will students be doing a peer evaluation as well?  Give students as much guidance about what the goals are, what the process will look like, and how they will be graded.
3. Think about the "what."
1. The script comes first.  We'd suggest that no video projects start until after the script has been finalized as this will help students focus on the most important part:  the story.  Putting those finalized ideas into a storyboard will help students figure out what kinds of images are needed, where they may need to make shifts in their narration, and where to include other types of media.  The image below is a template that could be used for storyboarding.

   

   Storyboard Template in Google Drawings

2. Provide a spot to host all student videos.  If you're using the Premium version of WeVideo, create a project first in WeVideo as the teacher and then share the link for that project with your students (these can be collaborative projects or individual projects).  That will ensure that all videos made by your students for this project are collected together and viewable by others in the class.  This also lets you view projects as they're being worked on (you can provide comments as well), and it lets you add media files into the Project Media folder for students to use if you don't want them searching for their own images.  (If you're not using the premium version of WeVideo, you won't have the same collaboration options but students could save finished products into a shared Google folder).

   

   Choose collaborative or individualized project types here.

3. Have students focus on narration in the project first.  It's often tempting to start by inserting images, but it's probably a better idea to add any voiceover or narration first.  That will allow students to make sure that the script sounds the way it should (and it allows them to edit it down, if needed).  Students can then add in "markers" for themselves on where images should be placed in the video project.  It will also help them figure out what images are needed, if they haven't gathered enough.

   

   Tip: use markers to guide placement of images

4. Provide a way for students to view each other's final products and give feedback.   Videos can be viewed in the project folder in editing mode, but if you want to see a more polished version, have students "publish" their videos.  In the premium version, these will remain privately published within the project itself.  However, if you want  to download them to place elsewhere, you can download the .mp4 version and host it in Schoology, either in a media album or a discussion board, which will provide a gallery for students to view and comment on each other's projects.

As we work on integrating digital literacy into our curriculum though projects like digital storytelling, we'll be providing some creative ways for kids to critically think, collaborate together, and communicate what they've learned.  We're looking forward to seeing what our students create!

Tuesday Tech Tip: Colorado Digital Storytelling Project (with WeVideo)

September 1, 2015, marks the official launch date of the Colorado Digital Storytelling Project.  Designed to give Colorado students an opportunity to create video products that build content, literacy, and digital skills, participants across the state will be using the premium version of  WeVideo as a platform to create, collaborate, and publish their creative projects.

Here in our district, 4th grade students will be joining the project, along with other grade levels who have opted in.  But, in addition to CCSD, classrooms and students from other locations around the state will also be involved, like students from Poudre RE-1, Roaring Fork SD, Denver Public Schools, Littleton Public Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools, Mesa Valley, Douglas County School District, Peetz Plateau School District, and Elizabeth School District.  And others are welcome to join, even past the start date.

Sample Project Ideas for #ColoDSP

The project is focused on letting kids tell digital stories in ways that are meaningful for them and what they are learning, and the parameters are very flexible.  Student videos can be anything that combines the art of telling stories with multimedia, like documentaries, memoirs, narratives, research projects, dramatic presentations, etc.  Expectations for teachers joining the project are:

1. Create at least 1 shared class project (hopefully many more!) during the 2015-2016 school year that is tied to a lesson or unit being studied in class (this can collaborative or independent work).  Student videos will be created and collected as part of the teacher "project."  Project ideas that anyone can use (like seen on the right) can be found here.
2. Share class videos within the class or school group to let students see each others' work in a non-public venue (like within the private WeVideo Gallery, in an LMS, or in Google Drive).
3. Submit a brief reflection at the end of the school year, sharing what you learned and (more importantly) what your students learned as a result of using digital storytelling in the classroom.

Finally, we will be inviting teachers to submit an exemplary video (or videos) to be part of the Colorado Digital Storytelling Film Festival at the end of the school year.  Some of these may even be shared at ISTE 2016 here in Denver or highlighted by WeVideo as outstanding examples of student creations.  (Submission of exemplary videos is optional.)

