Digital Storytelling is sharing of information by the use of digital media: text, images, music, video and voice. One particular way to create a digital story is to use PowerPoint. A Photo Album can easily be created and turned into a digital story with enhanced transitions and timing. Prior to starting a digital story, collect image files and music to match your story theme. This handout with screenshots below is prepared using PowerPoint 2010.

1. Start with a blank presentation slide. From the Insert tab, select Photo Album.

2. Insert pictures from File/Disk

3. Select Images, click Insert.

Digital Storytelling Using PowerPoint

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4. On the Photo Album window, select all pictures in the album. Choose Picture layout: “Fit to slide”. Click Create.

5. Add text on slides if desired. From the Insert menu, select Text Box. And draw out a text box on your slide. Type in text. Also, objects such as shapes, callouts and other images/clipart can be inserted on the slide.

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Enhance the Digital Story Slide Show6. Now you can add enhancements to your PowerPoint slide show. Custom Animation can be

applied to any objects on the slide. Select Animation from the menu tab and select the desired effect from the list. “Add Effect” choices can be made from Entrance, Emphasis, Exit or Motion Paths. Animations can be sorted and timed to start automatically with previous or after previous or on click.

7. The movement between slides is called Transitions. To create transitions, select the Transitions tab on the ribbon. Select a transition choice. The choice can be applied to all. And then, select the timing to Advance Slide to a particular amount of time. (Usually, 3-10 seconds, depending on how much text there is to read.)

8. Add audio to your project. To add music to play throughout the PPT, go to slide 1 From the Insert menu, select Audio/Media. Select “Audio from file”. Browse the computer for the audio file and insert.

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9. Click the speaker icon that represents the audio file you just inserted, select Playback and click the timing option (in this example, will insert the audio on slide 1 and Play across slides.

10. Optional: If you want to add your own voice, select Insert from the menu tab. Select “Record Audio” and use the recording tools to record, press the red stop button after finished speaking. Select the speaker icon on the slide and from the Playback tab on the menu bar, select audio options.

11. Optional: Narrating the slide show is another way to add voice. Click on Slide Show tab, select Record Slide Show, and choose start from beginning

or from current slide.

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12. Save the presentation by selecting "Save" under "File" in the top menu bar. Alternatively, select "Save As" and choose "PowerPoint Slide Show" for the format to save the presentation as a self-running digital story or use the directions below to save the presentation as a video.

Save the PowerPoint 2010 presentation as a video

On the File menu, click Save & Send. Under Save & Send, click Create a video. Select quality options:

o To display all video quality and size options, under Create a video, click the Computer & HD Displays down arrow. Do one of the following:

o To create a video with very high quality, yet a large file size, click Computer & HD Displays.

o To create a video with a moderate file size and medium quality, click Internet & DVD.

Select Timing Options from either choice below:o “Don’t Use Recorded Timings” and keep each slide to 5 second displayo If you recorded and timed narrations, click “Record Timings and Narrations”

After you create a video, you can share it with others by using the following methods:

Use e-mail to send a presentation Burn your slide show to a DVD disc Upload it to a video sharing Web site, such as YouTube Save to a file share or other location

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