Oral History Education: Documenting the Important Stories of Ordinary People
Oral history projects provide primary source materials that aid us in our understanding of the past. From oral history interviews we gain what is often missing from textbooks perspective. Oral history projects in the classroom give students a personal perspective, helping them connect to and make more meaning from the past.
There are terrific resources on teaching with oral history that are available online. Some of the resources that have been useful to the Civil Rights and Apartheid projects. This website was developed so that history teachers worldwide could download the curriculum for free and order the documentary. At some point the site's domain registration expired and the site disappeared from the web. The new owner of this site felt that the information provided should not be lost and used content from the original site's 2008-2012 archived pages.
My daughter's 11 grade social studies teacher utilized some of the lessons plans from OralHistoryEducation.com. I vividly remember the oral history projects class assignment that was assigned my daughter. She decided to interview her 95 year old grandmother who had immigrated to the US from South Africa. She had lived through the Boer War, the ascendance of the Afrikaner National Party in the 1940's whose strategists invented apartheid as a means to cement their control over the economic and social system and in the 1960's the implementation of the "Grand Apartheid" plan that emphasized territorial separation and police repression. My daughter was entranced with her grandmother recalling the enactment of apartheid laws in 1948 where racial discrimination was institutionalized and then in 1950 when the Population Registration Act was passed that required that all South Africans be racially classified into one of three categories: white, black (African), or colored (of mixed decent). We received excellent help in finding more information online from the search experts at TNG/Earthling. I often free lance for them and called in a favor and we are very glad I did. We received a ton of very valuable historic info on all of the most significant events surrounding that time. I edited it down to not be an overwhelming read, but my daughter wanted to go through everything! After a very thorough research job, she finally finished her oral history project and turned in both a written paper and a video she had made of all the interviews she did with her grandmother. Now having told my story...please enjoy and be inspired by this site.
Background History About this Site
In 2008 a 10-minute trailer of Journeys of Reconciliation was screened at a fundraising event on March 9th. The event generated much enthusiasm and support, and we continued to reach out to our friends, corporate sponsors and foundations to raise the required funds to complete this project.
The final four days of filming were completed in South Africa in June, 2008. The addition of historical footage and post-production editing was scheduled for June – August, and the documentary was completed by September 2008.
Beginning in September, a team of educators from South Africa, Stanford, San Francisco State University, and USF started work on curriculum development for lesson plans to accompany this documentary in the classroom. The curriculum met the California Content Standards for Grades 10 and 11 Social Studies, and educators were eager to bring Journeys of Reconciliation into their classrooms. We worked with educators from the San Francisco Bay Area and Johannesburg to pilot this social justice project in their classrooms.
Students can bring history to life by documenting the important stories of ordinary people. This is a process that helps students to think like historians as they become active participants in history rather than just consumers of it.
A short, ten minute documentary was made to demonstrate the use of oral history projects in the classroom. As seen in the short film, oral history projects spark an intergenerational dialogue, crossing the barriers of age, culture and race. This process is one of discovery for both the student and the person they interview.
Sometimes, oral histories on a topic will cause us to reevaluate what we know. However, it is important to understand that oral histories are a part of a bigger story. Noted historian Elizabeth Tonkin explains that oral history helps us to “understand how history as lived is connected to history as recorded.” Students can make this important connection through thoughtful lesson plans in the classroom.
Storycatcher At Large
Q & A With Storycatcher At Large
February 24th, 2011
A “sister” topic to oral history interviewing is memoir writing. As part of a dialogue with Denis Ledoux, a memoir writing teacher, I answered 10 questions about oral history interviewing.
1) What process do you go through—and by extension what methods would you recommend to a lifewriter to prepare yourself and the interviewee for an interview?
To start, be a truly good, authentic listener from the very beginning of your project.
There are two kinds of oral history interviews that I prepare for prior to recording an interview: 1) Life stories, in which I work with individuals who want to record their life experiences, and 2) Subject based projects where community groups or museums hire me to focus on a particular event or period in history.
To prepare myself for these interviews I communicate with the interviewee to develop a healthy rapport, and to build trust with him/her. I do this through whatever mode of communication works best for that person – emails, in-person visits, telephone calls, and letters. I take notes about the topics, interests, events, and issues that come up, and then do as much research as possible to develop a solid understanding of them. My research includes online searches with credible sources, and always involves several trips to my local library to access both its online and on-the-shelf resources.
For example, I am currently preparing for interviews with Vietnam Veterans who returned from a painful war to a painful homecoming. These veterans courageously rolled up their sleeves and got to work helping other veterans heal and move forward to become part of their communities. Nearly 40 years ago, they formed what is today a national model for veterans programs, Vietnam Veterans of California. Preparing for my interviews with a team of founding veterans seemed overwhelming at first, until I started listening closely to their perspectives during my pre-interviews on the phone, and in my email correspondence with them. By this time I had read nearly two dozen books and novels that focused on many different perspectives of the war – the stories of combat soldiers, of anti-war activists, military history and strategy, and contemporary stories of soldiers from Iran and Afghanistan. The key, I’ve found is being a good listener from the start, because that is what they need. Being a sincere, active listener is what will drive the narrator to tell his/her story.
2) How do you decide what questions to ask and what tips can you offer on how one might craft these questions?
The general “rule of thumb” for crafting interview questions is to make them open-ended, rather than closed. A good open-ended question inspires an answer that is descriptive of a thing, place or event. For example, “Could you describe the home town you grew up in?” compared to a closed question, “Where did you grow up?” The natural flow of an interview will have both kinds of questions, however to facilitate storytelling that is meaningful, it is the open-ended questions that will make the difference.
I don’t take a long list of questions with me to an interview, because that can be intimidating to an interviewee. I have found over the years that each interviewee has a story that will unfold naturally. So, as I pay close attention to the early, informal conversations with an interviewee, and as I conduct my research, I outline the topics and possible questions that will link to their experiences.
Sometimes a question becomes clear to me for a group project, especially a question that provides contrasting perspectives on an event or period of time. For example, “How did that ‘event/happening’ affect you at the time?” And then a follow-up question “How does that ‘event/happening’ impact you today as you look back on it?”
Follow-up questions are really the key to a good oral history interview. Useful follow-up questions require one to be a deep and active listener. These questions draw out the details of a story. Follow-up questions help us to overcome the assumptions that most people make, which are that the details will be inferred, or are already known. The intention is to help or facilitate the storytelling process by asking a follow-up question that fosters a story and encourages the storyteller – questions that show you are really listening, and that demonstrate that his/her experience is valuable and important. The intention, by contrast, is not to “dig” for more information, or to contradict, or challenge the interviewee. Oral historians are not journalists. We do not have an agenda, so it is important to know the intention behind our questions. They are designed to help and to encourage the interviewee.
I have posted tips on interviewing and examples of questions on my website and in a SlideShare presentation for teachers to use for classroom projects (see below). Another good resource for ideas and questions is at Story Corps website: http://storycorps.org/record-your-story/question-generator/
Educational SlideShare Presentation
Oral History Education ~ Bringing History to Life
View more presentations from My Storycatcher
3) What resources and tools are useful to someone doing oral history?
First, the Oral History Association is a wonderful organization and their conferences and publications are excellent. The OHA website also contains very useful resources on best practices in the field: www.oralhistory.org. Second, local libraries and museums in the region you are working in are very valuable resources. Many libraries and local history museums manage archives of local newspapers, and you can access articles by topic that give context to a period of time or to a subject. Make an appointment with the research librarian to get started, and plan the time to do this research before the interview.
