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Digital Storytelling is the practice of combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video, to create a short movie, typically with a strong emotional content. Digital Stories can be instructional, persuasive, historical, or reflective. ~Becky S
Nicole Baker: Digital storytelling is the modern practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories. It combines narrative with digital content that includes graphics, audio, video, animation, and web publishing. Digital storytelling will often revolve around a theme and contain a particular viewpoint.
Digital storytelling is when students create a movie or interactive slideshow to tell their story, therefore making learning more personal. This movie or slideshow combines images, graphics, music and sounds in order to tell a personal tale.-Alyssa
How does it work?

Depending on the elements included in the digital story, a student might need a recording device and microphone, hardware and software to manipulate images and video, or tools to take pictures and video. It begins with a script and media is assembled to support the ideas and emotions in that script, including music or other media effects. ~Becky S
Nicole Baker: Creating a digital story does not require any background experience. Once you learn how to do on you will be creating them all the time. Click to get Started
Digital storytelling all starts with an image! Students then incorporate audio, text or video to enhance their own story. Then the images/sounds/text/videos play like a slideshow. -Alyssa
Why would a K-12 educator use it?
This is a great way for every child to be read to individually with only one teacher in the classroom. The children will be able to move at their own pace. They can also make their own digital stories. This can be a great collaborative project for upper levels. For younger kids they can create a digital story with help and then hear themselves reading. Its great for teachers checking fluency too! -Karissa
Nicole Baker: A K-12 teacher would want to use digital storytelling to use rich technology-integrated teaching and learning in the classroom. It is a way to teach the more difficult content and make it more understandable. Digital storytelling is a way to have students work in collaborative groups, to facilitate classroom disscusion and itegrate projects into the classroom. Digital storytelling helps to teach students as well as teachers about the world that we live in.
A K-12 teacher would use digital storytelling to integrate technology in the classroom and help students develop a proficiency with multimedia applications. Digital stories also lets students express themselves not only with their words, but with their own voices. Digital storytelling allows students to feel connected with the assignment and add a part of their own personal identity to it, which might make them more interested in the topic. ~Becky S
Educators should use digital story telling because it allows a student to improve their writing, show creativity and have a voice. It also allows a teacher to incorporate multimedia into their curriculum, making their lessons more applicable to 21st Century Learning.-Alyssa
Provide examples for K-12 education:
Here are some great examples for you to view and use:
Stories
Students in a history class could use digital storytelling to present past events in history and connect them to their own lives. Pictures and video clips could be found on the internet for students to use to complete the project. Students could also use their own pictures and videos when connecting past historical events to an event in their lives. Pictures and videos from history are often used in digital storytelling, such as this example giving an introduction to what digital storytelling is. ~Becky S
a digital storytelling.storytelling.
I feel that digital storytellling would be great for an introductory/ice breaker activity for students. Students would create a digital story of any elements/interests/hobbies that they would like to share with the class. After studying a particular story or genre of literature, Students could also recreate an ending to a particular story in their own, unique way. -Alyssa

How do they work?
Blogosphere is an interlinked chain of blogs. A blog can be started by anybody, and usually edited by anybody. Most blogs are public, allowing everyone to see what was written and often, anybody can respond or reply. HowStuffWorks - Jessie
The basic working of a blog starts from the content management system used to create that particular blog. This is where a blogger creates, designs, manages posts, manages comment and experiments with the blog. Basically this is the place where blog gets it's look. There are also other popular online interfaces like Wordpress, Blogger, etc. which give menu driven options to the user, but the basic functioning, is the same. That is to help bloggers to mange blogs.
A blog gets its look through coding languages like HTML, PHP and CSS, but generally bloggers don't have to go into these details as the content management system or the online interface give bloggers preset themes that are menu driven and can be designed as well edited easily.
These online interfaces give blogs their original themes, but these can be changed through other theme codes that are freely available on the Internet. These websites or other blogs provide theme templates and show you the demo version so it's easier for you to choose and decide the type of look one wants for the blog. These themes are divided into various columns to make the appearance good and easy to surf. There are also some major inbuilt functions like an archive list, place to show author's profile, option of receiving comments, labels for the post and options to show a popular or recent posts. How do Blogs work? (Jen)
A blog is a simpler webpage. It usually just has one page of entries instead of a bunch of different pages. The blog is organized in reverse-chronological order so the most recent post is on the top. A blog is public for everyone to see it.
Since no coding knowledge is required, anybody and everybody can start a blog of their own. For starting a blog, all one needs to do is find a free blogging service and register with a catchy name. For the layout of the blog you can take any one of the many website templates offered by the blogging service or make one on your own. There is an option for creating a post, wherein one can publish one's posts. It's that simple! And your blog is on the way! Ready to roll and ready to connect with the world. It's also important to know how to promote your blog if you want traffic on your blog. This was a simple explanation of what is a blog and how does it work! –Emily Kaestner

