6810 Wk 2 Reading and Comments

Digital storytelling, when you first hear the words what you think of is likely directly related to your experiences or lack there of with digital storytelling. While new to the digital aspect of storytelling I'm well versed in spinning a yarn. Any and everyone that knows me knows that I love to tell a story and can be quite passionate and emotional about said story. I like the subtle changes in volume and emphasis on words or phrases and like John Wayne (famous actor that talked slow because back in the day actors got paid for "screen" time, slower talk = more screen time = more pay) I like to add back-story details (takes longer), which equate to better story understanding (more payoff). My wife now interrupts with... wait wait wait is this a true story or a tale? she has a great ?? detector, which leads to one of the reasons we tell stories... pure entertainment. The other reason is to convey information about events or issues. In the Oral tradition stories were the media that provided new generations with history and important familial information. The goal has not changed in digital story telling only the venue. We now have things like "vine" so we can emit an emotional response to mere seconds of an event that loops over and over or snapchats that begin the countdown once you press the button to start the reveal, we have "twitter" at #writeconcise or be deleted (pun intended), we also have  stories like those found on "Reel Works" that seek to engage the consumer into an awareness / understanding role. While many of the videos I watched sought to provide a deeper understanding to a topic, which they did the videos themselves were a cathartic exercise for the producers of the video material. Its true the video provided insight to the viewer and even educated the viewer, but the education was really a creative expression of what the "digital storyteller" had learned or experienced, which led to wanting to produce the work. The video I chose as my favorite (so far) is

Swinging for the Fences

This video is a great example of what is going on around me right now ( and the students I interact with daily). I have been reading and rereading "Mindset" by Dr. Carol Dweck and working with students from varied backgrounds with unique skills and needs. In watching this video you see a young boy learning and wanting to play baseball that experienced an injury that transformed his life. The overall content or topic of the video is Not where the powerful learning comes from it comes from the ideas about self-worth, relationships, socio-emotional experiences, in-groups, out-groups... the list goes on, it really offers a glimpse into the complexity of the life of a developing child. As an educator (new as I may be), I can see the real benefit to developing an understanding of where your students "live" Herb Kohl talked about this in his book "Discipline of Hope." When we talk about the "whole" child  and equipping them with the tools for success, I find that if you can help someone unlock the principle of self-reflection and provide them with a tool to express that reflection and the encouragement to pursue it; then they will find the connections to prior and future learning. The young man in the video found a venue to tell his dad that he couldn't play baseball any more because it hurt his arm too much (many will wonder why he just didn't say, "my arm hurts"), yet ended up conveying so much more. This idea of learning how to process information at much deeper level is an aid in problem solving because problem solving starts with defining the problem (the process most overlooked) and seeks to identify all the possible solutions. Everything that happens before the first shot in a digital story ever happens is this problem defining process, which is where the producer learns. The product itself is where the viewer learns and hopefully the viewer will add to the learning by conveying their perspective. Here is another place for me to insert a "Mindset" endorsement, most people believe that creativity is naturally endowed trait, yet all of the tools used in creating something require learned skills. One could and should hypothesize that if creating something requires learned skills in order to create it, then it (creativity) is itself a skill that can be learned. Digital tools are great way to help students unlock and tap their creative self. I think these type of learning activities are greater assessment tools than standard question / answer tests; they at least require a higher level of Bloom's to complete and often provide better insight into exactly what the student learned.

Digital storytelling is a venue that can address or bring awareness to social issues or even offer a glimpse into historic social issues. The idea that the producer can select many different medians in one form of media seeks to engage the viewer on many different levels (ethos, pathos, and logos). If one truly believes a picture is worth a thousand words then a digital story could easily be textbook or novel worth of material in 5 minutes or less. The "video time" is such a small fraction of the overall time dedicated to creating the work, which is something students learn very quickly. When they develop their idea and set about creating a digital story, students tap into many different types of prior knowledge and learn even more as they work through the project. Many students are very aware of social and cultural issues within their communities and the world, which have an impact on them and how they live their lives. That said, they have a lot to say about it and 21st Century Tech Tools (digital storytelling) provide great way for them to express themselves.

Link to Reel Works