For teachers, I highly recommend Glenn Whitman’s book, “Dialogue with the Past: Engaging Students and Meeting Standards Through Oral History.” Whitman provides a step-by-step guide for teachers that is thoughtful and wise.
Using the best recording equipment you can afford will make a tremendous difference in the sound quality of your interviews. I use a terrific digital audio recorder, the Marantz PMD670, with a high quality external microphone to get broadcast quality interviews. These types of recorders are becoming more affordable, and are very durable and easy to use. I’ve used my recorder in the field, literally, with Northern California farmers who represent the 3rd and 4th generation of family run farms. So, they are portable and easy to use. When using a microphone outdoors, be sure to use a windsock, and carry back-up batteries. Most of my interviews happen around the kitchen or living room table, but getting out into the community with your recorder can add important depth to a story.
Regardless of your budget, use what you have available and get to know how to use your equipment – become an expert on all of its functions and capabilities. The manual that came with my recorder is very well read – with notes, highlights, and coffee stains.
If you are using video equipment, practice videotaping so that you have established good skills. There are good tips out there on You Tube and many books on how to position someone on camera, set-up lighting, etc. Be sure to use a tripod, and if you don’t have an external microphone (most home video cameras do not) then place the video camera relatively close to the interviewee so that the internal microphone can capture decent audio. Community colleges offer very good courses on digital video, and are inexpensive. I took two courses at my local junior college, for about $90 each.
You will then need to capture (or upload) the audio/video to a computer with editing software (iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Avid, etc.) AND BACK IT UP onto an external hard drive. I do this the same day, or the very next morning of an interview.
Creating a transcript of the interview is the next step. It is difficult work, and harder than it looks. I found an affordable service in my area after asking for bids from several vendors. Go to the OHA website to learn what to do, and what NOT to do when transcribing an interview.
If you are creating an oral history archive for a museum or library I recommend following the best practices guide on the OHA website, and consulting with the Collections Manager or Archivist at your local history museum.
4) Are there any special techniques you would recommend when interviewing a young individual?
I think it is important to be aware of the myths and assumptions we hold about youth, and for that matter, any age different from our own. We need to check our assumptions and see the interviewee as a unique individual with an important story, regardless of age. It is also important to pay attention to the interviewee’s use of language and vocabulary because every generation has their own way of saying things. It is important to respect this and to incorporate their vocabulary into our own during the interview. An interviewee’s choice of words is an important aspect to the record of history being created.
Involving a young interviewee and engaging him/her will also be key to a meaningful interview. Find out what he/she cares about; what activities, music and interests he/she enjoys. Participating in an oral history interview is usually voluntary, so the intention behind the interview is important – find out what it is.
5) How do you deal with the issues of false memory or doctored responses, and how would you suggest an oral historian might go about detecting these?
This is an important question. We want to get away from “doctored” responses and record authentic, genuine stories of a how history was lived and experienced.
Memory is an interesting, and complicated process that relies on a variety of factors. Memories are created in different parts of the brain, depending on how the information is coming in: verbal/auditory, visual, sensory/touch, smell/taste, and emotional/feeling. As the sensory data is being processed, our brains store long-term memory in a variety of locations. We tend to remember things more vividly when there is a combination of strong sensory inputs, especially when combined with a strong feeling.
As far as dealing with false memory, that is something we will not have much control over. What we are recording during an oral history interview is an individual’s translation of past events. Therefore, some of the meaning will be lost in translation.
What we are valuing here is the narrator’s point of view, so essentially we are capturing how history is remembered as well as how it was experienced. Some will be credible, honest and valuable narrators, and some will not. Hopefully, we can discover this during our pre-interview conversations so that we can be aware of false memory issues or what Allesandro Portelli calls “misremembering.”
This being said, however, oral history interviewing is an intimate process that requires a level of trust. This means we are not there to contradict the narrator, we are there to aid him/her in their recollection of past events. If the narrator is confusing one event with another event, we need to respectfully help him/her clarify for the record. For example, if a narrator is confusing two different occasions, you could ask a clarifying question like, “Do you recall if the ‘event’ was prior to this occasion or following it?”
Almost everyone “doctors” the past in some form or another, however if it is clear to you that this is intentional, and therefore the interview is not going to be valuable, you may want to consider some options. You could either give the person more time talking with you “off the record” to get more comfortable and build trust, or schedule a series of shorter interviews. If you are getting a “doctored” or “canned” response during the interview ask a different question, something that hasn’t been asked before and that they were not expecting. This can make for a much more interesting, authentic interview.
6) What methods could an oral historian use to challenge or validate the recollections of interviewees?
As I explained above, we don’t want to put ourselves in the position of challenging a narrator, however we do want to help facilitate good memory recall, and a healthy dialogue that evokes good storytelling. Storytelling is a very natural process that families and communities have used to pass on knowledge for many centuries. Validating narrators as they share their memories is important because it takes courage on their part to participate in an interview, and because this is a very human process.
There are many ways to assist a narrator with their memory recall:
a. Photo Elicitation: Work with the narrator on a photo collection that will help them to prepare for their interview. This takes time, but is very effective. As I work with narrators, I scan and preserve the most important photos for them and give them a CD for their own personal collection. As we talk about the photos, I make a log with dates, and descriptions of the people, places and events they relate to. I can then use the photos during an interview to help the narrator both recall his/her memories and organize his/her thoughts.
b. Objects: Narrator often refer to objects in their home that have significant meaning, like a childhood cup, military medals, linens, or a restored car from their youth. These objects are a wonderful source of memories, and can be photographed as part of the record, or videotaped. During the interview(s) you can ask the narrator to show the object, describe it, and talk about the memories associated with it. Why is it important to him/her? How was it used? What memory stands out the most about this object? What does it represent?
c. Socializing: If it is a community based project, getting people together with a shared experience, such as the founders of a neighborhood organization, will help them reconnect to that time in their lives. A relaxed, social setting with good food is all that is needed. I have seen a collective time-line, enlarged and posted on the wall along with news articles, art, photos and other memorabilia be very effective at these kinds of gatherings.
7) Do you analyze the way in which an interviewee’s mind wanders or how they answer questions?
Yes, I do analyze this so that I can better word my questions, and structure the interview. Each narrator has their own style of communicating and putting memories to words. Connecting with each narrator’s style of communicating is important. If a narrator is prone to wandering, that tells me I need to help with questions that focus the story. If the narrator is a natural storyteller, and is able to feely respond to my questions, then my job is to stay out of the way, pay attention and ask good follow-up questions (see question No. 2 above).
8. How would you recommend someone doing oral history should handle subjects which are painful to the interviewee?
Most interviewees will have experiences that are painful, or emotional as they remember them. It is very natural for us to have feelings about the past. Sometimes, this process can help us reconcile our feelings in the present with what happened in the past. We often treat the past as either something to brush under the rug, or present it in a euphemistic way. The truth is, the past is often messy and disorganized, as well as painful. During pre-interviews, I ask my interviewees if there are any subjects they do not want to talk about, as well as what stories they will be sharing.
If a narrator is going into painful territory, pay attention to facial cues and body language, which will tell you whether to pause for a moment or take a break. Give them the space needed to feel, and to process, and offer empathy when appropriate. The narrator is in charge of his/her story, not the interviewer. Let your interviewees know this – that they have the ability to stop, pause, and begin when they wish. We are not therapists, however if we are sensitive and thoughtful, a narrator can develop confidence and even a sense of closure after sharing a difficult memory.
