Digital Storytelling

What is digital storytelling?

Digital storytelling is the use of computer-based tools to create an edited video that tells a story. Digital stories are used when a person's voice and experience are just as important as the focus of the story.

Who makes digital stories?

You can! CCD students and staff with virtually any skill level can create a video and share their stories. You can make videos for a class assignment or for a scholarship. Watch our featured videos to see a few examples from CCD students and staff.

Why do we make digital stories?

Unique to digital storytelling is the way it develops critical thinking skills through the use of an individual's creativity, self-reliance, and fundamental digital media skills to engage an audience for various academic, professional, or personal uses.

How to make videos with WeVideo?

All new requests for WeVideo student access should be made through the registration form. Students must use their CCD-provided student email ending with @student.cccs.edu and provide information on why access to WeVideo is needed. Student access to WeVideo is reviewed and approved on a semester basis, meaning WeVideo access ends at the end of each semester and reverts to a free account. Once students receive a premium account, they can log in directly to WeVideo.com.

Register for a WeVideo Account
Sign into WeVideo.com

Faculty gain WeVideo access as part of their completion of the Digital Storytelling Certificate training and ongoing participation in the digital storytelling program.

How to get involved?

  1. Current CCD students can work with faculty on digital storytelling or video course assignment while also receiving support from the EXCEL Zone. Talk to your instructor about making a digital story instead of writing a paper.
  2. Tales of the C is a student club and an inclusive space to engage actively with video production and explore personal storytelling techniques.
  3. Current CCD students who are interested in applying for a scholarship or making a Digital Story Fest submission can work directly with the EXCEL Zone’s Digital Coaches. The EXCEL Zone offers student-facing digital storytelling training support as well as a certificate of completion through interactive training. For more information, see the Digital Zone Offerings tab or email CCD.Excel@ccd.edu.

The Digital Story Fest seeks to inspire, support, and showcase digital storytellers in every discipline at CCD, bolster the academic pursuits of its storytellers through scholarships, and connect the community to their work. It is an annual event held by the Digital Zone at the end of the spring semester.

Who is eligible?

Current CCD students, staff, and faculty are eligible to submit their digital stories. Five $850 scholarships are available for the top digital stories by students enrolled in courses for the next academic semester. Transfer students, graduating students, staff, or faculty members are not eligible for scholarships but may be recognized with screenings at the festival.

When is the annual festival?

The event will take place on May 4, 2022, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. MST in Confluence Assembly Room. We welcome any and all members of the CCD and Auraria community. Bring your friends, family, and colleagues. Celebrate the work of CCD’s storytellers at this end-of-year event. If you require ADA accommodations to enjoy fully the entire event, please contact the EXCEL Zone as early as possible or by April 14, 2023.

What should my digital story be about?

In lieu of the 10th anniversary of the Digital Story Fest, we are accepting any digital story under 5 minutes* that relates to our theme: Origins. Our theme represents a shift from the video categories of the past and provides a chance for students in all disciplines to touch on “origins” in their own ways. The possible interpretations are endless. Some ideas from past participants include:

Some of these example videos were projects from class. Some were purely personal creations. The Digital Story Fest seeks to celebrate the tradition of digital storytelling at CCD by highlighting both the academic as well as the personally inspired, and we encourage you to draw your own connection to the theme of Origins and share it when submitting.

*The Digital Zone may consider stories longer than 5 minutes if the content remains compelling throughout and requires an extended duration to provide maximum impact to the audience.

Who gets special recognition?

Special recognition this year will focus on the history and tradition of digital storytelling in the classroom at CCD. Professors across many disciplines have utilized digital storytelling in their curricula and allowed students to show their creativity and connection within an assignment. We look forward to recognizing the work of these professors over the past ten years.

How to submit a digital story?

Before submitting your story, we encourage everyone to take advantage of our 1:1 coaching to improve their work. This year all digital stories are required to have closed captioning in our continual effort to be inclusive and accessible. Citing sources also proves difficult for many within the video format, and coaches can teach this skill. Let the Digital Zone help you level up your story, score highly on our rubric, and increase your chances of earning a scholarship.

Students, faculty, and staff submit through the Digital Story Festival submission form. Video submissions end on May 1, 2023, at 8:00 a.m. MST.

Submit your DSF video here!

Video Support

Anyone can receive 1:1 digital storytelling support by scheduling an appointment with EXCEL Zone's Digital Story Coaches. For students interested in gaining a Digital Storytelling Certificate, the EXCEL Zone offers two 4-hour trainings that include digital storytelling fundamentals and using WeVideo and Yuja to create a digital story. Visit the Digital Zone Offerings tab for more information.

