A Tale of Two CEs - or "I Get By with a Little Help from my Cohort".

My final video and the story behind it...

LINK:A TALE OF TWO CEs -- MY FINAL VIDEO

As the deadline approached for our Culminating Experience proposal, I was a little confounded about how to approach the project. I had two ideas:

There were benefits and drawbacks for both.

Idea 1 – Integrating Technology into Second Grade

Benefits included a need for more study on tech in primary grades, access to a second grade classroom and the ease of setting up the study – I could clearly see how to write the proposal. The drawback was finding a way to get the time off work and do the implementation of the study.

Idea 2 – Mental Health Interventions for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairments: A Multi-Dimensional Curriculum

Benefits included a community need for determining effective means of training service providers, access to international experts and the convenience of being able to work on the curriculum at any time. The drawback was that I couldn’t figure out how to write the proposal – the project (as I had conceived it to that point) was project-based and consisted solely of creating the curriculum. There was no example of how to set up the proposal for a project structured in that way, and every time I thought I understood what I was doing, I found myself unable to even approach writing the proposal.

So I talked to my peers. On different occasions, I talked to Liz, Robert, Dana and Olga about my indecision. I also talked to Melissa, an iMet student in a different cohort. At some point, they all said the same thing – that it sounded like I wanted to do the Older Adult curriculum, but that I was hesitating to commit to it because of my confusion.

I decided to wade in. It took literally all day for each day of that weekend, but I found a way to write up the proposal for the curriculum. It was flawed, but I did it. And in the process, and upon receiving good advice from Dr. Jelinek, I distilled down my idea. What I ended up proposing was this:

An Evaluative Research on the Efficacy of an ELearning Instruction Module for Mental Health Interventions for Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults

I will develop an asynchronous online module based on the content of a webinar and then send that module out to former participants of the webinar for their evaluation. I’m going to triangulate that data with interviews with administrators and experts in the field and with my own observations. What I hope to establish whether this approach is a helpful resource for service providers or whether it would be a waste of resources to dedicate time, energy and funds to developing such modules.

I’m very happy to have progressed through to this point.

However, the story doesn’t quite stop there. When I first developed the storyboard for this assignment, I basically created a report of my project. Yet again stumped by confusion, I picked up the phone and called Liz at work. She reminded me of the real story of my CE – that period of time when I was so frustrated and indecisive. “Do that,” she suggested.

And so I have. “I get by with a little help from my friends…” (Please imagine the dulcet tones of Joe Cocker tailing off as the screen fades to black…)

Chapter 13 -- Know what you need and how to get it.

This chapter was full of really useful information for anyone interested in digital storytelling. I really appreciate that Ohler included a laundry list of useful equipment and programs. Somebody starting out with DST wouldn't necessarily think of the importance of having an audio editing program, for instance. This kind of resource is very valuable. (Ohler, position 2193, Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning and Creativity.)

Another thing that resonated with me is setting a search time budget. I've been tapped to research and purchase a piece of equipment for my work before and, unless you go in with some sense of how much time and effort you're going to put into it, there is just no end to it! Asking other people is the best way I've found to save myself a ridiculous amount of time.

Also, taking a little time to inventory your resources is a wise move. I was just about to buy a tripod for my camera at work when I suddenly thought to ask around. Yep, we had a tripod. Moreover, it was in perfect condition and had been bought with funds from my department. Who knew? :-D

My Project -- storyboard

LINK TO STORYBOARD

Here is my story core, story map and story board for my culminating experience project.

I enjoyed working on this, actually. It gave me a chance to reframe my CE project. This was a good thing, because I've changed it a little and creating this video helped me wrap my mind around the new direction I'm taking the project.

I created my storyboard by printing my PowerPoint to a pdf printer while selecting the notes format. I think this could be a really helpful way for me to organize video productions in the future, because it's relatively easy to throw just about anything into PowerPoint and it's so very accessible.

I had problems figuring out how to show a flash file on my blog, however, so this just has a link instead of a nice window where you can view it.

Video 3 - Vids of Kids

I had a different project going, but my star (Lottie) is sick yet again, which, beyond making me sad for her and fairly worried, has made me going with a different video. So, I'm providing a video on how to make videos that make parents happy.

This is not an example of how to make a video; there are tons of flaws in it. It just includes some helpful hints for how to please parents when making a video. Lots of people tape events and then never look at the footage again, because it's too long and unstructured and too much of it is bad and they don't know how to edit it, or they don't want to. If you can edit a piece, however flawed, and get it to the parents, they'll love it. As Ohler says, working with what you have is an important part of video production.

Video #2: Breaking Down in Mechanicsville: Fear, Fire and Doing the Locomotion

When I was first on the golf tour, they didn't pay for travel or rooms for us, so we traveled in groups, staying seven or eight to a room, sleeping on the floor and bribing the hotel housekeepers for extra towels.

