San Franciso State University ITEC 800 Blog

San Franciso State University ITEC 800 Blog

Weds 10/4

The class discussed the Digital Storytelling class we will have on Oct 21 or Oct. 28 in our classroom from 9:00-5:30. Leslie Rule of KQED visited the class and explained the workshop. The class is to:

Bring 1/2 to 3/4 page personal narrative
dbl space 12-point type; approx. 200 words.
Bring 10 digital images
Bring digital music

Each person will go home with a completed digital
storytelling DVD.

This is to be a 1st-person narrative story; it is composed in
these 4 steps:

1)Start with the experience; articulate the story for the Multi-Media
environment

2) Tell the story

3) Create the piece

4) Publish (to DVD or Web, etc)

It is helpful to start with a question "what if I could dream?"
then follow with - "Let me tell you the story of ......"

Go from general to specific, let the specific inform the general.

Discussion then ensued about validity of fiction stories in these
formats; it was ok'd but the preferred method is 1st-person narrative
autobiographical.

Next the class discussed Cognition with respect to the Net Generation
and the Digital Divide. As always in this class there were relevant
and sharpened opinions that straddled the digital divide. Dr. Foreman commented that we can use these tools to empower and motivate. Most people
seem to feel that we have to harness these tools and use them wisely
and with discretion in instruction; a view I subscribe to.

Nest and last the class took part in an exercise with the class split
into two groups - A & B. Each group looked at 20 objects in a box for
one minute and then were asked to remember as many of those objects
as possible. Group B was told 4 categories for the objects but group
A was not. Group B was found to have scored better when results were
tallied - giving evidence that chunking assists sensory memory. Dr.
Foreman noted that this experiment is markedly clear with a large
number of participants.

And so into the evening!

David Apelt