Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S69279 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons
During most of my semester in the Learning With Digital Stories (INTE5430) class, I have been focusing on the theme of adversity. The World Wide Web offers a wide variety of digital stories from people who have either experienced adversity first-hand or knew of someone close to them who experienced it. On the University of Houston’s Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling site, there are several digital stories that relate to this theme of adapting and surviving from sudden change. One such story is Kindertransport: The Unknown Children of the Holocaust by Eliz Markowitz. Markowitz talks about how her grandmother and grandmother’s twin sister were rescued from the Nazi regime before the start of World War II. As in previous critiques, I judged this digital story on the following assessment traits (as established by Jason Ohler in his book Digital Storytelling in the Classroom):
Research – Markowitz gives the viewer lots of historical and personal background information. She includes details such as her relatives’ upbringing in Austria, the fallout of Kristallnacht and how both her grandmother and twin sister were able to leave for England. Also, she incorporates an abundance of historical photographs, family pictures and Nazi propaganda posters. Some of the images are disturbing, but she includes them to make the viewer understand the impact of the Holocaust.
Originality, Voice, Creativity – Markowitz gives a unique perspective of a person who has been impacted by the Kindertransport rescue. Her images range from happy family portraits to horrific photos of concentration camp execution chambers. At times, the juxtaposition of images feels sporadic and puzzling, but maybe that’s because it characterizes the insanity of war. Markowitz’s narration is clear and calm, but at times, I wish she would slow down and give the viewer a moment to absorb the emotional subtext of the story. I like how she used the song “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof as a music bed. I just wish she used a second piece of music instead of repeating one song over again.
Citations – This is an assessment trait that is the weakest. There are no citations to the archived photos in the video. I would like to have known where she found them. Plus, Markowitz does not cite the copyrighted music from Fiddler on the Roof. In previous videos from this website, I’ve noticed other digital storytellers that have omitted citations as well. I think the digital storytelling facilitators at the University of Houston should make citations a requirement.
Overall, Markowitz did an impressive job of telling how this major event of compassion saved many lives and preserved future generations of Jewish families, including her own.