It's funny that those memories can bring such happiness, considering how tired, broke and uncomfortable we all were! But then, mishaps have provided me with some of my best memories. 

By the way, I originally had two songs in this video, (the Locomotion, of course) but YouTube had an issue with that. Anyway, I think it works this way, too. 

I started to do a video about my background. Then I realized -- this is really the story of me these days. When I got home tired from the F2F meeting today and I had so many other things I should have been doing -- I set up the slip-n-slide and called for Lottie and Paul and their cousin Ian. 

I never really have enough time -- but I'm glad I have these times.

Chapter 12: All the Pieces

This chapter had a lot of really great information for building digital stories. I can see how the how-to's could be very helpful to someone bringing videos into their classroom. There was also, however, a lot of really helpful structuring. By delineating the process, Ohler creates a framework that can help an editor/director create a cleaner, truer piece.

This actually happened with me when we were storyboarding our videos for next week. I started to skip steps, but ended up with a more powerful and personal piece when I was (reluctantly) compelled to follow the process.

I also found the idea of deputizing students a helpful one to be reminded of, although I made a regular habit of that when I was in the classroom. Kids love to help. And the also like being a little smarter than you. And why wouldn't they?

Chapter 9: But one day...because of that...

When I was very young, my dad confronted me about something broken and I yelled out, "I did it ON PURPOSE!" which I thought meant "by accident." My dad thought I was being a smartass, which understandably pissed him off, so he sent me to my room, where I cried stormily. I was outraged at the injustice -- I clearly hadn't meant to do whatever it is I did.

My mom figured out the misunderstanding, and my dad came in and explained the difference between on purpose and by accident. He then said, "You tried to explain and I didn't understand. I apologize." Even though I was no longer in trouble, and even though I had, in my view, been proved right, I suddenly became aware of the fact that my dad had just told me that there was a circumstance under which he could be wrong -- and this brought on a huge storm of renewed wailing. My poor father just patted my back in confusion until we moved on. After that, my world was a little bigger and a little scarier.

When I read Ohler's suggestion to ask a grandparent about any story that he or she remembers, this story came to my mind right away. In this story, you can see the elements of conflict and transition. I was conflicted by my father's misunderstanding, and I was transformed by my realization that he could ever be wrong. At the end, my resolution was that I felt better from the incident, but I was changed by my more mature understanding of my father as a fallible person.

Looking at that story with a story spine, it's easy to see how using that framework is a useful tool in storytelling.

Chapter 8:

I think it's interesting the Ohler proposes using Bloom's Taxonomy to help with Digital Storytelling. It's an interesting hybrid of the old and new.

There really are many different ways for a character to have a revelation, and using Bloom's is as succinct a method as any for delineating them. I was a little disappointed to see Neo from the Matrix come up on the list -- two times, actually. I'd rather see Vivian from Pretty Woman than Neo, for Pete's sake. You know, when she leaves the money as she starts to go the first time, thus showing us all that the Hooker with the Heart of Gold has transcended and become the Ex-Hooker with a Heart of Gold who will soon be attending community college with an eye toward improving herself. Which I guess comes in at what, Level 5? Really, the only female character he could come up with was Baby?

Anyway, the idea of using Bloom's to help with storytelling is a great idea. I also appreciate the fact that Ohler urges not only helping students to tell more effective stories, but for teachers to understand the students better, thus emphasizing that it really is a two-way street between teachers and students. Finally, the concept of helping students grow through their stories is the most important application of the framework.

Chapter 7: Thinking outside and inside the box...

There were so many helpful insights and strategies in this chapter! It is a great skill to be able to help people find stories by asking the right questions. I also commend Ohler's method of writing all possible aspects of a story down, but placing the things that will be included in the story inside the box while writing the things that might color the story (but should not be included in it) outside of the box.

I also agree that sometimes the most personal stories can be universal. I remember saying one time that "To Kill A Mockingbird" is the great American novel and the guy I was talking to countered that it was "just about racism." I couldn't believe that he and I had even read the same book. It is about racial inequity, but it's also a story about morality, empathy, courage, dedication, strength and kindness. All of these things wend through a personal story -- a story of a little girl and her family -- but the story is absolutely universal. 

And, as Ohler says, just because it didn't happen doesn't make it not true.

Chapter 6: Studies versus Stories (PS, stories win)

This chapter offered some very insightful commentary. I enjoyed seeing how the story changed as Ohler manipulated the different elements to demonstrate how to build tension through conflict, transformation and resolution.

I realize that Ohler was exaggerating the different stages to make a point -- but I often find myself really annoyed by manufactured conflict in stories. I think a heavy-handed interpretation of this particular tactic is the death of a good story. It can be seen in the waning days of every television drama; just keep your eyes peeled for a trailer for A Very  Special Episode of ____ (insert series name here) and then go ahead and watch it to see how ridiculously the conflict is ratcheted up. So, I guess the trick is to use conflict judiciously. Unless you don't mind me putting on my best Monster Truck voice when I make up trailers for your show. 

