More Thoughts on Digital Storytelling Workshop Models
Posted by hickstro on March 13, 2007
The other day, I attended (and, to some extent, helped out with) a digital storytelling workshop at the MRA Conference. This was significant for a few reasons, and it encouraged me to think about a few aspects of planning a digital storytelling workshop for RCWP this summer as well as for MRA next year.
First, the session was led by a technology coordinator from one of Michigan’s intermediate school districts. As I was planning the technology strand for the conference, the presenter was recommended for the session by MRA’s current president (one of his colleagues). This was a smart move for MRA as the presenter was very knowledgeable about the composing tools that Movie Maker offered, and gave us a CD-ROM with many, many links and resources (as well as some printed and handed out in a folder). It was a four (yes, four!) hour session on Sunday afternoon, smack in the middle of a three day conference.
His approach was, as you would expect, technical and we didn’t talk (at first) about many of the literacy/litreary components of digital storytelling. Case in point: copyright. He was very good at sharing the overview of fair use for teachers and how, when kept within the walls of our classrooms, using certain kinds of materials from copyrighted materials can help you compose digital stories. As the session went on — and the participants in the session kept asking questions — I began to think that talking about Creative Commons would be a good idea. So, we did. And the presenter was very thankful for the new information. We were then able to move into a larger discussion about file management (which he was able to cover well) and citation of online sources (which I added to). The back and forth conversation that we had was, I felt, mutually informative for us and for the participants. Another case was how to use transitional devices between slides, and the effects the authors wanted to achieve.
A second significant point that came out for me was the fact that this event — setting up a mini-lab of laptop computers at the MRA conference — was a first for the organization, so far as anyone on the board remembers. The model worked well, as Aram and I presented our “Reading and Writing with New Media” session in the morning, using the laptops for that, and then we left them set up for the digital storytelling session in the afternoon. I think that we might pursue doing something like this for next year’s conference, too, as many of the participants in the session told us how valuable they found the hands-on time with the one-to-one support.
This encourages me on two levels. First, I think that these participants will really take the skills and attitudes that composing digital stories engenders back with them to their schools. Sure, they could have got the 50 minute overview (and there were sessions at the conference on digital storytelling that did tha), but this was an interactive session where participants left with their own story (we were frantically emailing them as time ran out). Second, I think that this is a model that we need to adopt as NWP sites — taking the technology to the places where the most motivated and interested teachers are at: local, state, and national conferences.
So, those are some thoughts on the session. Again, the presenter approached it for nearly the first hour as a technical exercise before he even showed a sample of a digital story. That said, I think that we take some of the lessons learned here and apply them to what we think the “ideal” digital storytelling workshop might look like. What do the rest of you think?
Troy
March 13th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
j A new wiki, how delicious. It’s too late to take this all in but I will be back.
Bonnie
March 14th, 2007 at 5:08 am
Troy
I think one of the things you talk about — time to explore and having the resources available for participants — makes all the difference in the world. People have to have a chance to try things out and be part of the experience if they are ever to go home and do it themselves.
A traveling roadshow?
Sounds like a party, Troy.
Actually, the idea of bringing the technology to the people instead of the other way around makes a lot of sense to me. How to do that is another matter, I guess.
Kevin
PS — What wiki are you talking about, Bonnie? Did I miss something?
March 14th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Troy,
Wow. I like this idea. It may have to be a preconference activity. Maybe involve a computer company willing to advertise by setting up the computers for the lab. I know a lot of people have their own laptops, but the lab may be able to charge a small fee for people to use it when a session like you mentioned is not using the lab. The book fair/display is part of NCET. Could NWP have a display of technology hardware and software?
You mentioned people emailing their DS that they had created. When I teach a Writing with Tech open institute I ask the participants to being their own jump/flash drive. Our first couple of these we did with an TI grant we provided jump/flash drives, but charged a $25 tech fee. The last one I did the participants were handed a jump/flash drive with all handouts in digital form on it. If some needed a printout the lab we work in had a printer. Over 75% did not need to print anything. They then had their own material along with any ideas or examples they wanted to steal or share with anyone else in the institute. Last year about 1/2 of our SI had their own flash drives.
Mary in Missour
March 14th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Hi Everyone,
First, here is the wiki. Check it out and let me know if you want to join.
Second, I am Associate Chair for NCTE’s Assembly on Computers in English. Along with encouraging you to join ACE, I am trying to figure out what post-conference workshop we can offer at NCTE in NYC this November. I am thinking that digital storytelling might be one topic worth pursuing.
Do you think that we could find 50 or so people interested in joining ACE and attending a post-NCTE workshop on DS this November?
Troy
March 15th, 2007 at 3:02 am
Count me in Troy. I also put a link for the wiki on the sidebar. That’s what I was talking about Kevin.
Bonnie
March 15th, 2007 at 3:30 am
I just joined ACE.
Bonnie
March 16th, 2007 at 5:39 am
Just yesterday I got an envelope of conference evaluations for a workshop I led last October on Digital Storytelling. This presentation was with a teacher from Newburgh and we spoke about a great student rpoejct we colloboratiod on last year.
Most of the evaulations were great but there were a few from people who wanted a hands-on experience. In the past when I’ve seen these comments I tended to laugh and blow them off. I wonder. I don’t think one hour is enough, but if I were working with something simple like MovieMoker as opposed to Premiere Elements, we could get something going in a few hours.
What do you use for one day workshops? Could people leave with something? What if pepole had to bring a poem along with them and some photos on a disk.
Just thinking…
Bonnie
March 16th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Bonnie,
Thanks for joining ACE! That’s great and I hope to hear more from you about what you would want to see at NCTE’s post-conference workshop.
Second, in terms of the hands-on experience, I wonder if we can give people a chance to use a platform neutral video creation website like Jumpcut or Video Egg? That would give them a flavor of things in terms of the process without getting too invested in one program on a Mac or PC in particular.
How would that work in a one hour session?
Troy
June 6th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
I like the idea of a poem and pictures on a CD or jump/flash drive. Third Coast Writing Project does digital storytelling by providing participants with a kit of pictures, video, and audio. The participants pick and chose what they want to use in their video.
Count me in and please email me the instructions for joining ACE
lucki13@grm.net
Mary in Missouri
Had cataracts taken off both eyes within the last two weeks so reading blogs has been on my when-my-eyes-get-better to do list.