For military veterans or others who have experienced severely painful events, it is important to gain a good understanding of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and to seek professional guidance. I have been mentored by a few experts who have experience dealing with PTSD. They have helped me to develop an approach when someone is suffering from PTSD. I caution anyone who might be dealing with this issue not to project too much onto the narrator. The narrator is participating because they want to – for, oral histories are always voluntary. Again, as in each case, the interviewee needs to know that he/she is in charge, and can stop or pause whenever needed. However, if during an interview, the narrator appears depressed, is expressing negative thoughts and not able to return to the present, be sensitive and offer another time to meet. In addition, after someone has shared a painful memory, ask a question that reconnects him/her to positive things in the present.
Being a sincere, caring listener is usually all that we need to be, however it is good to be aware of the impact the interview is having on a narrator, and respond with sensitivity.
9) Have there been any interviews which have shaped the way you perceive the world or the way you go about the oral history craft?
There have been many such interviews, but one that comes to mind immediately is an interview for an oral history project about the social justice movement against Apartheid in South Africa. The interview was conducted by a white student with a man who grew up in SOWETO during the student marches in the 1970s. SOWETO is a black township that was formed when the Apartheid laws designated the area for blacks only. Today, there are middle class residents rising out of its painful past, however the many poor residents living there, numbering over a million, are a daily reminder of the history of racism.
I was the oral historian in charge of training the students in this project, and preparing the narrators for their interviews. The student was well prepared, and did an excellent job asking about childhood in a racially biased society. The narrator, John Biyase, works in the field of race relations and reconciliation today, and was very willing to share his story of overcoming the oppression of Apartheid. At the end, the student asked what role forgiveness played in the country’s efforts to reconcile. Mr. Biyase responded by saying that forgiveness is what set him free. It was a profound moment, and he still remains an inspiring figure for me. An excerpt from his interview can be seen on my educational website, www.oralhistoryeducation.com.
10) How is oral history used by families–and on a larger scale–by libraries, museums, or other academic institution today?
As Charles Hardy, III has stated, “At heart we are all storytellers and the stories we tell have consequences in how we act in the world.” For families, the process of creating an oral history record can be exciting and heartwarming as family members are given a role to pass on knowledge and experience in a very natural way. Storytelling was the primary method of passing on knowledge and experience prior to the written word becoming the focus of record keeping. Additionally, as we age we begin to reflect with more perspective, and we begin to question how our life mattered to others. The process of oral history inspires a meaningful generational exchange and gives us the opportunity to reflect with purpose.
On a larger scale, libraries, museums and academic institutions can sponsor oral history projects that are community building and educational. Often, they work together to do this. An example of a large library project is the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. This project has inspired community groups, colleges and schools to record the oral histories of veterans. Another result of the work at the LOC is free, educational materials that support such projects on their website: http://www.loc.gov/vets/.
Museums play an important role interpreting oral histories for the public through exhibitions that link artifacts, interviews and storytelling. An excellent example, out of many that American museums have produced, is at the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, Washington, where oral histories of Asian Americans have inspired exhibits and educational programs. Programs like this bring members of the community together, raise awareness of a shared past, and get people actively involved in history.
The final example serves as a university project that is truly a model: The Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Their oral history recordings and archival material provide a rich and diverse perspective on the civil rights movement in the U.S. Their website is: http://www.sohp.org/
Oral History Stories
Civil Rights Stories
Prior to the changes begun by the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, “Whites Only” signs were commonly placed in restaurants, theaters, buses, trains, and other public accommodations throughout the United States. “Whites Only” was not just a sign to designate seating according to race, it was a sign that represented a sadly long history of discrimination against non-whites. Racial discrimination permeated the power structure of local, state and federal government and defined the nation’s culture on many levels.
Despite the pain and injustice experienced by many, stories from the movement demonstrate the courage of individuals of all races in the face of adversity and the resilience of communities striving for a more complete democracy. Although this history seems to be more and more in the distant past, the need for racial-healing today has been pointed out by leaders from a variety of organizations.
Students of the Civil Rights Movement have the opportunity today to develop more than knowledge, they have the opportunity to develop respect for the sacrifices of past generations and compassion for those who are different from themselves. Developing a better understanding of this history in the classroom can give students a better foundation for the decisions they will be faced with in the course of their generation’s social justice challenges.
While the battle for civil rights was largely fought in the courts and legislatures of the country, activists at the “grass roots” level were developing nonviolent strategies for social change. The “sit-in” movement began in the South in February 1960 after four black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, sat at a whites-only lunch counter to protest racial segregation in restaurants. Freedom Rides were staged by black and white students protesting segregation on interstate buses. Peaceful marches were organized, including the 1963 March on Washington – the largest peaceful demonstration ever held in the United States.
The era of segregation and discrimination was horrific in many ways with society-wide and ongoing implications. This legacy affects society on many levels today, yet many are forging ahead and seeking to heal the present by interpreting and discussing the past. Throughout this history, we see that individuals from all races and backgrounds came together under the most trying of circumstances. Oral history is a powerful and effective tool for documenting the stories of such individuals.
Through oral history interviews, students not only document history, they make a direct connection to the history of civil rights in a way that is meaningful to them. By creating structured dialogue in their interviews, students can explore the concepts of memory, justice, truth, reconciliation, forgiveness, victim-hood, and reparation in society. Students gain a more authentic view, while raising their awareness as they consider how they might effect change in today’s social justice issues.
Organizations like the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute are providing refreshing and innovative approaches to teaching this important part of American history.
A Summary of Apartheid’s History
South Africans share a painful past that includes many decades of racial discrimination. Yet, throughout this history are the stories of leaders and of ordinary people overcoming racial barriers to create a contemporary and culturally rich democracy. Their stories build meaning into history and teach us valuable strategies for the social justice issues of today, and for future generations.
Apartheid is defined as the social and political policy of racial segregation and discrimination enforced by a white minority government in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. The word “apartheid” is from the Afrikaans language that was developed over the years by Dutch colonists, and means “apartness.” While apartheid policies extend back to the beginning of white government in South Africa in 1652, it became codified, or officially written into law, in 1948 when the Afrikaner Nationalists came to power after a long struggle against British colonists.
A benchmark law that empowered South Africa’s white rulers was the Population Registration Act of 1950, categorizing people into three racial groups: Bantu (blacks), white, or Coloured (mixed race). A fourth category, Asian (Indians and Pakistanis) was added later. More apartheid laws were created, reflecting an insidiously racist perspective on human kind. The Group Areas Act of 1950 and the Land Acts of 1954 and 1955 assigned these racial groups to different residential sections, to different job and business categories, and prevented nonwhites from entering restricted areas without a special permit.
In the early 1990s, after a long struggle for equal and democratic rights, and under external pressure from the governments of the United States and Great Britain, the apartheid system was ended under the presidency of F.W. de Klerk. In 1994 the South African constitution was rewritten and the first democratic election held. Nelson Mandela, a prominent leader in the struggle against apartheid, was elected the first black president. Mandela was a political prisoner for 27 years prior to the election, and because of his inspirational impact he is called the Father of South Africa. Both Mandela and de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their leadership in the transition from apartheid to democracy without a civil war.
An important role was played by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as the government turned its efforts toward healing and moving forward. The TRC heard thousands of testimonies from around the country in an effort to document and understand the effects of apartheid on all South Africans.
