digital storytelling assignments

The Changing Story: digital stories that participate in transforming teaching & learning

(25 reviews)

Linda Buturian, University of Minnesota

Publisher: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing

Language: English

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Reviewed by Dolores Flamiano, Professor, Media Arts and Design, James Madison University on 5/16/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The Changing Story gives a remarkably thorough overview of digital storytelling and covers the bases from project conceptualization to scaffolding to assessment to peer feedback. There is much to admire in this book, from preliminary chapters grounded in educational theory to later chapters that get into the practical nuts and bolts. There are a couple of features that I find extremely informative and helpful—at times even inspiring. Next semester, I plan to implement digital storytelling assignments in my classes. When I do, I will be turning to The Changing Story, in particular the exercises in the Appendix and the chapters on scaffolding and assessment. As a professor with a humanities background teaching in a program with a strong focus on applied skills and media technology, I often feel like a fish out of water. At the same time, I want to help students apply their digital skills to critical analysis and visual literacy development. The Changing Story appeals to me because it takes a “big picture” approach to digital storytelling. In other words, the focus is on learning through digital storytelling rather than learning to use digital tools. To me, this is an important distinction, and one that makes this book truly comprehensive.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Very clear and accurate focus on digital storytelling from cross-disciplinary, education-based, pedagogical perspectives. I appreciate the short videos sharing the experiences of students and teachers who have used digital storytelling assignment for different purposes and in different disciplinary contexts.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The book’s dual focus on digital storytelling and climate change (a through line in many of the video examples) makes it feel highly relevant and of-the-moment, but not in a trendy or frivolous way. I also applaud the authors for paying attention to the process of digital storytelling and not espousing any specific technological tools or platforms.

Clarity rating: 4

The writing is clear, straightforward, and accessible. It might seem basic for those already conversant with digital assignments, but for someone getting started, it seems just right.

Consistency rating: 4

Uneven, in my opinion. The chapters are consistent in terms of following a format clearly described in the introduction. The student examples are somewhat inconsistent in terms of the production lengths (8 minutes feels too long) and technical quality.

Modularity rating: 4

I’m not accustomed to rating modularity, but will do my best. In terms of the ability for separate chapters to stand alone, then I think that certain chapters, notably the Appendix, could function quite effectively as independent modules.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is thoughtfully organized so that each chapter builds upon the previous one. The chapters flow well together.

Interface rating: 3

This was somewhat uneven, in my opinion. For example, when reading the e-book online, I found a few cases of orphan last lines or headings. In terms of the videos, I found it distracting to be taken to YouTube whenever clicking on a video interview or student example. I would prefer to have the videos embedded in the e-book rather than having to go to YouTube.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The book was error-free as far as I could tell.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Somewhat uneven overall. The examples of student work were somewhat diverse and inclusive. There were videos highlighting people and projects in South America and other parts of the world. On the other hand, the interviews with students and teachers did not have much diversity.

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book. I have been looking for a helpful primer for introducing digital storytelling into my media literacy and critical thinking classrooms, and this is the best textbook that I have seen so far. It provides a solid rationale for introducing digital storytelling as a way to enhance and enrich teaching and learning. Equally important, the authors often take a strong social responsibility and ethics perspective, which I admire and support. In this vein, I appreciate the attention to fair use when it comes to using images and music, as I think this is an area where students will need more guidance as digital storytelling becomes more pervasive in our educational landscape, which I think it will.

Reviewed by Vicki Pitstick, Director, New Student & Family Programs, Radford University on 1/7/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

As a professional who has used digital stories in many ways and a certified Digital Story Facilitator through The Storycenter, I felt this book did a great job of explaining what digital stories are and different ways they can be utilized. The numerous examples of digital stories and students' reflections on their digital stories were wonderful, and the index/glossary was very complete with explanations and sample assignments. The one thing I wished the author would have discussed was the use of story circles when creating digital stories. This is a very powerful aspect of the process of digital storytelling that can elevate student learning and teach empathy, and although it takes time, that all professors may not have in the classroom, I do think it is a part of the process that could have been explained for those who might have the time to incorporate it into their teaching.

The author did an excellent job of providing clear and accurate explanations. Her viewpoints did not come off as bias, and she was able to portray a sense of flexibility as well as provide options for teaching a topic in a different way in her writing.

As technology becomes more and more a part of our world, providing resources to teachers about ways it can be utilized in the classroom is crucial. This is especially true if we want to keep our students engaged as much as possible. Additional examples and updates could easily be added to this textbook.

Clarity rating: 5

The numerous examples, digital stories, and exercises made the text an easy and enjoyable read.

Consistency rating: 5

The author is consistent throughout the book with her terminology and framework. She explained how each chapter would be set up and followed the format she described. Her use of backward design as a framework for the book illustrated the value of this pedagogy.

The text is written more of an instruction for teachers on how to teach using digital stories. There are aspects that could be pulled out for students, but it is mainly to help teachers with this pedagogical strategy.

The book was easy to read and flowed well.

Interface rating: 4

Not all links worked for me, but this may be a result of my own computer.

The book was very well-written and easy to read.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The beauty of digital storytelling is that it is a great tool to help people educate others about and celebrate their cultures. I did not find anything offensive about the text.

I believe the use of digital storytelling is very powerful and enjoy incorporating them into courses and other activities when appropriate. I appreciate that this book has added to my repertoire of exercises, examples, and ways to assess digital stories. I also appreciated the authors vulnerability and honesty about her own process as she continues to incorporate digital storytelling into her teaching, Well done!

Reviewed by Elif Guler, Dr./Associate Professor/Professional Writing Coordinator, Longwood University on 8/17/21

This book presents a comprehensive discussion of digital storytelling from its definition to examples of students’ digital stories to related scholarly research as well as tools (e.g., assignments and exercises) and other resources (links to instructional videos) for teachers to easily integrate "digital storytelling" into their curricula. However, some of the links provided for sample students’ projects no longer work (perhaps because those students chose to make the videos private, etc).

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The content is accurate. The only issue (error) is with the broken links that no longer work (there are several of those).

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The relevance is a challenging aspect with this kind of a text whose topic (digital storytelling) has something to do with changing technologies. The text does a good job of overcoming this challenge, Much of the discussion provides timeless guidance on composing digital works that would could be easily applied through different technologies -- even if those technologies were to change in the future. Still, the text might need updating every five years or so (which is indicated even by the sample links that can go obsolete in a short period of time).

The author presents the content in a very accessible, clear prose. The text flows very well and makes the reader want to continue reading. The text can be understood by any teacher at any level without knowledge of specific terminology. Any terminology used is defined and explained.

The text uses relevant terminology consistently. The chapters are also consistent within themselves in terms of their purposes. For example, chapters 1 and 2 provide a more theoretical discussion, while chapters 3 and 4 also provide practical models and procedural frameworks.

Modularity rating: 5

The text has been clearly divided into chapters and different sections that can easily be selected and assigned for students to read.

This text is clearly organized around definitions and discussions of theory on digital storytelling, practical tools for creating digital stories, specific examples, exercises, assessment devices.

The interface can get problematic at times; for example, it takes a while to get out of an example page and return to the corresponding chapter, sometimes. The reader can find themselves bumped back to the beginning of the book or the end of the book, etc. Also, some of the lines in some of the chapter pages seem to get cut off, so the reader might need to play with the browser window size to make all of the text visible.

The book seems to be edited well for grammatical correction.

The text presents a rhetorically conscious approach to culture and invites instructors and students to critical thinking thorough the exercises included in the chapters. Highly interesting sample works such as the "classroom as mandala" provides for meaningfully diverse content.

I'm definitely planning to integrate some of the assignments and exercises from this book into my digital writing course.

Reviewed by Sharon Head, Assistant Professor, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on 6/3/20

This text is a comprehensive, concise, and highly readable introduction to the use of digital storytelling as a learning tool for both instructors and students. The author provides a solid theoretical background, exercises to use with students, and many powerful examples of the ways that her students and colleagues have used and learned from the process of digital storytelling.

The author provides content that is accurate and unbiased. Specific attention seemed to be paid to providing examples of digital storytelling that reflected a variety of cultural perspectives/voices.

Because the author refrains from discussion of any specific technology, this text will be "current" for years to come. There is a sense of timelessness about this content in the best possible sense.

This is a well-written and very readable text. I think that it could be easily used by instructors not just at the university level but in K-12 settings as well.

The author very clearly outlines her approach to the organization of chapters at the beginning of the book and follows that structure throughout. There is good consistency in tone. Use of short, meaningful quotes at the beginning of each chapter helps to draw the reader "in."

Text is arranged in an very visually appealing way. Lots of white space and headings/sub-headings that help the reader to see where they are and what lies ahead. No student should be able to make a complaint of TMDR (too much, didn't read) about any of the chapters or the book as a whole.

This text has a very clear organizational structure that progresses from definitions, to types/uses of digital stories, to very practical exercises, examples, and assessment tools.

Text is free of major interface issues; there were however issues with accessing the assessment rubrics.

