Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to

Literacy, Learning and Creativity

Chapters 5 & 6:Thinking about the Story &

Applying Story MapsFrom: Digital Storytelling in the

Classroom by Jason OhlerBy: Piraveena, Stephanie, Hailey, Adna, Alexis, and Ali

THE STORY CORE

1.Hero’s Problem or Challenge2.Hero’s Transformation3.Hero’s Resolution

From Story Core to Story Map

• After you have come up with an idea and your story core, you can create a story map to outline your story

VPS: Visual Portrait of a Story

A VPS is a visual portrait of a story that Ohler uses to map out the story core and all the events that take place

BEGINNING • Information is presented/implied, which

grounds the listener in the life of the character and sets the scene from which adventure emerges

• Main character is called to adventure; the ordinary routine of life is interrupted– If story does not emerge from the events, then

it is implied because the opening events contrast sharply with listener’s expectations of normal life

• Quest of some kind is described, implied or begun– This establishes the beginning of problem

which must be solved; it can be a question, obstacle, opportunity, goal, or other challenge that needs to be fully addressed

ANNOTATED VISUAL PORTRAIT OF A STORY:BEGINNING

PROBLEM (tension)

BEGINNING (call to

adventure)

- question- opportunity- challenge- goal

“The call to adventure…”

Ordinary life

TRANSFORMATION

VPS: The Middle Section

• “Like a tension bridge held together by cables that keep it from falling apart.”

 • “Like a high-wire that characters are going to

need to cross in order to get to the other side…the resolution.”

• “Slumped rather than straight, suggesting that things might become more challenging before they resolve.”

• “The middle looks like a circus tent… it’s within this tent that the real drama of the story unfolds.”

PROBLEM (tension)

Drama/AdventuresSOLUTION (resolution)

 The Beginning and the End of the Middle

At the beginning of the middle the “problem” is presented. This may be an obstacle to overcome, an issue or mystery that needs to be solved or a goal to be achieved.

At the end of the middle section the “solution” occurs. This may involve the overcoming of the obstacle presented, the solving of an issue or mystery or the achieving of a goal.

What Makes the Middle Section So Important????

TENSION AND RESOLUTION 

Problems that the protagonist encounters beg for some sort of resolution. This is what emotionally hooks the readers/viewers as they want to know what happens.

Other Important Details about the Middle… 

• It is important not to provide extraneous details, overwhelming special effects etc. that take away from the story and that result in a failure to resolve the problem.

• In the middle, the main character embarks on a series of adventure which may be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual that relate to solving the problem.

• During the middle section the protagonist will undergo a “Transformation.”

Transformation• You can’t just have the conflict easily resolved and everyone

live happily ever after– There needs to be some sort of struggle, the “hero” needs to work,

to fail to be tested in order to succeed• He needs to become stronger, smarter, wiser, more mature etc.

– This struggle is called the transformation and is necessary to the resolution of the challenge or conflict

– It doesn’t have to be a “Eureka!” type of moment, can be a gradual accumulation of knowledge and experience that allows the hero to complete the quest

“old ” attitude

“new” attitude

• The “new” version needs to push himself past a certain point in order to transform

– This push and pull between old and new creates the tension-resolution dynamic

– needed to maintain the forward momentum of the story• The change doesn’t have to come from within the hero, other

variables such as fate, luck or hard work can cause enough of a disruption for the transformation to occur

• The “old” version of you faces a problem– Resists changing– The situation impedes the necessary changes

• Ex. The hero needs to learn how to handle a sword in order to save the princess, but there is nobody around to teach him

ANNOTATED VISUAL PORTRAIT OF A STORY:END

PROBLEM (tension)

BEGINNING (call to

adventure)

- question- opportunity- challenge- goal

“The call to adventure…”

Ordinary life

SOLUTION (resolution)Drama/Adventures

TRANSFORMATION

“personal investment in listening has been honoured”

Transformation established

“This includes rediscovering something you already knew but had forgotten or been avoiding”

Closure

Elements of an Ending

3 Elements or Characteristics of an ending• Closure: An ending doesn’t leave the listener

feeling as if the story teller ran out of material• Endings should allow listeners to feel as though

their personal investment in listening has been honoured.

• Not answering questions is a violation of the unspoken storyteller-story listener covenant

• This doesn’t mean that it can’t be an unhappy ending, but if it is, the storyteller should do it , deliberately with intent and purpose.

• Thus the key here is closure not the answer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MPKJBX2QoE&feature=related

Transformation: A transformation in the story is essential and what is learned from it is also put into play.

• Ideally, you, the listener also feel a sense of change.

• This includes rediscovering something you already knew but had forgotten or been avoiding

“Showing rather than telling”: the story can move forward with some action or narrative that shows changes have been internalized by the characters.

• Stories can also conclude in an obvious way, by simply stating what has been learned in the form of a moral or personal revelation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sXcN5H6zdw&feature=related

Key Things to Remember

Good Story Bad story Logical Sequence Engages the listener

from beginning to end by commanding their attention

Listeners can’t wait to hear what will happen next

Not prolonged

Listener is impatient because of boring storyline

Order of the story is too predictable

Sequence is illogical Too long or too short

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LKknrXl35E&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncOF81xL9zQ – Digital Stories as Artefact

• Digital stories are different to everyone, and each student makes a special contribution

• It encourages collaborative learning

• It exposes them to the views and personal history of their peers

• The emphasis on critical thinking allows students to understand their personal experiences with relation to society

Final

Thoughts