Writing Territories

Writing Territories

Writing process - my growth over college

Blog/glogster/animoto/voicethread/wiki/docs/dropbox "how to" for Lawson 

Writing to learn, writing every day, unconscious discovery
Using digital narratives authentically, not tail wagging dog

College experiences

Band

Trip to Disney World

Chris

Learning Styles

Writing experiences

Writing with Shannon when we were around 7 on the typewriter

Creating the newspaper

Middle School 

In love with someone who batted for the other team

Ice skating

Childhood

Family

Grandpa's perseverance and ambitions, crying over a dream on the couch
The split
Claire showing me the cookbook

Grandma:

• her memory
• the frog 
• pushing button / help
• crosswords
• tv shows
• queen of Sheba? 

Hobbies/Interests

Pets

Sherlock

Travel

London
The bird lady

Mission Trip

Misc

Confusion about career, interviews

John's phone conversation 

passing out when dissecting the frog

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. 

Storytelling: a gift or a practiced art?

Freewrite from Wednesday Morning

I'm always more ambitious the day after...maybe the goals set in, maybe I feel more in control. 


Ira Glass...teaching storytelling is a different ballgame. I wonder how it fits into avoiding assignments and aiming for teaching. 


The building blocks are using an anecdote and sequential story and then raising a question or reflection. What is the bigger meaning? The traditional formula limits students to the guidelines and they worry about meeting their requirements...is this my topic sentence? 5 paragraphs to support? Storytelling is a narrative...a natural, magnetizing, intriguing story has suspense and a deeper thread connecting its parts. Thought goes into it. It is primal...it is so fascinating to me that telling a great story is still a necessary, valued, challenge that we attempt to master even in 2012. 


What struck me when hearing Ira Glass speak about storytelling was the ruthlessness. I loved his honesty and curtness--he gives us a nugget of truth by telling us to "abandon crap." Loved it. We have to be tough on ourselves, and if we're not struggling most of the time, there's something wrong. If it came easily, I would feel like a great writer, but I would be oblivious to the fact that I don't have ambition or that I'm not pushing the limits.


So teaching failure is essential. It's OK to flop. Really! Non graded assignments and a lot of support will help build student's confidence and willingness to try all the time.


Figure out what's not working, that's the core of it. Be "ruthless to make something better live."


Starting with the action and providing suspense  -- how do we teach this? Do we start with an image? Do we listen to great stories? Share great stories? Write and freewrite and repeat? I know we must avoid the typical format of the paper, but I'm not exactly sure where to go next. 


They can't get stuck in the hows, but in the whys. And practice. Choosing the topic should take a long, frustrating amount of time. Setting up questions in the stories should take thought. Working on those questions...


Part of me thinks that for Glass, this is an innate talent. But I know he also crafted his work tremendously. Which makes it feel more powerful and makes me feel better that there is a lot that goes into writing--for everyone. So how do I...I...who struggles with authenticity during a freewrite...get over this fear and dive into the murky waters?   

Process

I started the photo essay with some trepidation. I've got to be honest...today I had a bit of an "off day." I was dragging before I even started working on my project, and for whatever reason I couldn't right it before the day was over. I kept telling myself to get my head in the game, but couldn't seem to muster up any deep thinking about any component of my project. I didn't have a conceptual framework, just pictures.


As I created, more and more frustrated me. Animoto was the first program I attempted to use. It worked fairly well after I found the tiny print (probably meant to be ignored) showing how I could create a 30-second movie for free. But when I began to add pictures, the fact that I didn't like the pictures I was adding coalesced with the fact that my Flash Player kept crashing started to get under my skin. I blame this on my 5-6 year old Macbook, although it's doing remarkably well for how old it is in computer years. So, no big deal - I was a little irritated, but I scrapped that project and switched to Google presentations. Google has some well-crafted templates one one page I came across. But for some reason I could not find the original page after searching for a while, and the slides I viewed on the main page were too much like PowerPoint. So I switched back to Animoto, which I used to produce my barely acceptable rough draft.  


