Digital Storytelling Scholarship

Digital Storytelling Scholarship

The Digital Storytelling scholarship was created to honor students’ personal experiences while leveraging 21st century skills, such as video creation, to tell stories.

Requirements

  • Applicants must pay in-state tuition and be enrolled within that academic term.
  • Applicants must upload their video link to their digital story submission (WeVideo, Yuja, YouTube, Vimeo, or DropBox links preferred)
  • If the narrated recording is in a language other than English, subtitles must be included in English either in the form of closed or open captioning. The Digital Zone can assist applicants with captioning.
  • Applicants must sign and upload CCD’s photo/video release form
  • Application videos must be created within the academic year (starting June 1 through May 31).
  • Applicants are limited to earning one digital storytelling scholarship within their CCD career.

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.

Can I get help making my digital story?

Visit the Excel! Zone to work with our Digital Zone coaches. The Digital Zone offers one-on-one tutoring and workshops on scripting, editing, captioning, and making a strong digital story that can score highly on the digital storytelling rubric. The Digital Zone also has laptops, sound booths, microphones, cameras, and other production tools to allow CCD students the chance to produce a high-quality video. Coaches are not involved in judging applications but can help applicants improve their scores with the rubric and position themselves better for the scholarship.

How do I make a digital story?

1. Write your story Write a script between 200-400 words. The script can be about any personal story that you are comfortable sharing. If your story is meaningful to you, it will mean something to others. Remember that stories are narratives that have a beginning, a middle, and an end. They have an arc that can use emotion, tension, or revelation to engage the audience and make them feel connected to what you share. Sometimes class assignments can qualify as a digital story for this scholarship; however, informational presentations without narrative elements will not qualify. If you need inspiration, select one (1) of the following optional prompts to inspire your digital story:

Prompt 1: What makes you unique and deserving of a scholarship? Some students have background, identity, interest or talent that is meaningful and sets them apart. If this
sounds like you, please share your story and explain how a scholarship would benefit you.

Prompt 2: Sometimes we face obstacles that can later lead to our growth or success. Explain a time when you faced a challenge, setback or failure. Explain how it affected you,
what you learned and how it will shape your college experience if you receive a scholarship.

Prompt 3: Discuss an accomplishment, event or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and/or a new understanding of yourself and others. How will this affect you
as a CCD student if you are chosen for a scholarship?

2. Review your story

Request feedback from a friend, a teacher, and/or a Digital Zone coach to be sure the script is clear to a larger audience. All writing gets better with feedback and revision. See our hours at ccd.edu/excel. Remind yourself of video expectations by reviewing the rubric.

3. Record your story
Record your story’s script in a small, quiet room. Use “Voice Memos” or “Voice Recorder”—which is pre-installed on nearly all cellphones—to record yourself reading the script. Email this audio recording to yourself for later access. This narration is the “spine” or core of your video.

If you don’t have a way to record your narration, the Digital Zone has computers, microphones, and sound booths you are welcome to use. Email: ccd.excel@ccd.edu to schedule an appointment.

4. Visualize your story
Collect or create visuals (pictures/videos) and sound effects. If you use content that you did not make, make sure they are copyright-free videos, images, and sounds. WeVideo premium has stock media that is free to use. Find more copyright-free content support within our DST guides.

Pro Tip: As you search and find usable digital material, copy the website and creator’s name for your credits or works cited page. MLA or APA citation is required for student-created and externally sourced content. Alternatively, making or taking your own visuals and collecting your own recording for sound effects tend to offer a finished product that feels more authentically yours and is much simpler to cite or credit.

5. Edit your story
Use a video editor, such as WeVideo.com, to upload your narration, photos and videos. Then, synchronize your narration with your visuals. The Digital Zone can help you navigate WeVideo and learn how to edit. As a CCD student, you are eligible for a premium WeVideo account. Instructions for signing up can be found at ccd.edu/dst. Videos must be between one to five minutes in duration and have English subtitles or a transcript attached if not in English. Captioning support is available through the Digital Zone.

6. Give credit
Just like essays, videos need their sources cited. Make sure to include at the end of your digital story a clip that lists where you sourced any materials or information used that weren’t made by you. This can look like a Works Cited page, or you can add this information as text in your video in the form of “film credits.” Have fun with the credits and list yourself as director, editor, writer, or cameraperson—whatever matches your roles in making the digital story. Here are two options for attributing your video:

  • Copy your citations and paste into a static text box at the end of your video. Adjust the text size, color, font, and position to make it easy to read. If you have too many citations for one screen, make as many text boxes as you need and adjust the duration of each clip to your liking.
  • Use the Snipping Tool or screenshot your Works Cited page. Upload this JPEG to the end of your video. Make sure it’s legible.

For live support information, visit ccd.edu/dst.

Award
$500.00
Deadline
05/16/2024
Supplemental Questions
  1. Please upload your digital story video link (YuJa, WeVideo or YouTube links set to "Public" are preferred)
  2. Upload a PDF translation If the narrated recording is in a language other than English
  3. Please sign and upload CCD’s Digital Storytelling release form
  4. Do you plan to be enrolled in the Spring term of 2022?
    • (If yes) If your video scores highly on our rubric, you may be invited to submit your video to CCD’s Digital Story Fest in May 2022, which offers additional scholarship funds. Would you be open to screening this video publicly if you receive an invitation? If yes, we will contact you with further information.
    • Do you plan to be enrolled in the Spring term of 2022?