Thursday, May 28, 2009

Watch, think, write ...


http://storiesforchange.net/event/earth_univeristy_digital_storytelling
If you're having trouble watching any stories at the Center for Digital Storytelling, I would like you to try this website! You might recognize some faces and places here. Let me know (thank you, Ale), if there's a problem with these.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Your Story!

Email it to me when you have a draft!

The Center for Digital Storytelling


So this is the place I've been trained and inspired to do this digital storytelling work. I used to be a journalist and loved hearing people tell their stories and then I'd piece them together with some of my own words. Now, I just help people do their own storytelling using some of the powerful tools technology can offer.
This site has a ton of information, but why don't you just pick one or two stories for now and listen and watch them just to give ourselves an idea what a finished product looks like. They're all different, so don't feel like you have to make yours like someone else's.
When you come to class Friday with your script, also come to talk about the story you watched and share what made the story memorable to you. I will be talking to you in class Friday morning and I can't wait to hear your voices.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Your Script: Let's Write!

Start your engines. Let's write a first draft. See if you can write about 250-500 words. Pick one of the below and write!
A. Take a challenge you’ve faced in your life and then tell one piece of that big story, say, of about 5 minutes.
B. Describe one moment that sheds some light on how you came to be at EARTH.
C. Look at a prized object of yours. It could be a possession/something you own. It could be a landmark. Tell the story that you share with it. How it came to be yours.
D. Write about a person who has shaped you. Make the person come alive in your writing. Recall one moment you shared. How have they influenced you?

What is a digital story: Part I

The Center for Digital Storytelling defines the work as this:
"While the term "digital storytelling" has been used to describe a wide variety of new media practices, what best describes our approach is its emphasis on first-person narrative, meaningful workshop processes, and participatory production methods."
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We will continue to explore this definition. But let us begin together with this: The first thing to say about digital stories (DS) is that they are first and foremost STORIES. They have to be good stories. True stories. Stories that are important to you. Your story is the foundation of your digital story. You can have great pictures, a wonderful soundtrack, and know the editing software and yet still have a weak DS if your script doesn’t work. Think of it as a birthing. It ain’t easy, so I’m told, but the product of the process is miraculous.What makes a script work?
1. Find a topic you want to say something about.
2. Be brave as you approach it.
3. Be honest to yourself and to your topic. Your audience will follow you to the ends of the world! 4. Be open to discovery as you write your story. You may learn something about an experience you thought you knew everything about.
5. Listen to me and other readers. I don’t expect you to do everything I ask. I offer a lot of ideas. Listen to me. Explore new ways. I get lost too, but I help writers find their stories. I’m your Sherpa! -- Ask me how, what, where … anything. I am here for you and committed to seeing you through.
6. Expect to re-write. Re-write. Re-write. Most of you don’t know what it means to spend dozens of hours on one page of writing. I do. It’s a fantastic challenge, and it may not take you days. But expect work and expect a good story in the end.
7. Give yourself to the process. The journey can be unforgettable. And in the end, join the circle of human race in the 21st Century and share. I, for one, am waiting.
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Friday, May 15, 2009

One Hello!



About You:
Please post something that you've done at EARTH and that you're proud of. Add what name you would like me to use to address you. As well, share what country you are from. Finally, add anything else about yourself! The more, the better. PLEASE do this by 10 p.m., Wednesday, May 27.
* In order to "comment" here and post your responses, you need to register your email account at Google as an iGoogle user.
About me:
I write a poem almost every day, and I play the guitar. This all keeps my heart pumping pretty hard. I love being outdoors, especially away from the city where I can fish, birdwatch, and listen to the world. A picture above shows the Platte River; I am playing in it with my children, brother, and nephews. It's not deep! Call me Phip, please.
I'm coming back to Costa Rica because I loved my time at EARTH, the students, my colleagues, and the landscape.

Video Greeting from Phip