Another thing I really responded to was Ohler's contention that "...if you heard a lecture that cited the findings of 10 great studies conducted by ten famous scholars that proved the effectiveness of kids helping adults with technological problems in 10 different ways, you probably would have forgotten it by next week. But there's a good chance you'll remember this story."

Jason B. Ohler. Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning and Creativity (location 1334) Kindle Edition, cloud reader.

Well, yes. 

Chapter 5 - And You Don't Have to Worry About Leftover Parts

I always understand things better once I've taken them apart and put them back together. This applies to things that shouldn't actually be taken apart, like old pocket watches, and to more abstract creations, such as stories. In this vein, Jason Ohler's description of creating story cores illuminates a process for understanding stories in more depth.

The structure for this analysis is simple: challenge, transformation and resolution. An author can gain perspective on his or her story by breaking it down into this components and then extending it into a story map.

The part of this chapter that stood out to me was the comment by Ohler, "When teachers use story mapping with their students, an amazing thing happens: students talk about their stories rather than their technology." The fact that this can be given to students as a tool and that it can also be used as a form of assessment is extremely useful.

Chapter 4: Same as it ever was...

There are definitely challenges in assessing digital stories – they just may not be terribly new challenges. Writing is always a little difficult to assess because of the many different aspects that could be considered. Ohler does a great job of breaking down the features of storytelling that should be assessed from writing and research to digital craftsmanship and voice.

I have my personal favorites, of course. If a piece has a distinct voice, I’m far more likely to forgive failings in other areas. Hearing the authentic voice of a student come through in a piece of work is rewarding. 

Chapter 3: "The nice thing about standards..."

"...is that you have so many to choose from." ~ Andrew S. Tanenbaum

Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw upon their prior experience, their interaction with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies and their understanding of the textural features.

Of course, this is the way we understand texts. My seven year old children apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate and understand Bad Kitty Takes a Bath. The fact that a standard exists to identify this process is evidence of how educators have to parse their curriculum to demonstrate its educational value.

I know we all have to be able to look at what needs to be taught and what the best way is to teach it. I think it’s important to analyze and make sense of things. But sometimes, don’t you want to say “duh”?

Chapter 2: "Let me make this perfectly clear..."

(Who said it? Extra points if you use his nickname. All right, back to the task at hand.)

One of the great benefits of DST is the amount of creativity and originality students can express in their work. However, as Jason Ohler points out, originality is not always the most important aspect of some projects and in others, while the presentation may be original, the content may not be. Some students have gotten in the habit of just churning out what they think will fit the bill – sometimes in direct reaction to having not been rewarded for trying original approaches in the past. 

To help students understand, trust and enjoy the process of truly sharing their own take on things, instructors need to be clear about their expectations for how much originality they are expecting from students. Teachers should clearly demonstrate this, perhaps, as Ohler suggested, by requiring a certain amount of the material, such as photos or drawings, is created by the student.

I can see this kind of scaffolding could really help a student see what needs to be done and also feel more confident in sharing his or her own perspective in the project.

Chapter 1: Digital Storytelling, Creativity and Weird Science

Revelation #19

“Digital storytelling helps students develop creativity and innovation skills needed to solve important problems in imaginative ways.”

There’s a really crappy song by Scandal from 1984, sung by Patty Smyth, a chick with a mullet. It’s called “I am the Warrior,” and my friends and I used to make fun of it. We would adopt the same intense tone and sing “Am I going to miss the bus? I am The Worrier. Are my eyebrows plucked enough? I am The Worrier.” And so on.

Then I turned into The Worrier.  I worry about a lot of things, but I really worry about the environment, especially with regard to global warming. When I consider what we might be facing – with methane trappers destabilizing, polar caps disappearing and water levels rising – I feel pretty hopeless.

Recently, though, I heard about a proposal by a couple of scientists to build 200-meter tubes that will be tethered to the ocean floor and will compel the colder, nutrient-rich water to upwell and spur the growth of algae – which will trap CO2. The weirdness of the idea has captured me. Not just because a few of the best scientific minds think it might actually help, but also because of the creativity involved in this approach. Need cold water for algae? Go get it!

That’s why Revelation 19 resonated with me. I love the idea of students becoming “practical artists” and developing creativity as a marketable skill. Ohler claims that “digital storytelling helps students develop creativity and innovation skills needed to solve important problems in imaginative ways.” Perhaps there have always been important problems of the magnitude we’re currently facing, but in any case, we need the fresh, new ideas of this generation of thinkers. Digital storytelling can help foster the kind of creativity we’ll need to solve the more worrisome problems of today’s world.

And then I can go back to worrying about my eyebrows.

D'oh!

This is how today felt.