The Digital Zone offers two $500 scholarships a year to students who make digital stories that show strong skills in storytelling and video production. Students are eligible if they:

  1. Are current CCD-enrolled students who pay in-state tuition
  2. Submit a digital story between one (1) and five (5) minutes made during that academic year
  3. Sign a CCD Photo/Video Release Form

Learn all about the $500 scholarship and what the reviewing committee looks for by visiting the scholarship application page.

Check out the Biannual Scholarship

Video Support

Anyone can receive 1:1 digital storytelling support by scheduling an appointment with EXCEL Zone's Digital Story Coaches. For students interested in gaining a Digital Storytelling Certificate, the EXCEL Zone offers two 4-hour trainings that include digital storytelling fundamentals and using WeVideo and Yuja to create a digital story. Visit the Digital Zone Offerings tab for more information.

How do faculty get certified in digital storytelling?

The faculty Digital Storytelling Certificate is a three-part series available for professional development. The certification is designed to establish an understanding of the use and creation of digital storytelling for course outcomes.

The training series includes three levels that progress from a general overview to a faculty peer review of the proposed video project they want to implement. The series includes:

  1. Digital Storytelling Foundations
  2. Digital Storytelling Advanced
  3. Faculty Learning Committee

Depending on the class size and participants' tech skills, the first two trainings are four hours in length. Completion time for the program is roughly three weeks as each training requires some independent project time for the next training. Once faculty complete the program, they get a certificate of completion and can begin to integrate digital storytelling into their classes. Their students will receive pre-approval for WeVideo premium through the registration form and the opportunity to receive customized coaching support in and out of the classroom.

To request this training "on-demand," visit TLC's Workshops on Demand form. Faculty gain WeVideo access as part of their completion of the Digital Storytelling Certificate training and ongoing participation in the digital storytelling program.

Register for Faculty DST Training

Already certified?

Faculty members looking for continued video support after their certification training can find ideas and feedback through the DST D2L shell. For individualized guidance, they may contact Lindsay Clark to schedule a consultation and provide upcoming assignments to discuss.

How do digital stories meet institutional outcomes?

Digital Storytelling supports the achievement of the following CCD Institutional Outcomes:

  1. Effective Communication is developed by translating concise writing into a recorded narration with images that add depth of meaning to the audience.
  2. Critical thinking is strengthened as students meet course outcomes in a multi-modal way. To create a digital story, students think about how to use verbal, visual, and auditory concepts to achieve assignment outcomes.
  3. Becoming an effective and ethical user of technology is strengthened as students learn fundamental digital literacy skills in order to achieve their goal of making a digital story.

1:1 Coaching

Any enrolled student can receive one-on-one digital storytelling support by scheduling an appointment with the Digital Zone's coaches or with walk-ins. They can also support basic computer use and digital literacy skill development. There are many resources available in handouts and videos for independent learning.

Book an appointment or drop-in

Workshops

The Digital Zone offers workshops throughout the year that cover digital literacy, digital storytelling, and study skills. Some of our workshops include:

  • Notetaking: Before, During, and After Class
  • Quick Navigation to Troubleshoot Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
  • WeVideo Tutorial
  • Reading Strategies
  • Video Tips ‘n’ Tricks
  • How to Get Ahead: Making Conscious Time Choices

Workshops will appear on the right sidebar as upcoming events, and they appear on the CCD event calendar. Anyone can drop into these workshops, but we encourage participants to sign up in advance. If you require ADA accommodations to fully engage in any workshop, please reach out to CCD.Excel@ccd.edu to make a request.

Digital Literacy Support

Digital Literacy is the ability to use digital tools to navigate, communicate, and create within the spaces one wants to occupy. Many students feel overwhelmed by the expectation that they know D2L, PowerPoint, Outlook, and every digital tool available to CCD students. The Digital Zone is here to help students learn the tools that will make them strong students and know how to thoughtfully present their knowledge to teachers, fellow classmates, and future employers.

Book a 1:1 with a Digital Zone Coach or attend an upcoming workshop. Come learn how our digital literacy tool—Northstar—can help you improve your skills on the computer and eventually get certified.

Student Certification in Digital Storytelling

For students interested in gaining a Digital Storytelling Certificate, the EXCEL Zone offers foundational and advanced training, using WeVideo, to create a digital story. Request to participate in the next scheduled certificate program by emailing CCD.Excel@ccd.edu.