# Instructional design/DS Plan
## Creating a Digital Storytelling Plan

Now that you’ve learned the concepts and practiced using them, it’s time to create your own plan for using digital storytelling in a class. Follow these steps to create a lesson that builds from simple to complex examples and concepts, or use the rapid-deployment model below.

#### Draw students’ attention

* Use a simple example of digital storytelling.
* Remember The Ballad of Jed Clampett: short, entertaining, engaging, told with digital tools.
* Alternate approach: Invite students to bring their own examples or links to examples of simple digital stories. (Impose a time limit on examples to ensure reduced complexity: 2 minutes or less.)

#### Introduce the definition of story

* Use the example you provided, or a student example of your choice.
* Remember: character, challenge, resolution.
* Present at least one example that lacks one or more of the three story elements, and vary the media used.
* Invite reflection: How does a story differ from a report? Provide feedback.

#### Introduce the narrative arc

* Use the previous simple example.
* Provide the narrative arc for the example: character, challenge, resolution.
* Introduce a more complex example, and vary the media used.
* Invite students to define the more complex example’s narrative arc.
* Invite students to reflect on a narrative they have seen in everyday life, or in popular media. Provide feedback.
* Quiz on the narrative arc definition to embed learning.

#### Introduce story mapping

* Use the previous more complex example.
* Provide a story map of the example, explaining each numbered plot point.
* Call for extensive practice:
* Provide a model story map with numbered plot points.
* Provide at least 3 digital stories of varied complexity, or assign students to find three of their own examples.
* Have students create story maps of the three examples.
* Provide feedback as students work on their maps.
* Ask students to share their finished maps.
* Invite reflection by fellow students.
* Provide feedback as needed.

#### Introduce and explain digital tools

* Provide a list of approved tools for the class.
* Drawing from the previous examples, invite students to reflect on how any tools on the approved list are employed in the examples.
* Invite students to discuss which tools they need practice with, and which they feel proficient using. Provide feedback as needed.
* Establish practice benchmarks for approved digital tools.
* Have students practice with digital tools, aligning practice with the benchmarks.
* Assess students' practice and provide feedback at each benchmark.

#### Introduce an assignment

* Students must create a digital story using tools on the approved list.
* Impose a time limit on the finished digital story to ensure low to moderate complexity (between 1 and 3 minutes).

#### Invite feedback and reflection

* Have students share their work with one another.
* Invite students to reflect on others’ work, and on their own.
* Provide both public and private feedback and grade

#### Is your plan complete?

Compare your finished plan with this digital storytelling checklist.

## Rapid deployment/guided discovery/rapid assessment option

This option can be deployed in a single class session, or in a semester-long class schedule, regardless of class subject matter.
* Provide the class with a Twitter discussion hashtag.
* Provide discussion prompts at a minimum of three stages: beginning, middle and end of class (this mirrors beginning, middle and end of story shapes).
* Have students curate their responses with a digital tool such as Storify, and create your own curation.
* Have students share their curation with others; share your own curation.
* Invite reflection.
Assessment-only option: If you simply want to assess learning without teaching digital storytelling skills, eliminate the student curation component. Use comments to gauge changes in students’ learning and/or attitudes as the class progresses.