EDLD 5363 Reflecting on Week One

EDLD 5363 started with a busy agenda for making a digital story using Photo Story 3 software. When I first began, I wrote out my script and then cut and pasted the dialogue into a PowerPoint file. I thought I could easily transfer the words over, but in the end it just helped me plan my photo story.

Next, I had the daunting task of finding the pictures that went with my story. I chose to do a story about my daughter, Grace, and what it’s been like for her to be raised in a home with six brothers. I knew I had the pictures I needed, but I would have to search for them. We have over 11,000 pictures on our home computer and they are mostly organized by date. After downloading the program, I added many pictures to my Photo Story. It was then that I realized I could not take the pictures back out and put them into their own folder – ouch. I wish I had thought of that at first because I will probably need them again for other purposes since this is Grace’s senior year in high school.

Adding the narration was easier than I thought. Reading the script by picture makes the process smooth. After watching the product, I was very pleased with the results! I was ready to turn it in. Then I saw it was 4 minutes long - bummer - great for mom and grandma, but not good for my assignment. I cut several pictures and combined the narration for a few slides onto one slide. I was disappointed that my sound was not the same quality. It is quieter on the newly recorded pictures. I did not change my equipment, but I was in a different room in my home.

In the end, I created two photo stories – the original 4 minute one for family and an “abridged” version for my assignment. This was a productive assignment for me. It is a great way to organize my photos, too.