South Africa’s new democracy is founded in a national constitution considered to be one of the world’s most inclusive and progressive because in addition to protecting racial equality, it includes environmental rights, language rights, and access rights to health care, food and water. For details on the South African Constitution, go to


The idea of applying gamification approach is very beneficial to the 21st century education especially to teacher and student. However, this approach is still a stigma in our society today in terms of acceptance, implementation and implication in the classroom setting for children. In this paper, we present a qualitative study through participant observation and semi structured interview involving 20 children. Gamification concept that applied in this study is project based in which children need to design a digital game. Analysis of the data showed an interesting, promising finding, suggesting that the learning approach that is integrated with digital games is realizable through digital games gamification, the implementation of which relies on a systematic instructional planning; its suitability with the learning objectives and the implication of gamification approach towards 21st century education. The gamification approach is expected to exert a significant positive impact on both students and teachers, which is gradually, but surely, becoming an important learning approach in the 21st. century education
Keywords: Childrendesign activitydigital gamesgamificationlearning approach
The world is witnessing digital games being passionately embraced by users from all walks of life, be they young or old, men or women. To underscore such interesting observation, the annual report produced by the Entertainment Software Association (Association, 2016) highlighted that a huge amount of money – US 22.41 billion to be exact – were spent by users worldwide in the digital game industry. Undeniably, this colossal figure bodes good news to the industry players, and more importantly, this rapidly expanding digital game development has caused ripples that would radically change the social, economic, and education aspects of the society. Among the society members, children (being the digital natives) would be most susceptible to these changes given their predilection for new, novel technologies that ubiquitously imbue their lives. Such technologies have spurred many important changes; for example, the mobile technology, such as tablets and smart phones with their touch screens, has accelerated the use of digital games almost exponentially.
Without fail, a majority of the society members, notably parents, see digital games purely from the entertainment perspective, engendering extreme joy or fun to their children that could invariably distract the latter from learning (Wartella, Rideout, Lauricella, & Connell, 2013). This negatively perceived notion can be reversed by helping parents to see the positive side of digital games as a learning tool that is not only enjoyable but highly interactive that can help motivate students in the learning process. One of the methods to transform games into a potent learning tool is gamification, which is an approach that utilizes the “entertaining” element in such a way that engages students in learning (Kapp, 2012). With gamification, learning becomes more engaging as game elements that are designed and developed using relevant educational psychological precepts that can ultimately help improve students’ motivation and interest.
Gamification in design activity approach
Arguably, a learning approach that has edutainment elements can make the teaching and learning process more enjoyable and efficacious. In the digital era, active learning involving cooperative and interactive learning can be made possible through digital integration. The existence of educational digital games has paved the way for educators to adopt gamification as an alternative to existing learning approaches. In using digital games in the classroom, children’s involvement in design activity of such games results in a potent learning approach that helps induce a creative process that can have a huge impact on their intellectual development and attitudes toward learning (Baytak et al., 2011; Lim, 2008; Prensky, 2008). This assertion is also reinforced by Froebel cited in (Resnick, 2007), who contends that the learning process can become effective in enjoyable situation in which children can design, develop, and create while playing.
These days, gamification become a term that has garnered wide attention in the community of educators. The gamification process implements the concept of Game-based Learning, which is apply for to be fitting as one of the approach in the 21st century teaching and learning process (Tan, 2015). From previous study, researchers approve that digital games can accentuate the children’s competency more comprehensively, particularly their technology skills learning skills, and social skills (Qian & Clark, 2016). Design activity enable children to become creative and independent, the impact of which helps them experience an engaging learning, gain new skills, and improve their critical thinking (Ibharim & Yatim, 2014; Neo & Neo, 2013). The above attainments are, of course, to be expected as children partaking in the design process of digital games need to understand the gaming concepts before applying them in the digital form. By involving in such a process, these children are able to enhance their thinking skills and technological expertise (An, 2014). The same process also plays an important role to ensure the teaching and learning process, which uses digital games design activity, occurs in a systematic learning setting based on actual design process. Such a case is demonstrated in a study by Moser, who introduced an approach called Child-Centered Game Development as a new approach based on the design and development of educational digital games (Moser, 2013). With this approach, children can learn and play in an environment that nurtures their creativity and skills, which are important in leading their daily lives in the future.
Such a learning process that hinges on design activity entails a relevant pedagogy such that it can yield a positive impact on children learning. To help teachers and instructors to plan and implement such pedagogical approach involving design activity, several guidelines and references (which are available online) have been introduced, such as
Children as designer of digital games
Children of this generation are quite different from the children of earlier generations in many aspects of life. The former is referred to as “digital generation” that lives in a ubiquitous environment. Virtually, without these technologies, every facet of life can become cumbersome and dull. In the digital games context, the use of technology and multimedia enables children to assume the role of an author or a creative designer that ultimately steers them towards the desired learning trajectory (Neo & Neo, 2013). In addition to support Child-Centered Game Development approach, the methodology applied in the design and development process should aligned with Child-Centered Design model (CCD) adopted from User-Centered Design (UCD) (Druin, 1999; Henry, 2000). Children are actively involved in the design process to fulfill their requirement and expectation of the product for themselves.
In this respect, Druin has identified four main roles of children in new technology design process, particularly in interactive multimedia products, in which children are the user, tester, informant, and designer (Druin, 2002). In addition to performing these roles, children too have the potential to design and develop digital games themselves (Ibharim & Yatim, 2015). This contention of children as the designer is best exemplified by Garzotto’s (2008) study involving 10- and 11-year-old children, in which these children were found to possess novel ideas, vivid imagination, and vast technological experience in helping them to become good designers. His main finding is suggestive of children’s talents, interest, and skills that enable them to create their own digital games, the impact of which makes the children learn more effectively. Naturally, such learning efficacy is realizable, as children that actively partake in the design process will always strive to find clear, accurate information (Garzotto, 2008). Furthermore, they will also be deeply involved in research and design process in the development of digital games. From the HCI standpoint, research in multimedia digital games provides an avenue for researchers to explore the potential impact of such games on learning effectiveness and the ability of children as designer (Earp, Dagnino, & Ott, 2014).
In this regard, children not only can play, but they can express their ideas, recommendations, or comments on games that they are playing almost spontaneously. This spontaneity of ideas or feedback is the result of their mental model, experiences, and creativity, which makes playing digital games an exciting educational experience. Such an experience provides the space and opportunity for researchers to further explore the potential of children to become the designer and the developer of digital games.
Previously, children were regarded as mere players, who just used games for entertainment. Now, with new technology, their role has changed in which they are also becoming more involved in games development. In fact, they become the designer of the games themselves, the effectiveness of which heavily depends on their cognitive, affective, and social skills (Baytak, Land, & Smith, 2011; Good & Robertson, 2004; Kafai, 1995; Prensky, 2008). From the gamification perspective, children, besides playing, can also be exposed to digital games design activity, in which the teaching and learning process can be more engaging and efficacious. In this regard, design activity using digital games have the potential to achieve the desired level of interactivity. Nonetheless, to use this project based approach in the classroom is challenging given the relatively large class size (typically numbering more than 35 students per class), time limitation, and lack of suitable facilities (Omar & Bakar, 2013). Despite these constraints, the implementation of such an approach is not insurmountable as there are several means or ways that can be adopted by researchers.
In order to achieve the research objectives, the following research questions were formulated:
What aspect require for student’s acceptance to implement gamification through game design activity?
How suitability and implementation of digital games design activity in the classroom can be enhance?
What implication of game design activity in the classroom environment?
Purpose of the Study
This article discusses the objective of the present study by focusing on the digital games design activity using tablet in the classroom especially on student’s acceptance, activity’s suitability and implication. Using this activity in such a teaching and learning process, both the teacher and students would be able to enhance their knowledge, as well as their soft skills, which are highly needed for learning in this millennium.
