Group+C+Digital+Stories

__**Laura's Middle School Digital Storytelling Examples**__

 * [|Martin Luther King Jr.>]
 * This Quicktime movie would be a valuable teaching tool to use in a middle school classroom. It combines original audio from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, commentary from students about what King did, and the announcement that King had been killed. The original pictures and video provide a powerful glimpse into a period of history and are combined with photos from today. My age doesn't allow me to remember this historical event, but this project gives those of us who weren't part of this memorable time in history a bit of what it must have been like. Watching this speech always brings tears to my eyes. Teachers of middle schoolers are able to use this speech to discuss the advances of civil rights (and knowing what civil rights are) over the past several decades.
 * M[|y Favorite Books]
 * This video combines still pictures and audio (voice recording and background music) to share a "trip down memory" lane that the producer takes with her favorite books. Using this with middle school students would help them to verbalize that books have many different purposes in people's lives. It would also be entertaining for them, as it was for me, as they remember the books that they have enjoyed. So often, we can connect books with times and events in our lives. Middles schoolers are anxious to read good books, and they love to talk about their favorites. Last year, we had our 7th graders bring their favorite children's book to read to their classmates. What a great time they had doing this!!
 * [|Farmhouse Movies]
 * As middle school students work to improve their writing skills and include details, voice, supporting facts and other facets of good writing, this movie would be a great lead in. Having a copy of the script for them to read as the movie was played (or after it) would let them see the quality writing that was blended with the author's personal photographs. A final project such as this would give students the opportunity to blend high quality writing skills with other 21st century skills to produce an integrated project. Any type of additional motivation for middle schoolers to see good writing is beneficial for them. Using photographs with appropriate questions helps them to be descriptive and use proper word choices.

__**Alice's Storytelling Examples**__

 * Obama Presentation
 * [[file:obama_presentation.ppt]]
 * A majority of students, especially at the middle school level, were very involved on both sides in this year's presidential elections. Many did research about the canidates to get to “know” them better. This slide show gives interesting background information about our president-elect, Obama. It shows the human side of him as he grows from a youngster to the next leader of the United States. For those students (and adults) who don't know much about Mr. Obama, this presentation is very informative.
 * Two-headed animals
 * [[file:two-headed-animals.ppt]]
 * Middle schoolers love subjects out of the ordinary. This slide show equipped with music may not be to many adults’ liking, but middle schoolers love pictures such as these. The excellent slides show students how nature makes animals different from each other just as humans are different. Some of them may be rather odd, but a teacher might use some of them to work on writing skills, also.
 * [|Mixed Race Me]
 * Being a member of a mixed race society brings many self-doubts to children as they enter those preteen and teen years. Some find alternate methods of expressing themselves such as the poetry used in this story. This movie, told using audio in a first person narrative and still photos blended together, helps them to get the message out to their peers and society as a whole that they are no different from anyone else as a person. I found myself wondering how I would feel if I were in this situation.

__**Eva Maria's Storytelling Examples**__

 * Aztec Legend: Creation of the Moon
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjMRoY3-shY
 * The Aztecs believed a very interesting legend regarding the creation of the moon. This animation gives a very detailed description of the legend and includes animation to illustrate the main points of the myth. The legend is narrated in Spanish, which would be challenging even for fourth-semester Spanish students, but the animation makes the Spanish easier to follow, and students will be able to understand the main points of the myth in context.


 * Teotihuacan: The Place Where Men Become Gods
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7nbKa5__XM
 * This short video includes photos and videos of Teotihuacan, mysterious ruins near Mexico City. While there is no narration, a description of the ruins and legends associated with this important historic site are written in subtitles. Music accompanies the photos and text.


 * Legend of Quetzalcoatl
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6soW6PixKJ8
 * This animation illustrates the legend of Quetzalcoatl using rich imagery and sound, but without written text or spoken word. This was created as a graduate student's final project, and is a wonderfully creative work which depicts an important Mexican legend.