Become a master of the technology by reading, discussing, trying and experimenting. There is information available on everything to do with Digital Storytelling on the Internet, and you can easily find out what to do, how to do it, and what to do it with.
Try looking for information on www.wikipedia.org as a starting point, then join relevant software and hardware forums. Listen and discuss with an open mind: a particular piece of equipment may “suck” in someone’s opinion, but maybe only when compared with something costing ten times as much! Take on board the differing advice, learn from the mistakes of others, try things out, then make up your own mind.
Experiment with hardware and software, based on what you learn. What works for one person might not work for another. Learn the best ways of doing things - using equipment well can cut back on editing time, knowing software techniques, shortcut keys and features saves hours of time (and aches and pains!).