Digital Story Telling: Increasing Digital Literacy

This is by far my favorite topic this semester.  I enjoy the idea of students using their creativity to illustrate an idea or belief through multi-media.  After researching “The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling” that Dr. Cooper shared with us I realized that there is much more there is to Digital Storytelling than meets the eye.   Not to mention, this site is one stop shopping.  Everything from examples, tips, lesson plans, evaluations, and other resources is clearly detailed.  Robin states that the following digital literacy skills are learned when creating a digital story.   http://faculty.coe.uh.edu/brobin/homepage/Educational-Uses-DS.pdf

1.       Research Skills

2.       Writing Skills

3.       Organization Skills

4.       Technology Skills

5.       Presentation skills

6.       Interview Skills

7.       Interpersonal Skills

8.       Problem-Solving Skills

9.       Assessment Skills

Examples:  The examples section is listed by subject area and includes Educational Technology, Engines of Our Ingenuity, Health, Personal Reflection, Places, Pop Culture and the more traditional subjects of math and social studies.  I was really drawn to the section on pop culture with topics like Justice or Just Us?,  Wall of Hate, and Print Media. 

Essentials:  Includes the 7 elements of storytelling listed below.   This is a great starting place for students to get an overview of important components of how to tell a digital story.  Also discussed are the educational uses of Digital Storytelling http://faculty.coe.uh.edu/brobin/homepage/Educational-Uses-DS.pdf.  The article describes three major types of digital stories including:  Personal Narratives, Historical Documentaries, and Stories designed to inform or instruct.   

1.       Point of View:  What is the Author’s perspective?

2.       Dramatic Question:  Grab the viewer’s attention!

3.       Emotional Content:  Serious issues that come alive and connects the story to the audience.

4.       The Gift of your voice:  Personalize the story and use inflection.

5.       The Power of the Soundtrack:  Music and other sounds embellish the storyline.

6.       Economy:  Don’t overload the viewer.

7.       Pacing:  Control the rhythm of the story and how slowly or quickly it progresses.

Create: The website also includes a step by step process for getting started.  This could easily be broken down for students to use as a cheat sheet for the story process.  The teacher could actually create digital stories on the process to help students get the big picture.   Topics include choosing a topic, collecting resources, selecting content, recording, and evaluating.  Also shown are examples of how students can create photo collages using a variety of programs including Picasa, Photoshop, and PowerPoint.  Copyright information on creating these is also included!

These are just a few of the highlights the website offers for Digital Stories.  I am already thinking of ways to incorporate this into my lessons for next semester.  Maybe students create a digital story on being a good digital citizen and discussing website evaluation, copyright and netiquette? 

Digital Storytelling by Michelle H.

Digital Storytelling

According to the Center of Digital Storytelling, digital storytelling is “the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories.” After perusing this website, I was amazed at how many different ways digital storytelling is being incorporated into the classroom. Since most classrooms are equipped with at least one computer, the idea of using this type of project seems appealing. However, one must definitely consider the amount of work and preparation required to make this type of project successful. I must admit that I have tried to use digital storytelling in my classes and oh my goodness…can you say HEADACHE? Part of my issue was that I didn’t consider ALL the parts of the project. I only considered the actual assignment and didn’t factor in the amount of time it would take to locate images and sound clips, type captions and sentences, the amount of storage space required and the students’ limited knowledge of programs used to create their projects.

I read Digital Storytelling: Tips and Resources by Dr. Gail Matthews-DeNatale for this post and it was super helpful. I felt so inspired and relieved (like I’m not the only teacher that’s tried to incorporate digital storytelling unsuccessfully). One of the things that I found most helpful in her tips is the suggestion of using a timeline. I also love the idea of showing students example of the project as well as a rubric. This suggestion is great because then it would require me to create a digital story and in the process I could work out some of the kinks prior to giving the assignment to my students.

In conclusion, I think that digital storytelling is a great project that can be incorporated into any subject area. However, I now realize that while the final product may only be 3 – 5 minutes in length the journey to get to this end can take weeks if not months depending on the assignment and the age of the students. My goal for this school year is to try to complete one digital storytelling project with one of my classes. I’m starting small. So while I know that the other classes might feel cheated, I feel like I need a little more time before I try to do this with all six of my classes.