No grammatical errors; well-edited.

Text is culturally sensitive and includes examples of digital stories from students and instructors who have a variety of cultural and/or experiential backgrounds.

I will plan to use this text as a resource for pre- and in-service K-12 teachers.

Reviewed by Carrie Oeding, Assistant Professor, Bridgewater State University on 6/1/20

I really like what the book covers and how it breaks down the steps to integrating digital storytelling assignments in your classroom. It's incredibly clear and immediately useful. In the "Types of Digital Storytelling" I would like to see a reference to additionally using the assignment genre to create arguments with digital storytelling. Right now the emphasis is on informing, explaining concepts, reflecting, and teaching others. A lot of students think research and writing means just reporting. Informing and explaining doesn't imply creating an argument. To specifically emphasize how to create an argument with your research or an argument using a concept you have studied, is a different, important objective for classrooms. I also would like to see a researched personal narrative assignment included in the "types." The reflecting section in Chapter 2 is geared toward students reflecting on their work. But to emphasize how a digital storytelling assignment could require research and personal narrative to create an interesting hybrid narrative would be useful for a lot of courses.

The book also does not break down specific questions peers can ask each other in the peer review process. This is a constant step of consideration and revision for faculty when scaffolding major assignments.

The book is steeped in useful experience.

The strength of this book is that its breakdown of these assignments are really flexible for almost any course and major. The guidance is still open enough to inspire you to consider what your current goals and themes are for the course, making the text very relevant and adaptable.

Easy to read in a useful way. I can get through the text quickly, find it all useful and know I can return to it when I want to build my own assignments or cite in pedagogy research. I would have liked to see, though, a section on teaching editing of video and photo essays. This seems like a key step in the learning process.

The clarity of the book is also stemming from its consistency. The consistent referral to the practice of a participatory pedagogy through the use of digital storytelling helped to keep the objectives in the forefront. The value of participation was present in every aspect of this book--from brainstorming to evaluation.

I like the links to the exercises within the textbook. You can keep following this scaffolding of exercises and still return to where you left of in the chapter.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The organization makes it easy to jump around as well as read chronologically. I just wasn't 100% sound on the position of Chapter 5. I understand that loading this information in the preface would lose readers, but it read as coming in a little too late into the text.

Interface rating: 5

Easy to click and return throughout the book.

Very clear.

It's incredibly relevant to use with inclusive pedagogy. The text emphasizes the need for rhetorical analysis of images, a critical cultural tool, by organically integrating such analysis into the scaffolding of the exercises.

Very useful! A good primer for faculty who want to use digital narratives or multi-modal assignments in their classrooms. The textbook shows how anyone can adapt these assignments.

Reviewed by Catron Booker, Adjunct Faculty/Radio-TV-Film, East Tennessee State University on 4/17/20

The text is very accessible in terms of being easily readable for educators from a wide variety of backgrounds. The textbook seems to be more of an overview of digital media for a course in the humanities, American Studies, Environmental Studies, etc. that is interested in using digital media as an additional tool for research and/or for using narrative strategies to explore various topics that might other just be driven by data based analysis. The exercises located in the Appendix are very useful in terms of understanding how to integrate this approach into a curriculum. Nevertheless, I think it would be useful to provide examples of a completed (portfolio based) project that shows a process based approach in which a range of digital strategies are used to explore one topic such as water. I think this is what Chapter 6 could have displayed especially since it was rather brief. Chapter 4 is exceptional for offering concrete instruction on assessment strategies and the challenging nature of evaluating digital projects with comprehensive rubrics included.

High accuracy and error-free readability.

This textbook feels mostly up to date as of this reading, but the challenge with digital media is remaining up to date in a highly evolving digital landscape. The relevance of this book lives in the teaching tools it provides instructors already using digital media and/or wanting to acquire a solid pedagogical foundation with concrete project based results. In this respect, the content is incredibly useful. An Appendix that not only includes the exercises but also lists key terms would also be helpful for quick and easy reference of certain topics, terms, concepts, etc.

Exceptional clarity and highly engaging without technical jargon that can be daunting for those unfamiliar with the field.

Very consistent and highly useful in terms of constant referencing of core concepts.

There is a solid balance between visual examples and the text. I would have liked to see a wider variety of digital story examples other than video including, but not limited to, graphic based projects, art projects, sound based work, etc within each module.

The chapters easily build upon each other. It is definitely an invaluable teaching reference because of its organizational flow such that one would want to return to it again and again.

Many of the links did not easily open for me in iBooks to watch online. This is an important functionality issue that needs to be resolved and may be more an issue with iBooks than other software. One suggestion is to have the links all clearly listed in the Appendix and/or on a companion website which is what I eventually found via my own navigation.

Excellent grammatical quality.

I would have liked to see more racial/ethnic, cultural, economic and linguistic diversity from the student and faculty stories and interviews included.

Excellent textbook for digital media educators. Also, a more nuts and bolts chapter on the mechanics of editing would have proven useful. A chapter with references to open source editing software is a suggestion. And finally, while Chapter 5 is valid regarding the environmental and human impact of technology consumption, the chapter was not useful for teaching in practice. This chapter could have been more impactful by considering 1)How can students incorporate this awareness into their projects and/or lives? 2)How can one maximize the functionality of technology and/or take on a DIY approach in order to minimize the environmental impact 3) How can this challenge actually become a digital media story in and of itself?

Reviewed by Qazi Arka Rahman, GTA, West Virginia University on 3/26/20

The book does a good job of detailing the steps of digital storytelling. I have particularly found the organizational structures of the chapters helpful. The way of utilizing quotes, content, student work, faculty interviews, and footnotes does a good job in scaffolding concepts and cases that is beneficial for comprehending the entire process. The chapters themselves are pretty straightforward and provide enough cases to understand the challenges of such a venture in the real world.

The text seems accurate and relatively free of bias. The arguments are based on case examples and that is always a good strategy.

Given the time and its techno-centric focus, I think this is a very relevant book. Be in introductory composition courses or graduate level seminars, it cannot be denied that the demand for incorporating tech into teaching is increasing. The book addresses a timely issue.

The prose of the book is clear and jargon-free. It's a good strategy for a book of its kind. There are little in here that might seem difficult due to the language that has been used.

The individual chapters are very well organized and that helps the overall book to be consistent and coherent.

It seems it will not be much difficult to reorganize the book to fit a class. The chapters are subdivided into different segments and that is helpful.

The strength of this book is its organization. The chapters are divided into segments that slowly builds up the process for comprehension. The usage of faculty interviews and student works also help to understand the issues that might come for each segment.

The online reading interface is smooth enough. Although, I did face some issues while turning pages. On a few occasions, I have been taken to the first page while going through the book.

I have found no significant issues with grammar in this text.

It seems the text actively tried to be inclusive, which is a good thing. It also pulls from a wide range of disciplines.

The text is easy to read, well organized, and addresses an issue that is very relevant for the current times. I am looking forward to incorporating it for one of my future classes.

Reviewed by Mara Pierce, Assistant Professor of Art Education, Montana State University - Billings on 1/15/20

The text is wonderfully comprehensive. The work is inclusive of example assignments, sample student outcomes, and methods of curricular incorporation. I appreciate the focus on participatory culture and its inclusion as a pathway to community... read more

The author atypically includes a clear layout in the beginning that informs the reader of how they will encounter the content, which is beneficial to be able to identify sections most relevant to the immediate reader.

As is consistent with the topic of digital storytelling, the author also includes narratives of those who have participated in the process of digital storytelling learning. This creates a deeper connection for more audiences.

There needs to be much more information on the Fair Use and Copyright guidelines. To do so would inform students about artists’ rights and the work they put into their pieces, including films, the next iteration of digital storytelling.

Relevance, including appropriateness for educational level or course level - Comments Interestingly, this text is more relevant to instructors than teachers. However, as a professor of teacher education, it is relevant to my pre-service or in-service K-12 teachers who plan to teach digital media.

As an artist and teacher, I find immediate relevancy.

Text is clear and utilizes at-level appropriate vocabulary. Style is conversational, but informative.

Text is consistent from beginning to end.

The chapters depend on one another, but are linked accordingly. Ideally, when one piece of information in a latter chapter references an earlier one, it is cited and informs the reader where to find the previous information.

The chapter content scaffolds well beginning with a definition of the topic through methods of pedagogical incorporation to student assessment.

The interface is excellent. All links I attempted were active and footnote numbers have immediate links, which I also found impressive.

There were no discernable grammatical mistakes that interrupted reader flow.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The text speaks well to those engaged within a culture of research. There is information that sheds light on acts that are relevant to conducting research appropriately. What cultural aspect I would like to see more of is the connection of digital storytelling to various global cultures that use narrative as a way to continue traditions. Including those points of learning creates a dynamic that takes the concept of personal storytelling into a much large realm. I appreciate the inclusion of storyboarding as part of the storytelling culture. A connection to filmmaking is present through the link to an external site about filmmaking. However, it is not a primary source, which juxtaposes some of the content regarding the importance of first person resources. As far as references to cultures beyond the mainstream dominant, there is none. The lack of non-privileged cultural perspectives is shortcoming, especially with today’s diverse student populations.

