Final Video

Blogger is being very uncooperative with uploading my video or connecting it to youtube, so here is a link to my final video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqOisqxwGvs

I feel like some of the timing that seems correct when I am in imovie, turns out to be a little off when I export it. I've spent SO much time trying to get all my transitions to work that I'm just exhausted with it. I'm happy with the way it turned out though.

Enjoy!

Chapter 15 - Response

I thought this chapter about Copyright and Fair Use was really valuable; in fact, I had already read this chapter earlier when we were required to make the mash-up because I was confused about how much of a work I could use... this chapter cleared it up. Here are the things I found valuable in this chapter:

I agree with Ohler's assertion that it is difficult to make laws about and teach because things are constantly changing; so much is out there and so much is being created daily that it's impossible to keep up with the resources available on the Internet.

I also thought it would be important for students to know that their own material is inherently copyrighted because it is their own creation.

I also liked that he said, "Students must cite all material they use in a digital story, showing the same respect for graphics, words, music, and other media that teachers expect them to show when quoting a journal article" (p. 195). I think this would be the best way for me to explain to my kids because they already know how to cite information found in journal articles, books, and websites. If they understand that, they should easily understand the need to cite where they found pictures, music, and videos as well.

I really appreciated the four step process for determining fair use. I also thought the 10% rule was very helpful to determining how much of a work can be used.

Final Video - Rough Draft

This is a very rough draft of my final video. I'm still missing several clips and music throughout. Any suggestions for music would be greatly appreciated!!

Chapter 14 - Response

Media grammar is the toughest part!! I feel like once I get my idea together, I spend so much time making sure I have smooth transitions and that I don't cut any narrative off trying to make that transition. And, I'm never satisfied. It's so frustrating!

This chapter did offer lots of great advice for teaching students media grammar. First, I liked the idea of the media "persuader" and that our students are trying to get their "audience to see something in a particular way, that is, their way" (p. 177). I also liked his advice to watch each story twice -- once for the story and once for the grammar. This is exactly how I grade written work; I read it first for content and grasp of the task, and then I go back to grade for grammar. It makes sense to do the same with a digital story.

Although he noted that Captain Obvious came remind us to use clear audio, sometimes it's easier said than done! I video taped kids outside and I had no idea that my camera would pick up on wind! I don't know how to fix that!!!

I also liked the reminder to make sure students understand that their music choices should relate to their story and should never overwhelm the narrative. Also, Ohler describes students making choices without justification: "I don't know -- but isn't it cool!" (p. 189). For this process to be worthwhile, it's important that students understand that all of the choices they make with their story should be purposeful and intentional.

Storyboard - Final Video

So I'm feeling good about my storyboard... better than I was at our face-to-face class. I have already gotten consent forms from all my students and I have conducted preliminary interviews with my students. I know what clips I want, so I just need to go through all of the interviews and see which clips I really like and which ones I need to retake or get filled in. I need to get a kid who is not on yearbook to be my "daydreamer," but I imagine I can get that done this week no problem. This week, I'm going to go through all my videos and start splicing clips together.

Please, please give me feedback! I'm hoping that my video meets my purposes as an advertisement for the class, but also still maintains the storytelling aspect. Let me know what y'all think!!

Chapter 13 Response

Finding and buying stuff is always tough. I really liked Ohler's suggestion that teacher create a "search time budget." I know that I can easily lose several hours looking for a camera or the right memory card reader. Setting a time limit on the search would seriously save me some time... and really, I probably find the best deal in the first hour and then keeping thinking that there has to be something better out there!!!

Though I appreciated all of the suggestions for hardware and software, I feel like when I first begin trying to incorporate digital storytelling, I would want to stay as basic as possible until I have a better understanding of what the kids can do in a limited amount of time. Also, I feel that sometimes, too many options can be overwhelming to kids, and they aren't able to focus.

