Digital Storytelling Project

My digital story was a "how-to" video of basic bike maintenance and safety.  This would be incorporated into a middle school science or social studies unit on humans and living sustainably in our environment.

MT State Standards-Science Content Standard 5
5.4 Use scientific knowledge to investigate problems and their proposed solutions and evaluate those solutions while considering environmental impacts.


Bozeman Public Schools, District 7 Standards
HR1.0 Resources:  Students use scientific knowledge to investigate problems and their proposed solutions and evaluate those solutions while considering environmental impacts.
HR1.2. Students discuss how the use of natural resources affects their community/world, and how overuse of resources can have adverse effects on climate and society.


Students will be able to identify one human activity with negative environmental impact.  Then, students will develop their ideas with a "how-to" video depicting one way in which humans can reduce their environmental impact and how to do this activity effectively.

This project would be incorporated as part of a unit on sustainability and the environment in a science or social studies classroom.  In looking at human impacts on the environment, the class would engage in discussion on various human activities with adverse environmental impacts.  Then, students would choose one activity that they already do or would like to do in their lives to reduce their own environmental impact.  They would then produce a short "how-to" video that would instruct their peers how they can participate in this activity as well.  Using a digital story format makes the activity much more motivating and engaging.  The digital story turns out much like a Public Service Announcement.  Rather than making a poster board and doing a class presentation, students engage in making their own movie for peers.  This reduces the pressure of a presentation for quieter students, and also reduces the amount of resources (paper, etc.) used for a presentation.  Digital learning and projects can be used in a unit like this as a type of project that is more sustainable.  Digital storytelling makes this project much more interesting and enjoyable for students.

Initially this project takes more preparation by the teacher to be able to know all the skills and how to teach the iMovie program, but in the long run it would be more fun and engaging for students.  Perhaps these videos could even be published to a class or school website, or even a city website and students could feel as though their messages and digital stories were making a difference.  Student satisfaction would be much greater than simply a poster presentation in the classroom.