Section outline

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    General

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    • Announcements Forum
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      What is Digital Storytelling?

      Digital Storytelling

      February 27, 10:00am-12:00pm, in Dalton 20

      No matter the trendiest social platform, the ability to craft and communicate a cohesive digital narrative – about yourself, the institution, a passion project – is a useful skill in a variety of careers. Emerging technologies, coupled with digital media creation and management skills, are leading to new professions and driving social justice movements and public awareness. Through audio and video production and dissemination, people are making a living by telling their own stories and the stories of others.  In today's workshop, we will learn how to construct digital stories about our communities and ourselves with College resources.  You also may use your smartphone or other personal recording device to capture audio-visual content and your laptop to assemble your media into your video.  For participants without a smart phone or laptop, you may borrow cameras and recorders at the Canaday Circulation Desk, and Dalton 20 has 12 desktop computers for your use during the workshop.

    • Announcements Forum
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    Introduction to Digital Storytelling

    • PowerPoint: Introduction to Narratives and Digital Storytelling File PPTX
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      519.6 KB · Uploaded 02/26/26, 16:47
    • Watch "Still" by Anisa Ibrahim  

      The Center for Digital Storytelling in Berkeley, California developed and disseminated the Seven Elements of Digital Storytelling, which are often cited as a useful starting point as you begin working with digital stories.

      1. Point of View 
            What is the main point of the story and what is the perspective of the author?

      2. A Dramatic Question 
            A key question that keeps the viewer's attention and will be answered by the end of the story.

      3. Emotional Content (Choice of Engaging Content)
            Serious issues that come alive in a personal and powerful way and connects the audience to the story.

      4. The Gift of Your Voice (Clarity of Voice/Authorial Presence)
            A way to personalize the story to help the audience understand the context.

      5. The Power of the Soundtrack (The Quality of All Multimedia Elements)
            Music or other sounds that support and embellish the story.

      6. Economy 
            Using just enough content to tell the story without overloading the viewer.

      7. Pacing 
            The rhythm of the story and how slowly or quickly it progresses.

    • Storytelling Canvas: Temporal Approach File DOCX
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      56.8 KB · Uploaded 02/25/26, 14:06
    • Storytelling Canvas: Spatial/Visual Approach File DOCX
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      141.6 KB · Uploaded 02/25/26, 14:06
    • Story Canvas: Journalistic Approach File PDF
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      224.2 KB · Uploaded 02/25/26, 14:06
    • Storyboard Template File JPG
      166.6 KB · Uploaded 02/25/26, 14:06
    • TEXTBOOK: The Digital Storytelling Handbook by J. Schugar and C. Penny File PDF
      90.1 MB · Uploaded 02/25/26, 14:06
    • TEXTBOOK: Seven Stages: Story and the Human Experience by Joe Lambert File PDF
      5.1 MB · Uploaded 02/25/26, 14:06
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    WeVideo Account Creation

    • WeVideo-Creating Your Account URL
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      We will create our WeVideo accounts and then practice assembling media as a WeVideo project for our digital stories.  Use this link to create your account.  Be sure to log in with Office 365, using your Bryn Mawr email address and password.

      If you already have a WeVideo account, then begin to make a practice video while others sign up.  

      If, when you created your account with your O365 credentials, WeVideo enrolled you in a free account, then enter this code MS5EH9OVVKS9 in your account settings page to join Bryn Mawr's premium license.

    • Introduction to WeVideo URL
    • Click for WeVideo help documents customized for Bryn Mawr users URL
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    • More Free-to-use Stock Video and Images URL
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    • More Free-to-use Music URL
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    WeVideo Practice

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      WeVideo Practice:

      Compose a one-minute video using WeVideo's media library on any of these topics:

      • Create a video having just come back from your "dream" vacation. 
      • Make a promotional commercial for Bryn Mawr College.
      • Come up with your own video idea and implement it.

      Log into WeVideo.