In this study, the researchers used a qualitative research design using participant observation and semi-structured interview. Such an approach allows researchers to explore a certain phenomenon meaningfully in a real-world setting, thus enabling them to understand the studied event in greater details (Creswell, 2013). The study participant comprised 20 (10 girls and 10 boys) Year Four primary school pupils, with a mean age of 10 years. The participants were randomly selected by their teacher regardless of education achievement and level of technology literacy. The selection of this participant was appropriate based on the selected children’s cognitive stage, which was at the Concrete Operation of the Cognitive Development Theory (Piaget, 1964). At this stage, children are capable to think creatively and apply learned concepts or new knowledge in a new event. Specifically in this study, the design activity were carried out in small group. Such activity run parallel with the recommendations by Moser (2013), who advocates the use of small groups, typically made up of two to three children, that enables all of them to contribute in the dynamic design process in terms of sharing of ideas, experiences, and skills.
The children were divided into 10 groups, each consisting a girl and a boy to eliminate any possibilities of gender bias. The groups carried out their learning activity in the actual classroom, thus ensuring the children were in a conducive and familiar environment, in which they were able to perform their tasks without any kind of pressure, such as being watched or being tested. In addition, the classroom setting was selected because it had all the necessary equipment and facilities to facilitate the observation process. Data were collected by using two research instruments, namely an observations checklist and an interviews checklist. The main constructs for each checklist are i) student’s acceptance of digital game design activity; ii) the suitability and implementation of digital game design activity; and iii) the implication of game design activity in classroom setting. The validity and reliability of both research instruments were verified through expert judgments and a pilot test, respectively. The researchers recruited four facilitators to help observe and record all the activity performed by the children in the classroom.
The present researchers used five pedagogical approaches, as recommended by Markopoulos et al., (2008), for the observations of children’s activity. Specifically, these approaches were exploration through interaction, reflection, imagination, immersion, and teamwork (Markopoulos, Read, MacFarlane, & Hoysniemi, 2008). To guide the observation process, semi-structured interviews were used as part of the instrumentation to elicit detailed information pertaining to the process, feelings, suggestions, and comments by the participants in this study. The interviews were carried out in two categories, namely an interview with the participants and an interview with the teacher. Based on two days workshop setup, each group was given a task to produce a digital games design using an authoring tool for game development namely iBUAT (Innovation Board Unique Authoring Tool) developed from previous research (Ibharim & Yatim, 2014). The participants have to design a game base on adventure theme. The Child-Centered Game Development approach was used to ensure the activity performed were relevant with the learning environment of a classroom. To further improve the observation process, the researchers used several principles based on the combination of the guidelines of the Game Making Pedagogy (Cheng, 2009). Table
Essentially, this study involved both descriptive and interpretative analysis. With both methodological approaches, the researchers were able to obtain a holistic picture of the characteristics of a particular situation, the behaviours of the research participants, and pertinent information during testing. Using the
The acceptance of students to the implementation of gamification through game design activity require the support of literacy competence of teachers on learning approach, skill, knowledge, and technology.
Each group were provided with a tablet, which had been installed with iBUAT. Throughout the designing session, each participant was given the liberty to perform the task in group without any interventions from the researchers, facilitators, or the teacher. The interviews with the participants revealed that they were capable to design the game using the tablets and iBUAT. In fact, the children could hardly conceal their extreme excitement in using the tablets during the digital games design process. Such state of exhilaration experienced by them was visibly evident in a recorded video, showing abundant traces of profound enjoyment, such as friendly gestures and smiling faces.
Apparently, with each group being in its allocated space, all the participants were able to remain focused on completing their tasks. Such concentration of effort helped them complete the design task in a shorter time, thus avoiding the feeling of tiredness or boringness. Generally, the participants had not encountered any major problems in undertaking digital games design activity. Arguably, their strong interest and enjoyment in engaging such activities were so immense that any problems that cropped out seemed trivial. Such is the potential benefit of digital games that engenders edutainment that can help students to learn with a greater sense of accomplishment (Kapp, 2012). Interestingly, the designing session proceeded smoothly despite the situation being a bit noisy.
However, at some situation they also ask for help when they got problem to handle the iBUAT and game design as they expected. Teachers have to have capability to give alternative idea and suggestion to solve the problem. To ensure gamification can be efficacious, teachers too need to be proficient in using the learning approach by familiarising with the relevant software and hardware. Put simply, the competency of teachers is of paramount important, which needs to be addressed appropriately.
Undisputedly, teachers who lack technological knowledge or skills (such as the ability to play digital games using the tablet) would perceive using such a device in their classroom awkward, at best, or problematic, at worst. This perception is quite natural given that they would be compelled to learn something new, and that is deemed burdensome to them. Such a scenario could result in the teachers becoming less articulate in their teaching, the outcome of which the learning objectives would not be fulfilled (Omar & Bakar, 2013). To address this precarious learning situation, the researchers propose that teachers’ competency needs to be gauged before implementing a new teaching and learning approach. In essence, the competency of teachers is envisaged to contain five components to assist the implementation of digital games design activity as Figure
In light of the above findings, which parallel with others research findings, such as Moser’s (2013) study, a Child-Centered Game Development approach, which is part of gamification could be made more effective, as well as entertaining, using digital games design activity as part of its learning activities. This approach could positively complement the pedagogy practiced by teachers. Thus, teachers need more practice and exposure to such learning activities such that they could become competent and creative, ideally surpassing their students’ skills and creativity (Neo & Neo, 2013). In this 21st century, teachers are compelled to strike a delicate balance among important aspects of learning (i.e., learning contents, pedagogy, knowledge, and technology), so that learning occurs efficaciously.
The suitability and implementation of digital games design activity in the classroom can be enhance with a proper teaching preparation planning guideline
Based on the interviews with two teachers, who acted as silent (passive) observers, the digital games design activity was found to be interesting, unique, and appropriate for the participants, who at the mean age of 10 years were primed to learning through all sorts of games. Candidly, the first teacher contended that learning activity using tablet should be implemented in school subjects such as English, Bahasa Malaysia and Science. Nonetheless, she cautioned that deploying such learning approach entails teachers to select relevant topics, in which not only students’ creativity and skills could be enhanced but the use of technology in learning could be heightened further. From the implementation perspective, the teachers believed that all the participants had the necessary knowledge and skills in using tablets. At this level of expertise and experience, the participants had no major problems in completing the activity using tablets in the classroom.
However, the second teacher harbored a strong opinion that educators should first develop a strong interest and acquire adequate competency in using tablets and digital games before contemplating to adopt the games-based approach in their teaching. He also added that educators should be brave enough to use the tablet and to learn the concept of digital games design before applying them in the classroom. As reinforced by the findings of interviews, the teachers were deemed ready and capable in integrating technology in their teaching process. Their readiness and capabilities would provide educators with the opportunity to diversify their teaching styles, which may include the use of digital games design activity as one of the teaching approaches.
In this regard, teachers need to be bold and smart in trying to diversify their teaching strategy. Using such diversified strategy, students can acquire knowledge with greater ease and they too can become highly motivated to learn. To implement such a gamification approach, teachers can use several well-established instructional models, including Game Making Pedagogy (Cheng, 2009). With this model, teachers will able to develop appropriate and systematic teaching schemes, which when applied will help create effective learning settings. In view of the importance of a sound teaching strategy, the researchers propose a teaching preparation planning guideline to guide teachers in implementing digital games design activity. Table
The implication of game design activity in the classroom environment
Based on the observation of the participants’ designing activity, the researchers found that the design produced by each group contained all the necessary storytelling and games elements. Commendably, each design had its own uniqueness in terms of realistic display and discernible storytelling shown in Figure
Nonetheless, these teachers asserted that guidance and support from educators were still important and not to be downplayed to guide their students to achieve the desired learning objectives. In this respect, educators should play the role of facilitator in this gamification approach. Based on the above promising findings, the researchers could confidently vouch the huge educational potential of using the tablet in designing activity, in which the learning process that is taking place could improve children’s knowledgeable, skills, and creativity. Moreover, designing activity not only can serve as part of the learning activity but also can become an effective training platform to help children become good digital designers in the future (Earp et al., 2014).
