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About this toolkit

By now your learners have created their paper-based hero books. There are many different ways to turn each hero book into a digital hero story, using different software, hardware and multimedia elements. Given the varied settings that exist in locations such as schools, youth centers, etc., we thought of the digital hero book process as follows:

  1. Create a paper-based hero book (done).
  2. Create a simple digital hero story, based on software that is free and widely available, e.g. Soundslides. Additionally, an advanced digital hero story in the form of a short movie could also be created.
  3. Share the digital hero story (optional).

This toolkit covers the creation of simple digital hero stories: slide shows with audio using Soundslides software. We want everyone to be able to create a digital hero story! The toolkit also includes resources for creating advanced digital hero stories (movies).

Who is the toolkit for?

Anyone who has facilitated hero booking with a group, including educators and teachers, social workers and youth facilitators, and who has the necessary equipment and facilities for the creation of digital hero stories.

What's in the toolkit?

The toolkit contains all the necessary resources needed to plan, create and share digital hero books, including the required software. All tutorials, study plans, example stories, etc. that are referenced throughout the toolkit are also listed in Resources.

Format of the toolkit

The toolkit has been laid out in an easy-to-use format. We have avoided the temptation to include the many resources available, resulting in information overload. What is here has been reviewed and selected for simplicity and relevance. The toolkit is a living resource and will grow over time. Where possible we included resources, e.g. software, in the toolkit so that it can be used offline. Wherever resources are not, or could not be, included here an external link icon is shown: External link. To access these links an internet connection is required.

Organisations involved

The project is a joint collaboration between the following South African organisations: REPSSI, the hero book and pyschosocial experts; the Khanya Project of the Western Cape Education Department, which provided schools for the pilot and also education-related expertise; and Molotech, which led the research and project management. The Center for Digital Storytelling, based in the USA, led a workshop and provided expertise in creating digital stories.

Logos of partner organisations

The project was supported by the Reuters Foundation and the Digital Vision Program at Stanford University, and funded by the Shuttleworth Foundation.

Logos of project supporters

The toolkit was originally written by Steve Vosloo of Molotech.

Contact

For more information or to give feedback, contact info@digitalherobook.org.

Credits

Copyright

Some rights reserved: the original content in this toolkit may be freely used, copied, distributed and even adapted for educational and other non-commercial purposes, provided that any reproduction of data be accompanied by an acknowledgement of the Digital Hero Book Project as the source, and that if you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you must distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one. This is a summary of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License under which this toolkit is released.

The CC license does not apply to any content that is referenced or quoted in this toolkit, which is from other sources, e.g. the Digital Storytelling Cookbook. Reproduction of third-party content is determined by the licence requirements of that content and may require prior authorization from the author.

Disclaimer

The author is responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this toolkit and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of the collaborating or supporting organisations and thus do not commit any of these organisations.