One reason would be to collaborate with other teachers, like a virtual staff room. Students able to collaborate outside of classroom and utilize technology they are familiar with and enjoy using—makes learning fun! You can take the classroom global- via the web. Through blogs students and teachers can, in a non-threatening environment, share ideas about a variety of topic and get instant feedback from many others. Students and teachers can stay on top of current events and other areas of professional or academic interest. For teachers it is a great research for sharing resources, ideas, training materials and policies that others may have used and posted on their blogs with responses from other teachers. -Brittany Weltcheff
Provide examples for K-12 Education:
List of Educational BlogsEducational blogs
Options for instructors using blogs include:
• Content-related blogs as a professional practice

A K-12 teacher would want to use it to have students collaborate easily outside of class on an educational topic from his or her class. Teachers can also find an appropriate blog to have students follow, if it is a news or popular topic that changes frequently. - Jessie
Teachers can use blogs to communicate with their students about daily happenings and things going on in the classroom. Teachers can additionally use them to keep communication open with parents to let them know what is going on. Finally, teachers are able to post blogs for their colleagues to read about strategies and lessons they are using. –Emily Kaestner
A teacher would want to use a blog in order to create a sense of community with the other teachers and families around them. A K-12 teacher would also be able to use it for interactive learning and collaboration inside their classroom. Blogs give teachers an opportunity to use differentiation in their classroom. (Jen)

Emily De Witt- A K-12 teacher would use it by having students write online reflections via blogging. This would help the students practice their writing and communication skills. Teachers can use them to post assignments, share thoughts, stimulate classroom discussion, and more.
One reason would be to collaborate with other teachers, like a virtual staff room. Students able to collaborate outside of classroom and utilize technology they are familiar with and enjoy using—makes learning fun! You can take the classroom global- via the web. Through blogs students and teachers can, in a non-threatening environment, share ideas about a variety of topic and get instant feedback from many others. Students and teachers can stay on top of current events and other areas of professional or academic interest. For teachers it is a great research for sharing resources, ideas, training materials and policies that others may have used and posted on their blogs with responses from other teachers. -Brittany Weltcheff
Provide examples for K-12 Education:
List of Educational Blogs
Options for instructors using blogs include:
• Content-related blogs as a professional practice

One of the most creative examples of art-related podcasts I saw when searching for ideas online was this "art history in a minute" website. http://ewart.sbc.edu/ In it, there is an art historian explaining a painting or time period in just under a minute. It would be a great resource for a teacher to add to an introduction to a project that is based on a historical artist. OR, the students could generate their own podcasts in a similar fashion after studying an artist or time period. This could really be done at any age level. One aspect of this particular website is that they are video podcasts. In these situations, I feel it is important to have the visuals supporting the audio content.
I think there is also potential to use podcasts as a way for students to talk about their artwork, either for in class critiques or to share on a classroom website that features their work for the community. (Abbey Kogler Finn)
An example of how teachers could implement podcasts into their classroom could be for test preparation. Unit material, lectures, and readings can be recorded and then posted for students to access inside and outside of the school in order to help them study. Time can be used early on in the school year to show students step by step on how to access the podcasts. Being able to listen and view prior material thru podcasting is an efficient way to improve student knowledge and understanding. Here is a link to other uses of podcasting in my licensure area. http://communities.socialstudies.org/node/247

· Podcasting acknowledges that education doesn't just occur during the school day. Classrooms are no longer closed to the outside world. Podcasts takes the material and makes it accessible via the web, whether it contains teacher lecture materials and formal lessons posted for review at home, extra supplemental info for the student wanting to go above and beyond outside of class, or student generated work designed to share with families and friends what they have learned.
· Podcasts support a constructivist, interactive environment. When students make podcasts about information they have gathered, they are becoming more engaged in the processing of that information. I think this quote is particularly relevant: "In a discussion of the term “edutainment,” Resnick (2004) believes that when computers are used simply to present images, videos, and other information on the screen, then computers are at odds with the student’s need for active engagement. Podcasting provides an opportunity for learners to take a more active role in their education by producing their own content. " http://traceywallace.org/Podcast%20Paper.pdf (Abbey Kogler Finn)
Teachers can deliver information to their students thru the use of podcasting. Podcasts are a great way to help audio/visual learners to retain information in an efficient way. They can be a great review and study methods for students to use. Hearing the information thru their MP3 player, IPod, or home computer can be immensely beneficial. Student's computer and technical skills can be improved as well by using podcasts. Podcasting gives students another option to use in collaborating with their peers and a method to present a project to the class. Podcasting does not have to happen just inside the classroom, but outside as well. (Evan James)
x-Provide examples for K-12 education:Provide examples for K-12 education:
Chelsea

