Photo Story 3 in the Classroom

Overview:

Photo Story 3 is a free, downloadable program from Microsoft with features that enable you to produce a multimedia digital story from digital pictures. You can import and edit your pictures, perform basic edits, incorporate over 40 special effects and transitions, add titles, music, and narration and then save your story as a movie that can be put on a CD or DVD, played back on a computer or TV, emailed, or uploaded to a website.

This workshop is designed to give participants hands-on instruction and practice in using Photo Story. In addition, we will share ideas and best practices for using Photo Story in all curricular areas, with all grade levels, and with all students including ELs, gifted students, and those with special needs.

It is the perfect program for students to use to process what they have learned, reflect on a subject or share information. Using still images or clip art from the Internet, digital or scanned photos and creativity, students will be able to spend time on the content without having to struggle with the technology.

In addition, the software is a good choice for schools who want to develop community relations. It can be used with parent organizations to showcase PTA or booster club activities, for graduation videos or other parental involvement activities.

The ease of creating digital stories with Photo Story 3 and the “free” price tag make it a valuable tool for teachers who want to integrate technology and cannot afford to buy software. Although simple for the novice, Photo Story 3 has enough features to make it a worthwhile software addition for any teacher who is interested in technology integration.

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=11132  

Photostory in ELA and World Language Study

PhotoStory is a great tool for presenting vocabulary and simple concepts in Language Arts and Foriegn Language. The program would be useful to any content area that presents new vocabulary on a regular basis. A PhotoStory can include images and sounds associated with vocabulary being presented. In foriegn language classes pictures of the vocabulary items can be displayed, labeled with the desired language, and audio clips of the pronunciation of the word or phrase can be played. This would be a great way of integrating different music from the target-language's culture. When teaching students parts of language, such as articles or aggreement, PhotoStory can provide examples of correct and incorrect sentence structure. Providing visual examples of a concept aids students in making real connections to the material. A good Photostory can bring a vocabulary list to life or hearing audio of correct grammar and pronouncation can help reinforce the lesson. Not only are visual examples a good way of introducing a topic to students but it also make a lesson more exciting than a regular lecture. You can also use PhotoStory as an introductory tool into a new unit. For example, if you are going to be reading works from Edgar Allan Poe, PhotoStory is a great way to showcase his life and give biographical information that may be pertinent to his writing. This is also is a good way to show students pictures and music from countries that speak the language you are teaching.

I think PhotoStory is great as a front-loading activity. Creating a "music video" with clips and quotes from a book or film the students are familiar with is a great way to get them interested in the unit you're getting ready to start. Also, drawing upon the students' memories, experiences, and emotions is also a great way to front-load historical literature or events that highlight the unit. The students will appreciate something that is thought-provoking. Photostory is also useful to create a pictorial time line that can be used for frontloading as well. My photostory was about highlights of the Civil Rights movement that could be used as frontloading for To Kill a Mockingbird or any other related story.

Another great way to use it in a language arts class would be to have students create a type of "graphic novel" of a short story or novel (or even a poem) that they are reading. They could use images they find or images they create themselves, mixed with dialogue, and could play it as a presentation to the class as their own version of the short story or novel.  A photo story lesson would work great with visual learners, verbal learners, and those who learn with hands on would be able to learn through a photo story activity. The majority of students in the United States are visual learners so odds are that this lesson will work in any classroom.

Photo Story 3 in the Classroom

Agenda

Welcome – Overview, Goals, & Housekeeping items- (5 min)

Part 1 – Learning the Mechanics of Photo Story 3

1. Introduction to Photo Story & Examples of Digital Stories – (10 min)

This is an engaging Spanish lesson for learning body parts.

1. Curriculum Applications: (10 min)

1. Small Group Brainstorm 
   

2. Share out

2. Downloading & Installing w/ Links to Online Tutorials- This actual downloads for PhotoStory and Windows Media Player 11 are on your flashdrive.
   

• http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=11132 

• http://www.jakesonline.org/photostory.pdf

• http://www.hopewell.k12.va.us/education/sctemp/bd32018f01d47345be03c311859c88bc/1185235385/Microsoft_Photostory_3_Tutorial.pdf

4. View Photo Story Interface  Backwards map-View Butterfly video

   Fliqz has shut down their service. To access this video, email support with this video id: 6e5dfa205b0d4415981f42c129e96993

5. Demo & Hands-on Follow Along: Steps to creating a Photo Story project- (15 min)  (Hashiem)
   

6. Hands-On Practice: Putting together a First Photo Story project

1. Starting a New Photo Story Project– Prompt, brainstorm, getting started.(15 min)
   

• Write your story/storyboard/script.  Choose the photos you want to use.  Either use the photos provided from the folder on your computer or search for them online.
  

• Editing Photos (15 min)

• Edit photos as needed (crop rotate, adjust color, remove red eye, adjust contrast).

• Add effects to individual photos if desired (black & white, sepia, colored pencil, black outline, diffuse glow, etc.)

• Add titles, captions, phrases or sentences to selected photos. (Users may select the font type, size, format, color, and position on the slide.) Save Project.

• Regroup- Narration and Transitions –
  

• Regroup to review recording narration for individual photos. Participants will use microphones to add narration to select slides. and may customize transitions for select photos.

1. Configure & test microphone.

2. For select slides- add notes, then record.

3. Listen/preview narration. Redo narration if necessary. and either using the default random transitions between photos or customizing motion for individual photos.

• Transitions – use default random transitions between photos or optionally, customize motion for select, individual photos.

• Save project.

• Adding background music
  

1. Remember to check and adjust the volume of the music track so that the narration can be heard over the background music

• Creating/Rendering your Movie
  

• Regroup to review saving as Photo Story project, then selecting the settings for creating/saving as a video file

• Actions- select based on how you want to show and/or share the story

• Settings button – Select quality settings based on output format

• Browse to location for saving your rendered movie file.

1. NOTE- You will have at least TWO files- the Microsoft Photo Story file with a .wp3 extension (your project file) and a movie file with a .wmv extension

• Participants will complete their final editing and finishing touches, save the Photo Story project file and will then create the movie file

Designing Digital Storytelling Projects for Your Classroom-Next Steps

1. Curriculum area(s), standards, (CA Common Core, College & Career Readiness Anchor standards Concepts, essential ideas, etc.  What will this project help students learn, or be able to demonstrate?
2. Purpose for project-method of assessment, teaching a process, portfolio artifact, short work product to demonstrate understanding/skill, culminating project, individual work or group project.
3. Example of Spanish Lesson