Digital Storytelling Brainstorming 

On November 4, I will be teaming up with the awesome folks from the Media Commons to present a digital storytelling & scholarship workshop to an audience that is primarily composed of Penn State instructional designers. It’s all part of the Media Commons Tailgate program – something I’m very excited to experience for the first time.  I’ve been to the workshop twice myself, but presenting is going to be a new and exciting challenge for me….maybe just a smidge outside of my comfort zone. I absolutely love technology and am very excited by the new media projects our students are putting together, but at the same time, like most faculty, I find these projects make me nervous – mostly because they challenge me to think outside the traditional research paper comfort zone I’ve lived in for all my life. New questions arise: How do we handle copyright? What is fair use and what isn’t? What resources are safe to use? How do I get students to create something meaningful, and not just a montage of photos/clips on top of snazzy music?

These are questions that we hope the workshop will help to address, and in the spirit of open creation and using new modes, I share my brainstorm with you now…

Digital Storytelling & Scholarship

What is it?

– working definition: Storytelling: A short story featuring still images, video clips, music, and/or voice narration, created and delivered on a computer. Scholarship: a presentation of research.

The Process – This is important because the process is often assumed a not covered (note: this point actually isn’t so different when it comes to paper assignments). What do I mean by this? The assignment is often something like: Create a video about x. Students will then proceed to go to the internet, grab copyrighted clips and images, maybe film something, and edit it all together. Most anyone can do this, but it’s missing the point….the MEAT of the process…

1.) Research topic – I will talk about this. Gathering context and gaining an understanding of the topic before gathering related images/content. Maybe demo LionSearch.

2.) Brainstorm ideas (MC) – Once an understanding exists, can brainstorm the best way to communicate it in media.

3.) Write script (MC) – Script = a plan

4.) Storyboard (MC) – Storyboard marries plan with media ideas

5.) Collect content (I will do this part) – Finally!  The part people usually jump to first – but easier with a plan, no?

  1. sources for creative commons materials- flickr (show advanced search);
  2. sources for library licensed content – LionSearch (limit to images, audio recording, video recording, web resource, archival material); mention others

6.) Edit project

7.) Publish

We will not actually have people do steps 6 & 7 in class – they often get bogged down by this anyway, and we do not want to limit them to video. Instead, we will have participants collect materials on a spaaze board – this is new to me and I”m so excited to see it in action!

Something that is important – want to show/tell about REAL class projects that have been assigned. Students – have your profs assigned any multimedia projects lately? If so, what were they? Are there any finished products you want to show off?  Send me your best (and worst) examples!!