References

Matthews-DeNatale, G. (2008). Digital storytelling: tips and resources.

Copyright And Media Fair Use in the Classroom

Happy Birthday

Believe it or not, the song Happy Birthday is subject to copyright. The music and original words "Good Morning to All" were written by Mildred and Patty Hill in 1893. The song was originally intended to be used by teachers to welcome students to class each day. Nobody really knows who wrote the words "Happy Birthday to You" and put them to the Hills' melody, but they first appeared in a songbook edited by Robert Coleman in 1924. The version with the words "Happy Birthday to You" was first copyrighted in 1935 and copyright now rests with the Time Warner company. Does this mean you can't legally sing Happy Birthday to your family and friends? No, but be wary about attempting to use Happy Birthday in any kind of publication. Watch the credits at the end of films in which the song is sung!

Stolen from- http://www.unhappybirthday.com

What is copyright?

Copyright is the ownership of an original work that can include forms like: texts, images, audio recordings, video recordings, computer software, websites, etc. Any digital copies are covered under this law.

Once an artist creates the original work, copyright is immediately effective and the work is therefore protected. This can be done without having to register the work claiming copyright of any piece. All artistic forms previously mentioned belong to the author/creator and must be presented with permission to use in any other context.

The following are all examples of copyright protected which needs permission for use in the classroom.

• Any form of copying the work including: photocopying, scanning, reproducing them in electronic format, and duplicating audio and video recordings whether with intent of monetary gain or not.
• Sharing the work with the public
• Any performances of a drama or play, music or a song before the public.
• Making an adaptation of the work.
• Using music, video or other files without permission.
• Recording vide and presenting in video format or adding to a website including YouTube.

There are several things that educator’s can do to use a copyrighted piece in a presentation for educational purposes. This is still only used in a classroom for educational purposes and must not be used for other reasons.

• Public Domain is in use on any created piece after a certain time of the creator’s death- depending on the format of the work being used.
• 50- 70 years in the case of books, audio and video recordings, audio and video broadcasts, and computer-generated works.

Students should be aware that the law protects:

• Radio and TV programs - broadcast or cable
• Literary works
• Dramatic works
• Musical works
• Typographical arrangement of published editions
• Artistic works
• Computer programs and databases
• The Internet
• Audio recordings Video recordings
• Films

Copyright and Education Guidelines of Using Copyright Material:

Music

1. Up to 10% of a copyrighted musical composition, but no more than 30 seconds
2. Up to 10% of a body of sound recording, but no more than 30 seconds
3. Any alterations cannot change the basic melody or the fundamental
character of the work

Copying and Distribution Limitations

1. No posts of multimedia claiming fair use on web site
2. Only 2 copies of original may be made
3. For instructional purposes only, 1 copy may be placed on reserve
4. Teachers and students must credit sources, giving all bibliographic
Information

Fair Use

Fair use permits certain times when educators can claim the use of materials without requiring the permission of the copyright owner. These times only include what is reasonable for educational instruction and study. Educators may use the Fair Use guidelines in some instances but creating multiple copies of textbooks and worksheets for classroom use is still not considered legal under the Fair Use Policy.

For instructional purposes, you are permitted to:

• Make and/or print temporary copy of a web page.
• make a single copy of a Web page, although not the whole website, to a hard drive or or other storage media, as long as it is not for the purpose of producing multiple copies
• quote from a Web page as long as the source is acknowledged and it is for the purpose of criticism or review;
• make a temporary copy of a Web page for the purpose of electronic transmission such as email, to an individual for their private study or research. The copy should be deleted as soon as the transmission is complete.
Fair Use stops if:
• a single electronic copy is made with the intention of producing multiple copies or redistributing it either in paper form or electronically
• Copies are used commercially or sold without owner permission.
• Copy is made publicly available without permission of the copyright owner.

All educators should learn these guidelines to be on the safe side of using anything created in presentations. To remain within the guidelines is easier if you try to make sure you find copyright-free references that are available in the Public Domain. Remember to share this with your students because they are creating in an age where it is extremely easy to find digital copyrighted work of others.

