Digital Storytelling
“It’s like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.” ~ Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind
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Throughout history, people have learned through stories. The metaphors and hidden messages help us to understand difficult concepts and themes. Additionally, stories help us visualize material and help us tie knowledge with our experiences. Educators now have 100s of fantastic free online tools to help their students create and learn through digital storytelling. Many of these online tools have free apps available on i-devices and Android devices. Through digital storytelling we motivate our learners to apply, contextualize, visualize, and personalize the knowledge they learn. With a mobile device it is hands-on and students can incorporate images, sound-bytes, and videos they create on the go. Below are some great free apps, tools, and resources to help you begin creating digital stories with your learners. The slide presentation below will explain the process and provide you with tips on managing a digital storytelling project.
Tips
The following are a few ideas and resources to get you started.
- Ease your students into sharing information about themselves by doing a fun icebreaker activity such as Show and Tell with a Cell! Simply have your students take out their cellphones, share one of their favorite pictures and tell the story behind the picture. If they can’t use their cellphones then have them come into class with a picture.
- Teach your students about creative commons. Below I share some of my favorite websites.
- For collaborative projects and more detailed stories, have students plot ideas in a storyboard. Kevin Hodgson has some fantastic storyboarding worksheets here!
- I like to break my students into small groups of 4 and while they are creating their characters and drawing the scenes I elicit vocabulary from them. For example, I will ask questions such as, “Is this a boy or a girl?” “Is it hot or cold?” “Does she have blond or brown hair?”
Favorite Resources
Make Beliefs Comix- Two, three and four panel comics that you can create in multiple languages. 350+ free printables for teachers
Rreadwritethink.org- 100+ free interactives and quality lesson plans integrating technology and literacy.
Buncee- free iPod/iPad app that creates interactive posters and comics with a library of stickers, backgrounds, audio, images, and video. Super easy to use and embeds.
Favorite writing prompt sites aligned with the common core are John Spencer’s Photoprompts and Luke Neff’s Image Writing Prompts.
Comics Head- IOS and Android app to make comics. Best one in my opinion that allows adding your own images along with their library of characters, backdrops, and more.
The Digital Storytelling Course Wiki - I helped organize and run this open online 5 week session for the last 2 years. You can check out the resources curated by over 500 teachers worldwide. We cover creative common music and images, comics, video, storybooks, and more!
Kathy Schrock’s Rubrics
My Digital Storytelling Symbaloos- Find a free tool or app for any digital storytelling project.
ToonDoo – The site allows students to share their comics, comment on other comics, and even save and edit a copy of a comic.
ZimmerTwins- Choose from various characters, type in the dialogue, choose your background scene, and create a free fun movie.
PicLits- Drag and drop words unto a beautiful image.
Bubblr- create your comic strip with Flickr pictures and add bubbles to tell your story!
Comicmaster – Cool graphic novel creator.
Stripgenerator – You don’t have to register in order to create a comic.
Make Beliefs Comix – Two, three and four panel comics that you can create in multiple languages.
Comic Strip Generator – You can upload photos or use web images in addition to their library of ready-to-use images
ToonDoo – the site allows students to share their comics, comment on other comics, and even save and edit a copy of a comic
OneTrueMedia – Mix your photos and pictures with text and animations.
Blabberize – Make your pictures talk
VoiceThread for Educators-Interactive way to present stories and have parents and other students comment on the stories. Several options. Embed in a blog or wiki.
Storybird-Students create beautiful stories by choosing beautiful art and adding the words. Embed in a blog or wiki.
Voxopop – Construct audio stories.
5cardflicker – Tell your stories through flicker photos.
Zooburst – 3D pop up story creator.
Scholastic story starter – Start your story randomly.
Thestorystarter – Start your story randomly.
LittleBirdTales – Upload your picture, record your voice to tell your stories.
Animoto- Upload up images, choose a soundtrack from the library (many nice holiday tunes to choose from, and click a button to make a free short video online and on your mobile device.
Rreadwritethink.org- 100+ free interactives and quality lesson plans integrating technology and literacy.
Buncee- free iPod/iPad app that creates interactive posters and comics with a library of stickers, backgrounds, audio, images, and video. Super easy to use and embeds.
Favorite writing prompt sites aligned with the common core are John Spencer’s Photoprompts and Luke Neff’s Image Writing Prompts.
Comics Head- IOS and Android app to make comics. Best one in my opinion that allows adding your own images along with their library of characters, backdrops, and more.
The Digital Storytelling Course Wiki - I helped organize and run this open online 5 week session for the last 2 years. You can check out the resources curated by over 500 teachers worldwide. We cover creative common music and images, comics, video, storybooks, and more!
Kathy Schrock’s Rubrics
My Digital Storytelling Symbaloos- Find a free tool or app for any digital storytelling project.
ToonDoo – The site allows students to share their comics, comment on other comics, and even save and edit a copy of a comic.
ZimmerTwins- Choose from various characters, type in the dialogue, choose your background scene, and create a free fun movie.
PicLits- Drag and drop words unto a beautiful image.
Bubblr- create your comic strip with Flickr pictures and add bubbles to tell your story!
Comicmaster – Cool graphic novel creator.
Stripgenerator – You don’t have to register in order to create a comic.
Make Beliefs Comix – Two, three and four panel comics that you can create in multiple languages.
Comic Strip Generator – You can upload photos or use web images in addition to their library of ready-to-use images
ToonDoo – the site allows students to share their comics, comment on other comics, and even save and edit a copy of a comic
OneTrueMedia – Mix your photos and pictures with text and animations.
Blabberize – Make your pictures talk
VoiceThread for Educators-Interactive way to present stories and have parents and other students comment on the stories. Several options. Embed in a blog or wiki.
Storybird-Students create beautiful stories by choosing beautiful art and adding the words. Embed in a blog or wiki.
Voxopop – Construct audio stories.
5cardflicker – Tell your stories through flicker photos.
Zooburst – 3D pop up story creator.
Scholastic story starter – Start your story randomly.
Thestorystarter – Start your story randomly.
LittleBirdTales – Upload your picture, record your voice to tell your stories.
Animoto- Upload up images, choose a soundtrack from the library (many nice holiday tunes to choose from, and click a button to make a free short video online and on your mobile device.