This DS106 Video Assignment didn’t take too much time to record, but it did take a while to think about what I was going to say. Most of it is light, but I do talk a bit serious for a couple of moments. Recorded this with my iMac webcam, cut together in iMovie and even put in a Fine Young Cannibals tune from 1988. Not sure if the music was a nice compliment or a bit of a distraction. Comments appreciated.
Month: February 2016
Daily Create: Modern Day Pony Express Postmark
This DS106 Daily Create assignment took longer than I thought. Haven’t used Adobe Illustrator much so I threw this together using Google Drawings. Took a little while to find some simple clipart online.
Digital Story Critique #4: “Adapting To A New Culture”
It’s one thing to be challenged by adversity in your own country. It’s entirely another to face obstacles, such as language, in a far away land. As part of my job responsibilities at the Community College of Denver, I help our students whose primary language is not really English. Just this afternoon, I was helping a student with grammar and mechanical issues on a composition paper. She was born in Burma. She was not only having issues with things like spelling, verb tense, and run-on sentences, but she also was struggling with how to express herself. I offered her some suggestions on how she might add more details to her writing and include more perspective.
That experience made me think about adversity in terms of culture. This evening, I found an interesting narrative from digital storytelling page at the University of Houston. The video is entitled “Adapting To A New Culture” by Yukiko Nishimura. For this video, I chose to focus on the following attributes:
- STORY: Nishimura creates a simple story, through the use of narration, photos and images, about her learning experiences in Japan as well as in the United States. Sometimes it’s difficult for students to express themselves fully in a language they are still learning, but in this context, she tells the story well.
- MEDIA APPLICATION: Nishimura effectively utilizes the visual elements to simulate feelings of anxiety, sadness, joy, and hope. She overdoes the movement of the photos (sometimes called the “Ken Burns” effect) a little bit. A little music at a low volume would have been nice too hear as well.
- CITATIONS: All the photographs and images have been properly cited. Much of the content has been licensed for use under Creative Commons and Nishimura includes small, but legible text at the bottom. At times, it’s hard to clearly read the text because the moment of the content.
Nishimura does a very good job at expressing her cultural challenges and accomplishments in the American culture. I think many students who practice English as a second language might benefit from using digital storytelling as a learning tool.
Scholarship Response: “Getting Real With Student Bloggers”
In my exploration of how digital storytelling can be used to elaborate on the theme of adversity, I found on online article from Inside Higher Ed entitled “Getting Real With Student Bloggers.” The author, Eric Stoller, discusses the pros and cons of student bloggers being compensated by universities for telling their real stories. Using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as an example, Stoller noted an example of a student who discussed both the challenge of being a successful student at the school as well as how those same challenges will benefit students after graduation. On the other hand, the author mentioned how a number of blog entries seemed to benefit the image of MIT rather than give an opportunity for student to express themselves.
I’ve found that it’s very important for a digital author to express themselves fully without any pressure or influence from the organization or company that hosts or maintains a website. Obviously, when an author is getting paid for their services, there will always be a certain level of editorializing. If an educational institution truly wants its students to learn about digital storytelling and how to build a career, it must give them a fair opportunity (with just compensation) to express themselves regardless of public relations or marketing agendas.
Weekly Reflection #2: Big Game Adversity
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi
Couldn’t resist mentioning something about the Super Bowl today. Especially including a quote from the coach whose name is on the trophy the winning team will hoist later day: Vince Lombardi. Before he become coach of the Green Bay Packers, he had to overcome years of anti-Italian prejudice by continually proving his leadership talent. Fortunately, Lombardi learned from some great coaches, including Earl Blaik, the legendary coach at West Point.
As far as my learning, I’m gaining a great understanding about digital storytelling through not only the DS106 Daily Creates and Assignment Bank topics, but also the weekly digital story critiques. The latter assignments have given me a better idea on how digital stories can give unique points-of-view regarding adversity. The Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab and the Charlestown Digital Story Project are websites I hope to revisit when I’m trying to find inspiration. On the other hand, the chapter readings from New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning have been a bit of a challenge for me to digest. The concepts discussed are interesting, but I really have not seen a firm connection to the digital storytelling on the sites I have explored.
If I had to grade myself, I’d have to give me a 7 out of 10 because of my struggles understanding the textbook readings. I certainly hope that the following chapters will shed more light onto digital storytelling, but it seems too early to make that assumption.
It’s about 1 hour until the start of the Super Bowl. As a resident of Denver, I’m pulling for the Broncos. If they are victorious, Peyton Manning will certainly have an adversity story to tell years from now.