Steps+in+the+Process

Steps in the Process

According to Bernajean Porter, the digital storytelling process is a seven step process. However, the steps can be narrowed down to three: 1. Pre-production


The best digital stories start with a script. Use Microsoft Word or another Word Processing program to begin writing your story after you have collected your ideas. Use SmartIdeas or another graphic organizer program to brainstorm your ideas before writing. Remember, digital stories are usually narratives and written in the first person. Follow all the steps in the writing process (except publishing) with your students. Provide a rubric for students if appropriate to guide them in the creation of their script. Now would be a good time to assess their writing skills and grab a grade for your project.

  2. Production "Storyboards provide the “BIG” visual blueprint of all the detailed choices you make for each scene or image frame for your digital story before you begin production" (Porter, 2004). Storyboarding is an essential part of building your digital story. Unfortunately this step is often rushed through by both students and teachers. Creating a storyboard allows for the overall visual representation of the movie to be layed out in steps. Again, SmartIdeas is a wonderful resources. Powerpoint and SmartNotebook can be used as well. Under print, select the option with the slides and the lines to the right. Some students may choose to use post-its and construction paper to design their storyboard.  Story-mapping is much more detailed than a storyboard. A story-map is a scene by scene layout of your project. Now is the time to sketch the images/clilpart that you will begin searching for. Decide on the feel of the music or the types of sound clips you will want to insert. Plan out where your voiceover is going to placed in relation to slides. Have students share their storyboards with each other. Problems/confusing areas are much easier to change during the storyboarding process than during the creation process!

Time to make a movie! Before compiling media, organize a folder (perferably on your desktop). Inside the folder, add sub-folders titled images, music, and video. It will be easier for you to import the files into your project. Also, if everything is saved in one place on your computer you will have a clear "path" to the software you are working with. If these files are stored randomly or separately from the production file, then you may find yourself having to hunt down the location of each moved file and reconnect or “re-reference” it for the software program.

Begin searching for the right components to fit into your movie. Remember, Photostory 3 will not allow video clips whereas MovieMaker will. Be sure to keep a detailed list of where you found your resources for your citation page.

 3. Post-production

This is the publishing stage of the writing proces and a time to celebrate! Invite members of your school community to view the stories that your students have created. Have a movie day with popcorn and healthy snacks. There are many ways to showcase your students creations. They can be published to the web, recoded onto CD's for electronic portfolios, emailed home to parents, and in some cases downloaded onto portable devices such as cell phones and iPods. It's a time to celebrate!