References for further information
• Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988: See the IPO site: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy.htm
• Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA): See this site for advice and licences relating to copying printed materials: http://www.cla.co.uk
• Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 (UK)
• CopyWatch: The compliance arm of the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA): http://www.copywatch.org
•Templeton, Brad: Brad Templeton is based in the USA, but he covers general and international copyright issues too:
o A brief intro to copyright: http://www.templetons.com/brad/copyright.html
o 10 Big Myths about copyright explained: http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
• What is copyright protection? This website is very useful in explaining copyright in simple terms: http://www.whatiscopyright.org

In the Know with Television News

by Liz Manguno

So, first, a disclaimer. I minored in journalism, worked for a suburban daily, taught newspaper and yearbook – and love the news. I believe the study and practice of journalism affords students a wealth of learning opportunities – researching, critical thinking, writing, interviewing, public speaking, producing, polishing, persuading, publishing . . . . From my perspective, school news programs are ripe for providing the rich and meaningful leaning experiences that core content courses can often only simulate. And there is a place in media studies for all students of all learning styles. 

 

If you’re not familiar with what elementary school news programs can offer, do check out Kids News Network (KNN) at Pleasant Grove Elementary School in Stockbridge, Georgia (http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/pges/knn/). It is truly the gold standard of elementary school news. It’s not just a forum for the pledge of allegiance and school announcements (there are much better means for communicating that type of information), but, rather, a program that provides students with real-life broadcasting experience. Unfortunately, actual clips are not available at the site, but you can read transcripts (from the 2000-01 school year) to get a glimpse of what these students have accomplished. Note: You’ll find an explanation on the site as to why the program, which was initially open to all students, was later limited to those in the gifted/talented program. While I understand the constraints that led to this decision, I regret that this was necessary. My experience has been that media production has room for students of varying talents and abilities. Writers, photographers, producers, editors – left brain, right brain – plenty of room for all.

For an example of a middle/high school program, go to Southern Columbia Area High School’s Tiger News (http://hs.scasd.us/ms/kelchner/tigernews/index.html). Be forewarned – this is a truly exceptional school news site. High standards are important, excellent models are valuable – but it’s important to view programs such as this as a goal – something to strive for – not as a base line for news programs.

I work in a high school, and we are fortunate to have a full-time teacher and full program of study devoted to television news production. Students first enter the program by taking Broadcast I. They can do this as early as their freshman year. This course introduces students to the basic concepts of television reporting, programming, and production, as well as to general media literacy. Students interested in producing the actual school newscast advance to Broadcast IV (just ignore the number sequencing here). This class meets first period and the news segment is broadcast at the start of homeroom, which immediately follows first period. Course enrollment is by semester; students can elect to take the course for just one semester or for up to six semesters (three years). Enrollment is open to all students who have met the single Broadcasting I pre-requisite. The school is equipped with a full studio and control room, so students are able to produce and present the news just as it is done in the professional workplace. The teacher has recently upgraded the system to operate tapeless. Instead of storing data on tape, they are now using cards that operate off a one terabyte hard-drive.

The program is largely student produced with teacher oversight. Roles are assigned on a rotation basis, with all students having the opportunity to direct and anchor. It takes the students about two weeks at the start of each semester to get organized and ready to broadcast. Once they are up and running, they broadcast live daily. Each segment runs from seven to ten minutes. All broadcasts begin with a standby clip. This allows teachers to verify that they are tuned in to the right channel. The actual broadcast begins with the pledge, followed by the moment of silence. As with any news broadcast, the actual content will vary depending on what is going on at the time. It is generally a mix of school/club announcements, news reports, sports highlights and feature spots. The current hot news topic is the significant reduction in the size (but not the price) of the cookies sold in the cafeteria.  Coverage has included interviews of cafeteria staff, administrators and students. Other recent spots have included crowding in the halls during the change of classes, the up-coming play production, and henna parties.

According to the broadcasting teacher, the major challenge he faces is overseeing a live production done by teenagers. He says he is the only high school teacher in the county who allows students to broadcast live. The students are generally responsible, but the temptation to slip something by can be strong. He has had to largely ban music with lyrics because of past incidents. He finds he regularly has to stress the idea that the announcements need to be done in a responsible manner. He tells his students they need to do the announcements and then have fun, not have fun with the announcements.

