Skidmore+Storytelling

**50+ Web Ways to Tell a Story** //Workshop for Skidmore College • Match 19, 2014//

Not long ago producing multimedia digital content required expensive equipment and technical expertise. Now almost anyone can create and publish on the web digital media with nothing more complex than a web browser or a mobile device. But easier content creation does not free us from Sturgeons Law.*

This workshop will cover a simple development process. Participants will create a digital story using images, audio, and/or video using free web tools and/or mobile apps. I use "story" in a general sense; it may be one of personal discovery or growth, a fictional narrative, a travel experience, a presentation, or something else you find worth telling. I discovered more than 50 such tools and recently have expanded the site to include mobile apps as creative platforms. As an example I created the same story in each tool. The result is that a good story and the creative process should and do transcend the tools.

*In response to criticisms of the poor quality of science fiction writing, author Theodore Sturgeon claimed that “90% of everything is crap”, suggesting science fiction was no different from other genres of art.

(b) The Way of the 50+ Ways
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(c) Table Group Activity: Story Brainstorm

 * Groups of 3-4 people at each table.
 * As a group we are going to decide a shared topic tag.
 * Each table will run version of [|pechaflickr] with settings for **5 slides** shown for **30 seconds** each.


 * Each person should silently watch and independently write down an idea for a story told by those 5 photos. As a suggestion, use the [|Story Spine approach]
 * Once upon a time there was . Every day, . One day Because of that, . Because of that, . Until finally ___._____
 * At the end of the show, the person who's computer you are using should copy down the list of final image URLs



(d) Table Group Activity: Pick and Find the So What?

 * Share the ideas for your story; as a table vote for the one that the group can agree has the most potential to be an interesting story.
 * One person in the group, ideally the one with the computer used for pechaflickr, should open your group Google Doc. Put down the names of the group members, and add the basic outline for the story, and include the URLs used from your pechaflickr experience. These images must be used in your story project
 * Group 1 Doc
 * Group 2 Doc
 * Group 3 Doc
 * Group 4 Doc
 * Group 5 Doc


 * In your groups, revisit the story. Does it have the "So What?" element? What might that be? Does it have an opening that grabs your interest, and maybe hints at the so What? Revise.

(e) Table Group Activity: Find Media

 * All table members should now seek out additional media that might support the story, use the Storymedia resources to find media you can use. Keep track of all found media in your shared Google doc so it is available for every person on your group.

(e) Individual Activity: Build a Story in a Web Tool and/or a Mobile App
> > Or try one of the mobile apps.
 * Each person at the table should select a different tool to use to create a version of their story. As a way to select one, use the A-Z Tool List, Tools by Type, Tools by Media Capability... or if you get desperate, spin the wheel and take a random one. We have a long list of tools yet to be reviewed.
 * Create an account on the tool site, build a story, and be sure to add a link to your final story in both the tool page and your shared google doc.

Recommended To Try

 * Animoto and Animoto App
 * Explory app
 * Glogster
 * Haiku Deck app
 * Inflow app
 * One True Media
 * PhotoPeach
 * Pixton
 * Storehouse app
 * Storify
 * ToonDoo
 * TouchCast app
 * VoiceThread