The text is appropriate for a group of teacher educators, but seems to be more along the lines of a project guide than a full semester textbook.

Reviewed by Molly Bruce Patterson, Assistant Professor, Digital Archivist & Special Collections Librarian, Rhode Island College on 12/2/19

In The Changing Story Linda Buturian intentionally maintains a platform-neutral approach in her exploration of digital storytelling; she provides a pedagogical framework that can inform digital storytelling assignments across platforms and formats. In that sense, The Changing Story is comprehensive. However, aside from one teacher reflection that briefly discusses map-based projects, the examples and exercises offered in the text are almost entirely linear video narratives. These examples are drawn mostly from faculty at the University of Minnesota, who seem to share a similar approach to employing digital stories in the classroom. In that sense, the scope of the text is somewhat limited, but I don’t think this detracts from Buturian’s overarching goal to inspire and offer guidance to teachers interested in digital storytelling.

The content in The Changing Story is accurate and well researched.

Although digital tools and platforms are constantly evolving, for the most part The Changing Story will remain relevant because Linda Buturian’s exploration of digital stories is platform-neutral. The links to examples of student work will probably need to be updated over time, but as long as digital media is abundant in society, the core text of The Changing Story will offer helpful guidance on how to employ it in curricular design. However, readers will have to turn to other resources to find more specific information about technology and platforms for digital storytelling.

Linda Buturian’s writing is clear and she defines most technical or specialized terminology used in The Changing Story. However, because Buturian’s intended audience is teachers, there is an underlying expectation that readers have some basic experience and understanding of curricular design.

The Changing Story is informed by a cohesive pedagogical framework that emphasizes instructional scaffolding techniques. This underlying structure ensures that the text is internally consistent as it lays out the curricular building blocks needed to support students as they learn to communicate effectively through digital media.

The Changing Story is a guide for teachers interested in using digital storytelling in their classrooms. Because instructors are the audience, the text isn’t designed for direct use in the classroom, and the main chapters not modular in design. Each chapter builds off what preceded it, so it would be important for a teacher to read through most of the text in order to understand how to effectively incorporate digital stories into curricular design. Unlike the main body of the text, the appendix is more modular and provides many examples of exercises that a teacher might pick and choose from to use in the classroom.

The Changing Story is very well organized. The overall structure follows a logical order that first explains what a digital story is, and then explores different kinds of digital stories, how to prepare students with scaffolding exercises, and how to assess and evaluate digital stories. Each chapter concludes with links to examples of student work and a video of teacher reflections.

I encountered some issues with the interface, probably because I don’t normally read eBooks so I was using a free app on my phone. The main problem was the display of block quotes, which looked very nice in the online version of the text but did not render properly in the epub version. When displayed on my phone there were no quotation marks or any other formatting to distinguish quoted text.

I did not notice any grammatical errors in The Changing Story.

The Changing Story is very inclusive in its approach to digital storytelling. “Developing a culturally-inclusive lens for visual knowledge” is a stated goal of Linda Buturian’s scaffolding assignments, and she emphasizes the power of digital storytelling to foster intercultural knowledge. Many examples of digital stories in the text show students sharing diverse cultural experiences through their assignments. Not only is the text of The Changing Story culturally sensitive, but the author also demonstrates how digital stories can support culturally inclusive practices in the classroom.

Reviewed by Tracey Burrell, Director of Clinical Experiences, LSUS on 4/13/19, updated 5/6/19

The text is organized in such a way that it addresses the what, when, where, why, and how of digital storytelling. Content is supported by several student examples and teacher reflection. read more

The text is organized in such a way that it addresses the what, when, where, why, and how of digital storytelling. Content is supported by several student examples and teacher reflection.

The author infuses personal experiences with academic research to deliver a pretty accurate assessment of the power of multimedia as a learning tool.

This resource will be easy to update. The author does not mention specific names of multimedia programs, but focuses on the skills needed to develop a quality product.

Very clear and easy to follow.

Terminology was consistent.

The flow of the chapters supported student learning and teacher/instructor implementation.

Chapters are well-organized. The structure is consistent from chapter to chapter. The author uses various approaches to connect with different audiences (i.e., quotes, student examples embedded in chapter, teacher reflection at the end of each chapters).

Links were live. There were no navigation problems moving from text to video samples.

There were no grammatical errors.

There could have been more of a balance of representation, as it relates to student examples. Nevertheless, student examples that were included were a nice addition.

Reviewed by Candace Schlein, Associate Professor, University of Missouri - Kansas City on 12/8/18

A real strength of this book is how it provides definitions of different types, purposes, and scopes of digital story assignments. Furthermore, the author makes the most of the digital platform of this ebook by including a great number of samples of digital stories. Reviewing actual completed digital stories is extremely useful for breathing life into some of the concepts that are highlighted within the text. I also appreciated that the samples represented a number of disciplines. The text further does an outstanding job of including discussion of major considerations to take into account regarding assessing digital stories. Samples of rubrics and descriptions of assessments are also provided. The author encourages the use of backward design in shaping digital story assignments in terms of considering the student learning objectives for digital storytelling in the classroom. For this reason, the rubrics might be positioned earlier in the text. Building on the assessment focus of the book would be helpful. For example, some samples of student attitudes toward assessments appear within the assessment discussion. Including students in the assessment discussion from the outset of the assignment would be useful as well.

This book is well-researched and well-written.

The text provides information in concise chapters so that all pertinent information on digital stories is included in the book. However, the use of digital/ media samples to support components of the book really go a long way toward ensuring that the content is up to date. I would imagine that over time, as digital tools expand and media literacy in the college classrooms also develops, there would be a need to regularly update these samples.

The text is written in a very accessible manner. All key definitions are explained cogently. The actual samples further help to explain different concepts that are discussed. This is not a jargon-heavy text, and sections of it might be assigned to students who are working toward developing their own digital story assignment.

This book was carefully prepared and clearly organized.

This text includes several brief chapters. These chapters can be easily assigned throughout a semester to students. Alternatively, an instructor might be able to focus on portions of chapters within lessons and showcase some examples to students as a basis for whole class or small group discussions. Samples of discrete digital narratives may also be assigned to students for critical discussion about digital assignments and rubric samples might also be assigned to students as a basis for their own work to develop an assignment and rubric surrounding digital storytelling in class.

The text begins with definitions, builds toward distinguishing types of digital stories, and leads to assessments. In this way, the book follows a sound pedagogical logic to support scaffolding knowledge growth and pragmatic skills in the area of digital stories.

On a few occasions I faced some challenges with the interface after opening a sample. During each of these instances, I found it easiest to search for the book again and open it. The book then opened where I wanted to go next.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The text is grammatically sound overall.

The text is culturally inclusive. It also includes perspectives from a broad range of disciplines.

I think that this text can be useful for a variety of different purposes. I was pleasantly surprised with the professional quality of the text. It was easy to read, and I can see multiple ways that I can incorporate it into my own teaching, as a supplementary textbook or as a material to support a lesson, students' digital story efforts, or a student assignment focused on teaching through technology tools or on media literacy.

Reviewed by Ranae Hanson, Instructor, Minneapolis Community and Technical College on 5/21/18

The book gives a thorough guide to developing digital story assignments and teaching this method of researching and presenting a topic. The author offers a wide range of examples and methods for adapting the material to varying academic... read more

However, as a newcomer to digital story-making, I feel a need for more specifics about how, exactly, to make a digital story. I note the suggestion by Rebecca Goodrich, in an earlier review, that the “rudiments of importing assets and arranging them on a timeline” as well as suggestions for simple editing platforms be included in the book. When, in the Exercise 2.2 assignment, the author says that she works with a technical assistant to help students edit photos, I feel unclear how I could do this at a college where I will not have access to a technical assistant and do not have much experience editing visual material myself.

The book would be more useful to me if it gave more suggestions about how to begin teaching digital story-making in a small way, incorporating additional aspects as the instructor gains more expertise.

This book is clearly up-to-date. Because technology changes so often, the author has incorporated suggestions for how instructors can, and must, choose some new methods to learn while rejecting others. She also addresses honestly the issue of student frequently knowing more about a particular technology than the instructor does and highlights the benefits of student-to-student sharing of knowledge.

The digital format of the book makes revision for timeliness easier.

The book moves well into the future. Unless technology becomes harder to access, the relevance of this teaching technique will probably increase.

In addition, the focus on water will become increasingly relevant. Students will find the material presented engaging and essential. Students at my college will appreciate the many examples that are near to home.

The book is clear and specific. As I noted above, it is unclear only about how some editing and video composition tasks are done. Those may need further training and additional instruction. For example, samples of students’ story-boards, especially the early hand-drawn ones that the author says she had her students begin with, would be quite useful for instructors new to video production.

The text is consistent. It’s purpose is to introduce educators to digital story-telling pedagogy; it remains true to that task.

This text is written for the instructor rather than as a text for student use. Each chapter, except for Chapter Five, builds on those before it and follows a similar, welcoming organizational pattern. The assignment explanations in the appendix are useful for course development. The many excellent examples of student- and faculty-produced digital stories throughout the text would be great for students to explore; therefore, I would appreciate a “For Students” segment in the text, but students are not part of the audience the author envisioned. The challenge of adapting the text for student use is left to the instructor.

The text links from examples back to the explanatory material. It shows how digital story-telling works as well as explaining the craft. Chapter Five in out of the flow of the other chapters. It addresses ethical issues related to scarcity of resources and global injustice involved in the production of our devices and is, I believe, an essential addition to the text.

The textbook links cleanly with all videos included. Links to assignment prompts and back to the text chapters functioned smoothly.

The grammar of the text is, overall, good. Some editing of repetition, as at the beginning of Chapter Three when a quotation is repeated in full, would be helpful. I stumbled over “I trust you are as busy as me.” My old-school education would ask that to be “as I” and I still prefer that, but I admit that the grammar the author chooses here fits what students will understand.

The cultural relevance of the text is excellent. The author immediately addresses important cultural concerns—resource depletion, varying access to knowledge and experience, and the need for collaboration to overcome these challenges. As an instructor at a college that does not have access to the many technological experts who (according to some of the teacher testimonials included in the video clips) are available to come into the U of M classrooms to help students with visual and sound editing, I am aware of further injustice and begin to feel the deprivation my students may suffer because of uneven allocation of expertise as well as of resources. The text challenges me to expand my skills in order to try to reduce these digital and skill-set divides.

Reviewed by Julie Adams, Academic Skills Tutor: Digital Impact, Staffordshire University, UK on 2/1/18

This book is an excellent, quick-start guide for ways to incorporate digital storytelling into curriculum. It is aimed at teaching staff who wish to make use of digital storytelling as a new form of student assessment, but also to enhance their own teaching, although the emphasis is on the former. It is aimed at those new to the subject, but I think also has relevance to those with some experience.

Although not overly scholarly in tone, it does make some reference to learning theory and pedagogical practice, although these are not detailed. The author clearly sets the context for a need to change educational approaches given the changes in students’ digital lives outside education to be collaborative and participatory in their use of digital technology. Digital storytelling may be particularly beneficial to those students who may not excel at normal written assignments.

The book is mainly a ‘how-to’ guide which provides useful examples, assignments and assessment approaches, with plentiful examples from the author’s own practice. I liked how the author shares examples of her own experience and journey to being more engaged with using digital technology and multi-media within the classroom. The examples of student’s work and the videos of them explaining their approaches, and the teaching staff reflections I found especially useful.

One addition could be an appendix with links to online resources on video/audio editing tools - especially free ones. Those new to the area of digital storytelling may not have much experience in collecting and putting together the digital assets needed to create their story, so pointers to further guidance on this would be reassuring. This would be helpful to staff who want to create their own story, and help them to advice students.

The table of contents is helpful, but the use of subheadings within this would be beneficial. There is no index, but I am not sure this is essential – I used the search facility within the e-book when I wanted to go back and find a particular example.

The text is comprehensive in describing different types of digital storytelling. Linda is enthusiastic in her advocacy of digital storytelling, and explains the processes clearly. I found the text to be accurate with one small exception. She referred to royalty free music in Chapter 3, although does then mention Creative Commons licenses in the same sentence. Royalty free resources are not completely free, but normally involve an initial fee, although subsequent uses of the material are free.

The book is very relevant to the current educational climate. Students need to develop their digital capabilities for working and living in the digital world and digital stories are one way that they can do this. The examples of videos could be easily updated as required to keep the text more current and fresh.

I found the text clear and consistent and easy to understand. There is not too much use of jargon.

The layout, language and content seem consistent throughout the book. Chapters open with a quote giving a taste of the material covered in that chapter.

Being aimed at educators rather than students, consideration of allocating chapters for reading is not relevant. The book is easy to read and the chapters could be read separately.

Most of the book was well organised and flowed well. I would suggest that one improvement would be to include a list of all references at the end of each chapter, or the end of the book. This would make it easier to follow these up when you wanted rather than having to go back and locate the relevant link. You don’t always want to link out of a chapter while reading it.

Chapters 2, 3 and 4 are very well organised and flow logically from one to another building up the readers understanding of what digital stories are, types of these and how t assess them. Chapter 5 does not sit quite so well in the flow of the book. It covers an important issue of the environmental impact of technology, but could be the final chapter as food for thought.

Chapter 6 has good examples comparing a traditional essay with a digital story and helps to emphasise the difference digital stories can make.

The appendix is very useful to pull all of the exercises together with links back to the relevant chapters.

I tried the book in both ePub format on an iPad and in a web browser. The book has a clear layout and is very easy to read. I found that the interface on the iPad worked better, when following the links to other resources. On the web version I did struggle to get back to the book after following the links.

I did not notice any grammatical errors

To me this book has great cultural relevance and is inclusive. I think that the use of digital stories can make it easier for students to being their own cultural and lived experience to their assignments and are an excellent way for them to share these with others in a way that a traditional written assignment might not. Some of examples that Linda gives are from her situation in Minnesota, which those reading the book might not share - certainly it is not something I as a reader in the UK am familiar with! - but this does not matter as I can see how this could be adapted to other situations. Linda also makes a good case for how the use of stories can be a way to break down barriers.

This book provides a good practical guide for those new to digital storytelling, and would like to use this within the classroom and who want to introduce more creative and inclusive assignments for their students.

It would also be a useful book for trainee teachers who want to adopt new approaches.

Reviewed by Carolyn Parker, Director, Graduate Teacher Education, American University on 2/1/18

As other reviewers have pointed out, the audience of this textbook is educators, not students. This is mostly accurate. However, within the realm of teacher education, parts of the book, such as chapter three, could be used with students to help guide individual assignments, and in my case, introduce K-12 teachers on how to use digital storytelling with students. The book’s appendix provides many examples of assignments along with ideas and insights into how to develop these assignments. The book also provides a plethora of examples on youtube. The book does not include an index or a glossary.

The content seems accurate and I did not find any errors. The author’s writing and method of presentation is straightforward. Buturian supports her writing with student and instructor reflections, which describe the benefits of incorporating digital storytelling into a classroom.

The book is timely and new, with a production date of 2016. I think incorporating digital storytelling into any classroom if timely and could be included in most any classroom. In the future, the youtube videos may need to be updated, but given how the book is laid out, this should be relatively easy to do.

Buturian’s writing is straightforward and clear. Terms are explained clearly, which makes the content accessible to instructors from a diverse range of disciplines.

Buturian employs terminology consistently. Her framework if logical and organized.

The text is a great example of a modular textbook. Each chapter does build on the previous work, but each chapter could also be read separately. I like the balance of explanation and practice through examples.

The textbook is well organized and flows in a logical fashion. It was quite easy to follow Buturian’s through processes and instructions as she described how to include digital storytelling in a classroom.

The links all worked well. The provided rubrics were very informative, as were the links to youtube videos. The text was large, well-laid out, and visually appealing.

I did not find any grammatical errors.

Buturian does a great job of including a diverse range of topics and examples from different cultures. She also incorporates inclusive language.

I enjoyed reading the book. The text and the ideas around digital storytelling were very accessible. I look forward to including a digital storytelling assignment in my spring 2018 teacher preparation course.

Reviewed by Norb Thomes, Learning Systems and Services Coordinator, Winona State University on 2/1/18

The author does a nice job of covering the use of digital storytelling from concept through completion. This is a really nice recipe for creating and using storytelling as an important part of teaching and learning. The only thing I would add is some real-world examples of what the author sees as exemplars. For example, I would like to see some storyboards and scripts from successful projects.

The text was accurate, free of errors, and unbiased.

The author described the activity and its benefits nicely without getting deeply into things that would date the information. The focus was clearly on the project and its relevance to teaching and learning while steering clear of items like the proper hardware that would quickly change.

The book is clear and concise. There is little use of language that needs definition or explanation.

From start to finish, the project is laid out is a manner that is easy to follow.

Individual chapters reflect individual aspects of the project. Breaking the work into modules will not be a problem.

The book flows well with one exception. The last two chapters, "We are the Battery Human" and "Learning Through Stories," do not fully fit the digital storytelling project. "We are the Battery Human" is a very interesting read on the balance between using digital technology and the footprint it leaves in the environment. It would make a really nice stand alone paper. "Learning Through Stories" discusses how written essays can be presented in illustration. This felt like a good subject for another book, maybe geared toward art and design majors.

The use of example videos and slide shows was great. Examples were woven into the text to support exactly the concept in each chapter. Links to appendices supplied additional detail while collecting all of the most detailed material in one central spot.

No errors were found. Nice editing job overall.

I saw not cultural relevance issues.

I enjoyed reading this book. I have used videos in projects in my own courses and I feel this is a very good set of instructions for designing and implementing digital storytelling in any course.

Reviewed by Mildred Barya, Assistant Professor, UNC-Asheville on 2/1/18

This book is elaborate and comprehensive in its explanation of what Digital Storytelling is about, the different types/categories, and how as an instruction tool for teachers, has potential to transform student learning. Incorporating students' work and reflection, exercises and assessment methods add to the overall completeness of the book. There is no index/glossary but I assume that in its place is the appendix provided at the end.

Other than being an ardent advocate of Digital Storytelling (passion versus bias--we get plenty of this not only in the introduction but also in the proceeding two chapters), Buturian is passionate in her strong belief that DS transforms the learning environment (she gives good reasons how and why), is necessary and perhaps timely as well, considering that we now live in a world that is deeply influenced by digital technology. The content is accurate and error-free.

Extremely relevant not only in subject matter but also in its practicability/implementation. It is written in a way that would incorporate updates easily based either on the changing nature of DS itself or students' needs.

Clearly written, accessible and conversational in tone. It's balanced in both formal and informal approaches. That said, some parts could be condensed so that they're more concise, for instance, Chapter one could be part of the Introduction. Buturian spends a lot of time "telling" us why DS is important instead of going straight into "showing." Later she does. Examples will always win over explanations.

The text doesn't depart from its premise. This is one of its strength.

This is another strength of the book. One can focus on a small section or module easily or different sections within a chapter without losing focus.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

This could be revisited. For instance, Introduction and Chapter one could merge. Chapter six could come before Chapter five, since the latter is more of a concluding reflection on the product of our time, while Chapter 6 is a continuation of DS content.

The text lends itself to easy navigation, scrolling and display. Inclusion of images, charts, clips, and so on, is done well so there's no confusion going back and forth, in and out.

I found unnecessary preposition "for" in one of the sentences: Something about "...awaiting for construction." instead of awaiting construction or waiting for construction.

This is a great strength of the book. It can be used in all cultures across the world and has good examples from culturally diverse backgrounds.

This book emphasizes the power of storytelling through digital media as opposed to traditional narratives. The impact of using stories in learning instruction (the ancients knew this) so we're just returning to it. Because storytelling is the transforming heart, this book would be especially effective in introductory courses that cut across disciplines such as Languages, Social and Natural Sciences and Humanities. Students from fields such as Engineering, Literature, Composition, and so on would benefit. This book has potential to bridge the gap between arts and sciences since its effectiveness relies on acquiring and transferring multiple skills that utilize various senses when using text, image, sound and so on.

Reviewed by Rebecca Owen, Adjuct Professor, Writing, Chemeketa Community College on 6/20/17

I teach composition courses at a community college, and one of the big assignments that both the students and I grapple with every year is the research paper. This text gave me a lot of new ideas about how I might incorporate digital storytelling into my composition courses. The author of this text does an incredibly thorough job explaining her own experiences with teaching digital storytelling in the context of a class about water. Even though this is a text designed for educators, she gives many different scaffolding exercises in the glossary to help other instructors start to incorporate technology and visual imagery into their classes. The book itself is thorough and organized quite well. There are many links and sample digital stories to peruse. Each chapter begins with a quote, which is a very welcoming way to transition from one topic to the next.

The author has done a meticulous job in creating a very beautiful book. Even though I read this on my laptop, I had the experience of reading an actual print copy. There was a lot of thought put into layout and arrangement here. No errors that I noted!

This text felt very new and fresh--the author discusses ways to utilize technology in the classroom as well as how to make technology a component in research assignments for a variety of subjects. It's interesting to think about how these methods could be used in a wide range of classes--science, humanities, English, math, sociology, among others. However, in one activity, she mentions encouraging students to use regular digital cameras rather than only their smartphones. If anything, she could be a little more open to letting students use what is available to them (i.e. smartphones) since many might attend a school that doesn't have a library of recording equipment or other technology to check out.

Very clear, easy-to-follow prose. The author of this text walks the reader through her own journey with digital storytelling, and she also shares her tips on making these types of assignments accessible and less daunting for students who might be afraid of making short films. The organization and layout of this text made it very easy to read from beginning to end. She featured student examples to help explain her concepts. One of the best features of this book was how adaptable it could be for all teaching styles and subjects.

The material is given here in five chapters. Each builds on the previous chapter. There's also an epilogue where the author shares her students' digital storytelling projects to illustrate the concepts covered in the text. During each chapter, if she references a scaffolding activity, there is a link to the appendix where the full text of the scaffolding activities are linked. The book is quite consistent throughout, and the author is an encouraging and helpful guide.

This book is well-organized. Each chapter builds nicely on the next. It's not a guide for students, but it provides good support to guide instructors into incorporating digital storytelling methods into the classroom. The activities referenced in each chapter are spelled out in the appendix. This makes for a very streamlined narrative. The author anticipates the reader's questions, too, and these are addressed in each chapter. There's also a helpful summary at the end of each chapter.

This textbook is structured very logically. It moves through a definition of digital storytelling into an explanation of how to include it in the classroom. The activities given in the appendix are extremely helpful. Without those, it might have made the presentation of this material a little harder to interpret. As mentioned above, the author seems to know where the reader might have questions, and she addresses those questions in the text.

Beautiful layout and organization. I was able to view this text on my phone and laptop without disruption. It's very clear that this author had aesthetics in mind as well as organization. This made for a very pleasant and easy read.

Nothing to note, error-wise!

The author includes a chapter that discusses some of the oft-forgotten realities of tablets and other modern media: the means used to gather metals and other elements from locations like the Democratic Republic of Congo. She alerts us to the ethics of using this technology--we must be aware of how we obtain these materials or risk further harm to the people whose lives are at risk for our technological pursuits. She also mentions that a good way to combat this is by using smart technology like tablets and iPhones as educational and storytelling tools, not just a means for texting or visiting Facebook.

There are a lot of exercises and activities in this book I'd like to use in my composition courses! I have a lot of ideas about how to re-structure my research paper assignment! Thank you!

Reviewed by Alison Pelegrin, Instructor, Southeastern Louisiana University on 6/20/17

The progression of the material is intuitive. The book is clearly set up, but I do think that a more detailed Table of Contents, with links to specific parts of chapters, would be useful. read more

The progression of the material is intuitive. The book is clearly set up, but I do think that a more detailed Table of Contents, with links to specific parts of chapters, would be useful.

This text is accurate and timely. It is unbiased and the attention to storytelling implies that all experiences and backgrounds are valuable and worth preserving in this manner.

This book is up-to-date, but the nature of the subject is such that it will likely need updating--I do not consider this a flaw of the book, but the nature of its subject.

The text is quite clear--while the book seems most appropriate for instructors and perhaps upper level students, college freshmen could use the text with little help.

The text never deviates from the structure outlined in the Table of Contents and Introduction. Each chapter is similarly organized, and this makes the book easy to navigate.

The text is easy to read, but I do think that the colors used in the book need more contrast--the black text is sometimes difficult to distinguish from the blue headers. It is easy to navigate each chapter.

It is a book that would be useful to instructors more than students, as I think it encourages the design of assignments that writing students would find interesting. The topics discussed are timely and appropriate, and the assignments and rubrics provided are very helpful.

The interface is easy to navigate--the introduction explains the layout of the book, and the text does not deviate from that. Internal links in the text are quick to open.

I found no grammatical errors.

The text is culturally sensitive. By placing value on digital storytelling, the text values technologically savvy students and the skill set the bring to classroom. Rather than shaming them for their use of technology, it gives the tools they necessary to harness their voices in a way that would be helpful in many types of classroom settings.

This is an interesting and useful text. I am thinking of adding this to the reading materials for a creative writing class that I am teaching on hybrid forms in poetry and prose. It may also be relevant for a class in which students discuss and design digital humanities assignments for undergrads. Digital story telling could also be something to introduce in a composition class working on personal narratives.

Reviewed by Rebecca Goodrich, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Engish, Washington State University on 6/20/17

This text covers each step in developing and implementing a digital storytelling assignment, with one glaring exception. The author can't assume that readers have any experience with video or audio editing, and some of the first questions readers will raise will involve the basic nuts and bolts of collecting assets (a term I believe is useful to describe the "parts" of a digital story: photos, video clips, music, sound effects, etc.) The author should have devoted one chapter to the rudiments of importing assets and arranging them on a timeline. She could have made suggestions for simple editing platforms, many that are free to use. Even though the technology changes, those recommendations could be easily updated in the ebook. Suggestions for editing platforms include Adobe Spark, iMovie, WeVideo, Windows Movie Maker, among others.

I felt the author did a good job of describing the most common types of digital stories, the types of learning that they inculcate, how to assess student learning. I noticed that she referred to "Royalty Free" music as equivalent to legally available. That is a common misconception. Royalty Free assets are copyrighted and usually require a fee to use. Ther Royalty Free simply means that the user does not have to pay a royalty fee every time the asset appears online. The fee can be anywhere from $4 for a one-time use to several hundred dollars for an asset that will appear on a commercial website.

The text is very relevant and will be useful for the foreseeable future. It is applicable for a wide range of ages and abilities.

The text was a very quick read. I found the quotes at the beginning of each chapter cumbersome and often quoted out of context. Chapter 5 seemed out of step with the overall focus of the text. It is devoted to a fuzzy discussion of the environmental impacts of using digital devices. I didn't see that it added any information to the topic of using digital storytelling in the classroom.

I didn't notice any issues with consistency.

The text is well-organized. The smaller assignments are easy to access via links to the appendix.

Except for the Chapter 5 outlier that I've described before, I felt that the text flowed very well. The topic is introduced, the many types of stories are described, then the author outlines the process of leading students through a digital story assignment. She culminates with a brief discussion of assessing the stories, mainly by providing sample rubrics.

The text performed without difficulty. The typeface is easy to read. The text is formatted so that it is easy to read onscreen. I had no difficulty reading the text and following the links.

There are a few punctuation flaws, but I didn't make note of them. I did see that on page 115 the author uses a pull-quote that appears in a block. Because she quotes so often from other writers, I assumed that it was from an outside source, but was not properly attributed. But then, in the very next paragraph, she repeats the quote verbatim. It's repetitions and cumbersome. I guess the quote is her own words, but I don't see why they were repeated in the main text. The block quote really should be deleted for ease of reading and to avoid distraction and confusion.

Excellent. She gives great examples of using digital stories with a variety of students, on a great variety of topics. It felt very inclusive.

As a trained digital storytelling facilitator and an instructor of a university course called "Digital Storytelling" I was excited to see this text. I feel that it will be an excellent resource for teachers who want to learn how to use digital storytelling in the classroom. It is not a stand-alone text. Teachers will have to find other sources of information to learn how to teach students to edit photos, video, and music, and to assemble them into engaging, impactful digital stories.

Reviewed by Carol Patnaude, Associate Professor, Community College of Rhode Island on 4/11/17

I found the text to be very comprehensive for working in higher education and/or secondary school educators wanting to provide new learning opportunities for their students. Digital storytelling opens doors for students and faculty to present projects and assignments in an innovative way with appropriate use of technology. The text can be used in a variety of courses, is easily adaptable, specific and user friendly. The examples, assignments and resource links are practical and useful. An index would be helpful.

The text is accurate in providing information for implementation of digital storytelling. As the text is not written in the manner of a textbook it covers all key elements needed for those who are new to digital storytelling. The process and methods are clear while no errors were found. Students favor the use of learning using multi-media approaches in any aspect of the curriculum, this is a benefit to both students and teachers.

The text is relevant in that it meets the needs of students as they learn through the use of digital storytelling. Technology is here to stay. Students would prefer to be creative active learners rather than passive. The links, videos and examples can be easily updated as the need arises.

The text is easy to read, clear and consistent in its format. The examples help to connect the written information to the visual.

The text is consistent in its format and focus.

The text is organized, visually appealing and provides the right balance of text with examples, resources and links. Educators would find this text easy to use. Additional texts, reading and relevant information regarding digital storytelling could be a fine compliment for those seeking further knowledge.

I found the chapters to be arranged in a logical manner. I would suggest including resources at the end of each chapter as it would seem to be a better fit.

The text is easy to read and clear. I did not have any difficulty opening the links however in a few instances it was not easy to get back to the text page where I left off.

The text contains no grammatical errors.

The text provided relevant and culturally sensitive examples that were inclusive of language as well as samples from a diverse student population. I can easily see this approach used in higher education courses such as (but not limited to) Cultural Diversity, Sociology, Language Psychology etc.

I found the book to be a practical guide that would be useful for adding digital storytelling as a teaching tool. The rubrics and exercises can be adapted for individual use. It would be interesting to include a sample syllabus and course requirement for the reader to examine the application to digital storytelling.

Reviewed by Jiyoon Yoon, Associate Professor, University of Texas Arlington on 4/11/17

Linda successfully provided her wonderful ideas of how to integrate stories with the advanced technology with appropriate index and glossary. read more

Linda successfully provided her wonderful ideas of how to integrate stories with the advanced technology with appropriate index and glossary.

Linda clearly explained her stories with the accurate, the error-free, and unbiased writing. The student artifacts, exercises, and the evaluation rubrics, appropriate to the contents of the book, helped the readers understand better the contents.

Story-telling is the classical teaching method that most of parents and teachers have liked to used. But Linda approached the classical story-telling differently with the most advanced technology. Her direction of how to combine was easy and straightforward to be implemented in the classical teaching methods.

Linda wrote the book in lucid, accessible prose, and provided adequate context for any terminology used.

Linda consistently talked about story-telling all through the book.

Each of the chapters can be easily and readily divided into smaller reading sections.

All the topics in the chapters except Chapter 5 are presented in a logical and clear fashion. I think Chapter 5 needs to move to the introduction or the end.

The navigation was excellent with the technology! All the student examples in the middle of chapters and the exercises in the appendix were easy to be checked and gotten back to the original place.

No grammar errors.

Linda wrote this book in Minnesota providing with the artifacts of her students. The artifacts naturally reflected the culture of Minnesota. By using the culture in daily lives, Linda was telling about her story. I like the idea of using the culture. When people are within and related to their culture, they generally feel comfortable and understand things better.

I will introduce this book to my students who will be the future elementary science teachers. This book brought brilliant ideas of how to integrate literacy, social studies, and technology with science. In the past, I had the “water project” with my students to save the world water. As part of the project, my students created and posted campaign posters on campus. For our next “water project,” I will add developing their digital story-telling.

Reviewed by Nina Spiegel, Associate Professor, Portland State University on 2/15/17

This text is geared toward educators, rather than students. It is therefore not a book for use in the classroom, but a text to use to prepare assignments for a course. Its goal is to demonstrate the value of using digital storytelling in the classroom, to encourage educators to create digital storytelling assignments, and to provide examples and insights into how to develop these assignments. The book provides a thorough discussion of digital storytelling as well as an appendix that includes a variety of assignments. It also provides links to a range of useful examples on youtube. The book does not include an index or a glossary.

While I am not a specialist in digital storytelling, the content seems accurate. I did not discover any errors. The author is direct about her perspective: Buturian clearly views digital storytelling as an effective teaching tool and seeks to convince educators to try using this method. The author provides compelling arguments and reflections from students and educators on the benefits of digital storytelling assignments.

The content of the book appears up to date. A guide to developing digital storytelling in the classroom is an important topic and the book provides relevant points and examples. Depending on changes to technology, the youtube examples might need to be updated at some point in the future. It appears as though new examples would be relatively easy to input into the text.

The text is written in a clear manner. It is accessible to a variety of audiences and disciplines and well explains terms and concepts.

The text uses terminology consistently.

As mentioned above, the text is not geared toward use in the classroom, but rather is aimed for use by educators for classroom preparation. The text is organized in a coherent manner that is easily usable and accessible by educators.

The text is overall organized in a clear and coherent fashion. Chapter 5 contains reflections that might fit better in the epilogue.

The youtube links are helpful and appreciated. When I clicked on other links, such as to the mandala example or to examples in the appendix, I was not able to easily return to the original location in the text. This is an interface matter that could be improved to make the text more user friendly.

The text does not contain grammatical errors.

The text incorporates inclusive language as well as examples from different topics and cultures.

This book contains several important and helpful elements describing how to develop digital storytelling assignments. At times, it seemed repetitive in terms of its continued justification of the use of digital storytelling in the classroom, and some editing would thus have been useful. In addition, while it is helpful to see a broad range of examples, it would also be useful to directly follow a few specific courses in a more linear fashion by including the syllabus and the assignments leading up to the final digital storytelling project alongside the educator and student reflections of these assignments and courses, all in one place. While some of this material is currently located in either the text or appendix, it would also be helpful to have it organized and presented together according to syllabus and course. This could be added in this format into the appendix.

Reviewed by Krista White, Digital Humanities Librarian, Rutgers University Libraries on 2/8/17

Aimed at educators, not students, this is not comprehensive in the sense of providing background to digital storytelling and the trend toward using multimedia to teach various "literacies" - digital, media, information, visual in secondary and... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The Changing Story: digital stories that participate in transforming teaching & learning is a how-to manual for instructors unfamiliar with using digital and multimedia assignments. It is a very fine, quick-start guide for incorporating digital storytelling into curriculum. The text is largely philosophical in tone, with a bent toward advocating for the methodology/practice of using digital storytelling exercises in addition to or in the place of traditional essays and tests.

The Changing Story is not a scholarly examination of the practice, and most of the literature to which the author links is illustrative in nature, rather than used to support claims of effectiveness of method as would occur with a more scholarly source. Readers should be cognizant that this is not intended as a source book with deep scholarly support and evidence to back up its pedagogical claims, despite the previous and emerging literature available on the topic in a variety of disciplines.

The text provides very useful links to resources for developing exercises and curriculum. I found the links to the DreamWorks tips for storyboarding, copyright resources and the VALUE Rubric Development Project especially useful.