And that’s the way it is at Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia.

Is No News Good News?

By: Kim George

Personally, I think not. Currently we do not have a news program at my school and I have been trying to think of the best way to implement this into our school. I really love the idea of students creating a news program for students, but finding the perfect fit is challenging. Although I am at a middle school I really like the idea of the weekly magazine format of KNN Tiger News Broadcast.

Wow! The Tiger News broadcast done by elementary school students is amazing. http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/pges/knn/ I really like the idea that they do not broadcast announcements daily, but rather a weekly news magazine format. I think this perspective allows the students to create a quality newscast and give enough time to discuss and reflect on what works and what doesn’t. The KNN news is done through auditions through the gifted program. This is somewhat controversial to me because on one hand I think it should be open to all students, but on the other hand I realize that the gifted program is designed to give students an opportunity to be creative outside the regular classroom and many teachers don’t have the time due to curriculum constraints. It also allows for editing which I find extremely important in continuing to reflect on the product. The site also contains job descriptions for each of the various positions. 

I also got some ideas from Tiger News which is done at the high school level. http://hs.scasd.us/ms/kelchner/tigernews/index.html In one of the videos a student was visiting New York City around the holidays and filmed snipits of her vacation. http://hs.scasd.us/ms/kelchner/tigernews/archiveChristmasInTheBigApple.html It was an educational experience for all! Imagine the possibilities of having students film vacations and field trips. There were a lot of ideas that I am considering for implementation into my own news programs. 

1. Elementary School: (k-6 elementary school) Fifth grade students earn their spot on the morning announcements by completing and interest form and getting references from several teachers. They are trained the last few weeks of school by graduating sixth grade students. Students say the school motto, lunch menu, weather, and announcements for the day. The news has guest student visitors to encourage fundraising days, sports victories and birthdays.

Pros: Consistency. Students can run virtually run the news themselves after the first few weeks. Cons: A select few students get to be a part of the news.

2. Middle School: The news is done by 8th grade students through a technology connections class. Students are given various jobs based on interest including camera person, newscaster, and interviewer. Once a week students go live out into the halls for “Hall Talk” and ask random questions to teachers and students. The students enjoy watching this and it gives others in the school an opportunity to be a part of the news. Questions range from what do you think your favorite food on the lunch menu is to where students are going on vacation.

Pros: Most of the eighth grade students get to participate in creating the school news.

Cons: The class make-up changes each 9 weeks and the teacher has to retrain the students.

Social Networking in the Classroom by Michelle Hardy

Can you imagine a world without MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter? I know that today’s students definitely cannot. Gone are the days of wondering what one of your “friends” is doing. We now have instant access to people’s locations, food choices, and random thoughts. While the jury is still out about the merits of using social networking sites in schools, one thing is crystal clear, our students spend hours a day actively engaged on these sites. So as an educator who is always trying to make real-world connections, what better way to do this than by bringing in a little social networking. I would like to share a few ways to incorporate these limitless tools into an educational setting.

Facebook

According to a national survey conducted by Pew Internet & American Life Project, more than half (55%) of all online American youths ages 12-17 use online social networking sites. So knowing that the students are already using sites this regularly means that the schools just need to get creative on how to use this tool to assist in the ever growing challenge of improving student achievement. If a teacher creates a fan page on Facebook and her students join, she is now able to post assignments, helpful links, videos, and pictures related to her content area. Students are able to share their opinions, answer each other’s questions and practice effective communication skills all at the same time. Also, parents are able to join the fan page and stay connected with the school about upcoming events and assignments. Notice how I said that teacher’s should create fan pages and not personal ones. I believe that the fan page sets the tone for a more professional atmosphere. This way educators don’t have to worry about “friending” parents and students and creating a gray area at school. Even if a teacher has a personal Facebook page, the lines on Facebook should be drawn extremely carefully to ensure that a professional environment is maintained.