Podcasting formats are as varied as the types of podcasts available. Some podcasts are like monologues where one person simply shares their ideas into a microphone for the listener to hear. Other podcasts are a dialogue between two or more people and may or may not follow format. Some podcasts are unscripted while others seem to be very scripted. Podcasting contain music, interviews, and while audio podcasts are quite popular now, audio/video podcasts are slowly gaining popularity as well. A consumer uses a type of software known as an aggregator, sometimes called a podcatcher or podcast receiver , to subscribe to and manage their feeds. (Lorin Kelly)
A Podcast is a very simple concept. One person, the broadcaster, records something and then releases it to his/her listeners over the internet. At the core a podcast is an audio file that is automatically received from the internet and then synced to your MP3 player. The files are received by subscribing to what's called a podcast feed. Sometimes you also hear this called an RSS feed. To subscribe to a podcast you use a software program called a podcatcher. Sometimes this is also called a podcast aggregator, but they mean the same thing; it's the software that you use to subscribe to and receive podcasts. Even though subscribing to a feed is the most convenient way to receive podcast, you don’t have to subscribe to listen. Many podcasts can also be streamed from the web or downloaded directly as an MP3 file. (T.J. Shannon)
Podcasting is very user friendly and easy to use. The process begins by a producer recording material and then releasing it thru the Internet for listeners to use. The central computer and the electronic device being used for the podcast (MP3 player or IPod) sync the audio file containing the podcast. Users are subscribing to the "podcast feed" in order to receive the files. Podcast aggregators, also known as podcast receivers or podcatchers, are used in the subscription and retrieval process. Subscribing is not the only way users can use podcasts, they can also be downloaded directly or streamed from the web. ITunes and other software do a fantastic job teaching first time users how to use podcasts. (Evan James)
Chelsea
Podcasting requires three simple tests. The first thing a person has to do is create an audio file. The second step is adding the audio file to an RSS 2.0 feed.Third tell people about your podcast, so they can listen to it. For more information and detail of each of the steps visit the following website:

What is it?Discription and Stories
Digital storytelling is the modern way to engage in both story telling and listening to stories. This is a technology based program where there is audio storytelling mixed with still and motion pictures. -Karissa
Digital Storytelling is the practice of combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video, to create a short movie, typically with a strong emotional content. Digital Stories can be instructional, persuasive, historical, or reflective. ~Becky S
Provide examples for K-12 education:
Here are some great examples for you to view and use:
http://www.microsoft.com/education/teachers/guides/digital_storytelling.aspxExamples
Stories
Students in a history class could use digital storytelling to present past events in history and connect them to their own lives. Pictures and video clips could be found on the internet for students to use to complete the project. Students could also use their own pictures and videos when connecting past historical events to an event in their lives. Pictures and videos from history are often used in digital storytelling, such as this example giving an introduction to what digital storytelling is. ~Becky S
Nicole Baker: In K-12 education there is a plerthera of ways to incorporate digital storytelling into the classroom. For example, a teacher could have their students participate in a liturature circle. Students could each be given a role that they would be responsible for. The roles could include a disscussion leader, investigator, connector, a recored keeper, illistrator, and a recorder. Each group would then create a story board, an element that is necessary in digital story telling and then collaborativly create a digital storytelling.

Provide examples for K-12 education:
Here are some great examples for you to view and use:
Digital Storytelling
Digital Storytelling
Digital Storytellinghttp://www.microsoft.com/education/teachers/guides/digital_storytelling.aspx
Students in a history class could use digital storytelling to present past events in history and connect them to their own lives. Pictures and video clips could be found on the internet for students to use to complete the project. Students could also use their own pictures and videos when connecting past historical events to an event in their lives. Pictures and videos from history are often used in digital storytelling, such as this example giving an introduction to what digital storytelling is. ~Becky S
Nicole Baker: In K-12 education there is a plerthera of ways to incorporate digital storytelling into the classroom. For example, a teacher could have their students participate in a liturature circle. Students could each be given a role that they would be responsible for. The roles could include a disscussion leader, investigator, connector, a recored keeper, illistrator, and a recorder. Each group would then create a story board, an element that is necessary in digital story telling and then collaborativly create a digital storytelling.