By this point it was lunch time, and I welcomed a break. My eyes were heavy and my brain was flatlining. After lunch I had renewed zeal. After talking to others in my writing group, I gained some conceptual ideas as well as the video formats that are most compatible with blog posts (really practical information that I needed to know!) I took several photos and decided where my story needed to begin. Using iMovie this time (which, to me, was much more customizable and user friendly), I adjusted the photos to narrow my story and soon I had a coherent narrative thread running through. It's amazing how a little manipulation and pausing to reflect can really influence the entire project within a matter of minutes. I still didn't feel great about it...it just wasn't meant to be today. 


I did, however, learn the process. I learned what worked for me and what didn't -- I personally should have come up with a concept and taken time to brainstorm or reflect before I started throwing pictures in there. My reticence stood in my way today, which made me think about how I could counteract this in the classroom. I certainly think that creating a photo story was worthwhile. On any other day, I would have absolutely loved it...but my final product was bad and my sluggishness kept me from moving forward or backward to start the recursive editorial process. Taking unrelated objects and events, I created transitions. Creating those connections and synapses in my rusty brain forced me to examine the pictures and what they stood for. I made meaning out of a landscape or object, just as I would when analyzing literature. I created metaphors and a general theme. I had to summarize information and communicate using unexpected methods. I learned the creation tools of three different programs, which I will definitely be able to use in the future. I had to push through writer's block and technical obstacles. 


On our last break of the day, I sat outside by myself to recharge. [I am an introvert, which means that social interaction does not invigorate me, like extroverts; although I like it, it drains me dry.] I had two minor epiphanies that I probably already knew but needed to think about at that moment. I realized that it was good that I struggled, and that I am not a filmmaker. And, are you ready for this wallop of wisdom and insight?: My project can have flaws -- this is a draft! I kept hearing it from everyone throughout the day, but all of a sudden I just felt it. I became OK with the fact that my story was not 100%. I do not usually struggle with these types of projects. Technology is where I thrive, where I am asked for guidance. So, as we said today, it was all that much harder to bear that I wasn't getting it all the way today. But I think I'm slowly getting it through my head that I don't have to master it. When teaching, I don't think you can master every piece of technology, and I have to be more realistic about my abilities. The other thing I realized was that today, I am tired. I have been tired all day, and it has affected my work. Obviously I had been aware of the fact that I was tired, but recognizing that this was not my normal, hardworking self was a relief. 


To feel comfortable, I hope to add some depth and thought to the photo essay. I need more time considering sequence and I need more time to just view the story and see which parts are not effective.  But I consider today's failures and doldrums to be small triumphs in disguise. Learning should not come easily, and I want to keep pushing this and asking questions tomorrow.

5...er...18 Frame Story "Coping with an empty apartment"

Photo Essay

I began with no story, just around 40 pictures I had thrown around, cluttering up my desktop. After a bit of reflection, though, these feelings emerged. It's a little bit tongue in cheek, but this is my take on the emotions of staying in Springfield as my husband moved today to Kansas City for his teaching job. I will be joining him in a few weeks, but I decided to make this video a little melodramatic, since that's how I was feeling this morning as he left. I will probably edit again (I've got that "2:30 feeling" right now as I work), but this is my photo essay at this point:

My Process

I started the photo essay with some trepidation. I've got to be honest...today I had a bit of an "off day." I was dragging before I even started working on my project, and for whatever reason I couldn't right it before the day was over. I kept telling myself to get my head in the game, but couldn't seem to muster up any deep thinking about any component of my project. I didn't have a conceptual framework, just pictures.