This study highlights a new perspective with which a learning approach based on digital games can be applied using appropriate technology in the classroom. Using gamification, children will benefit from digital games design activity in which they can attain the highest cognitive development level of the Bloom’s cognitive taxonomy – creating (Churches, 2009). By engaging in such design activity in a collaborative learning context, children become critical and creative thinkers. With such improved minds, they will be able to formulate new, novel solutions in solving problems. Thus, children should be given every opportunity available to help them develop their intellectual ability. Such learning approach can help nurture a new generation of children (aptly called digital generation) that is highly skillful, creative, innovative, and competitive —traits that are important in the 21st century learning. Likewise, teachers too can benefit from the learning approach using digital games design activity. With such learning approach, they will be able to diversify their teaching in a number of ways to improve students’ cognition. By applying such diversified teaching strategy, teachers can improve their creativity, skills, and competency as they can assume multiple roles, such as a facilitator or a mentor, in the teaching and learning process. This diversification of roles entails teachers to plan their teaching method carefully in which the process of teaching and learning can transpire meaningfully, thus leading to the fulfilment of the learning objectives.
In this study, the researchers found that digital games design activity had a huge impact on the participants’ learning performance. This main finding can be explained from the relevant theories, namely the constructivist learning theory (Papert & Harel, 1991) and children cognitive development model (Piaget, 1964). Cognitively, the participants were at the concrete operation stage in which they were able to think critically and creatively. Together with the constructivist learning approach, they were able to work in team in carrying out the learning activities effectively as they could share and scaffold one another, thus leading to a successful collaboration.
In today’s learning paradigm, students are expected to learn by interacting with their peers and teachers using appropriate technologies. This learning approach will become a common trend in many nations across the globe as technology becomes persuasively pervasive in the society, affecting a wide spectrum of peoples, especially children. With constant and persistent exposure to technology, children become astute and articulate in using all sorts of novel learning tools. Inevitably, their technological exploits will make them more skillful and experienced, thus making the transition from mere players to serious designers of digital games a smooth process. This contention is not a pipe dream as such transformation has been taking place gradually, as attested by a number of research findings (Baytak et al., 2011; Howe, 2012; Kafai, 1995; Prensky, 2008).
This study highlights the imperative to adopt a new learning paradigm by emphasizing the integration of gamification in education. The effort to use such a learning approach has to start now as learning in the new millennium poses new challenges and demands. In all probability, there is a need to revise or reform the current thinking concerning the learning theories, learning styles, and teaching techniques so that they become more relevant to the 21st century learning. As demonstrated in this study, new technologies, such as digital games, can exert a tremendous impact on the learning process. Used in a proper learning context, digital games can help create a learning environment that is not only efficacious but entertaining as well. From the instructional design perspective, a gamification approach can provide the opportunity for students and teachers to implement design activity in their learning and teaching practices, respectively. Through these activities, students can become motivated, independent, and creative in solving problems. Overall, this study demonstrates that embedding digital games design activity into the learning process will be able to create a learning environment that helps improve students’ knowledge, skills, and motivation to learn.
This research work is supported by the Education Special Research Grant (2016-0122-107-01) supported by Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia.
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Ibharim, L. F. M., Yatim, M. H. M., & Zain, N. Z. M. (2019). Digital Game Design Activity: Implementing Gamification With Children In The Classroom. In & M. Imran Qureshi (Ed.), Technology & Society: A Multidisciplinary Pathway for Sustainable Development, vol 40. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences (pp. 399-411). Future Academy. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2018.05.32


Share the story of an expedition
Study an example
One of the most effective ways to learn is to copy good examples. In this lesson, you'll use the example of three National Geographic explorers who visited Guatemala to learn more about the coexistence of volcanoes and communities. This story contains a mix of text and media that is designed to keep readers' attention throughout the entire story. It introduces scientific inquiry without being too technical, and it uses maps and other geographic elements to help readers step into the shoes of the explorers.
- Read through In the Shadow of a Volcano, a tale of three National Geographic explorers on an expedition in Guatemala.
Having a clear narrative arc is key to a good story. You may have noticed the example story is told chronologically—it has a natural beginning, middle, and end. It starts with the explorers arriving in Quetzaltenango. Ready to make a difference, the explorers head up the volcano to test their gear. It finishes with the photo exhibit created for community members, bringing the narrative back to the stated mission of the explorers and providing a satisfying sense of closure to its audience.
The author describes the geologic processes of volcanoes without relying on a lot of scientific jargon. Because there aren't many technical terms, a reader who isn't familiar with earth science can still move smoothly through the narrative, focusing on the high-level ideas that make the expedition important in the first place.
Gather visual content
Now that you've seen an example of the story you want to create, you'll start gathering material. It's helpful to have the story written and multimedia elements organized before you start putting the content into the ArcGIS StoryMaps builder.
- Download the StoryMap_Data folder and unzip it to a location you can easily access.
This folder includes visual assets you can add to your story as well as a draft of the story you can use to fill in content.
- Identify content that can speak to your journey's beginning, middle and end.
The folder includes a list of the key messages and visuals associated with each part of the story.
Create an outline
With your content inventory complete, you'll start thinking about how you might weave all these pieces together into an outline. Outlines can take a variety of formats, from a simple bulleted list to an entire storyboard, a slide deck, or even a collection of index cards you shuffle around on your desk. The exact format isn't very important—what matters most is that you choose whichever one makes it easiest for you experiment and get creative.
- In the StoryMap_Data folder, open the In the Shadow of a Volcano Text document.
As you make your outline, you should keep two things in mind: your target audience and the key takeaway.
- Reorder the content to make sure the story flows in a way that your audience can easily follow, and that emphasizes the main ideas.
There are countless ways to tell a story; your audience and key message are integral to finding the structure that's best for you. You'd take a very different approach to storytelling with an audience of middle school students versus your social media followers. The same is true depending on how you want a reader to feel when they get to the end of your story.
- Compare the example you're using to this version of the story.
Changing a story's structure can dramatically change the message and emotions it communicates. This story is written in the first person from the perspective of the volcano.
- Give your outline a final review to make sure it accomplishes the following five objectives, which are essential for any expedition story:
- Who — Establish who is venturing out into the world and explain why they've embarked on this journey.
- Where — Locate the place or places to which they are traveling and re-create the feeling of being there for the reader.
- When — Clearly communicate the chronological order of the events that occurred on the expedition, even if the story doesn't follow a linear timeline.
- What — Include elements that evoke tension or uncertainty in the reader's mind, keeping them invested in finding out what happens next.
Why — Explain the key takeaways from the expedition once it has ended, helping the reader understand why these takeaways are significant.
If you're working on this story with a group, now is a good time to review your story outline with collaborators or colleagues, so you can make any big structural changes before you start assembling your story.
Add content blocks
Now that you have the story text and media, you'll start building the story using content blocks. Each title, paragraph, image, and media type is added as a separate block from the block palette. Using the published story as an example, you'll add blocks to the story to form your own version.
- Open the ArcGIS StoryMaps builder and sign in to ArcGIS Online.
If you are signing in using your Enterprise account you must access ArcGIS StoryMaps from the app launcher.
The app is also accessible in ArcGIS Online via the app launcher.
- Click the New story button and then click Start from scratch.
A blank story template appears.
