I downloaded the Photo story 3 and ventured into the field of digital storytelling using the various prompts as my guide. The activity was quite enjoyable. I produced a 90 second story entitled' The happy reunion'. There are many features to help enhance the story. I particularly liked the feature which allowed me to adjust the photos such as 'black and white' and 'colour pencil' which added a creative touch. Of course the music option is quite useful especially when you do not have your own music. I felt proud of my story and my husband seemed quite impressed.
However, the end product requires some measure of planning before it can reach the final stage. Quite similar to e books, the digital story should be conceptualized and placed on a story board before bringing in the technology aspect. Once again the tenets of story telling/information giving must be recognized and followed.
I believe it can be a great learning tool as it allows for thought processing. That is,before the final product we have to think clearly about the purpose of the digital story. For instance, if we are using it to examine historical events we must first decide which aspect of the history will be the main focus, determine means of research and find ways of sourcing relevant data. The narration that is a part of this tool also helps to improve students' thought processes (sequencing for example) and reviewing skills.
The digital story telling affords many learning and teaching outcomes. The Photo story 3 is easy to use even for someone who is not that computer savvy. Students will definitely appreciate the tool and it will enhance student engagement and even motivation to do assignments using it to produce the final result. Happy producing colleagues !
Hi Trumanne, congratulations on your achievements in using the various ICT programmes to date. You have taken to it like a duck to water. Your eBook last week was excellent and I am certain would motivate your children to learn similies. It was well designed and the content was relevant to the needs of your students.
ReplyDeleteYour success in one area is spilling over into the success of the other areas. Scaffolding is such an important part of learning. In addition your co- operative learning style, in our lab sessions, according to the literature, will also reiforce the concepts learnt and enhance your own learning. I feel excited to try the digital storytelling! Keep on experimenting. Looking forward to seeing the movie!
I agree with you, when you look at the final product you can't help but be impressed and amazed it's actually your work.I can only imagine the fun students will have making their own stories.This particular tool will really be motivational for struggling readers.They will be able to express themselves using the story and not be as limited because they are unable to use as many 'words' as they would like to for their story. The additional advantage is that the story can have a scaffolding effect as students can build stories using the images provided.
ReplyDeleteHi Trumanne,
ReplyDeleteAren't we lucky to have had that introduction to Web 2.0 tools ,aren't we lucky to have had our facilitators!
I love photostory and its amazing potential for educational applications. If we believe that children are blessed with innate gifts and if we believe that they have preferred styles of learning, then photostory is one of those tools that incorporate those gifts into personal expressions.
There are numerous tasks in producing a photostory,there is conceptualizing, storyboarding,shooting photographs,writing scripts and all the other activities that are necessary to create a final product.
In a group setting, all students will have an opportunity to contribute their individual gifts and talents in meaningful ways.
Trumanne,
ReplyDeleteI am so obsessed with the use of technology that i am on line all day . Sometimes I want to sleep and before diving into my bed I am diving into another website.
Personally, I think that I need more cause I am not very verse at this thing yet. I am sure you have seen how I have behaved when I got something new. I am a tchnofanatic. I just want to know everything there is about technology use in the classroom.
I love the photostory. i have been learning about programme learning since in teachers college and it has now come to life. Thanks for inspiring me in the photostory.