From Health Professional to Film Producer in One Easy Workshop: Creating Digital Stories

Penny Gill, CPUT

Presentation at the SANRC First Year Experience (FYE) conference, J0hannesburg 24 – 26 May 2017

A digital story is

–        a short, first person multi-media video narrative that documents human life experiences ideas or feelings through story-telling.

–        an exciting way to captivate students, amplifies student voice, encourages critical thinking, can give access to a global audience.

To get students to make a digital story:

–        obtain ethical approval

–        Use a computer literacy questionnaire and offer support if needed

–        Consider copyright and confidentiality

–        Obtain permission from students to use videos in conferences and presentations

–        Students write a 500 word story

–        The video must be 4-6 minutes or less

–        Brainstorm ideas to fit purpose and audience – mindmaps/community maps can help

–        30-40% of time is thinking, planning and synthesising (organising)

–        Plan sequence of story using a storyboard: pictures with words/music  saying what this

scene must achieve. Plan animations and transitions of scenes

–        Photostory3 free software can be used to make the video. Many free applications available for mobile phones

–        Invite guests, show videos, maybe with popcorn

–        Evaluation of stories by Digital Storytelling rubric, peer group marking and lecturer.

–        Must be credit bearing

Lessons are remembered better when there is a good story than when there isn’t.

Samples available at CPUT digital stories repository on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/CPUTstories

For further information gillp@cput.ac.za until 30 June,  pennyparch@gmail.com