      Click Projects, then click a video project to open it in the editor. 

      Find media elements for your project in the library folders in the sidebar:

      1. The Videos, Images, Audio, Text, Transitions, Extras, and Backgrounds folders contain royalty-free items from WeVideo. (Note: if you don't see them, you may have a free account; see WeVideo: Create an account on Bryn Mawr's license.)
      2. To add your own media, click My Media, then: 
        •  Import to upload media files.
        •  Record to capture a screencast or webcam video.
        •  Narrate to record audio voice-overs. 
      3. Click-and-drag these elements from the library folders onto a Track (Text 1, Video 1, Audio 1, etc.) in the timeline pane.
      4. Move the media thumbnails in the tracks to fine-tune when in the video they appear or sound: 
        • Click-and-drag a media thumbnail left and right along a track to move to a new place in the video.
        • Select and drag the edges of a thumbnail to increase or decrease how long an element appears/sounds. (Note: you can't make an audio or video clip longer that it's recorded length.)
        • Tracks are layered top to bottom as they appear in a video or podcast. For example, by default, the Text 1 track is above the Video 1 track, and text you add to it will show up on top of the images in the video track. 
      5. Use the buttons above the timeline to edit media components and add effects:
        • + Track: Add more text, video, and audio tracks. (Click on a track name (such as Video 1) to rename it.)
        •  Undo: Cancel your last action
        •  Redo: Repeat your last action
        •  Split: Divide media into two parts at the blue Playhead line. 
        •  Comment: Add an editorial comment at the current Playhead point (comments don't appear in the actual video)
        • Audio & Opacity: Adjust the volume and/or transparency of the selected media element
        • Filter: Add visual effects to the selected media element
        •  Edit: Edit the selected media element
        •  Delete: Remove the selected media element.
      6. View changes in the preview window by dragging the blue Playhead bar to a spot in the timeline and clicking Play.

      WeVideo saves your changes as you work. Click Close to exit your project when you're ready to take a break from editing. 

      WeVideo Interface

    • WeVideo Academy: Library of How-To Video Tutorials URL

      See topics such as "Dashboard Overview, "Create and Gather Media," "Create a Project," and "Timeline Editing Mode."

    • WeVideo: Create a Project (Ask Athena Text Instructions) URL
    • WeVideo: Editing Basics (Ask Athena Text Instructions) URL
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    More Examples of Digital Stories

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    Planning Your Script

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    Writing Your Voiceover Narration

    • Compose your narration.  Keep it short: ~200-300 words (less than one typed page) is a good length for your script.  

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    Recording Your Voiceover Narration

    • You have several options for recording your voiceover narration, including:

      1. within WeVideo.  See WeVideo Academy for other helpful recording and editing video tutorials.
      2. in Audacity.  Export the recording as a wav or mp3 file and upload it into WeVideo.  See "More Information on Digital Audio Production and Podcasting" near the bottom of this page.
      3. in a mobile audio recorder, such as a Sony Zoom H1 or H2, which you may borrow from the Canaday Circulation Desk.  Upload the mp3 file into WeVideo.
      4. on your smartphone, if it has a voice recorder.  Upload the audio file into WeVideo.
    • WeVideo Academy: Editing Features URL

      See especially "Audio and Voice Recording."

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    Storyboarding/Assembling Your Story's Timeline

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    Video Editing: Timing, Transitions, Animations, Visual Effects

    Continue to work on your projects' video tracks.  Here are some common editing questions:

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    Audio Editing: Volume Levels, Musical Score, Sound Effects

    Here are instructions for adjusting your audio levels.

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    Digital Story Finishing Touches: Title Sequence, Captions, End Credits

    Finish editing your project and add titles and end credits to it.  You may use motion titles by animating your text, or it can be static while still reflecting your overall aesthetic.  Here are instructions for creating rolling end credits.

