|
Sep. 5
I am a big fan of multimedia projects and digital storytelling. One of my favorite project ideas is combining Microsoft PowerPoint and Photostory 3 into a project I call PowerStory. This process is a great way to faciliatate project-based learning and kids love it. Over the years, my students have created hundreds of PowerStories in practically all subject areas. I am always impressed by their creativity. In this post, I will walk you through the PowerStory process.
Let's create a PowerStory:
If you’re using Windows XP, you may need to download and install Photostory 3. Microsoft provides this software free of charge. Download it here: http://tinyurl.com/photostory3
To create this project, we are going to create slides using PowerPoint, and then save them as images. Then, we will import the images into PhotoStory 3, add a few details and finish the project.
Please see the attached document for step-by-step instructions on creating a PowerStory.
Collect your images.
Students can find and save images from the Internet and/or use pictures taken with a digital camera. I really like to get this step completed before going on to the next steps.
Start with PowerPoint.
1. Open a new presentation and choose a template. Projects look better when the slides have a consistent color scheme.
2. Insert the images into you PowerPoint slides to create collages. Your images will look better if you add borders and/or drop shadows. This is a snap in PowerPoint 2007...let me know if you would like tips on using these features.
3. Add text to your slides. Make sure your text is in rectangular text boxes—not a long string of text all the way across the slide. Otherwise, it will be difficult to read once placed into PhotoStory
4. When you are finished creating slides in PowerPoint, save them as jpeg images. Select File > Save As > Other Formats, and then scroll down a little to find JPEG. Then, choose Every Slide.
Finish your project in PhotoStory 3 (see attachment for screenshots)
1. Open Photostory and begin a new story.
2. Import your pictures. Look for a folder with the name of the PowerPoint file. Select all and import
3. Once you get you images into PhotoStory, you need to customize the motion (panning) on each slide. This is a little time consuming so be ready to spend some time on this phase of the project. You want the motion to zoom in or away from the text. Otherwise, it will pan away from the text and the viewer will not have time to read it.
4. Select music. Your music should already be saved on your computer. If you need more music or if you want to change during a show, click the slide and select music.
~ TIP ~
Kids will spend forever trying to find background music for their project. Also, they will want to use music from their iPod which will not import into Photostory and is usually not legal. I suggest downloading a handful of tracks from http://www.freeplaymusic.com and have them stored on your server, ready to go. Music from this site is free for educational use and is perfect for this type of project.
5. Browse for the folder you want to save in. Rename your file. Make sure you save the project as well so you can make changes later. Click Next to save as a movie.
I have seen PowerStory used for all sorts of projects such as poetry units, biographies, sequence of events, book reports and just about anything else you can think of. Please let me know if you want help with creating your own PowerStory.
|
