Digital Inquiry:Digital Inquiry:Making a DocumentaryMaking a Documentary

Jon Orech

English Department

Curricular Technology Consultant

Downers Grove South High School

Downers Grove, Illinois

Essential Question:Essential Question:

How can inquiry learning and digital storytelling be combined to create a meaningful learning experience?

Inquiry-based ProjectInquiry-based Project(Jakes, Pennington, Knodle)(Jakes, Pennington, Knodle)

Essential question Foundation questions Develop a search strategy Locate information Filter, distill, and cross reference Evaluate amount of information Develop answer to question Create product to represent answer

Digital StorytellingDigital Storytelling(Lambert)(Lambert)

Point (of View)Dramatic QuestionEconomyEmotional ContentSoundtrackGift of your VoicePacing

““Digital Inquiry”Digital Inquiry”

Inquiry

Project

Digital

Story-

telling

Prior to the ProjectPrior to the Project

Practice with Inquiry model (Mini inquiry)– Essential/Foundation questions– Keywords– Internet Research

Creation of a “pure” digital story– 7 elements– Editing software

Step 1:Step 1:Writing the inquiry paperWriting the inquiry paper

Design topic that accommodates inquiry. Adapt “scaffolding” to student ability and

experience. Require a wide variety of types of sources.

– On line– Print– Interviews

Promote ethical research. Consider collaborative writing. Collect paper as a self-contained assignment.

Step 2:Step 2:Adapting the TextAdapting the Text

Length: 2 pages, double spacedDocumentation

– Oral citations– Works cited

Consider audience familiarityMaster pronunciation

Step 3:Step 3:Collecting ImagesCollecting Images

(USE STILLS)(USE STILLS)

Where?– Google, altavista, flickr.com

Image size: 640x480 pixelsCopyrightsConsistencyConsider symbolic representations

Step 4: Step 4: Create StoryboardCreate Storyboard

“Movie Outline”“Movie Outline”

Visually “syncs” words to imagesEncourages editingReveals “holes”Aids in creation of documentary

Template

Step 5:Step 5:Create DocumentaryCreate Documentary

(Digital editing software)(Digital editing software)Drop imagesRecord voice overSynchronize images to audioAdd effectsAdd soundtrackTitles, text, and transitionsPolish and burn

Drop imagesDrop images

Begin with black, title, blackPlace in order from story boardConclude with black,title, black

Voice overVoice over

PacingArticulation, pronunciationTone

Sync images to soundSync images to sound

1+1=3Image before wordsGive audience time to digestCoordinating audio with transitions

– V.O. through cut– V.O. stop at dissolve– V.O. stop at fade

EffectsEffects “Less is more”“Less is more”

Movement– Zoom– Pan

Using textColor/lighting

– Sepia– B/W vs. color– Contrast

SoundtrackSoundtrack

VolumeMood/toneInstrumental vs. lyrics

Titles and transitionsTitles and transitions

Titles – Sans serif– Appropriate to topic

Transitions: “less is more”– Cut– Dissolve– Fade– Other…

A “cut” = no punctiation orA “cut” = no punctiation or

A comma.A comma.

Think of a dissolve as a Think of a dissolve as a period.period.

After the dissolve, we start After the dissolve, we start another, related thought.another, related thought.

A fade is like an “enter” that A fade is like an “enter” that implies a new topic of thought.implies a new topic of thought.

AssessmentAssessment

Inqury written assignment– Content– Documentation– Mechanics

Prep steps (storyboard)Documentary

– Content (images, adaptations)– Presentation (7 elements)

Why Digital Inquiry?Why Digital Inquiry?

Adaptable to student ability and subjectPerformance assessment (P.B.L.)Wide variety of assessment possibilitiesMultiple intelligencesStudent ownershipStudent motivation

What are the obstacles?What are the obstacles?

Time

Technology

Training

“Selectively abandon”

Studio 9, iMovie, Photo Story 3

CALL ME!

I am available for I am available for workshops, in-service for:workshops, in-service for:

Digital storytelling: art and craftSoftware training: PhotoStory 3

Pinnacle Studio 9,™Digital inquiryAdapting DST/ DI to low-achieving

students