PhotoStory 3
PhotoStory 3, simple stated, brings still images to life. It uses panning and zoom effects, voice recording, and background music to create “Ken Burns” type movies. This free program, offered by Microsoft, is sequential and can be learned quickly, but does have its limitations. PhotoStory 3 has been used successfully by second through twelfth grade students to allow for creativity, differentiation, and enhance higher order thinking skills while integrating technology. Below are useful links and ideas. Check out some of the projects that have been created by others at the bottom of this page.
Links
PhotoStory 3 Download
PhotoStory 3 Manual
Another PhotoStory 3 Tutorial
One more video Tutorial
Window Media Player Download- You may have to download and intall this before you download PhotoStory 3.
Digital Storytelling Using PhotoStory 3:
Connecting Our Senior Community to Our Schools- This is a website explains how a school district soloved a real problem and got their senior community involved in their schools using PhotoStory 3. The links to the projects are dead, but the PowerPoint and the handouts are useful in understanding what they did.
Ideas
Beginning of the year-
- make a movie to introduce yourself (this can be posted to the internet so others may view it later)
- have student make a movie of a rule(s)
- show off student work from last year (work can be digital photos or scanned)
Social Studies
- student can make a movie of historical event or person
Science
- student can make movie to show growth of organism and explain what is going on
Math
- student can explain how problem was solved (each step can be scanned)
General
- students can make a review of sections of the unit or key concepts; then they can be posted to the web as a study guide
- if some work is shown and explained this may help students and parents understand what the expectations are
LA
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Digital Story Telling- Anyone can draw their own pictures (have them scanned), use their own photos, or get pictures online then narrate their story. The story can be fictitious or true. How about getting rid of the “What I did during My Summer Vacation” essay and allow them to bring in photos and use PhotoStory 3 to “tell” about their summer. If they don’t have photos they can be found online.
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Poetry- record one line on a picture
Best Practices for Using Technology in the Classroom Link
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One tip you will want to use on the above link will be "kits". Kits are the images, websites, audio, etc. that you have selected for the kids to use. No matter what grade level, choosing the components of a project before the students start to create saves an enormous amount of time and headache.
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Have as much done before the kids sit at the computer as possible. Here is a Planning Sheet to help them get started.
Below are examples of PhotoStory 3 projects
Meet Marley- Created just to have fun.
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CHARLES LINDBERGH.WMV (7381.5KB)
This middle schooler's movie was turned in as extra credit with a printed report. With better narration, and more information, why couldn't this have been turned in instead of a written report? Do all reports have to be written?
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PHOTOSTORY JBM.WMV(957.4KB)
This is an example of a student made movie about the class rules.
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OSIRIS.WMV(1484.3KB)
This is an example of a report/story done by gifted second grader.
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OUR SNOW DAY_1.WMV(6594KB)
This was a class project. The students made similies about the snow, and with a parent's help recorded their voice with a picture and text they picked.
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KH.WMV(1746.7KB)
This movie was a first attempt by a second grader to make a poem. The first 3 lines were writtten for him the last line was his own. He chose from a small seledtion of pictures and had limited time to choose music and make a title. For some reason the student liked using special effects on the pictures.
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FLAT STANLEY.WMV(4831.3KB)
Thsi video is a reply by a student who what sent a Flat Stanley to take around town. Notice the zoom-in, pan, and zoom-out effect of the Blackbird. This was done using the same picture four times, a different effect on each picture, and no transitions.
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THE MISSING MITTEN.WMV(9982.5KB)
This a cute class story with some extra narration. It is a wonderful example of plot and solution. Notice the artwork by the students was photographed not scanned.
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