As I created, more and more frustrated me. Animoto was the first program I attempted to use. It worked fairly well after I found the tiny print (probably meant to be ignored) showing how I could create a 30-second movie for free. But when I began to add pictures, the fact that I didn't like the pictures I was adding coalesced with the fact that my Flash Player kept crashing started to get under my skin. I blame this on my 5-6 year old Macbook, although it's doing remarkably well for how old it is in computer years. So, no big deal - I was a little irritated, but I scrapped that project and switched to Google presentations. Google has some well-crafted templates one one page I came across. But for some reason I could not find the original page after searching for a while, and the slides I viewed on the main page were too much like PowerPoint. So I switched back to Animoto, which I used to produce my barely acceptable rough draft.  


By this point it was lunch time, and I welcomed a break. My eyes were heavy and my brain was flatlining. After lunch I had renewed zeal. After talking to others in my writing group, I gained some conceptual ideas as well as the video formats that are most compatible with blog posts (really practical information that I needed to know!) I took several photos and decided where my story needed to begin. Using iMovie this time (which, to me, was much more customizable and user friendly), I adjusted the photos to narrow my story and soon I had a coherent narrative thread running through. It's amazing how a little manipulation and pausing to reflect can really influence the entire project within a matter of minutes. I still didn't feel great about it...it just wasn't meant to be today. 


I did, however, learn the process. I learned what worked for me and what didn't -- I personally should have come up with a concept and taken time to brainstorm or reflect before I started throwing pictures in there. My reticence stood in my way today, which made me think about how I could counteract this in the classroom. I certainly think that creating a photo story was worthwhile. On any other day, I would have absolutely loved it...but my final product was bad and my sluggishness kept me from moving forward or backward to start the recursive editorial process. Taking unrelated objects and events, I created transitions. Creating those connections and synapses in my rusty brain forced me to examine the pictures and what they stood for. I made meaning out of a landscape or object, just as I would when analyzing literature. I created metaphors and a general theme. I had to summarize information and communicate using unexpected methods. I learned the creation tools of three different programs, which I will definitely be able to use in the future. I had to push through writer's block and technical obstacles. 


On our last break of the day, I sat outside by myself to recharge. [I am an introvert, which means that social interaction does not invigorate me, like extroverts; although I like it, it drains me dry.] I had two minor epiphanies that I probably already knew but needed to think about at that moment. I realized [1] that it was good that I struggled, and that I am not a filmmaker. And, are you ready for this wallop of wisdom and insight?: My project can have flaws -- this is a draft! I kept hearing it from everyone throughout the day, but all of a sudden I just felt it. I became OK with the fact that my story was not 100%. I do not usually struggle with these types of projects. Technology is where I thrive, where I am asked for guidance. So, as we said today, it was all that much harder to bear that I wasn't getting it all the way today. But I think I'm slowly getting it through my head that I don't have to master it. When teaching, I don't think you can master every piece of technology, and I have to be more realistic about my abilities. The other thing I realized [2] was that  today, I am tired. I have been tired all day, and it has affected my work. Obviously I had been aware of the fact that I was tired, but recognizing that this was not my normal, hardworking self was a relief. 


To feel comfortable, I hope to add some depth and thought to the photo essay. I need more time considering sequence and I need more time to just view the story and see which parts are not effective.  But I consider today's failures and doldrums to be small triumphs in disguise. Learning should not come easily, and I want to keep pushing this and asking questions tomorrow.

Photo Essay

It's all about the process...I am letting go of my worries and showing my work as it develops. I have created a Photo Essay using Animoto. Although the transitions are not ideal and I cannot adjust the features to get exactly what I want, this is a demonstration of how I gained some skills and new knowledge about photo story creation. It's interesting to place photos together in a surprising way...I considered transitions and sequence quickly. 


Here is what I threw together. 




Try our video maker at Animoto.

Final Podcast

After listening to my podcast, I narrowed my focus and edited for clarity. Using Garage Band, I created a more scripted, thought-out podcast on the advantages of digital writing and my initial questions and thoughts on the subject. Feel free to listen to my final product and respond to it with your own questions, concerns, or comments.