Any teacher, school, or even district can join the Colorado Digital Storytelling Project by filling out the Google Form. Current cost for particpants (per user) is $1.75 for the year.  This cost covers the license for the Premium version of WeVideo (fully COPPA-compliant), which includes user management, live collaboration, green screen effects, increased storage, shared media libraries, private Gallery space, and the opportunity to take part in the film festival.  

WeVideo has some exciting enhancements planned for management and its overall look this month, and we're looking forward to sharing more about that.  So, be looking for more information in the coming weeks, and follow the hashtag #ColoDSP on social media.  In the meantime, be thinking how your students could use digital stories in your classroom.   Even if you aren't part of the official project, we'd encourage you to check out WeVideo and explore the possibilities on your own.

Tuesday Tech Tip: Video Editing with WeVideo

 

Some of my first experiences with using technology in my classroom were based around video production. It was a great way to have my students record and share media in exciting and innovative ways. At that time, your options were to use the video editing software that was available for the platform you were using. (ie-iMovie for Macs and MovieMaker for PCs) Now that we have Chromebooks, having an all purpose video editing tool that kids can use anywhere, anytime is essential, and that’s where WeVideo comes in!

WeVideo allows us to use our Google accounts to log in, so once students are in their Chromebooks, connecting to WeVideo is simple. Connecting through Google Drive also allows us to store video and images in our Google Drive so that students have easy access to media when creating their videos. WeVideo will also create a folder in your Google Drive that will be titled, "WeVideo" where your projects will be saved.

Once you’re in WeVideo, you may default to the Storyboard Timeline. It’s a nice, simple format for creating video including a voiceover recording. If you’ve done some video editing before, try switching your Timeline view in the top left corner of the screen to the Simple or Advanced Timelines to give you more options for adding in your voice and other audio tracks.

WeVideo is a great tool to use for digital storytelling. This simple list of steps can help you make your way through a digital storytelling project, as well as any video projects that your students may be completing.

1. Modeling: Create a sample digital story in WeVideo to use as a model for your students.
2. Script Writing: GoogleDocs work well for this part of the process. The writing process is as important as the technology that you will use for your digital storytelling creation. Remember, you need a good script to create a good digital story!
3. Editing: This includes self-editing, peer editing and teacher feedback on your scripts.
   
   
4. Record your scripts:
   
   In WeVideo this is your voiceover. Your voice is the star of your digital story, so this is one of the most important parts of your final product. Recording your script at the beginning of the digital story creation allows you to easily add in your media because you will know exactly how long your story needs to be. Make sure that you are able to create a nice, strong and clear voiceover. Students can record in the hallway or other quiet areas of the school to help with classroom noise interference. You can also take your browser out of full screen on your Chromebooks and open up a second window in order to put your GoogleDoc script side by side with your WeVideo window. This will allow you to read and record your script without printing out any pages.
   
5. Asset Collection: This is where you collect your images, video, and music. You can load your images and video into Google Drive, and then upload them into your WeVideo Media file storage area. WeVideo also includes great options for music, so you don’t have to look any further than the project that you’re working on for a great soundtrack! Remember to choose music that will compliment your story. Lyrics can interfere with your voice recording, and the tone and style of the music should match the feelings expressed in your story.
6. Digital Story Assembly: Once everything is loaded up into your Google Drive, you will then put it all together with your voiceover. When you add in your music, you have a great opportunity to adjust volume levels so that your voice can continue to be the star!
7. Include Citations: Remember to include citations for any images that you use in your project. You can add an End Title to include these citations. If you need extra room for your citations, then try adding more than one End Title.
8. Publishing: You will be sharing your digital story to your Google Drive account. As you Publish, have your students click on the “Public” Button to change their privacy settings in Google Drive to private. Once the video is in Google Drive, they can share it to the individuals who need to view their work.
   

Need more help with creating a WeVideo project? Check out WeVideo Academy Tutorials. You can also check out WeVideo's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy to see how WeVideo addresses students under 13 using WeVideo. WeVideo has many plan options, including their free version so that you can find the plan that fits your needs.