One message I got from Ohler is that if you don't have Macs to work on, you have more work with more software ahead of you. I've been working on a PC, but this chapter made me want to practice exclusively on iMovie, especially since I do have access to Macs for my students!

I'm glad to know so much hardware and software exist to make really cool digital stories, but I think it will be sometime before I'm ready to devote that time, energy, and money to try to make it happen in my classes. I can see video, pictures, and sound like we've done for class, but some of the extras intimidate me a bit.

Video - Week 5

This week, I decided to try to use iMovie instead of the program I've been using. This is mostly because the computer cart I have access to is full of Macs, and if I want any of this to actually be relevant to my students, I need to make the instructional video on the same program that they will be using! Also, if I ever want my kids to make digital stories, it will help if I'm familiar with the program they will be using. The video came out OK, I think, but I was really too exhausted this week to really learn iMovie. I think I will also use it to create my final project to get more practice.

Chapters 11-12 - Response

These chapters were great -- exactly what I was hoping it would be. First, I love the Ohler began by soothing the worried teacher and assuring that teachers don't have to be digital whizzes to do a DST project with their students. I feel fairly confident with making (ameteur) videos since we've been in this class, but I know tons of teachers at my school who would be terrified to give their students such a task. I like that the author wants teachers to know that it's OK for this to be a learning process for the teacher as well. He also mentions that our students will be more knowledable than we expect, and I hope that's true.

I love the idea of giving students a schedule of the media production process, and allowing students to use it as a self-assessment guide through the video-making process. This puts more responsibility in the hands of the student, and requires them to check in less with the teacher. They won't attempt to check in with the teacher until they first believe that they have met the requirements of the teacher.

I thought that Chapter 11 did a good job of laying out all of the basics of the process and what the teacher will encounter during the production process. My favorite part about this process is the possibility it creates for students to edit their work. Before students begin with the media production process, they must first record their writing and perfect it. Students must record, then edit and re-record. This forces students to constantly improve their writing before they begin making the video. Love it.


In the next chapter, I liked the emphasis on creating a media list. Students should have their media decided upon before they begin to compile it and begin creating their video. This means that students will not be thinking of ideas for their video when they're on the computers, but rather assembling the ideas that they already fully developed. I thought Ohler was very clear about the process of assembly and post-production -- the order in which things need to be done and which parts take priority.  The best part of Chapter 12 was the list of media elements. It provided so many great ideas for how students can get sound, images, video, and animations!

Video - Week 4

I had a really hard time coming up with an idea for the mashup. I first thought that the theme of favorite people, places, or things was easy, but then when I viewed some mash-ups and the assignment, I had a hard time coming up with just 3 clips that I could mash together. I ended up going with a montage of many short video clips, in a sort of promotional video style.. sort of.

Chapters 9-10 Response

First off, I'm REALLY ready to move into Part III of this book. Though there really are tons of great ideas for teaching story telling, there hasn't been as much practical classroom application as I would hope. However, I did find somethings interesting this week, and here they are:

I liked Campbell's Adventure Diagram. I thought that this pattern is a clear way for students to see how the transformation makes the story and how a story can't exist without it. Though the treasure map didn't seem quite as useful to me, I did like the idea of peaks and valleys. I think that students want to say, this happened and so this happened, and then he changed or learned. However in real life, change usually comes with more of a struggle and "characters" tend to succeed and fail several times before achieving true change.

I also liked the idea of making students identify a "binary opposite" that surrounds their characters' struggle (p. 119). I think it's important for students to know what struggle they are dealing with to truly show how their character transformed.

The thing I think I will definitely take into my classroom is the story spine. I like how the sentence starters create a safety net for creating a storyline. I also like the idea of the class working together to come up with a consequence, and then building the story around that consequence. I also loved the homework assignment of learning to find the story structure by listening to a family member or watching TV.

Video - Week 3

This week's video was tough for me because I was trying to come up with a "story" but I had little direction about my goal (I'm super goal-oriented!). So... here it is. I think I included the required shots, and I did have fun making the video. I didn't use any additional programs this week -- just my video editor, my camera, and some music! Enjoy!

