Digital Storytelling Using MS Photo Story
Digital storytelling can take on many faces. These can range from creating a narrated, illustrated version of an existing story to the creation of an original work by a student. They can also be made using video or still images, drawings or photos. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will be using Photo Story (by Microsoft) to create a digital story using only still images.
Note: If you want to use video you will need to use MovieMaker or iMovie, depending upon your computer platform.
Assumptions: This tutorial assumes you have Microsoft Photo Story 3 installed on your computer and that you have a microphone attached to your computer. Download Microsoft Photo Story 3 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=92755126-a008-49b3-b3f4-6f33852af9c1&DisplayLang=en).
Creating a Storyboard
Unless you are already creating a digital story out of an existing book you will probably want to make a storyboard. A storyboard helps the storyteller outline where a title should go, what narration goes with what photo, what music will be behind each clip, etc. You don't need any fancy software, all you need is a simple Microsoft Word template (download template). Below is a picture of a storyboard created for the book The Bitaba Bird that can be found online at MagicKeys.
Acquiring Pictures
Photo Story works with images (.bmp, .dib, .eps, .gif, .jhif, .jpe, .jpeg, .jpg, .pcd, .pcx, .png, .psd, .rle, .tga, and .tif) only, no video. You can acquire images in many ways but they must result in a digital image.
- Scan a paper illustration or photo
- Draw pictures/images in a graphics program
- Take pictures using a digital camera
- Draw pictures/images on an electronic whiteboard
These are only a few ways to acquire digital images. You or your students may think of more :)
Important Notes Before You Begin
There are a few distinctions that you should be aware of before you begin. Photostory can save in two formats: as a Photostory Project (.wp3) and as a Windows Media Video file (.wmv).
A Photostory Project file is openable ONLY by Photostory and it allows you to edit or change the project at any time. Think of this as the raw files. This is not something you would share with others because it is not the final product. It's the way you create and edit the project before making the final product. You should save your Photostory Project often throughout the creation process. Do this by clicking on the Save Project button on any of the screens.
A Windows Media File is a final product that is created by Photostory. It's an "export" of the project into a format that is viewable by people without Photostory. This is the product that you will share or turn in for a grade. This format is not editable by Photostory. You save (or export) your .wmv file when your Photostory is complete and you wish to share it with someone else (like your instructor). Do this from the Save your Story window near the end of the project wizard.
This is an important distinction especially when it comes time to turn in your project for a grad. One last thing, the .wmv file created by Photostory is only playable on Windows machines using the newest versions of Windows Media Player. It is NOT playable on a Mac. If you instructor is a Mac user you will need to convert the file into another format. For full instructions see Converting a Photostory wmv to a more compatible mp4 format.
Begin using Photo Story
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