Session+3

=Lights! Camera! Action!=

Let's see what you created!


 * Obstacles You Faced**

Review and Add to Brainstorming Ideas

= = = =

Myths, Legends, Tall Tales?
 * Have you thought about...**
 * Create a tall tale about themselves, exaggerating their great qualities and achievements
 * Develop myths from "what would happen if?"
 * Create myths of how things came to be in your life
 * Use a current event and write as tall tale
 * Fractured fairy tales

Docudramas?
 * Tell the story from the character's point of view, or a famous person in history telling what happened
 * Tell the journey of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly
 * Be a decimal point and explain your role
 * Be the pen that signed the Declaration of Independence

Describe & Conclude?
 * So students have learned about an event, have them add the "so what?." What connections do we make to today?

Advertisements or Public Service Announcements?
 * Character Education
 * Just So No
 * Recycling
 * From an animal's point of view, why should we take care of the environment?

Writing should take 40% of project time. The author needs to convey meaning to the audience by showing feeling and emotion when reading. Organize around type of communication expected helps students focus as they develop content of story.
 * How to start using Photo Story with your students**

=**Using a Lit Circle Model**=  **Discussion Director (i.e. team captain):** He or she leads and encourages group discussion, whilst redirecting those who may be off task. Additionally, the discussion director reports directly to the teacher on their group’s daily outcomes.

**Summarizer:** This individual summarizes the discussion. Therefore, he or she gives a brief synopsis of the main ideas and character generation gleaned from the discourse. This person sums up the daily discussion and recaps the previous day’s discussion at the beginning of each new discussion meeting.

**Investigator:** The investigator’s job is to "dig up" useful bits of information that may be helpful to the group, such as background knowledge or the latest research advances on a particular subject. He or she may also do interviews similar to a reporting style to gather information. The investigator is also the one who may leave the circle as needed to glean information via the Internet. (However, if possible a laptop or two at each circle’s table works best.)

**Illustrator:** He or she creates some kind of visual image of the ideas cultivated during the discussion. He or she can do this via graphic organisers such as diagrams, concept maps, or flow charts (e.g. using Inspiration software), a cartoon (e.g. via Apple Comic Life), or even sketching stick figures on the eventual sidebar of the storyboard.

**Connector:** The connector strives to make connections between the ideas and information shared in the group with practical use for the real world. The connector asks the group such questions as: What do you hope the audience will take away by watching the film? Do you want the audience to take action? Do you want the audience to advocate? What are the real world applications? What is the main message we want to send to our viewers?

**Travel Tracer (i.e. transition master):** Frequently when creating a digital story the scenery will change. It is this individual’s job to make sure that transitions are discussed and written into the overall storyline. He or she is also responsible for leading the discussion on what supplies, sets, and costumes are needed from location to location and/or stage setting. Eventually, the travel tracer helps label the clapperboard at each take.

**Timekeeper:** It is the timekeeper’s job to do just that: keep time. He or she holds the stopwatch. Time is essential in creating a digital storytelling project. Therefore, in the storyboard phase drafted roles should be rehearsed by students and timed. Even if the times may not turn out exact from storyboard to production at least you and your students will know an estimated time on how long each section of your class story will take.

**Recorder:** Whilst your kinesthetic learners will want to take notes -- and rightly so -- it is the recorder’s primary duty to take notes or type notes on the literature circle discussion. Typed notes work best because edits are made easily and each group can be added into the whole-class storyboard. He or she will type the drafts of the storyboard for the group, type script into a teleprompter if used in a school TV production room, and make cue cards as needed for on location shots.

The teacher’s pre-production role is to facilitate all circle discussions. Additionally, you may notice that many zealous students will send e-mails to you of various ideas that sprung up whilst at home. If this is the case for your classroom, an effective way for students to continue their collaboration and share their ideas is to have the students extend their collaboration virtually via the blogosphere. Encourage each discussion director (i.e. captain) to set up a team blog. It not only serves to keep the group’s sudden ideas (i.e. light bulb moments) organised, it can be a record displaying the contributions of each group member. In addition, blogs are a great platform for students to reflect on their creative process of their digital storytelling project.

In summary, each literature circle group should produce a rich storyboard, which is essential for digital storytelling. Good storyboards display pictures and text, which lead each group into production (i.e. videotaping). This includes a timeline and side notes about voiceovers, close-ups, extreme long shots, freeze frames, desired special effects such as the ‘Ken Burns Effect’ (i.e. zooming and panning stills to add illusion of motion), and pace. Overall, the literature circle model can be an effective classroom management strategy for teachers and students alike organising the pre-production phase of digital storytelling, whilst encouraging teamwork and confidence that readies students to heartedly yelp "Roll-em!"

( **© Mechelle M. De Craene Thu, 3 Aug 2006)**


 * Assessing student stories**

Rubric- Examples: http://www.techteachers.com/digstory/gradclass/rubrics.htm http://www.umass.edu/wmwp/DigitalStorytelling/Rubric%20Assessment.htm http://www.digitales.us/evaluating/scoring_guide.php

Site to create your own Rubric: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

Homework: Pacing Guides, new pictures for next session (Mixbook), and schedule time with your facilitator