Digital Storytelling Obstacles and (Small) Triumphs

Digital Story process

Yesterday we began creating a digital story. Like our 5-Frame Essays, not much direction was given (intentionally), other than the goal of telling a good story with an interesting anecdote and  reflection. The "so what" immediately became the bane of my existence. It became clear that this was the part I needed to beat in order to move forward. And I noticed a trend: this was what holds me up every time. It is so helpful to us as teachers, though, to experience both the difficulty and tremendous importance in choosing a topic and defining why it should matter to anyone at all. If no one can relate, or think about something in a new way, or take away some meaningful chunk from any portion, then it's useless. I'm just stating something we all know here, but I need to think about it again and again for it to become a second nature philosophy. And our students are going to be experiencing this frustration so how can we know how to help them without experiencing it also?


As I wrote, edited, and just sat there to think about my story, I realized that I needed to write the script first. That was the problem with the podcast and the 5-Frame essay. Getting my thoughts together before I made editorial choices in iMovie was essential for my style. The ideas I was coming up with were too large, the implications and directions I could take them in too vast. I needed something more lighthearted, and as I talked over my ideas with Keri, not as heavy as my complicated, roller-coaster relationship with my mother in law. I chose a story about my grandfather's eccentricities and where they stemmed from, but I just couldn't get into it. After I got home, I decided that I needed to feel comfortable and at home in my topic. So what's something I return to in my writing? My dog. The most stereotypical, overdone subject of all, but that's what I felt good about. Then I decided I could combine my 5-Frame Essay's concept with my photo story; for some reason just thinking of that put me at ease, as if I just met my one good thought quota and I could check out for the night. I wrote out a general script and storyboard, combining ideas of compensating for my empty apartment and how my dog's absence was one of the loneliest parts of the scenario. 

Reflection on the projects

I find it interesting to see all of the different products coming out of these projects. The stories being told are lighthearted, dramatic, or touching. We all seem to be at different levels, just from conversations I have had about using technology and success with it, yet each exhibits a high level of creativity and thought behind what is going on in the story. I've heard a lot of apprehension and frustration, but I have also seen a lot of quality work. Just something worth noting. 


The flip side of throwing students in to learn the process is what happens when they are not motivated, confident students such as ourselves? What happens if a student works on a project only to create something subpar or without higher-level thought? Will they need to redo the project after seeing quality ones around them? How do we motivate them to push themselves? I think, like we've done in this class, some teaching should be involved on storytelling and what goes into a "good story." On the other hand, they are certainly learning the skills and obviously there must be some thought behind their choices. So how do we teach them to not focus on the assignment, but on the learning? Much reflection? Digital writing changes everything, but doesn't change the heart of why we write. But expressing ideas can be...you can get to the root of an idea more effectively or at least in a refreshing, interesting way.