Digital media stories are a way for people to capture their personal stories using a combination of any of the following elements: still images, video clips, voice recording, music, and written words. Though there are many ways to create a digital media story, I had my students use Photo Story, which is compatible with PC computers. iMovie is also an excellent tool for Mac users.

WHY DID I HAVE MY STUDENTS CREATE DIGITAL MEDIA STORIES?

My immediate goal was for my students to learn how images, music, and tone of voice could be used as persuasive tools in public speaking. My long-term goal was for students to acquire the media skills needed to be successful in their future careers.

WHO ARE MY STUDENTS?

I teach international graduate students from around the world, all of whom are seeking a master’s degree in international business, international policy studies, or teaching English as a second language. All students have a minimum 550 (paper-based) TOEFL score. These students were enrolled in my public speaking class, which is the highest-level oral skills class in the English for Academic & Professional Purposes program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

HOW DID I STRUCTURE THE LESSON?

I introduced students to digital media stories during the persuasive speaking unit in my public speaking class. Prior to the lesson, I had students read about digital media stories and download Photo Story onto their laptops. I searched online for a few digital media stories to show as examples and asked students to identify why they considered the story to be persuasive or what could have made the story more persuasive. I had students reflect on how the music, images, or speaker’s tone of voice enhanced the story. Then, I divided students into teams and gave them a task: to develop a digital media story to convince the judges (myself and the expert technologists cofacilitating the workshop with me) that their team deserved to win $20. The students were to brainstorm a theme, download Creative Commons-licensed images from Flickr and music from iTunes, and assemble these into a digital media story. The expert technologists worked with students on this task to show them how they could create their digital media story using Photo Story. I purposely did not have students record their voices; instead, I wanted them to deliver their stories live to the audience to practice their public speaking skills. (The prize was awarded to a team promoting the charity “Doctors without Borders.”) For homework, students created a digital media story about any advocacy or persuasive topic they were passionate about and delivered it live the next class. They also spoke about their inspiration for creating their story and received oral feedback from their peers.

WHAT BACKGROUND DID STUDENTS HAVE PRIOR TO THIS LESSON?

Students had studied storytelling and rhetorical techniques and had also been introduced to Aristotle’s three dimensions of persuasion: ethos, pathos, and logos. They were able to draw upon this knowledge in creating their persuasive digital media stories.

WHAT WERE THE LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THIS LESSON?

In my opinion, this lesson broadened students’ repertoire of persuasive tools and improved their public speaking skills. Students highly recommended teaching future students to create digital media stories (based on a mean score of 9.44 / 10 among 15 students, in which 10 meant “definitely teach future students digital media stories”). A student commented, “For some reason I used to downplay the importance of digital media in public speaking and this exercise helped me to see that digital media could be a very powerful tool to persuade your audience. I’ll definitely consider using this technique in my future presentations.”Another student wrote, “I think it is an excellent way to present things in a more catchy way. By criticizing the other photo stories, all the class got many tips that will help us to improve for next presentations. I really love it, I had so much fun while preparing my photo story.” However, students recommended more time for technology training and student questions.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER WAYS DIGITAL MEDIA STORIES CAN BE USED IN THE CLASSROOM?

Students hone their listening and speaking skills by delivering or recording their own story, listening to their peers’ stories, and giving and receiving oral peer feedback. Students could create a story about their families, their travel to the United States or another country, a life lesson learned, a favorite childhood memory, a cultural holiday or tradition, or their future dreams. They could compare and contrast the United States with their home country or convince their audience to take action on an issue of regional or global concern.

WHERE CAN I FIND MORE RESOURCES ABOUT DIGITAL MEDIA STORYTELLING?

Visit our wiki, where you will find examples of digital media stories, instructions for creating digital media stories, and links to digital media story resources. Enjoy!

Lisa Leopold is an assistant professor at Monterey Institute of International Studies. She specializes in teaching English for academic and professional purposes.