Digital+Camera



=**Digital Storytelling in the Library Media Center**= Project 1: Teacher-made

**Standard 3.0: Technology for Learning and Collaboration: Use a variety of technologies for learning and collaboration**
A. Learning 1. Select and use technology tools to enhance learning a) Use technology tools to enhance learning b) Defend the selection of a specific technology tool to complete a learning task. ====**Standard 4.0 Technology for Communication and Expression: Use a technology to communicate information and express ideas using various media** A. Communication 1. Select and use technology for communication==== c) Evaluate the appropriateness of media for various purposes


 * Description of the Digital Camera Project **** : **


 * Purpose of Lesson ** : To introduce students to the Prince George’s County Write-A-Book (WAB) program and encourage participation.


 * Objective ** : Students will identify the features and rules of the Write-A-Book program in order to write and create a book for the Write-A-Book program.


 * Warm-Up ** : Name a **book**, **movie**, or **TV program** that you enjoyed reading or watching. Explain why you liked it.(The warm-up can be oral or written.)

WAB is a good opportunity to display their writing and artistic talents. There are first, second, third, and Honorable Mention winners who will be honored at a reception. Last year Walker Mill students earned 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in this competition. Students can create a book individually or as a group of 2-5 students. WAB encourages students to become successful writers and published authors. Discuss the warm-up by asking students to share what book, movie, or TV-program they like. Tell them that their favorite reading or viewing material may give them some idea of what kind of book to write.
 * Introductory Activity ** : Inform students that the purpose of this lesson is to introduce the Write-A-Book program. WAB is a program that helps students create a book “from scratch,” that is, they will write the content and make a physical book. WAB is a county-wide competition, which encourages students to write for information, persuasion or to express personal ideas.

** Guided Practice ** : Let a student read the objective. Hand out a sheet containing Guidelines for Secondary Book Categories and genres on one side and General Rules on the other side. Briefly define and review the term “genre” with the class. Use ** Microsoft PhotoStory ** to demonstrate the details of WAB, such as, guidelines, rules and the different book genres and titles that fall under these genres.

Discuss what was shown in ** Microsoft PhotoStory **. Show samples of books that students created in previous years for WAB. Based on ** Microsoft PhotoStory ** and their handout, let students summarize the categories for their books and their general guidelines, such as: Picture Story Book, Illustrated Fiction, Short Story, Poetry, Non-Fiction, Graphic Fiction (Comic Book style), and Plays. Use a Hidden Picture Puzzle in the form of a PowerPoint to reinforce different non-fiction and fiction genres and book titles that go along with them. In the Hidden Picture Puzzle, reveal one clue after another to students consecutively, until they are able to identify what genre or title is hidden in the Picture Puzzle on the PowerPoint. This activity can also be done using a Promethean Board. Use the format of competition to encourage student participation.

** Independent Practice ** : At their table, students will decide whether they will work individually or in a group on a book. If they decide to work with a partner or as part of a group, they will sit with their partner(s) and brainstorm possible genres and topics for a book. They will create a plan on how to divide the tasks in a group and start developing a title and an outline for their book. They will turn in their genre and the name(s) of the participant(s) to their teacher.


 * Assessment ** : Teacher and library media specialist (LMS) observation


 * Closure ** : Inform students when their stories, poems, illustrations, pictures, etc. are due and when they will create their physical books. As an extension to WAB, they will create a digital book, using **PhotoStory** or other digital media as determined by their teacher and LMS.


 * Reflection: **

Di gital storytelling has been part of my library media lesson plans for quite some time. I usually use a PowerPoint with text, pictures, narration, sound effects, music, animations, and photos for library orientation. Students love it and pay attention and participate. I have used PowerPoint to create Jeopardy Games, Hidden Picture Puzzles, and other games.