- For Title your story, type In the Shadow of a Volcano. For Start with a short introduction or subtitle, type or paste the following text:
Around the world, volcanoes threaten nearly half a billion people. Scientists are working to better forecast when eruptions will occur.
The ribbon updates with the new title.
You can change the title at any time. Next to the Draft badge, you'll see evidence of the autosave feature in ArcGIS StoryMaps; any time you edit your story, that text will let you know your story is saving and then confirm that your changes have been saved.
- Scroll past the cover. Next to Tell your story, click Add content block and choose Text.
The block palette contains options for adding content. You'll tell your story using these blocks to add sections of content to the body of your story.
There are a few types of blocks you can choose from. There are Basic elements such as text blocks—paragraph, heading, quote, and so on—and there are also a few options for adding small visual accents, such as a separator or a button. Then there are Media blocks such as an embed (for external web content), image, video, or map. And finally, there are Immersive blocks such as sidecar, slideshow and a map tour.
Immersive blocks are unique in that they become full-screen takeovers of your story, providing different, interactive reading experiences. Those familiar with the classic Story Maps Journal template, for example, may recognize the split-screen feel of sidecar, where a fixed media panel displays visual content while a smaller narrative panel scrolls by.
- Type or paste the following:
In 2017, a volcanologist, a photographer, and a cartographer traveled to Guatemala on a National Geographic-funded expedition.
Their goal was three-fold: to conduct innovative research that could help shape volcanic eruption warning systems; to create educational materials that explain the risks of living in the vicinity of a volcano; and to better understand what it is about these locations that is appealing enough for communities to remain there despite the risks.
These paragraphs serve as both an introduction and a summary to your story. You'll make them stand out by italicizing them.
- Highlight the first paragraph. In the text menu, click the Italic button.
You can also use keyboard shortcuts such as Ctrl+I for italics and Ctrl+B for bold.
- Use the same method to italicize the second paragraph.
- Add a third Text content block and type or paste There's nothing quite like the thrill of going into the field for research.
- Highlight the text, click Paragraph and choose Heading.
This text serves as your first heading. Now, you'll add the rest of the text.
- Paste the rest of the story content to the builder from the In the Shadow of a Volcano Text document you downloaded. Use the block palette to format all subtitles and paragraphs as needed.
The text is broken into sections, each with a few paragraphs. Once all the text is in place, you'll start adding media elements.
Work with media
Once you've added your text, you'll start adding and adjusting media to bring your expedition to life. Images, video and other media are important because they break up a long narrative and provide context. You'll add both individual images and an immersive sidecar to the story and change their appearance to best fit the story. You'll also add video footage to the story.
The first image you see in the example story is one of the volcano complex the explorers visited that serves as a banner image.
- Between the italicized introductory paragraphs and the first heading, hover over the left margin and open the block palette. Choose Image.
- In the Add an image window, on the Upload tab, click Browse your files and browse inside the StoryMap_Data, StoryImages, and Beginning folders.
- Choose VolcanoPanorama.png. Click Open and click Add.
The image is added to the story in the smallest form. Because this is a panorama, it's meant to be shown as a large image.
- Hover over the volcano panorama image. In the toolbar, click Large.
Depending on the width of the image you upload, larger sizes may not be available, ensuring that your content is never stretched beyond its maximum width. Full-width media, for example, must be at least 2,001 pixels wide.
- Hover over the image again and click the Options button.
The Image options window appears.
You'll add alternative text, or alt text, that describes the image so that anyone consuming your story with a screen reader (typically used by the visually impaired) can still experience your work in its entirety. You can specify alt text in the properties menu for each media item using the Options button. Unlike captions, which appear below an image, the alt text associated with an image can be viewed by hovering over it.
- For Alternative text, type Santiaguito volcano complex and click Save.
The next image also includes a caption.
- After the goals paragraph (The goals for the expedition are threefold), open the block palette and add another image.
- In the Add an image window, click Browse your files and choose arrival.jpg from the Beginning folder in the lesson images.
- Under the image, click Add a caption for this image and type or paste the following text:
Dr. Stephanie Grocke sets up and tests photogrammetry equipment before the expedition up Santa María Volcano. Photo: Gabby Salazar.
Media should break up your text and underscore the points you're trying to make in each section.
As you go, be sure to pause and ask yourself if this is working the way you expected. While having a plan for your story is important, it's okay to iterate and adapt as you go; some things that seem good as a concept don't work out as expected in practice.
- Modeling your story on the published version, continue adding text and images to the story until you reach the Why do people live so close to active volcanoes section.
This section contains several images with scrolling text instead of captions. These scrolling image elements are called sidecars and help emphasize certain media items.
- In the Why do people live so close to active volcanoes section, after the first paragraph block, click the Add content block button and choose Sidecar.
- For Choose a layout, choose Docked and click Done.
A Sidecar is added to your story.
A sidecar is an immersive block with a side-by-side reading experience composed of a narrative panel on one side and a media panel on the other. Together, these two panels constitute a slide.
- Click Add and choose Image or video.
- In the Add an image or video window, click Browse your files, choose coffee.jpg from the Beginning folder and click Add.
The image of raw coffee beans is added to the story. You'll add explanatory text to the image.
- Next to the image, click Continue your story and type or paste the following:
Agriculture around volcanoes thrives in the productive soil. Coffee grows particularly well around Santa María.
- Add another text block and type Photo: Gabby Salazar.
Together, a media panel and narrative panel constitute a slide, and you can have multiple slides in one sidecar block.
- Highlight the caption text, click Paragraph, and click Quote.
- Highlight the photo credit text and click the Italic button.
The first sidecar slide is complete.
At the bottom of the sidecar block is the slide panel. In the slide panel, you can add or remove slides, adjust the transitions between them, or remove the sidecar block from your story entirely. You can change which side the narrative panel is on by using the double-arrow button where the media and narrative panel meet.
- In the slide panel, click the New slide button.
A blank slide is added to the pane.
- Click Add and click Image or video. Choose hotsprings.jpg. Add the following sidecar text:
Hot springs are common in this region because of the geothermal activity near volcanoes. Tourists and locals alike can relax and enjoy the beautiful landscapes.
Photo: Gabby Salazar
- Add a final slide with flowers.jpg and the following text:
Volcanoes have spiritual significance to local communities. It is not uncommon to see flower offerings as you climb a volcano.
Photo: Gabby Salazar
Finally, you'll add a video to the story. Videos can be hosted on Vimeo or YouTube. Any URL parameters you add to the video link—to start the video at a specific time, for example—will be preserved.
- In the Like all good expeditions section, under the second paragraph, click the Add content block button and click Video.
- In the Add a video window, click the Link tab, paste the URL https://vimeo.com/328687492, and click Add.
The video is added to your story.
- Point to the video and click the Options button, and in the Embed options window, for Alternative text (optional), type Hiking Santa Maria and click Save.
Make sure you're providing a mix of different views with your visual assets. Wide shots are important for setting the scene and letting a reader fully appreciate the setting of your expedition, but tight shots of textures and little details will give them a more intimate understanding of what it was like to be there. Also keep in mind that it's okay to include silent clips to provide visual texture to your story. Atmospheric clips can catch a reader's eye and pull them into the scene, but do so in a way that is subtle and doesn't interrupt the story with a separate audio narrative.
Work with maps
This story takes place in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. To help readers picture where this is, you'll add a locator map using an express map. Express maps are a unique feature of ArcGIS StoryMaps. These simple, focused maps can only be created in the story builder and will only be stored in the story in which they are created. With basic drawing and annotation tools, express maps enable you to add points, lines, areas, arrows, and more with ease. You'll also add content from ArcGIS Online, a 3D web scene of the volcano and surrounding peaks.
