Photo Story: Telling digital stories

Photo Story is "a free application [created by Microsoft] that allows users to create a show-and-tell presentation from their digital photos” (Wikipedia). The latest version (3.1) was released in 2006.

Users can create movement on their story with transitions between pictures or panning and zooming the screen, much the way Ken Burns has done in many of his documentaries. The story can also include your recorded narration or uploaded background music.

Photo Story is a simple download available from Microsoft or tech site CNET.

Advantages:

• Great for communicating more visual information to students, perhaps in art or photography classes.
• Wizard makes projects very easy to complete using Windows Movie Maker. Then upload to YouTube.
• Good alternative for telling a "story" rather than delivering a lecture.
• 200 photos can be uploaded at once for each project.

Disadvantages:

• Not available for Mac.
• Can't be viewed on a DVD player unless file converted from .wmv to .avi (sites like Zamzar will do this for you for free).
• Information-heavy lectures might be difficult for students to follow with limited text options.

Works Cited:

"Photo Story." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Aug. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.

Further information:

Robin, Bernard. Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. University of Houston, 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

"Seven Things You Should Know about Digital Storytelling." Educause Learning Initiative. Educause, Jan. 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.