Dropbox is a website that gives you access to your photos, documents, music files, and more at any time. I like to think of dropbox as an external hardrive that you do not have to carry with you. You can create a folder or multiple folders with your files that are accessible on your phone, laptop, or any other computer. Dropbox lets you share a folder by sending the link to someone else, as long as it is a public folder. I have never used dropbox, but am certainly considering it to save my photos and documents to. I like that you can upload files from your ipad/iphone directly to your dropbox folder, and you can access it as long as you have internet access. Teachers could use dropbox to save their students’ work, as well as documents/videos for class. Each student would need to set up their own account to use it, but it would be helpful if they are using multiple computers throughout the school day, and want to easily access their work at home as well. You have 5GB of space for free, and you have to pay to upgrade if you need more space.
Blurb is a website that helps you create and publish a book. Blurb looks easy to use, and has a variety of layouts to pick from depending on what type of book you are interested in creating. Blub would be fun for a teacher or student to create a book from a field trip, special event, dance, sports or any other school event. You can download the blurb app for free, and it is easy to upload your photos, and add as much or little text as you’d like. During my undergrad at Hartford Art School, I remember a group of art students who studied abroad for a semester in Italy, used Blurb to create a beautiful book of the artwork and photographs they took on their trip. They sold the books and will now have them as a souvenir to look at in the future and share with their friends and family.
Sharing a story using digital tools and technology is called digital story telling. Digital stories differ from traditional stories in that they typically contain computer based graphics/images, recorded audio narration, text, video clips, and/or music. After watching some examples, I believe that digital story telling can be more engaging and exciting to listen and watch because of the moving images, music, and audio narration. I have always struggled with reading because I have a hard time concentrating, and I found that it is much easier to pay attention and recall information when watching/listening to a digital story. A few important things that I think will help create an effective and exciting digital story include:
- accurate information
- an appropriate amount of captivating images
- smooth transitions that go with the flow/pace of the story
- reading from a written script – to avoid “um’s” and to keep the student on track
- if music is used, the volume and song can be impactful and set a mood, as long as it works with the story
- voice recording must be clear, and the speaker needs to speak clearly while reading at an appropriate pace
- students must site their images, music, and texts where they got their information. Students must avoid copyright issues.
- The length of the story must be carefully considered
Students can work individually or in groups to create digital stories using programs such as imovie, moviemaker, or powerpoint. Students can post their stories to Youtube or Teachertube to share with their friends and classmates. Students would be responsible for choosing appropriate images, sound, and recording/writing the text as a group. They will need to work together to figure out the pacing of the story as well as transitions between images, text, and narration. Each student could take turns narrating from a written script, or they could choose one person to read, edit, find images etc. As a future art teacher, I think that it would be appropriate for 4th – 12th grade to create digital stories on famous artists, periods of art, or even their own work. Digital stories are appropriate for all subject matter, and a variety of age groups. They are fun way to learn and share research and new knowledge with each other and the rest of the class.
I found some good examples of art related digital stories on the University of Houston’s website:
http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/art.html
http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/
There are quite a few websites that help you create digital stories, including:
UMBC also has a large library of digital stories on their site:
http://www.umbc.edu/oit/newmedia/studio/digitalstories/index.html
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