- After the first paragraph of the story (starting with In 2017, a volcanologist), click the Add content block button and choose Map.
With ArcGIS StoryMaps, there are a number of options for adding and configuring a map in your story. You can add maps from your ArcGIS Online content, your organization, or ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. You can also make a simple locator map using the express map feature.
- In the Add a map window, click New express map.
If necessary, close the message window that appears.
A map of the world appears. First, you'll locate the site of the expedition, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.
- In the search bar, type Quetzaltenango, GTM and press Enter.
The map zooms to Quetzaltenango.
- On the pop-up, click Add to map.
A pin is added to the map. In the Map layers pane, you can add an image and descriptive text to this point. This information will be displayed in a small pop-up window if a reader clicks it for more context.
- In the side panel, click Add image.
- Choose the quetzaltenango.jpg image from the Beginning folder. For Description, type or paste Quetzaltenango is home to approximately 224,703 people (the second largest city in Guatemala).
- Click Done.
In the Drawn features pane, you'll see your newly named feature in a Layers tab.
- At the top of the pane, click the Options tab and click the Legend toggle button to turn on the map legend.
A legend button appears at the bottom of your map.
Since this map only has one feature, though, a reader can understand the map without a legend.
- Turn off the Legend button and return to the Layers tab.
If you choose to keep the legend on your map, you may also want to change the layer name. You can rename the layer in the More Options menu on the Layers tab, which will also rename it in the map legend.
Unless your reader is familiar with the cities of Guatemala, this map still won't be very helpful. To provide more context for the location of this story, you'll zoom out.
- Zoom out on the map until you can see the entirety of Guatemala and some of its neighboring countries.
- Position the point near the center of the map.
- Click Done.
The map is added to your story.
You can now adjust the size of the block, interact with the map itself and preview its pop-up.
A map showing the rough location of the expedition is added to the story.
You can use express maps for many purposes in an expedition story. You can add numbered points to the map to show important places you went chronologically, draw a line that retraces a route you traveled, or even outline the boundaries of your area of study. Explore the drawing tools to see how each of them works—you can always press the undo button or delete a feature to remove something you've added.
Next, you'll add a 3D scene showing the route the explorers took. This scene was authored in ArcGIS Online. To add maps and scenes to your story, you can create them in ArcGIS Online and navigate to them in the map browser when you add a new map block.
- In the Like all good expeditions section, below the video, after the second paragraph, click Add content block and choose Map.
In the Add a map window, the map browser separates content into tabs like those you see in ArcGIS Online.
- In a separate browser window, open the item details page for the Santa Maria Volcano scene. If necessary, sign in to your ArcGIS Online account.
Note:You can also search in ArcGIS Online for this content by typing Santa Maria Volcano Data owner:RossDonihue in the global search bar and ensuring you have the Only search in my organization filter turned off.
- On the item details page, under the thumbnail, click Add to Favoritesand return to the ArcGIS StoryMaps window.
- In the ArcGIS StoryMaps builder, in the Add a map window, click the My Favorites tab.
The My Favorites tab shows all the ArcGIS Online content that you've marked as a favorite, including the scene you just added.
- Click Santa Maria Volcano Data.
The scene opens in a map editor similar to the one you used to create your express map. The Scene layers pane lists the layers included in the scene. In this case, these layers show the path that the expedition took up the volcano as well as the names of the peaks. You can make these invisible or edit them by clicking the buttons on the Scene layers tab. Note that these edits will only be applied to the scene in the story; to make permanent changes, you need to edit the scene in Map Viewer Classic.
- Move the scene until you can see all the labels and click Place scene.
Continue authoring your story using the template and the final result story map.
Review the story
Before publishing, you'll review the story. This step is important because you want to make sure what you're sending out to the public is accurate and represents the best telling of your story. In addition to proofreading and editing your own story, this is a good point to ask others for feedback on the story.
- On the ribbon, click Design.
The Design pane appears with options to choose the cover layout and theme that best suit your narrative. Finalizing your story's design—its overall look and feel—is just as important as choosing the right content for your story. You want to ensure that the story's visual cues (its colors, typography, map symbology, and so on) match the tone of the narrative. These cues are what form a reader's first impression of a story's tone: dark, muted colors paired with formal fonts will signal a more serious story lies ahead, for example. When your design aesthetic and your content tone don't align, it makes for a jarring reading experience.
- For Cover, Minimal is selected by default.
The story cover is the first thing a reader sees, so you want to make sure you start off with an interesting image. For In the Shadow of a Volcano, it was important to provide immediate context about the expedition and its location, which is why the story begins with a minimal cover followed by an express map and synopsis of the overall expedition.
While you're looking at covers, revisit the title and description of your story to make sure they're accurate and engaging and set the right expectations for a reader.
- In the Design pane, under Optional story sections, turn on Navigation.
The navigation ribbon appears above showing all the headings in the story.
Navigation provides a link for readers to jump to the various sections. Next, you'll set the theme for the story.
- For Theme, switch between Summit and Obsidian.
When choosing a theme, find the one that best matches the tone of your story and the look of its visuals.
Since In the Shadow of a Volcano is a fairly light story, with images featuring strong sky blues and rich vegetation greens, Summit was the right theme choice. This light theme's modern typography and minimalist feel let the content come forward, helping communicate the excitement the explorers felt while on the expedition.
Story themes affect everything from color scheme to typography to the basemap and symbology of an express map, all with a single click. You can switch between themes as much as you like while trying to decide which one is most aligned with your story, watching your content transform immediately.
- On the ribbon, click Preview.
The Preview mode allows you to see a story as a user would.
- Review the story for typos, missing alt text, continuity, and other changes to make before publishing.
Pay careful attention to the narrative flow, and the kinds of emotional responses it elicits.
It's best to do a full review after you've taken a break from story crafting; you'd be surprised what you pick up on when you review the story a second time. Remember, storytelling is an iterative process. It's okay to change your mind about decisions you made when outlining your story. When in doubt, show someone else your draft and ask for their reaction.
- When you are done reviewing, at the bottom of the screen, click Close preview to return to the editing mode to make changes.
- Optionally, now is a good time to ask others for feedback or suggestions for your story.
Publish and share
Finally, you'll publish your finished story and share it with others. Once it's published, you can choose to share the story with only people in your organization, or you can share it publicly.
- On the ribbon, click Publish.
The Publish button is only visible in the Draft view.
- In the Publish story menu, for Sharing level, choose My organization and click Publish.
Sharing the story publicly allows anyone to search and view it. Choosing My organization keeps viewership limited to your ArcGIS organization. You can update these sharing settings later through the More Options menu in the story builder's header.
The story is now available to others. If you click Edit story, you see the Draft badge is replaced with a Published badge.
After publishing, you can continue to make edits or updates without affecting the shared story. When you make a change, the Published badge in the builder header changes to Unpublished changes. This signals that you've made some revisions to your story, but they have yet to be pushed to the published version.
Once you have your adjustments finalized, click Publish again to update the shared story. Or you can discard your unpublished changes using the More actions menu in the header. This is also where you can unpublish your story entirely, which will revert it to a draft and unshare the story.
Now that you know the basic block elements of ArcGIS StoryMaps, you can use them to build any kind of story you want. Try telling the story of your latest vacation or adventure. When you're happy with your story, you can share it on social media, send it to everyone on your email list, embed it on your website, or share it any other way you want. Also, be sure to share it with the ArcGIS StoryMaps team by tagging them on Twitter.
You can find more lessons in the Learn ArcGIS Lesson Gallery.