Digital Storytelling

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures....  That's what I have!  I have always been "that person", the one who has to stop and take pictures.  I love to take pictures, as a way to remember many things, like a trip somewhere, a family outing, or even a delicious meal!  I feel like one can never have too many pictures.  My friends and family know that I love to take pictures, and are usually pretty patient with me.  

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Creating a digital story was very appealing to me!  When asked to make one, I was overwhelmed at first.  It was not because I had to use iMovie, 

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an application I had never used before, it was moreso the fact that I had to decide what the topic of my story should be! So much fun, but also too much thinking!  I went back and forth about a few topics, ranging from a kitchen model (that was just completed), to my nephew (who tells me I talk too much), to my Mom's cancer journey.  Given it is the month of October, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I chose to create the story about my mom and how it has affected our family.  

Using iMovie was great!  It was user friendly, and once I played around with the different options (i.e. transitions, fading music), I was comfortable putting it all together.  I also liked that iMovie saved the project as I was creating it, so I did not have to worry about losing the work I was doing.  The only "minor" tech. issue I had was getting the volume right, balancing my narration with the music.  Overall though, I was happy using the program and can see myself using it again!  Here is the Story of Theresa's Trotters:

As far as using this application with the students I work with, I would have to think about how to incorporate this into therapy.  When targeting articulation (speech sound production), I could possibly have the students read a story and create a movie along with it.  Then the students could share it with their parents (and family) to hear how they are doing with the therapy objectives.  Or maybe when students are working on vocabulary, they could come up with pictures and descriptions of the vocabulary word(s), and then create a story using iMovie.  Given the confidentiality of the students I work with, these projects would have to be made private and I would also have to get permission from their parents/ guardians to do so.  I like the idea of using iMovie, as a way of targeting goals, but I would have to think about the logistics of how to implement it in therapy.