DST Development

My Digital Story Progress

Thinking about what elements are necessary for successful story telling in a digital format has been deeply considered over the last few weeks with the aid of readings, mini-projects, and discussion among peers. Learning that there is empirical evidence that personal narratives and digital stories in curriculum can generate student motivation and interest, but also provide pedagogical opportunities to affirm culture and identity (Kubravi et al. 2018, Staley et al. 2017). With this notion, I thought a current and highly relevant story to explore would be my own cultural dilemma and experience of immigration. I have worked in short video format for several years and visual expression for 2 decades, but there is distinctly a educational benefit and structure to Digital Story Telling (DST) that makes for an exceptionally powerful pedagogical tool.

This has been a relatively intense research project, requires extensive planning, and at times emotionally draining. Just as The Digital Story Cookbook by Lambert (2010) describes, “Finding and clarifying what a story is really about isn’t easy. It’s a journey in which a storyteller’s insight or wisdom can evolve, even revealing an unexpected outcome.” So far, I have had to revise my story and evaluate what is really essential has been an on-going process. With a finished story map and script, I have already started to consider photos and visuals that will be included in the final version of my story. Going forward, I think it is important to consult the DST rubric that peers and I developed for what criteria will be used to evaluate the story.

Application and Audience Consideration

Some of the criterion included in our rubric is “Creativity and Engagement” and “Organization and Pacing.” Both of these criteria include audience engagements and attention. I intend to create my DST in video format and will need to consider technical elements such as the cohesiveness of video editing, visuals and audio to engage the audience. The content and the relevance of my story would most likely be welcomed by others who share a similar experience and relationship with moving away from home and family. As there may be larger themes relatable to cross-cultural experiences, I am predominantly focused on mainland China as a target audience and will include subtitles to make the content more accessible. Lambert (2010) describes compelling stories a those that reproduce the insight and experience of the storyteller while getting the audience to ask questions about their own experiences, looking for larger truths in them. May not have an specific lesson or moral to teach through my story, but I do hope to convey a notion of optimism and peace about not knowing if there is a best route to take in life.

I feel confident in my ability to complete the technical aspects of my digital story, and have recorded the steps in my development process thoroughly, but I still feel the need to re-assess what are the most important questions reason for this story. I believe my story conveys a dilemma, a choice of home and identity, but the reason for this choice and the urgency for it needs clarity. As I write this reflection now and reread the Digital Storytelling Cookbook, I’m realizing there may need revision to my script and story map before recording.

The practice of logging, recording progress and breaking a project like this into weekly assignments forces students to plan, research and build something significant through scaffolding. For me the most rewarding and challenging process of creating a story is the questions I ask myself. As learned in the mini project utilizing Pixton, the decision making process and choosing which moments to focus on for a compelling story are not easy. This difficult process can be broken down as described by Ohler (2023) and Lambert (2010) through a series of questions, brainstorming, and building a story map as laying down a solid framework to begin the story process. I think these steps are incredibly useful and I now have better insight as to how to facilitate as a guide for students and other’s engaged in story production.

 

Resources:

 

Kubravi, Syed Uzma, Seeret Omar Shah, and Khushboo Jan.(2018) “Digital Story Telling: The Impact on Student Academic Achievement, Critical Thinking and Learning Motivation.” 1(12).

 

Lambert, Joe. 2010. Digital Storytelling Cookbook: January 2010. Berkeley, Calif.: Digital Diner Press.

 

Ohler, J. (2023). How to make a story - Process notes. Retrieved from: http://storyconcepts.blogspot.com/

Staley, Bea, and Leonard A. Freeman. 2017. “Digital Storytelling as Student-Centred Pedagogy: Empowering High School Students to Frame Their Futures.” Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning 12(1): 21. doi:10.1186/s41039-017-0061-9.