Digital Story
Reflection on social media
To create my digital story, I used the tool called “slide” at http://www.slide.com/.
It can be watched here: http://www.slide.com/r/tnqMktFM3T-p6K1Gzi6jCef7ThDHqy0I?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original
First selecting this tool was an adventure:
- I tried at least three tools until I was satisfied.
- Some tools did not allow the use of captions, which made it challenging to tell the story.
- Some tools did not allow for music.
- At first, I wanted to use a video, but then, I realized that most of the tools were not equiped to create what I had in mind. Some probably were, but I would have had to pay to become a member.
Learning how to author the tool I selected:
- I soon realized that the use of images was the most effective way of creating my story.
- First, there are many images available on Google (advanced search: labeled for reuse).
- Also, with images, it became possible to add captions and audio.
- I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the end result was quite presentable.
The choices:
- Slide offered the possibility of choosing a certain style.
- Of course, I went for the old film look, being a very big movie fan.
- It also allowed for the use of “skins”, which are textures around the basic look.
- In my case, the skin consists of holes like in an old movie strip.
- Slides were surprisingly easy to add, so were captions.
The impact of the tools:
- Images were found on the internet and, despite the limited choice in the “reusable” public domain, I found what I needed to illustrate a Mayan legend.
- The music was not entirely satisfying. I would have prefered the sound of flutes from the Andes, for example. But at least there was an instrumental piece that sort of worked.
- I did not find any mean to add music other than from the tool’s own audio bank.
Using the “Slide” to teach Spanish:
- I intend to use this tool in my Spanish class. I found it to be user friendly and quite adaptable to the types of presentations that my language students create for our class.
- The various templates offer them many different ways of presenting their work.
- It can be used to tell a story, teach a lesson, or review a specific theme.
- I have actually added it the Moodle site that I created for this course.
- I believe that my students would really love this tool. At this time, they tend to gravitate around PowerPoint. I think that “Slide” would give them a very creative and flexible alternative.
References:
Lamb, B. (2007). Dr. Mashup; or, Why Educators Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the Remix. EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 42, no. 4 (July/August 2007): 12–25. Accessed online March 9 2009 http://www.educause.edu/ER/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume42/DrMashuporWhyEducatorsShouldLe/161747