A guide to Photo Story Three

Photo Story 3 is a download for XPSP3 or a part of the free “Windows Live” Package in Vista and Windows 7.  Please note that there are some suitble differences between PhotoStory 3 and the Windows live version. Please note that this guide is based upon the XP version only.    It is a free presentation tool for creating digital stories with photos, text, transitions, audio narration and background music. It is a modern day version of show and tell or story telling.

Step by Step Process (Download Guide here)

1. Download Photo Story 3 from the Microsoft website.
2. Have the photos ready that you want to use and create a storyboard to plan the story
3. Open the program and begin a new story, click next.
4. Import pictures in order from start to finish, then click next.
5. If you wish to edit the picture i.e rotate, crop, color; the tools are below your photo.
6. On the next page you are able to add effects with the tool below the photo, i.e black and white, watercolour etc. You can also add text for each photo and edit your text.
7. The next step is customising the transitions between each photo, click customise photo, then the first tab, motion and duration sets how long each photo shows for, the second tab: transition, is for choosing the transitions between each photo. Now you can record your own audio by clicking the record narration button.
8. If you’d like to add background music, select music on the next page. You can choose to use your own music or use the supplied music by clicking create music.
9. Finally, save your story and choose an appropriate name for it and your Photo Story is complete! You can now save it to USB, burn to disk or upload to a website for sharing.

Availability

Photo Story 3 for Windows XP is a free download from Microsoft.com. It takes between 1 and 13 minutes to download.

Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP, Windows XP Home Edition , Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional Edition, Windows XP Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 2

•  Processor Required: Intel P3 700-megahertz (MHz) or equivalent processor, an Intel P4 1.7-gigahertz (GHz) or equivalent processor recommended.
• Memory: 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM, 512 MB of RAM or more recommended.
• Disk space: 400 MB of available hard disk space.
• Monitor: Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor.
• Windows Genuine Advantage.
• Microsoft Windows Media Player 10.
• Microsoft DirectX 9.0 or later.
• Windows XP–compatible sound card and speakers.
• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
• Microphone to record narration.

 Unfortunately it is not available on Mac.

Which year levels can use it and which subject areas?

The program is suitable to be used in all learning areas where students want or need to present information, pictures and audio. The only limitation is that R-2 would probably benefit from teacher led, whole class projects, to familiarise them with the variety of options and steps. It is also a great tool for teachers to use to introduce lessons or units of work.

How can it be used in schools?

How are you using Podcasting and Digital Story Telling in your schools?  Here some ideas from Sarah Dingle and Sarah Bainbridge:

English- For poetry, you could share a specific type of poem with students i.e haiku or acrostic and discuss the structure and rules of it. They could then write their own poem and draw illustrations or google images or create pictures using image software. The pictures would also link up with Art. Next students can add the text of their poem and record themselves narrating it as well as choosing their own music. They could do the same thing with a fiction/non fiction story they have written.They could also create a movie trailer for a book they have read in class or make a visual book report.

 Music– Students could create their own tunes to add to their Photo Story or they could make their own music videos.

 Health & PE– You could do a unit on identity and students could make their own photo story with images and text that represent themselves.For P.E they could make their own photo story of how to do a basic skill step by step i.e shooting a goal or throwing a ball.

Languages– Students could make a guessing game for the rest of the class through Photo Story, they could say in audio narration how to say a word in the language they are learning and have students guess the english meaning and then have a photo as a clue then show text of the answer. They could also make news reports of themselves in an other language or have a photo story on the culture of a country.

 Design and Tech– Students could critique a product and explain how they would improve it through photos and text. They could also have a photo story of the process taken in creating a model of a new product.

 Science- Students make a presentation of an experiment step by step with discussion of the results, then have a class viewing to see how all the other experiments turned out. Could also do a presentation for a research project i.e the planets or plant life etc.

 SOSE– After a class excursion students could use photos to do a review of what happened and what they learnt. They could also do a presentation of an event in the past that they have researched. They could interview someone in the community and create a biography for a unit on community heroes.

 Maths– Whilst studying patterns, shapes or tesselations, students could take photos of examples around the school.

High-school students might use photos and music to raise awareness of social or ethical issues in science, civics, and literature classes. They could create a public service announcement about non profit organisations.

Teachers can also use it to create visual mini lessons, teach objectives, an introduction to the class video, a revision tool, creating instructional videos i.e how to wash your hands correctly or an example of daily class routine. If you are introducing a new book to the class, you could scan the pages and write the text to view while you read it, then students are able to see the pages of the book while you read. You could also use it to present new vocabulary or a letter/number of the week.

More on Digital Story Telling.