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=Examples of Digital Stories Appropriate for Use with High School Students=

[|Tears for Change]

In Tears for Change, Kevin uses visuals from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, text, music, and his own voice to share his personal experiences and the lessons he learned as a result of Hurricane Katrina. He sets the stage with his title and a hurricane animation. His story begins with pictures of his old, "normal life" including his high school and football stadium. These pictures are quickly and dramatically replaced by warnings to evacuate and images of Katrina. As Kevin's story continues, he visually shows the challenges he faces adjusting to two new communities, he continues to tell the story with voice, and he communicates with the viewers through text both by asking the viewers questions and also by highlighting themes. Kevin's story concludes with the lessons he learned--that disasters change lives, that strangers can be unbelievably kind, and that we all have a duty to help others. Kevin's message can be used to inspire high school students to face their own challenges and to help others. His story can be used as an example of how the careful and intentional use of media tools conveys a powerful message.

[|Amy's Choice]

Amy's Choice is a true story of a teenage girl who met a man on the internet and was produced by Netsmartz.org, an organization that works to help keep kids and teens safe on the internet. Amy's Choice begins with an immediate introduction to Amy. Viewers see her picture, hear her voice, and identify her as a "normal" teen who sometimes feels as if no one understands her. She's also a true digital native who communicates and meets others online. As the story progresses, a split screen is used showing Amy in the upper half and the hands of her online friend typing on a keyboard. Amy continues to tell the story with typing in the background. Amy emphasizes how her relationship with this man began very slowly and seemed harmless. As her choices become more dangerous the images become more vivid and move more quickly. Amy was on the run with her friend for two days before she was found. As she shares how lucky she was, viewers are questioned by white text about the others and what could have happened. The story ends with the text, "It was very scary." and contact information for teens to get help if they are in a similar situation. Safety in the digital age is a compelling issue, and this digital story could be used as a springboard for an essential discussion.

[|For the Love of the Game]

This is the story of Kevin Lichtenberg, an avid baseball lover with plans of playing professional baseball. Kevin's personality and dream both come alive from the beginning of the story. As he is describing his dreams, viewers see him as a child and clips of baseball stadiums, famous players, and famous plays. The tone seems quite positive as Kevin says, "Dreams do come true," yet changes drastically as he continues, "but sometimes dreams become nightmares." His statement fades into the rainy night that changed his life. After being hit by a car at age 13, Kevin is paralyzed and cannot play baseball. The story does not end at this point, instead Kevin changes his dream. The next sequence of images parallels the beginning of the story. Instead of watching famous baseball plays go by, we watch and listen to famous baseball announcers. If he can't play the game he loves, Kevin wants to research, analyze and share it with others. As the story ends, Kevin again uses language and images of baseball to remind viewers that "the game's not over until it's over,' and that he'll "keep on swinging." Kevin's story can be used in the classroom to encourage students to respond positively when faced with challenges and also as an example of how to compelling tell a personal narrative.

Upon further research (see embedded Youtube report below), Kevin's story also illustrates how powerful a digital story can be when it falls into the right hands. Kevin's story, created at Digitails camp, led him a chance to live his dream by throwing out the first pitch and joining one of his idols in the broadcasting booth at a Giant's game.

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[|Dear Grandma] Note: Follow the link, then select "Dear Grandma" from the menu bar at the bottom.

In Dear Grandma, an adult Matt MacArthur describes his childhood memories of his grandmother and her funeral and what he has learned about her life since her passing. The first image we see is white text beginning a letter, "Dear Grandma." Then we see Matt and his grandmother. These two elements, personal communication and a picture of the "characters," help forge a personal connection with the viewers right away. The pictures that follow and the memories Matt shares show how important his grandmother was to him. After the personal memories, Matt flashes back in black and white to the beginning of his grandmother's life and provides snapshots of each stage of her life before he knew her. As Matt shares pictures on screen and stories with his voice, we learn that he discovered this side of his grandmother through letters and writings she left behind and that while he admired her as a grandmother as a child, he now also admires her as a mother, educator, and respected citizen who made a difference in many lives. The story ends with text, the end of the letter--Love, Matt. This is an excellent example of how students can use media to communicate a message to a loved one no longer living and/or to chronicle the life of loved one for future generations.

[|Telling Their Stories] This is not a link to one digital story, rather a link to Telling Their Stories Oral History Archives Project. The Telling Their Stories project pairs high school students with elders to preserve their personal stories from living through historical events including the Civil Rights movement, the Holocaust, Japanese American Internment, and World War II. This site can be used with high school students in many ways. For example, students can research a historical period and the interviews (both transcript and video) and analyze how media was used to preserve a story and then students can create their own story preserving the history of one of the elderly family members or a member of their community.

[|Shared Memories] This is a digital story that could be used with high school German students. After her mother's death, Sabine sits down with her father. Together they read old letters and share stories of her mother's and father's life together. Sabine turns that time and those stories into her own digital story. The images are images of her father as he is sharing his memories and reading letters. His voice accompanies the images. This story could be used in German class to provide authentic language and assess listening comprehension. It is also a wonderful model of how students could use the German language to preserve their own family stories.

[|German Teenagers] In this digital story, four German teenagers describe themselves. This is a wonderful resources for authentic language in the German classroom. It could also be used for teaching grammar in context. For example, the first teen makes use of many relative pronouns. It could also be used as a basis for cultural comparisons (a teenager's room, cities, types of jobs the teens do) or for comparing different dialects for German speakers. Furthermore, it could be used as a model of introductions and students could then create an introduction of themselves to be shared with students in a German-speaking country. The site that hosts this video claims that you may translate videos into your native language. I was unable to translate this video into English (and I was pleased about that!). The "claim" did make me think, though, about what I would need to consider if I asked the students to view the video on their own and complete activities as opposed to if we view it together in the classroom. For example, if I engaged my students in listening comprehension activities, and the students translated the video to English, I would not have an accurate assessment of what they understood in German.

[|Hiroshima] The bombing of Hiroshima ended the Second World War and the world will never be the same. In this story students create a digital story questioning the decision to use the bomb, Was it necessary? Did it have to happen? Wasn't there another way to end it? Very important questions unavoidable in a history class in High School. Only by studying all the horrific battles leading to this decision and the race between Germans and Americans to obtain the atomic bomb can we really explain the decision. The students show the human cost in lives and suffering of the bomb. This story not only can lead to a rich discussion about decision making but also about leadership and its consequences.The digital storytelling was done using footage from the second World War using videos from the History channel and a personal video of the students wondering at the human cost of the decision to throw the bomb. This video can also be used by the teacher to show students of the possibilities of digital storytelling.

[|The Mountain by Amy Johns] This story is about the environmental desvastation of mining. It happens in Pennsylvania and it's the personal story of Amy Johns and what was left behind of her family place after coal mining. The country music goes hand in hand with the pictures and story telling. Students in high school can perfectly create something similar on the environmental consecuences of our energy consumption. They can choose an energy source (renewable or non-renewable) and take a look at the environmental impact, advantages and disadvantages.

[|My Shoes by Luciana Padilla] Note: Follow the link, then use the menu bar at the bottom to select "My Shoes."

Luciana Padilla tells us her remarkable personal story of immigration, political upheaval, and acceptance. It can be introduced in the classroom to start a conversation on cultural awareness and accepting our differences. Luciana wrote her own story and narrates the story using a combination of drawings and pictures with along with her voice and backgorund music. A very compelling story to use in a social studies class or for a teacher workshop on cultural awareness.