Here is the detailed list of parameters to guide each story.
1. Stories need to be created in either Microsoft Photo Story or Apple's iMovie. Photo Story is preferred, as it will be what we use and that makes for a level playing field.
(If you need help learning Photo Story, David Jakes has an excellent series of tutorials.
I encourage you to watch them and learn!)
2. It may not be excessively long or needlessly short. Be cautious that the stories do not drag on or contain too little information.
3. If photos are used that were not taken by the school or class involved, an attribution slide must be added at the end. If flickr images are used, only use images licensed under creative commons attribution. Only the user name is necessary for attribution.
4. Students may take their own photos or use photos from an online source (flickr, yotophoto, everystockphoto, etc) provided they are properly attributed.
5. Student will tell their story in conjunction with the pictures, and only student voices' may be used, no adults.
6. Only instrumental music may be used, if music is used at all. I will only allow my students to use the canned music that is included in Photo Story, so if you're using Photo Story, limit your students to the same.
7. You can see the pictures I plan to use and download them if you wish on the pictures page.
Here is how to frame the assignment:
I am going to begin with a discussion about life in other countries and the stereotypes we have here in the USA about other countries. We will then move into a discussion about real life in our area, and about how it is not quite as rosy as the tourist brochures might lead one to think. I will then ask the kids to begin thinking of how to tell the story of what life is really like here in the USA, in the south, to be specific.
Time frame: I will only give my students 45 minutes to prepare for the assignment, then I will give them two full periods (90 minutes each) in the computer lab to complete the assignment. Students will work alone, not in groups. If a student finishes early, he or she will be encouraged to seek feedback from other students that have also finished and/or help other students who might be having trouble.
Guiding Questions:
You may want to use guiding questions, and that is fine. You are not obligated to use these, but here are some examples you might choose to use:
Again, you may choose to deviate from these, or choose to use these questions to guide your script-writing. These are provided only as a suggestion. I personally will only employ these for students who are "stuck".
Grading Rubric:
Each teacher will use this grading rubric to assess the quality of the work submitted: Grading Rubric