Twitter

It seems like Twitter is gaining a lot more traction these days and young people are really enjoying this tool. They can keep up with celebrities as well as close friends and family. This tool is great to use to post reminders about upcoming projects as well as linking actual homework sheets. It can also be used to acknowledge outstanding students. Twitter doesn’t have a fan page like Facebook. However, I strongly urge you to create a teacher email account and then create a teacher Twitter account. My students love to read “tweets” from their teachers and it’s a great way for parents to engage in meaningful dialogue about what students are learning about in school.

Edmodo

Edmodo was created specifically for educators as a way to keep social networking safe in schools. I love the features it offers in terms of a gradebook and the ability to create different groups within the same teacher account. My students and I use Edmodo daily and they love it. One of the best features is the library function. Students can upload their work to their library and that way they don’t have to worry about keeping up with a flash drive. The other cool feature is that parents can join groups and see their child’s progress. Edmodo also has a calendar that my students use to record their independent reading each night. At the end of the month, they can print it off and turn it in or save it as a pdf and email it to me via Edmodo. There are a few drawbacks to this site because the students can only interact on the main wall. This means that they can’t privately communicate with each other. I like the idea of students being able to email each other privately so I hope that eventually this feature is added.

In conclusion, social networking sites can be a great way to connect with students. These sites can also be a wonderful way to connect with other educators in an effort to share and exchange ideas and resources.

References

Lenhar, A., & Madden, M. (2007). Pew internet project data memo.Pew Internet &
American Life Project, Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2007/PIP_SNS_Data_Memo_Jan_2007.pdf.pdf

SCHULTEN, K. (2011, September 30). The learning network [Web log message].
Retrieved from http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/teachers-teaching-
teachers-on-twitter-q-and-a-on-edchats/?ref=socialnetworking

Social Networking and Today’s Student

What is Social Networking?

The Good-

Social networking includes many online services that focus on building social relations among people who share similar interests, goals and ideas from a variety of settings and communities. Because of the vast opportunities to exchange these ideas and information it can be an enormous learning tool if used in a classroom setting properly.

The Bad-

Social Networking sites can be used for bullying and spreading hurtful lies about anybody without verified facts and information. Often times, these lies spread throughout a small community virally, meaning it is passed on to many, in a short amount of time. For this reason, many schools block these social networking sites even though they may be great resources to the school.

Filtering is done with most social networking sites in schools because of several laws passed to protect the children from internet harm. We have all learned of some excellent arguments for these filters in this class so I will leave you to your own decisions and ideas on that.

Social networking sites do have several things in common between most popular sites. Profiles containing various information about the user is maintained and updated by the user. Also, many sites allow profiles to include uploaded pictures of the users to their profiles. This can be another concern because it does violate the CIPA/COPA laws if students are using this in a classroom setting.

Popular Student Activities

As you can see from the chart, popular social networking activities are keeping today’s students active online. Activities include participating in collaborative projects, blogging, posting messages, photos to creating polls and quizzes and surveys while using popular sites like Facebook, Twitter and other community forming software and websites. Use of this software and websites has become very popular during the past few years because it is a way to start meeting and interacting with people quickly. You can meet and begin associating with those that have similar interests instantly in most sites.

Another huge impact on using these social networking sites are based on the fact of convenience. Modern technology including handheld mobile devices, tablets and phones make it even easier to participate in online social media.

Why Start Social Networking?

Social Networking can also be a nice form of entertainment for some! The tool is great for meeting people with similar interests, and has become known to be a very effective business technique for modern entrepreneurs and other professionals including educators. The latest social networking sites even allow teachers to share with others that have the same interests and class ideas and/or lessons.

For example, EDMODO is a Facebook like web site for educators where small groups, networks, schools or communities can share and promote the exchange of plans and information within that selected group.

Most people, including teachers and students, actually seem to build strong bonds when they are connected via those networks. This strong bond essentially leads to a strong sense of belonging to the networking community.

References:

Social Networks. Retrieved from http://www.socialnetworks.org/


MediaShift . Your Guide to Social Networking Online | PBS. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2007/08/your-guide-to-social-networking-online241.html


Social Networks 3.0 - VentureBlog . Retrieved from http://ventureblog.com/articles/2005/12/social_networks.php