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ET695
Syllabus
Digital Storytelling
Fall 2011
INSTRUCTOR
Linda Lohr, Ed.D.
Professor of Educational Technology
McKee Hall, Room 501
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639
Voice: 970 351 25135 ~ FAX: 970 351- 1622
E-Mail: linda.lohr@unco.edu
Website: http://bb.unco.edu (ET613)
OFFICE HOURS: As needed.
FYI
970 351 2807
Keyleigh Gurney, Ed. Tech office manager
http://www.primaryaccess.org/ (a tool you might want to use)
http://milehighstories.com (favorites are Walt Young, Bess Turner, Carlos Fresquez)
This class has an optional* face-to-face section for those interested.
*Time and location will be determined by the participants in the optional section.
COURSE
GOAL
To explore digital storytelling for academic purposes.
COURSE
DESCRIPTION
Provides students with knowledge and experience in designing, developing and
delivering educationally related digital stories effectively.
"Propositional approaches may be the most direct and simple form of
communication for those of us who teach, but they are not the only pedagogical
means. When you contextualize truth in story form, you create experiences where
those truths can be tested vicariously and tasted imaginatively. Subjective
experiences can then be powerful conduits for discovering objective truths."
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“Are there any rules about digital storytelling? Perhaps one: story without digital
works, but digital without story doesn’t.” Jason Ohler
TEXTBOOK
Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning,
and Creativity. Jason Ohler, Corwin Press, 2008.
Access to software of your choice (must be able to mix images, sound, and text –
PowerPoint, iMovie, MovieMaker, and others are good)
OBJECTIVES
Objective 1: Given the textbook (focus on chapter 3) and Blackboard discussions
you will identify the instructional value of story and its relationship to national
education standards and new media literacy. You will tell a story (narration/text
minimum to describe the instructional value of story. This objective is achieved in
Unit 1 and is worth 15% of the total grade, 15 points.
Objective 2: Given story examples (see stories on pages 17 – 20) and Blackboard
discussions you will identify story core and story map elements (explained in
Chapters 5 & 6). This objective is achieved in Unit 2 and is worth 5 % of the total
grade, 5 points.
Objective 3: You will analyze the story core/map of a movie or televised series
(you pick the movie or series) and deconstruct its composition. You will share your
deconstruction in a Blackboard discussion. This objective is achieved in Unit 2 and
is worth 15 % of the total grade, 15 points.
Objective 4: You will plan (map, pitch, storyboard) a story of your own by
sharing your plan in a Blackboard discussion group. This objective is achieved in
Units 3 –4 and is worth 15% of the total grade, 15 points.
Objective 5: Given responses to your pitch, you will revise your story
strengthening character transformation (chapter 8 ). This objective is achieved in
unit x and is worth 15 % of the total grade, 15 points.
Objective 6: Given the software of your choice you will develop two digital
stories:
the first is a personal digital story to introduce yourself to the class (must use
images and text) in Unit 1 (5% grade, x points),
the second is the digital story used in Objectives 4 – 5 (must include narration and
images minimum). Stories must implement Mayer’s multimedia principle, which
you will share in a Blackboard discussion. Story 2 and a description of Mayer’s
multimedia application is worth 25%, 25 points.
Objective 7: Given the textbook you will review copyright and fair use laws
(Chapter 15) and implement relevant considerations into a delivery plan for your
digital story. You will describe your plan in a Blackboard discussion group. This is
worth 5% of your grade, 5 points.
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Unit
Overview
and tentative
schedule
Unit 0: 8/22 – 8/28 Introduction. Say hi and contribute to the “class story” (in
Blackboard)
Unit 1: 8/29 – 9/11 The educational merit of stories. Create your first story and
read chapters 1, 2, 3 (see Objective 1 above)
Unit 2: 9/12 – 9/25 The story core and story map. Deconstruct textbook
examples of story and a televised series or movie and read chapters 4, 5, 6 (see
Objectives 2 & 3 above)
Unit 3: 9/26 – 10/9 Create rough draft of a story (1 – 4 minutes long) and read
chapters 9, 10 (see Objective 4 above)
Unit 4: 10/10 – 10/23 Revise rough draft at least one time (focus on character
transformation) and read chapters 7, 8 (see Objective 5 above)
Unit 5: 10/24 – 11/6 Continue to develop story and begin media production.
Read chapters 11 – 13 (see Objective 6 above)
Unit 6: 11/7 – 11/28 Complete and present story, read chapters 14, 15. (see
Objective 7 above)
RELATED
STANDARDS


Apply appropriate instructional or performance interventions (AECT: 1.3,
1.4; ISTE: V ABC; CDE: 3)
Develop educational materials that incorporate audio, video, print,
distance and computer based formats (AECT: 2, ISTE: III)
GRADING 93 % = A
90 - 92 % = A86 – 89 %= B+
83 – 85 %= B
80 – 82 %= B76 – 79 %= C+
73 – 75 %= C
70 – 72 %= C66 – 69 %= D+
63 – 65 %= D
60 – 62 %= DBelow 60 %= F
Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class
should contact the Disability Access Center (970-351-2289) as soon as possible after
the start of class to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a
timely fashion.
Academic Honesty:
It is expected that members of this class will observe strict policies of academic honesty and will
be respectful of each other. Any instances in which cheating including plagiarism and
unauthorized use of copyrighted materials, computer accounts, or someone else’s work is
determined will be referred to Student Services and will be investigated to its full extent.
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