National Writing Project Day #3 & Digital Storytelling

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you are having a great week!

Today in the UW-M Writing Project, we had a very fun day learning about and creating digital storytelling.  I learned that it was no where near as difficult as I thought it would be!  We used Windows Movie Maker, but you could also use iMovie or another program if you have it.  Many of you probably already have Movie Maker on your computer (if it's relatively newer) or you can search the internet and download it.

Anyways, if you have photos saved as .jpg, you can create your own digital story!  (Really, you can!!) You can even download free music to use in the background from various websites, including Freeplay Music.  Simply upload your photos, arrange them in the order you want them to go in, and press play!  You can even add text, music, transitions, special effects, etc. if you want to get fancy!

Here is my video that I made of my family if you are interested:

How can digital storytelling be used in your classrooms?

• Students prepare a biography project of someone's life (or their own life)
• Preview a book for a read aloud
• Book reviews from independent reading
• Learning a new concept in science or social studies
• Performance assessment in any content area
• Introduce yourself to your class
• Multicultural fair

The possibilities are endless!  Using digital storytelling is also a great way to meet the Common Core Standards for Speaking and Listening!

Short post tonight....I need to get working on my Inquiry Project that I am presenting on FRIDAY...yes, 2 days away!  It has to be 75 minutes long so I need to get to it! 

Have a great night!