 * Microsoft PhotoStory ** is another way of using a visual and auditory media with an audience. People are accustomed to seeing PowerPoints, which are often overused these days. So to have a different program helps generate interest. **PhotoStory** was helpful in my WAB lesson because it made a boring topic – guidelines, rules and regulations for WAB- more interesting.

I taught **PhotoStory** to 8th grade Honors students as an extension to their WAB project. They liked the fact that they could use a digital camera and microphone. However, they showed no interest in **PhotoStory**. Their comment was, “Why can’t we just use PowerPoint?” As part of the lesson I taught they had a choice between **PhotoStory** and animated programs on the Internet for their project. Not one out of about 120 students chose **PhotoStory**. Nonetheless, I think this program has its place in instruction as a way of displaying photos with background music and/or narration.
 * PhotoStory ** has less features than PowerPoint. To achieve the effects I wanted to achieve I had to use PowerPoint. For example, I used PowerPoint and saved the ppt slides as a gif or jpg in order to create transition slides for **PhotoStory**.I used Microsoft Office Photo Editor to compress my photos. I used Word Art and flamingtext for some titles. To place narration and music on the same photo slide made the narration hard to understand sometimes. Titles on slides are often difficult to read. To have to use other programs made creating a project in **PhotoStory** more time-consuming.

The digital camera and microphone are very useful. Students respond with greater interest to pictures of themselves and their classmates. The combination of photos, narration, and text addresses more learning styles than traditional instruction.Now I don’t have to use my own personal camera any more, which I did not let students borrow. Students can use the media center’s digital camera and create more interesting projects, whether they use PowerPoint, **PhotoStory**, or programs on the internet, which allow them to upload pictures. The camera and microphone are definitely valuable additions to the media center’s multimedia equipment.

** Project 2 **: Student-made project titled “The Titan’s Curse.”
 * Technology Standards addressed **: same as in Project 1

**Purpose of Project**: To become familiar with the features of **Microsoft PhotoStory**, Flamingtext, a digital camera, and a microphone
 * Description of the Digital Camera Project **
 * Objective**: Students will use Microsoft **PhotoStor**y, a digital camera, and a microphone in order to create an advertisement for the book titled “The Titan’s Curse” by Rick Riordan.
 * Warm-Up**: Describe a commercial that you saw on TV.
 * Introduction**: Let a student read the objective and explain the project to students in the library’s book club.
 * Guided Activity**: Show examples of book commercials by using a bookfair provider’s latest author video. Discuss the elements of an effective commercial based on a segment of this video and the commercials that the students described in the warm-up. Show a **Microsoft PhotoStory** project and discuss its elements. Open **Microsoft PhotoStory** and explain how to use it based on photos previously taken. Let students explore the flamingtext website and create a PowerPoint slide using a logo created by flamingtext. Then demonstrate how to use a digital camera and a microphone and how to download and upload pictures.
 * Independent Activity**: Students will create a title slide for their project and write their storyboards and their scripts. They will then take pictures of themselves indifferent situations that promote reading the book “The Titan’s Curse.” They will use **PhotoStory** to create an ad based on this book, add titles, narration, and music.
 * Assessmen**t: LMS observation
 * Closure**: Review activities of the class period and ask students what went well and what needs improvement.

This student-made project was part of the library’s book club, which meets after school for about an hour and consists of 7th grade students. Students finished reading the book “The Titan’s Curse” by Rick Riordan. When I suggested to make a commercial about it, they enthusiastically agreed. The activities described in Guided Practice did not all happen during one hour. Discussing the elements of an effective commercial based on a video took up an hour. Creating a PowerPoint slide using FlamingText took up another hour the following week. Exploring **Microsoft PhotoStory** was another hour. So was using a digital camera. Generating ideas, writing a storyboard and script for the commercial took up several hours. Putting it all together took up several more hours. It was a long project, but we had fun. **Microsoft PhotoStory**, a digital camera and microphone proved to be very suitable for a small group. The students remarked that they didn’t expect to use technology in a book club, however, technology made it more interesting.
 * Reflection **: