DigiTales - The Art of Telling Digital Stories

DigiTales Storytelling Camp

"The DigiTales Storytelling Camp is a cross between a writer's workshop and a movie-making symposium. It opened the door to a multimedia format of storytelling that will motivate kids to create in ways that were never possible before now; telling stories that need to be told." Jim Gallatin, IL.

Thinking About the Topic

I will never forget how moving it was to see my own story come alive – I wish this same uplifting experience for everyone - Colleen

Digital storytelling takes the art of oral storytelling and engages a palette of technical tools to weave personal tales using images, graphics, video, music and sounds mixed together in an author's own story voice. All individuals, families, teachers, students, organizations, and societies need resolute storytellers to constantly lift up our hearts, spirits, and possibilities along with celebrating our naturally good and generous natures being human.

While this topic can be shared as a keynote or session for awareness, it is the DigiTales Storytelling Camp that provides a fun and focused process for deeply acquiring the communication and technology skills that will ensure individuals are able to continue making many, many more digital stories ever after. The multi-day (3-5) event paces participants through the pre-production, production and post-production process phases of creating 3-5 minutes video movies. Story circles, software / hardware tutorials, and plenty of one-on-one coaching support beginners as well as competent technology users in gaining new technology skills while experiencing their own creative storytelling
skills that they can later share with others.

Life is quite simply full of stories! If you thought slide shows or scrapbooking was fun, the personal magic you make using digital media creates the ultimate dynamic, multi-sensory memories ready-to-share with everyone. Discover your untapped artistic talents while becoming a DigiTales StoryKeeper! Every DigiTales StoryKeeper experiences pride, camaraderie, satisfaction and for many, enchantment with their storytelling work. Like paintings, the digital stories we all create will exist over time and be enjoyed long past their creation. Whether you choose to do-it-yourself guided by the step-by-step processes in Bernajean’s DigiTales book or experience, host your own one day or multi-day camp, or even find your way to a DigiTales Summer Mountain Camp, may you discover the joy of having your own digital stories be heard far and wide!

Quotes from Campers

DigiTales isn’t about the technology, bells, whistles. Nor is it a “sit and get” workshop. It’s about a journey of personal expression, which on the last day found all of us “techies” and “paper-trained” adults basking in the celebration of our personal stories and an amazing renewal in the true writing process. Seminole County, FL

DigiTales isn’t about how to use the tools...it’s about using the tools to build something that has meaning. Seminole County, FL

The DigiTales Storytelling Camp is a cross between a writer's workshop and a movie-making symposium. It opened the door to a multimedia format of storytelling that will motivate kids to create in ways that were never possible before now; telling stories that need to be told. Jim Gallatin, IL.

I thought the DigiTales Storytelling Camp was a great way to help teachers, who are pretty tech savvy already, learn how to reach the next level. Our school has done a lot of video editing, but most of it has not been as focused as the digital story telling was. Lynn Newton, IL

The DigiTales Storytelling Camp was like boot camp. . . . very intense training but you came out with a great sense of accomplishment. Sharon Putz, IL

Audiences

We need to foster in others the same kind of awesome passion we found this week with our own stories - Robert

DigiTales Storytelling Presentations and Multi-Day Camps can be customized to target each specific group’s needs with one of the following focuses: Living Memories, Beyond Words, Itza Wrap Project Stories, and Future Visions.

Teacher Leaders (Living Memories, Beyond Words or Itza Wrap)
Church Camps (Living Memories or Future Visions)
Communities (Living Memories or Future Visions)
Project Participants (Itza Wrap for Project Stories)
Business groups (Itza Wrap for Project Stories or Future Visions)
Non-Profit organizations (Living Memories, Itza Wrap for Project Stories or Future Visions
School curriculum (Beyond Words, Learning Portfolios, Digital Arts Curriculum, Project-based Learning)

For Educators

Digital Storytelling uses technology as an integrated approach to improving student's oral, visual, and written communication skills. See the Handouts for A Baker’s Dozen Skills Chart for 21st Century Skills and NETS-S correlated with digital storytelling skills. Sign up for a unique experience that builds your own expertise with the process phases of developing communication and technical skills. Once you have written your own digital story, you will have the facilitation skills to engage students in projects that ensure higher order thinking skills including analysis, synthesis, and evaluation along with visual literacy and effective, creative communication.

Time Duration Options

One (1) hour keynotes, breakout sessions, and three hour mini-workshops engages large group with interactive experiences providing inspiration, awareness and first steps;
One (1) day interactive workshops provides basic skills and understandings along with curriculum connections; Two (2) workshops provides support from start to finish for hands-on crafting of one storytelling product using a well known poem to develop personal creative visual interpretation. Four to Five (4-5) multi-day camp guides participants in developing a personal digital story; learning cutting edge mentoring / coaching skills, experiencing group project management strategies, acquiring in-depth technical skills, and gaining capacity to design and evaluate digital products.

