Guideline 4: Recognize the importance of a detailed script
The script for an educational digital story is one of the most important components that students
will create. We stress to our students and workshop participants that a good digital story must first
be a good story and that no matter how much expertise a student has with technology, a poorly
written story will not be improved by fancy transitions and other digital effects.
Scriptwriting can be difficult for many students and is certainly more taxing and less fun than some
of the other tasks associated with creating a digital story, like searching for images or adding
music. However, digital storytellers at all levels must understand that a well thought out, well
written script is an absolute requirement for a good digital story and we require our students to
write a draft version of the script for their story before they begin work on creating the digital
story. The script should stand on its own merits, even if there are no visuals, narration, music,
animations, or other components that will eventually add interest to the digital version.