DSF San Francisco 2005

You did this? You're brilliant!

Digital storytelling in Education
Feature Presentation: Jeanne Biddle and Leslie Rule

This session on Sunday morning was the most inspiring of all the presentations. Leslie and Jeanne showed digital stories made by school pupils and they engaged me more than anything else I saw at the festival.

Swim Fishy, Swim was made by Rachel, a first grader. It contains a level of wisdom that confirms that we should take notice of what comes "out of the mouths of babes and sucklings .. "
In the film a lazy baby fish only learned to swim after coming under threat from its mother AND a predator shark. A child's drawings and superimposed script drew us into a drama that convinced me that this girl's name will appear in the credits of a much longer piece of work in twenty years time.
Leslie's work brings teachers into her workshops at KQED and then follows them back to the classroom to introduce them to their IT departments. As we all know to our cost teachers and IT staff do not speak the same language!!
She is generous with the project equipment and allows less well equipped schools and projects to have the free use of her laptop computers. Her level of trust and risk is rewarded with a catalogue of digital stories.
Leslie told us about the Coming to California competition for schools in the Bay Area of California. The films are on the KQED website. Worth watching.


Jeanne Biddle is the Director of Technology for Scott County Schools in Georgetown, Kentucky.
She introduced a film told by Renee a teenage girl with issues at home and at school after a series of set backs including an unwelcome move to Kentucky. Her digital story, Help, was the first thing she had ever completed. Her mother wouldn't let the story onto the web until she had seen it. It transformed their relationship - there were tears and hugs - "You did this? You're brilliant!" Her behaviour was transformed for a time. Later poor behaviour returned but the place of making the digital story was acknowledged in the local paper, which inspired her to return to school for a few days - her story was again given significance.

2nd grade students are using Photoshop, Premier and even Final Cut Pro. They don't have a problem with it. Teachers hold pupils back because they think they need to master the tools first - instead of putting them in their hands and letting them do it. A Digital story made by a senior student - makes fun of the teacher - pupils took over the process and a three week project was completed in the 40 minute periods.
When children come to school we are asking them to power down - they want to power up.

Public Service Announcements
Children make digital stories to appeal to funders to maintain support for technology. Sponsors often walk through the buildings and see computers without considering that they are out of date - why do you need more?

At first digital storytelling was after school add on - too much work - too long - bad mouthed - it took 4 years to be accepted.

Class room management - accessibility to technology - teacher as facilitator - celebrating our success - competitions and contests - good at critiquing their own work. Festivals.

There are lots of stories to watch on the Scott County Schools site

posted by Dawnriser @ 18:01