Creating Space Science (Digital) Stories to Foster Science and Technology Literacy and CreativityAstronomical Society of the Pacific Annual Meeting

July 24, 2013Roger Pence, Benicia Middle School Science Teacher

Touro University California Adjunct ProfessorEmail: rogpence@gmail.com

DS General Info Website: http://www.penceviews.comMaterials from this presentation: https://dsinscience.wikispaces.com

Session AgendaDigital Storytelling, Why Now?, Why in Science?

Space/Astronomy Story Ideas

Digital Story Production and Hardware Possibilities

Copyright Concerns and Imagery

Resources and Student Examples

Live Demonstration (Photostory on PC and iPad using iMovie)

Time concerns, practical classroom management, and various computer platforms.

Why Digital Storytelling? Or What is it?

DS is personally narrated sequence of text and accompanying images and sounds that leads the viewer on a directed journey.

Educators and students can collaborate to learn and practice 21st century skills:

Collaboration, critical thinking, teamwork, verbal literacy, visual literacy

Why Now?! Using DS to tell space science “stories” engages the student and other learners as well to learn science (they love to see what each other are doing!)

Writing in general is clearly a need of today’s students and DS in science gives an authentic reason to write concisely and with maximum impact.

NGSS and STEM require depth of understanding and multi-disciplinary thought.

Students today know a good audio-visual product when they see one and will strive to create quality when they know it will be shared with their peers.

DS helps make space science real!

Why in Science?!Science is visual, is itself a story, and has many stories of people involved in thinking.

cross-curricular connections and meaningful context

Pictures can convey abstract meaning that words alone may miss

Gives kids an engaging, challenging and fun way to learn science and do research.

Cultivates visual literacy (what makes a particular picture especially effective at telling the story?)

Kids need and like a “hook”

Science is NOT a list of isolated things to “know”, rather it is a process that involves creativity.

Allows for science “factoids” to be placed in context as to where they fit into a bigger picture.

Gives girls a voice in science! DS taps their social/creative talents.

Includes ELL’s and special needs students, since each individual can contribute based on strengths.

Allows for individual style and ownership.

Pedagogical “hooks”

Since science vocabulary is challenging, and research is daunting, so developing scripts breaks down the learning into discreet steps.

Revising and re-writing cultivates learning through repetition.

Students can demonstrate concept understanding in a creative, personalized way.

Offers a creative outlet to photograph, compose, and edit to achieve a concrete conceptual goal (e.g. Newton’s first law of motion)

Allows for assessment of conceptual understanding

Let’s see some!!Mystery Scientist: Johann Kepler

Mineral to Market: Solar Panels

Surfing and Newton’s Laws

Friendship 7 Mission

Apollo Project

Ernest O. Lawrence

Bhopal Chemical Disaster

Minimata Bay Disaster

Space Science Story IdeasMeteor of 1908 Russia (or last year)

Development of the Hubble Space Telescope

Manned space programs

Unmanned space probes

Voyager 1 and 2

A space scientist I know

Women in space science

African-Americans, Asians, and Latinos in space science

Envision a future space mission

Research past space missions

Mathematics and Engineering

Mathematics’ role space travel

Rocketry and Engineering

Development of engineered materials

Mathematicians and the Universe

Life-support engineering

History of time-space thought

Next Generation Science Standards Connections

Cross-curricular connections between science, math, history, art, language arts

Authentic pathway to STEAM (where A is for Arts)

Allows for students to create visual and auditory explanations of science principles

Cultivates respect for the practices of scientists as discoverers and seekers of the truth

They can practice science communication

Establishing a VoiceStudents can draw from their experience/understanding

Students can “put themselves in the subject’s shoes”, and produce a point-of-view story

Prompts help focus the writing and serve to economize the script

Digital Story Processes

Sample Classroom Handouts and Worksheets

Digital Storytelling Checklist

Sample Storyboard for Friendship 7

History of Mars Exploration

Earthquake DS Research Notes/Prompt

Mineral to Market Note Page

Scoring Rubric

Copyright Concerns

Students need to be aware that they may be using copyrighted material.

Fair Use in EducationPortions of (often 10% of length) of songs

Portions of movie clips

Usually 5 or less images from one artist/photographer

Cyberbee: http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf

Students can learn to respect others’ original work!

A Live Quick Tour of Putting a Digital Story

TogetherUsing computer (PC) program Microsoft Photostory 3 (tutorial on wiki)

An excellent, simple still-photo choice, self-contained and forgiving

Using an iPad with iMovie (tutorial on wiki)Has all the learning PLUS the cool factor!

From script/storyboard, compile and save medium to large images

Put images into program, arrange in order

Record voiceover from script

Add titles, transitions, and background music

Export for sharing

Resources and Sample Ideas for

StoriesTask Aids developed by Roger Pence for use in classroom digital storytelling production (can download from www.penceviews.com)

Session Handouts and Tutorials for using Photostory 3, Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, and iMovie on iPad on http://dsinscience.wikispaces.com

What we use…I have pieced together 10 computers of various types, wireless internet enabled (most of them)

5 netbooks

3 laptops

1 Desktop PC/Monitor/Speaker set-up

2 iPads intermitttently wi-fi enabled

USB external Speakers (Logitech V20’s) that can be moved around as needed

2 Zoom H2’s, a Blue Snowball, a Samson USB mic

Flashdrives for saving and transfer, backup

This array accommodates 10 teams of 3, but I as the instructor am constantly floating, suggesting, troubleshooting

Software for creating

digital storiesMac: iMovie (multiple audio tracks)

Final Cut Express (supplemental cost)

Audacity for supplemental sound recording/editing (free download)

Windows:Windows Movie Maker (one audio track)

Photostory 3 (Windows XP, free download from Microsoft)

Audacity to record both narration and music (free download)

iPad: iMovie, Pinnacle Studio, Reel Director (one audio track)

Thanks for your time and attention.

http://www.penceviews.comhttps://dsinscience.wikispaces.com/home

rogpence@gmail.com