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
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
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
Titles and transitionsTitles and transitions
Titles – Sans serif– Appropriate to topic
Transitions: “less is more”– Cut– Dissolve– Fade– Other…
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
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