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    Streaming Your Digital Stories on Panopto

    • You can play your video for classmates within WeVideo.  It's not necessary to download your project as an MP4 file, especially if you still would like to edit it further.  If your video is completely finished, then you may export it as an MP4 file and store and stream it on Panopto.

      To create a Panopto account:

      1. Go to brynmawr.hosted.panopto.com 
      2. Choose a log-in option:
        • Microsoft 365 -- Bryn Mawr students, faculty and staff only
        • Moodle -- Bryn Mawr faculty, students and staff and non-Bryn Mawr students enrolled in a Moodle course  
      3. Click Sign In.
      4. Enter your college credentials and authenticate with Duo if prompted.  
      5. Once you are logged in, you will see your Home page in Panopto.  

      See Panopto's Getting Started walkthroughs and video tutorials and other Panopto guides in Ask Athena for an overview of the platform interface and how to upload, record, and share media. 

    • Panopto: Bryn Mawr's Streaming Media Service URL

      You can upload MP4 recordings created using WeVideo into Panopto to share them with others. Media files can only be uploaded online via Bryn Mawr’s Panopto platform and cannot be uploaded via the desktop app.

      1. Log into Bryn Mawr's Panopto site.
      2. Click Create.
      3. In the drop-down menu that opens, click Upload Media .
      4. A pop-up window will open. In the Add Files to menu, select the folder to which you want to upload the recording, in this case: org.LITS.DSGF-Dig.Stories. 
      5. Select Choose video or audio files. 
      6. Your device's file manager will open. Find your recording and select Open.

      Your recording will now be uploaded. It will still need to process in order for you to view it and share it with others. This may take more or less time depending on the length of the video.

    • Upload external recordings into our workshop folder in Panopto:

      You can upload recordings created using other applications into Panopto so that they're sharable with our class. Media files can only be uploaded online via Bryn Mawr’s Panopto platform and cannot be uploaded via the desktop app.

      1. Log into Bryn Mawr's Panopto site if you haven't already.
      2. Click Create.
      3. In the drop-down menu that opens, click Upload Media .
      4. A pop-up window will open. In the Add Files to menu, select the folder to which you want to upload the recording. 
      5. Select Choose video or audio files. 
      6. Your device's file manager will open. Find you recording and select Open.

      Your recording will now be uploaded. It will still need to process in order for you to view it and share it with others. This may take more or less time depending on the length of the video.

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    More Information on Digital Audio Production and Podcasting

    • How to Access LinkedIn Learning Tutorials URL
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    • WATCH: LinkedIn Learning Tutorial--Learning Audacity (1h42m) URL
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      Learning objectives

      • Downloading and installing Audacity
      • Importing audio
      • Setting up hardware to record
      • Recording two tracks simultaneously
      • Basic editing and common effects
      • Splitting clips
      • Exporting a project
      • Inserting silence
      • Bleeping unwanted words and sounds

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      SOFTWARE NOTE: Audacity is installed on all Bryn Mawr-owned computers  If you are using your own laptop, download Audacity and an MP3 LAME encoder file, if you wish to save files in this format.  To install Audacity, go to http://www.audacityteam.org/ and click the Download button, then launch the installer and follow the prompts.

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      Audacity Project Window

    • WATCH: LinkedIn Learning Tutorial--Producing Podcasts (59m) URL
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      Learning objectives

      • Identifying your audience
      • Choosing a title, format, and length
      • Buying recording equipment and software
      • Recording and editing your podcast
      • Mastering your podcast episodes for distribution
      • Publishing your podcast
      • Measuring your audience
      • Promoting and marketing your podcast

    • Supplementary Practice: Self-Paced Audacity Tutorial File DOCX
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      278.1 KB · Uploaded 02/25/26, 14:06
    • WATCH: Haverford Podcasting Class (43m) File MP4
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      34.2 MB · Uploaded 02/25/26, 14:06
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    More Information on Captioning, Scriptwriting, and WeVideo

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    More Digital Storytelling