Chapters 7-8 Response

With this week's reading, I struggled with thinking about digital story telling, and not just using the ideas as interesting ways to teach narrative in my English classes. I still struggle with using this information to relate to other content besides fiction.

I really liked the idea of "story storming." I thought that this is a great way to get students to feel comfortable writing ideas down, even if those ideas are not what they ultimately go with for their story. I feel like my students have been programmed to want the "right" answer rather than developing ideas based on their own assessment of the material. I also really liked the idea of giving students questions to respond to that help them to find their own stories in their lives. For example, when soliciting a transformation narritive, Ohler suggested asking "When is the last time you cried or got really excited?" This challenges students to them reflect on the change or event that caused them to feel those strong emotions. Usually, a story lies behind those emotions. I also thought the story containing research box was helpful. Students get overwhelmed with every little detail and forget to keep their stories focused on exactly what growth or change they are describing. The research box helps them to get those ideas out, but keep their focus on their story.

As I was reading, I wrote in the margins "This all seems to be about narrative and not about other content areas! I need more examples about other content areas!" A few pages later, Ohler discussed documentaries vs fiction. However, I still feel like so much emphasis is on the narrative that I'm having a hard time thinking of it in terms of non-fiction assignments.

Another thing I liked was the idea of havnig students reflect on the DST process after they complete their project. Deb wrote about this in her post from last week, and then it appeared in the text! I love the idea of having students justify the choices they made for their project and the way the project affected them. It forces them into metacognition that is often difficult to teach!

In chapter 8, I liked the dicussion of transformation in terms of Bloom's taxonomy. Again, I liked this a lot in terms of teaching my students to read/write narratives, but it's difficult for me to apply elsewhere. However, I really agree that "effective transformation creates teh potential for memorability" (p. 108), and I think that the eight levels of character transformation could be really helpful in helping students to develop depth in their stories.

Lastly, I liked the idea of giving students a certain transformation and asking them to create the story that shows that transformation. This way, students know what they are trying to show, and they can focus on the details of developing their story to show that character's change.

Video Week 2

This week's video describes how to  set up a page according to MLA format. I thought I'd try to make something that could double for this assignment and be useful for my students.

I used a combination of text/color panels, still pictures, and screen capture to create this how-to video. I'm using Roxio's Videowave to create the video, and I used Screen-o-matic.com (that Luke recommended) to do the screen capture. Screen-o-matic is super easy to use and is web-based, so I didn't have to download anything. Screen-o-matic also records narration... I was trying to get past the fear of hearing my voice.

The only complication I ran into is that the quality on youtube is not as high as what I saw on my screen. The screen capture video very clearly showed the tabs and everything was easy to read; however, when I exported the Videowave file, I couldn't get it to have the same quality. I'm not totally sure what is the best file type to save the video file as. Overall, I think the video is OK and would save me time in class when helping students learn how to set up their papers when they are typing essays.

Chapters 4-6 - Response

The more I read about digital story telling, the more that I want to incorportate it into my class as a way to bring their writing to life. At the beginning of chapter 4, Ohler summarized the different feelings I (and I'm sure others) have experienced when learning about digital story telling: "It has gone from fear of the unknown to being overhwhelmed by the sort-of-know to being somewhat enamored of the somewhat unknown, to being grudgingly accepting of what won't go away, and to where we are now: resigned to the fact that the kids speak new media, while being honestly confused about how to assess what they create with it" (63). I feel like in these short weeks I've been reading, I've thought all of those things. I think I'm still enamored and scared, but also aware that many of my students are already familiar with a lot of the technology needed to incorporate it with the writing they already do.