Embedded links to multimedia resources related to book material is interesting and the author acknowledges that these multimedia resources are meant to be a "long tail" tool educators to use and re-use as they return to the textbook and develop their own strategies for the use of digital stories in the classroom. This model also allows for updates to the book with newer materials as needed, a well-designed innovation.

Examples of student work and faculty interviews are useful for orienting newcomers to the practice of digital storytelling. Scaffolded assignments are well-explained and can be easily adapted to individual instructor needs. The grading rubrics provided in Chapter 4 are good models on which to build or adapt for individual course purposes.

A solid, quick-start guide to incorporating digital storytelling into course curricula. It does not contain any background or history on the use of digital media in classrooms, so cannot be said to be "comprehensive." The scope is appropriate for its intended purpose.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

Accuracy is not an issue for this text, as it is a manual for implementing digital storytelling assignments in curriculum and not a traditional textbook. It does provide sound advice and solid examples of assignments for instructors unfamiliar with the processes and methods of digital storytelling. No inaccuracies were present, though it is a work that advocates for the use of digital storytelling, and is not at all unbiased. This is not a detriment in my opinion, though readers should be aware of it.

Digital storytelling is a methodology for pedagogy that has been emerging for the last few years. It will continue to be relevant with the implementation of standards such as the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy to incorporate critical thinking and various digital and research skills into curricula across the country. Edits and updates should be easy to implement as strategies and standards change.

Meant as a manual for instructors, the text is easy to read and provides excellent examples. The author defines digital storytelling well in the introductions, but many terms of art, such as "visual literacy" and "close reading" are utilized without formal definitions to help readers unfamiliar with them navigate and understand these terms.

The content of the book is generally consistent, with conceptual linkages between the more philosophical chapters (1, 2, 5, Epilogue) and the more concrete, procedural chapters (3 and 4).

Modules are set out logically. This book could be easily remixed with other sources to create a customized text.

Content in chapters 1 and 2 are thorough, but uneven in their treatment of topics and would benefit from reorganization. Chapters 3 and 4 are extremely well organized and flow logically. The whole book would have benefited from having resources listed at the end of each chapter, in addition to being individual links on which the reader must click to examine.

Interface rating: 1

Epub: Anchor links in the text work as expected, though the links in the grading rubrics do not provide the user a way to get back to the chapter text to which they correlate. The Illustrated versions of stories in the Epilogue do not work in an ePub reader (Adobe Digital Editions).

Web-based interface: Anchor links within the text need a serious overhaul. When trying to return to the text from an example of student work, the reader gets bumped to the end of the book, rather than returning to the relevant section of the chapter from which they linked. Links to specific scaffolding exercises take the reader to the beginning of the appendix, rather than to the specific exercise mentioned. "Returning to chapter3" takes the reader to the beginning of the chapter, rather than to the section of the chapter of the relevant scaffolded exercise. The illustrated stories in the Epilogue work well in hte online interface.

Text is well-written and free of grammatical errors.

As scholarship, especially in higher education, moves forward, methodologies like digital storytelling will take precedence over more traditional forms of scholarly publishing. This resource is extremely timely and will have relevance far into the future.

As someone who has been planning my own digital storytelling curriculum for a digital humanities lab attached to a literature lecture course, the advice contained here mirrored my own thinking the in the realm of scaffolded assignments to address issues of the "digital divide," as well as utilizing transparent rubrics for assessing assignments. Many of the suggested exercises and rubrics were innovative and I discovered useful ideas to incorporate into my own course.

Reviewed by Mike Mutschelknaus, English Instructor, Rochester Community and Technical College on 12/5/16

I am new to digital storytelling. I teach a lot of freshman composition at Rochester Community and Technical College. I've been teaching for a long time. I'm looking for new ways to approach my course. This book provided me with lots of online examples of digital stories. It also provided me with lots of scaffolded course assignments and exercises I can use. It has a very specific table of contents, but it doesn't have an index or glossary.

The book seems to be error-free. Obviously, Linda is a big fan of digital story-telling. If there is a bias, it's her assumption that digital story-telling is going to be the new paradigm for composition and rhetoric. I think, though, that she might be right. I watch my freshman students and my own children. They live in a digital world, so building digital stories is an important literacy skill for them.

This book is very relevant. I also think it will have longevity. Digital storytelling, in one fashion or another, is here to stay. I have a junior high daughter. I can attest that she would much rather create digital stories than write a five-page typed paper. Updates will be easy to make. There are lots of hyperlinks and connections to actual examples of student digital story assignments that can be updated as needed.

This book is written for teachers, not for students. As a teaching guide, it is very clear. I feel like I could use these techniques and implement them, at least partially, in my community college freshman composition class next year.

The book is consistent in the way that it assumes the digital storytellers will be college freshmen and busy teachers. It keeps the assignments at a straightforward level throughout the book.

The book is very modular. It's a combination of straightforward exercises, careful explanation of how to implement those exercises in the classroom, and inspiration for doing digital storytelling assignments. Each chapter does build upon the next, but each chapter could also be read separately.

The chapters are arranged in logical sequence. Linda explains what digital storytelling is, and provides some examples. She then discusses how to build assignments and how to assess those assignments. Finally, throughout the text she provides lots of student examples.

The text is clear, relatively large, and easy to read. All of the links to videos, digital stories, podcasts, etc., open easily.

The book is lucid and well-written.

The book provides examples from students from a wide variety of geographical regions and backgrounds. Linda also makes a strong argument that digital storytelling is a way to break down barriers.

Freshman composition teachers should read this book. I'm going to start incorporating elements of her assignments, one by one, into my course. I'm not going to change my entire course overnight. Over the span of a few semesters, though, I intend to transform my course with this book as a guide.

Reviewed by Laura Medina, Assistant Professor, University of New Orleans on 12/5/16

The book would be a good choice for educators considering exploring or committed to introducing digital storytelling into their pedagogy. It serves as a comprehensive introduction and overview to digital storytelling as a teaching and learning tool, as well as providing examples, assignments and assessment approaches. The table of contents and the linking within the chapters to videos, appendices and exercises are very useful. The book lacks an index, which would be an additional useful tool.

The content is accurate, no errors were found. The author's commitment to and passion for digital storytelling is clearly conveyed -- this is not an "unbiased" examination but a persuasive argument.

The overall concepts, exercises and assessment rubrics will remain relevant. Links to external media (YouTube) videos may become obsolete or need to be updated.

The prose is very well-written, clear and accessible, with very little if any jargon or technology terminology used.

The layout, language and content seem very consistent.

This is not a textbook for use by students. The purpose is to inspire and inform educators and provide specific methods for integrating digital storytelling into coursework of all subjects. For that purpose, it is well organized in terms of modularity.

Overall the book is well organized - topics are presented in a logical fashion and very helpful links are provided between chapters that have related materials. Chapter 5 "We are the Battery Human" and Epilogue "Essays" could be considered supplemental - they do not quite flow as informational tools but instead function as essays and food-for-thought.

The layout is pleasing and easy to read. The linking between chapters and external media is quite useful and well executed.

The text is very culturally sensitive and relevant.

This book is very persuasive in its advocacy of digital storytelling as a teaching and learning tool and would be very useful for any educator considering introducing digital storytelling.

Introduction
Chapter 1: What is Digital Storytelling?
Chapter 2: Types of Digital Stories
Chapter 3: Scaffolding Exercises
Chapter 4: Assessment and Evaluation
Chapter 5: “We are the Battery Human”
Chapter 6: Learning Through Stories

Ancillary Material

About the book.

The Changing Story gives you assignments, resources, and examples to use in your teaching and learning. It will also help you think of ways digital stories can be used in your teaching, and help students harness the power of visual storytelling.

About the Contributors

Linda Buturian has taught in the humanities at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis for eight years. She has also taught writing intensive courses shaped around themes of sustainability. In 2006, Buturian was awarded a leave from the university to develop curriculum around the resource of water, and received funding to travel to New Zealand to research water resource protection and sustainability models. In 2007, Linda created a freshman seminar on water that integrates both the sciences and the humanities, and gives students the opportunity to create digital stories about water resource topics. The water seminar is in its third year.

Prior to receiving her masters of arts in literature and writing from the University of Cincinnati, Buturian was the director of a community environmental organization in the Oregon Cascades, which addressed citizen-based solutions to watershed and ecosystem issues. Buturian has published essays, poetry, short stories, interviews, and articles in publications including Shouts and Whispers (Eerdmans 2006), Life in Body (Cathedral Hill Press 2006), and Utne Reader .

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Powerful Tools for Teaching and Learning: Digital Storytelling

Taught in English

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals

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There are 5 modules in this course

Powerful Tools for Teaching and Learning: Digital Storytelling introduces educators to digital storytelling and explores ways to use digital stories to enhance students’ learning experiences. The course is designed to be comprehensive yet fundamental. By comprehensive we mean that the course provides a solid foundation for all of the components of a digital story and illustrates these components with tutorials, example stories, and links to additional readings. The course also provides a hands-on opportunity for learners to create their own digital stories. The course is fundamental because it covers the basic process of creating a digital story starting with just a simple script and as little as one image.

