Digital stories in the classroom

Storytelling has always played a vital role in history, but the manner in which it has been done have changed with every culture. Personal narrative has been utilized to convey historical events since the oral histories spoken by bards in ancient courts, through the works of scribes during the Renaissance, through newspapers, CNN, and now the Internet. Students and teachers may now narrate stories using voice, text, graphics, audio, and video thanks to digital storytelling, which mixes tradition with technology.

Purpose
Video art is a modern art genre that primarily examines human existence and experience and deals with commonplace issues, challenges, and wishes. With the use of video as a medium, artists can create works of art that connect identities, experiences, and knowledge through the organization and control of pictures, text, and sound. Given that video is already an important part of their lives in many different ways (such as through television, the internet, video games, and mobile phones), as a technology tool it has the potential to pique learners' interests and tie school life to the outside world.
A linear set of events can be transformed into a multidimensional experience by using digital storytelling, which are accessible to students. All of this motivates them to converse, work together, conduct research, and incorporate media into the process. These projects may be made with a variety of tools and apps, and using them all enables students to learn more about history while figuring out the best way to retell it.
The course "Digital stories in the Classroom" will concentrate on the theories and strategies we use to generate engaging stories and videos through practice andis intended for anyone who wants to learn more in-depth information about producing audiovisual content. The art of storytelling can be used in the classroom to increase student learning, encourage creative expression, foster critical thinking, and promote contemplation on societal concerns.

Objectives
- Understand the importance of creativity in education.
- Discover ways of developing students’ creativity and self-confidence.
- Promote games, simulations and role-play as tools for encouraging participation in filming activities.
- Improve participant's critical comprehension of storytelling, meaning making, and all aspects of production
- Enhance participant's ability to recognize the essential elements needed to construct compelling and meaningful stories
- Raise participant's awareness of technological development in teaching and learning
- Strengthen the participant's capacity for structuring and creating compelling tales, including those in style, genre, and digital media.

Course Language
English
Note: Participants must have at least a CEFR level B2 knowledge of English in order to be able to participate actively.

Target Groups
Teachers: primary, secondary, vocational, adult, special needs; Teacher trainers; Head teachers; Principals; Managers of schools

Methods & Tools
Lectures, workshops, discussions, teamwork, role-playing.

Agenda
Day 1
Introductory meeting, explanation presentation of timetable of practical arrangements
- Information about course
- Ice-breaking venue activities
- Introduction in Digital storytelling – What is it and how can we use it?

Day 2
- The importance of creative thinking
- Where do I begin from? Generating ideas and finding the theme.
- Scriptwriting techniques: from Aristoteles to McKee
- Scriptwriting softwares
- Writing the script

Day 3
- Pre-production: setting, casting, etc.
- Directing the film – An introduction
- Types of frames and how to use them
- Camera technique (movement)
- Sound and light in filmmaking

Day 4
- Production day

Day 5
- Film editing
- Film editing softwares
- Coloring and post production
- Use of music in films

Day 6
- Presentations of films created by the participants – Feedback from the team and the lecturer

Day 7
- Erasmus+ program: objectives, priorities, actions, forms, budget, tips for applicants
- Planning follow up activities, dissemination and exploitation of learning outcomes
- Course Evaluation
- Certifications
- Discussing possibilities for future cooperation among participants