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=Home > Group B Workspace > Learning Activity 5-B-1: Storytelling Examples=

Digital Stories at Center for Digital Storytelling cannot be linked to directly. Following the link below will take you to the "Community" page. Then go to the thumbnails at the bottom and select: [|"The Balcony"] by Pieter van der Walt

This Digital Story is set in South Africa and celebrates the efforts of two men to overcome violence. Appropriate for older students, it demonstrates the importance of taking a risk to realize one's hopes. The story clearly communicates that outcomes are not always perfect, nor should one expect them to be; it is the effort one applies toward a goal that is important. [|Child Soldiers]by Ashley Desciscio, Joel Rodriguez, Kimberly Menendez, and Jericho Bellman

This Digital Story appears on the PBS Innovation Awards Gallery. It is the product of a combined study of the book "A Long Way Gone" a memoir by Ishmael Beah in language arts class and a unit on child soldiers in social studies class. Though it is not a "story" in itself, it tells a part of the story of child soldiers around the world. The subject matter is unlike anything that the typical American student has to deal with on a daily basis and therefore encourages Global Awareness; its builds empathy, too. The students found a way to humanize statistics that otherwise might be just numbers. Digital Stories at Center for Digital Storyteling cannot be linked to directly. Following the link below will take you to the "Identity" page. Then go to the thumbnails at the bottom and scroll over to: [|august, 1977] by Amy Peterson

This Digital Story is my favorite so far. As the author says, she didn't want to tell a story and add pictures to it. She wanted the images to work in their own unique way to add meaning to the story. Though she isn't completely satisfied with the result, I was enchanted by her concept of memory and thought her use of image, music and narration worked together in unusual ways to explore that concept sometimes abstractly, sometimes concretely. I was intellectually stimulated to think not just of the individual story, but to think about the media itself. I also may have connected more with this piece because it is in my realm of experience. I know what memory is. I, too, have wondered if memory is accurate or if it is something we believe to be one way or another because we have put words to it or others have put words to it.

This site features a new type of fiction called Digital Fiction. Creators use flash media to develop interactive stories. Be patient as the flash media presentations take a while to load. Some contain adult language and images (with warnings). Because of the adult content, a high school teacher would have to be careful in using this site, however, students would be fascinated with both the technology and the stories. The site also offers "kits" with some of the themes used available for purchase and use on PCs Dreaming Methods

Here is a fairly linear story about a package that triggers a childhood memory: Glimmer The flash software allows the author to explore the vague, fuzzy feelings of a hangover as well as memory in ways that the author of "august, 1977" (referenced above) could not. So, the type of technology enhances the "reader's" experience tremendously. The ambient sounds in this story add yet another dimension. It is a story of layers of memory, experience and even the technology used to create it adds layers to the experience of comprehending the story itself. A "reader" could find new things in this story even on the third reading. It's complexity makes it even more engaging. This one is fairly surreal. The idea is to explore in a semi-linear way the "text." Dim O Gauble Dim O Gauble allows the "reader" to participate in the story. One can try to peer behind top layered images to find the words and drawings beneath it Often the text disappears before one was done reading, but unlike in a movie theatre where if the listener misses what was said, this is a story that one can re-read without too much trouble, so the dissolving words enhance the initial mystery of what is going on. This story is a mystery with rich textural drawings that both confuse and enhance the experience. Arrows point the way in the lush visual environment, and "check boxes" occur for occasional further exploration. Another site (again with some adult content): [|Web Yarns]

This is an interesting chapter story with multi-media throughout: [|Pamela Small] A longer story (it takes about 15-20 minutes to read/experience), this digital story's writing is more complex and more like a traditional narrative. It is about arson, murder, and a very mixed-up girl. It's edgy and compelling. A high school teacher might have to be cautious, but a lot of students would get into this story. This story was enjoyable beciase of all the differnt effects and media used. I didn't predict the ending, either, which is always good!