Logistics for DigiTales Multiple-Day (2 or 4-5) Workshops

Host your own workshops and camps or join Bernajean's Summer DigiTales Storytelling in Colorado Mountain Camps. If considering a two day workshop or 4-5 day storytelling camp, there are many logistics needed to organize participants deeply engaging their content, processes and technical experience.

Workstations prepared with BASIC storytelling tools (see website)
Projector, speakers, and internet connection for presentation station
Printers, Internet connections, scanners, headphones, flash drives,microphones and digital cameras
Additional spaces needed for group debriefing, story circles, voice recordings

Program Descriptions

The following descriptions provide many aspects of presenting digital storytelling, what it is, why it is important, qualities of creating exemplar digital stories, and the impact of acquiring these skills. All topics and descriptions can be modified and customized to target a multitude of audiences from business people to teachers to church groups or students. Please feel free to call for individual needs and interests.

DigiTales: The Art of Telling Digital Stories (One-Hour Presentation)

I rediscovered my creative self this week - Krista

The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds (stories), can change the outer aspects of their lives. – William James

Digital storytelling takes the ancient art of oral storytelling and engages a palette of technical tools to weave personal tales using images, graphics, video, music and sounds mixed together in an author's own story voice into 3-5 minute movies. Stories are as old as people and as important. Telling stories together about things that really matter has an extraordinary effect on people. Something magical happens when people make and share real-life stories together - the author’s thinking becomes clarified while the stories shared increases understanding, builds communities, and lifts up the spirits of everyone! It is possible that the accumulation and wide spread sharing of our personal stories whether oral, print or digital can indeed create a tipping point that changes our chaotic, fragmented world into a world community. And those are the stories that need to be told!

DigiTales: The Craftsmanship of Digital Communication (One-Hour Presentation, One to Two Day Workshop)

When a digital story is finished it should be remembered for its soul, not the bells and whistles of the technology tools. (Bernajean Porter, 2004)

Stories are not just for campfires anymore! By telling thoughtful stories, we clarify our own thinking and share it with others. Now that we have digital playgrounds of images, sounds, music and voice narratives, we are able to paint multi-media experiences of defining moments and understandings in our lives and work! Mastering the art of designing information requires authors to deepen their understanding of content while increasing visual, sound, oral language and information literacy skills. Exemplar digital stories created as 3-5 minute movies artfully dance ideas and media together into illuminated understandings. Guaranteed to be fun for kids of all ages!

Digital Storytelling Across the Curriculum

We need to tell someone else a story that describes our experience because the process of creating the story also creates the memory structure that contains the gist of the story for the rest of our lives. Tell Me a Story. Roger Shanks.

Engaging students in creating content-based digital storytelling expands and deepens understanding and higher achievement in classroom curriculum. Story grammar - the "ability to encapsulate, contextualize, and emotionalize information, understanding and experiences for yourself and others" - is becoming vastly important in the Conceptual-Information Age. Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the World. Daniel Pink. Pink names “story” as one of six key attributes essential in today's market place. Digital storytelling uses technology to accelerate students' oral, visual, and written communication skills in expressing what they know and understand to others. Explore sample student projects that help improve students' basic skills, as well as numerous emerging NETS-S Technology and 21st Century Skills. Participants will become familiar with the elements and techniques of effective digital storytelling, as well as ideas for implementing storytelling in their classroom.

Teachers as StoryKeepers (One Hour presentation, One - Two Day Workshops PLUS Four-Five Day Camps)

Where practice meets passion and experience – thereby lies a story that needs to be told (Bernajean Porter, 2004)

The power of our work as educators is much greater than the numbers! Digital stories able to compliment quantitative data by conveying the emotional, inspiring, and qualitative value of experiences through combining images, sound, music, and voiceovers into 3-5 minute movies that share understandings and lessons learned for others. Each digital story showcases and documents personal lessons learned from grants, initiatives and special projects by engaging participants in reflecting on their personal experiences, successes, and impact that adds compelling human experience to text/numeric evaluations or research projects. The process of creating these digital stories from start to finish provides each participant with a personal artistic learning experience enabling them master skills and understandings needed to coach others in creating exemplar communication products that focus on the power of the message not the bells and whistles of technology tools. Guaranteed to be fun for kids of all ages.

Sample Handouts Downloading NEW Attached PDF files

Schedule Keynotes, Sessions, One-Day Workshops or Multi-Day Camps with

info@digitales.us or 720-381-6336