This course is intended for K-12 teachers in all disciplines, although it is open to anyone with an interest in digital storytelling. Course participants will use WeVideo (https://www.wevideo.com/), a free web-based video editing program, to create a digital story that could be shared both online and with students in the classroom. Teachers in the state of Texas may be eligible to receive Continuing Professional Education units if they complete the major requirements of the course.

WEEK 1: Choosing a Topic and Defining your Purposes

Week 1 introduces you to the basics of digital storytelling. You will explore the fundamental elements of a good digital story and review examples used by educators across a varied curriculum. By the end of this week, you will be able to choose a topic and define the purpose of a digital story you will create for your classroom or informal learning setting. You may access the course materials for this week from the links below, or from the navigation bar on the left side of this page.

What's included

7 videos 2 readings 1 quiz 1 discussion prompt

7 videos • Total 23 minutes

Week 1 Overview • 3 minutes • Preview module
Welcome • 2 minutes
Introduction to Digital Storytelling • 2 minutes
Digital Storytelling Process • 3 minutes
Types of Digital Stories • 4 minutes
Selecting a Topic • 3 minutes
Digital Storytelling in the Classroom • 3 minutes

2 readings • Total 40 minutes

Week 1 Instructions • 10 minutes
Week 1 Reading Materials • 30 minutes

1 quiz • Total 45 minutes

Assignment 1: Select your Topic and Define the Purpose of the digital story • 45 minutes

1 discussion prompt • Total 30 minutes

Week 1 Discussion • 30 minutes

WEEK 2: Writing an Effective Script and Creating a Storyboard

In Week 2, we will focus on scriptwriting, storyboarding, and Creative Commons. We will begin by discussing the steps in developing and writing a script for the digital story you will create in this course. We will explore the basic elements of the script, such as introduction, character development, tension and resolution that are necessary in developing a script. Then, we will also examine the importance of selecting appropriate images and creating a storyboard. In Week 2, you will learn not only the functions and the sequences of a storyboard, but also the most useful ways to locate images, such as using photos taken with a digital camera and images downloaded from the internet based on the size, quality, type and usage rights. A step-by-step approach will be used to illustrate how these images can support your own script as a part of creating a digital story. By the end of this week, you will begin to understand the important steps and elements of scriptwriting, and be able to envision your story's script in a visually interesting storyboard.

8 videos 2 readings 1 peer review 1 discussion prompt

8 videos • Total 42 minutes

Week 2 Overview • 3 minutes • Preview module
Getting Started with Scriptwriting • 5 minutes
Creating a Storyboard • 4 minutes
Creative Commons • 3 minutes
Images and Copyright • 8 minutes
Using High Resolution Images • 6 minutes
Creating a Storyboard with StoryboardThat • 3 minutes
12 lessons learned part 1 • 8 minutes

2 readings • Total 70 minutes

Week 2 Instructions • 10 minutes
Week 2 Reading Materials • 60 minutes

1 peer review • Total 60 minutes

Assignment 2: Write Your Script and Create your Storyboard • 60 minutes
Week 2 Discussion • 30 minutes

In week 3, we will focus on how you can record audio narration that will be used in your digital story. We will examine some of the most common types of microphones and recording devices that you can use to record the script you wrote. We will also demonstrate how to record and edit your digital audio files using Audacity, free audio recording software available for Windows and Macintosh computers. Of course, if you prefer, you may use any audio editing program to record and/or edit your narration. The important thing to remember is that recording your own voice is a key component of the digital storytelling process since it explains the information you are presenting and provides a personal touch to your story. We feel strongly that this part of the process should not be overlooked. This week, we will also explore how you can find and download appropriate music that supports the theme of your story. We will focus on music that is in the public domain or is free of copyright restrictions so that it can be used in your digital story legally and at no cost.

11 videos 2 readings 1 peer review 1 discussion prompt

11 videos • Total 46 minutes

Week 3 Overview • 3 minutes • Preview module
Recording Narration With a Portable Recording Device • 1 minute
Recording Your Narration • 3 minutes
Digital Audio Formats • 2 minutes
Recording Narration with an iPhone • 2 minutes
Recording Narration with an Android Phone • 2 minutes
Downloading and Installing Audacity • 3 minutes
Recording and Saving with Audacity • 5 minutes
Basic Editing in Audacity: Removing Parts of an Audio File • 6 minutes
Mixing Audio with Audacity • 5 minutes
Finding and Using Copyright-Free Music Tracks • 9 minutes

2 readings • Total 60 minutes

Week 3 Instructions • 10 minutes
Week 3 Reading Materials • 50 minutes
Record Your Narration • 60 minutes

1 discussion prompt • Total 15 minutes

Week 3 Discussion • 15 minutes

In Week 4, we will explore how to assemble all of the elements (text, images, narration, and if you choose, music and/or video clips) to create the final version of your digital story and publish it online. You may use any video editing software program of your choice, and you may find a list of software options, Web 2.0 tools, and mobile apps, on the Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling website (http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu).

12 videos 3 readings 1 peer review 1 discussion prompt

12 videos • Total 69 minutes

Week 4 Overview • 2 minutes • Preview module
Creating a Single Image Digital Story • 3 minutes
WeVideo Introduction • 2 minutes
Adding Media • 6 minutes
Creating a Digital Story in WeVideo • 6 minutes
Image Editing • 5 minutes
Adding Text • 13 minutes
Adjusting Audio • 5 minutes
Adding a Video Clip • 9 minutes
Finalizing Your Video • 4 minutes
Single Image Digital Story: Finalized Version • 2 minutes
New WeVideo Editing Tool • 7 minutes

3 readings • Total 23 minutes

Week 4 Instructions • 10 minutes
Week 4 Reading Materials • 3 minutes
WeVideo Instructions • 10 minutes
Publish Your Digital Story • 60 minutes

1 discussion prompt • Total 10 minutes

Week 4 Discussion • 10 minutes

In Week 5, you will reflect on what you have learned in this course, how you dealt with each component of the digital storytelling process and discuss the challenges you faced, as well as how you dealt with these challenges in creating your digital story. In addition, you will have the option of revising the final version of your digital story based on the feedback you received. Please note that you may choose to use the version of your digital story that you submitted in the previous week as the final version. If this is the case, you do not need to revise your digital story, but you should still complete the Final Digital Story Assessment as one of this week’s assignments.

6 videos 2 readings 3 quizzes 1 discussion prompt

6 videos • Total 32 minutes

Week 5 Overview • 3 minutes • Preview module
12 Lessons Learned Part 1 • 8 minutes
12 Lessons Learned Part 2 • 5 minutes
12 Lessons Learned Part 3 • 5 minutes
Educational Materials to Support Digital Stories • 6 minutes
Assessment and Evaluation • 3 minutes

2 readings • Total 20 minutes

Week 5 Instructions • 10 minutes
Week 5 Reading Materials • 10 minutes

3 quizzes • Total 90 minutes

Final Digital Story Assessment • 30 minutes
Course-Reflection • 30 minutes
Post-Course Survey • 30 minutes
Week 5 Discussion • 10 minutes

Established in 1927, the University of Houston empowers students in their pursuit of learning, discovery, leadership and engagement. Located in a sprawling metropolis, our premier Tier One campus provides students with cutting edge programs including undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, distance and continuing education. Ranked among the best colleges in America, UH is home to award-winning faculty, innovative research centers, has one of the most diverse student populations in the nation, and alumni who have become international leaders. At the University of Houston, we prepare students to envision their future, emerge as leaders, and launch careers that transform the world.

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235 reviews

Reviewed on Oct 21, 2018

Strongly recommended for teachers/trainers who want to learn how to write a digital story for their learners.

Reviewed on Mar 15, 2019

this course is amazing. it give formal and informal education. prof. Robin Bernard is an excellent teacher. He explains each and every step thoroughly and clearly. i enjoyed this workshop

Reviewed on Jan 21, 2021

An excellent course that goes beyond explaining tools and strategies to deliver hands-on experience to students.

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Frequently asked questions

Do i need to know anything about media arts.

No. The course is designed for the novice computer user who has an interest in using digital stories to make teaching and learning more engaging.

Do I need to be a tech-savvy prior to this course?

No, but you need fundamental computer and basic internet skills such as accessing a web site, uploading files, and saving and downloading images.

What resources will I need for this course?

For this course, you need: 1) a reliable internet connection, 2) a device to record audio, such as a smartphone or audio recorder, 3) a free account on WeVideo, and 3) the time to listen, read, watch, discuss, and practice the techniques you will learn in this course.

Which time zone is officialy used?

All deadlines are based on CDT (Central Daylight Time).

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?

Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:

The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.

The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?

When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.

What is the refund policy?

You will be eligible for a full refund until two weeks after your payment date, or (for courses that have just launched) until two weeks after the first session of the course begins, whichever is later. You cannot receive a refund once you’ve earned a Course Certificate, even if you complete the course within the two-week refund period. See our full refund policy Opens in a new tab .

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.