I liked that Ohler suggested not getting carried away when assessing digital stories, and to not focus assessment purely on their mastery of the technological skill. I like that he said rubrics should be limited to 4-6 categories that focus on the skill or content and the process students went through to get to the new media, rather than just the finished product. I try to do this with my students writing as well, including outlines and rough drafts in their final scores. I also liked that he suggested that the rubrics should always evolve based on the skills and content being produced into a digital story.

I really enjoyed the discussion about the story core, particularly the diagram on page 73 showing the "new you" pushing against the "old you." I think this is something I could use to help my students further develop the emotional side of their narrative writing. I also appreciate the difference between storyboarding and story mapping; while storyboarding focuses on "what happens" in the story, story mapping asks students to focus on the process of why something is happening and how it contributes to the story as a whole.

In chapter 6, I thought the William Tell story was great, and I think that using a story with missing parts is a great way to show the parts of a story. I think I could use this with my students when they are writing narratives to help them see when parts of their story are missing or could be developed more to show the characters struggle.

Video - Week 1

Chapters 2-3 - Response

As I think about the concept of digital storytelling, I'm both excited and terrified. I love the production aspect of creating videos, and I had a great time this week creating mine and learning how to use the program; however, I am terrified of myself having to be on screen or listen to a recording of my voice! As I read the chapters, I was bursting with ideas for my classroom, but with my own anxieties, I would feel terrible forcing a child to be on camera or record their own voice. But - I need to get over it because I love the idea of using DST in the classroom!

The first thing that caught my eye in the reading was Glen Bledsoe's fourth graders that created a media project to show their understanding of metaphor. Students use music and graphics to compare school to a train (19). I love the idea of asking students to create an extended metaphor and show that metaphor through graphics and music. When I read this, my initial thought was "oh my god these are fourth graders!" I feel so nervous about doing projects like this with my high schoolers, but if fourth graders can handle it, so can my 9th graders!!

I also like the idea of combining story telling with "report" or "essay" style writing. In the text, Ohler said, "When planning student  media projects, it can be helpful to iddentify a point on the continuum that they want students to aim for: half report/half story? All story? Mostly story but with academic information embedded in the plot?" (24).  I love thinking of it this way. I could assign students to create a story, but ask them to include information they are learning in history or science into their story (and have that teacher fact check the videos!). Also, when students are writing persuasive essay, for example, I could ask them to find graphics or photos to go with each part of their essay. This would help them to solidify their arguments and ideas, and use more precise language because they will have something concrete to base it on. I like that DSTs go beyond narration and cross genres.

The idea of using digital storytelling to teach tone is exciting. My students really struggle to create tone in their own writing and to identify consistent tone in other writing. I think using DST assignments to focus on tone and demonstrating how students can "write within tone boundaries, aiming for consistency rather than diversity in tone" (28). When students hear their own writing out loud and are choose images to help show their story, they will be able to see the purpose and necessity of consistent tone more clearly.

I also really liked "The DAOW of Literacy.

 

I think that it's important to see literacy beyond reading and writing. In my own classroom, I think I try to focus on written literacy and artistic literacy, in that I want my students to appreciate the literature we read beyond simply mastering standards. However, I don't do a good job of incorporating digital literacy -- a need for many jobs our students will seek, or oral literacy -- a skill they need for life in general. It's so hard to schedule time for digital learning and for them to present their writing or record their writing. I feel so overwhelmed by the number of skills I am supposed to teach in one year that digital and spoken literacy are generally the things that take the back burner. I think that a DST assignment addresses all four of these literacy in a way that still meets ELA standards.

 

I am using a PC, and I ran into two problems. First, my computer wouldn't launch Movie Maker after I downloaded it, and I couldn't figure out the problem. The tech guy at my school gave me Roxio Video Wave that the school has a license for, so that's what I used.  Then, I had a hard time figuring out how to rotate videos. I had family members email me videos, and most of them were taken with a phone. It seemed like something so simple that should be done through the video editting program, but it wasn't! I finally found a program that was specifically designed to rotate videos from iphones. Other than those little hiccups, I had fun playing with the program and making the video!