In researching Digital Storytelling I came across a book written by Carolyn Miller, called “Digital Storytelling: A Creator’s Guide to Interactive Entertainment” at the http://www.studentfilmmakers.com website. A second edition of the book is being published and will be debuted at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in the Spring of 2008.
Carolyn has a long list of credits with Instructional Technology, Multimedia, and Digital Storytelling. She is a native of San Francisco and lives part-time in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles. That is close to home for me since I’m a native of Santa Fe. I emailed Carolyn in hopes that I will meet her in the near future.
Her website can be found at http://www.carolynmiller.com. I also listed it as a link under the Digital Storytelling Category.
Here is a link to a blog entry about storytelling that you might find interesting, it explains why stories are so powerful for helping people to learn.
Kapp Notes: Accidental Learning and the Power of Stories
I got my first post to the Digital Storytelling section of my blog and oh boy was I excited! Thank you Karl Kapp. Karl is a expert on the convergence of learning, technology and business operations. This post showed me that blogging can really work communicating across the land. I clicked on the link that Karl provided and read his blog about “Accidental Learning and the Power of Stories.” He provided two links to very interesting stories and notes about the articles. The “This is Your Life (and How You Tell It)” story is why I’m pursing the Digital Storytelling certificate. I’ve had the pleasure of creating several digital stories for people and from that experience I could see the impact it had on their lives. I can only imagine the possibilities of using it in an educational setting.
Carolyn Miller responded to my email within 24-hours, wow! I really appreciated her reply because I know how busy she is at this moment finishing the second edition to her book.
I was really excited about the things I learned about Carolyn from her website. We both agree that this is a small world. She landed up Santa Fe because her husband taught at the College of Santa Fe, my Bachelor’s degree is from that college. She is doing work with multi-media and instructional technology that I hope to do some day. Her cat’s name is Willie Wonka and my favorite movie is Willie Wonka.
Carolyn was appointed as a member of Gov. Bill Richardson’s Council on Film and Media Industries. The council works with the film office and the New Mexico Department of Economic Development to promote the growth of New Mexico’s film and new media industries.
Gov. Bill Richardson started an Innovative Digital Education and Learning in New Mexico initiative (IDEAL-NM). In 2008, he plans to ask the legislature for $10.8 million and for $27.8 million over the next five years for its development. IDEAL-NM has several goals with the initiative; most importantly there will be an e-learning service center and a common statewide technology platform that is compatible.
Carolyn mentioned in her email that New Mexico has a big interest in serious games. Serious games are games that are developed with game technology and design for the purpose of gaming in education, training, health, and public policy rather than pure entertainment.
I look forward to purchasing Carolyn’s second edition of her book next spring and hopefully meeting her in the near future.
I discovered that Center for Digital Story Telling and the School of Education & Human Development at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center is offering a Digital Storytelling University Certificate. The certificate requires three successfully completed courses.
IT 5330 Digital Storytelling Workshop
IT 5340 Digital Storytelling in the Curriculum
IT 5350 Leadership for Digital Storytelling
Register: http://www.cudenver.edu/registrar
Investigate: http://www.storycenter.org/certificate
Contact: daniel@storycenter.org or cpe@cudenver.edu
Of course I plan to pursue this certificate in Digital Storytelling. I spoke with Daniel and Brent about the possibilities of obtaining this certificate. There are other students that have taken at least one Digital Storytelling course in previous semesters that are in my regular IT classes now.
Jodi Foster’s new movie started this weekend, “The Brave One” where she stars as the main character Erica Bain and is also the executive producer of the movie. I have been a fan of hers for a long time and I would recommend this movie. Erica lives in New York and shares the sounds and stories of the city with her radio audience. Erica and her boyfriend are attacked one night in Central Park and her boyfriend lands up dying. Erica is left to deal with the loss and haunting fear of the streets that she once loved so she decides to arm herself with a pistol. The pistol becomes the character that leads Erica to become someone else that helps her take revenge on the perpetrators that killed her boyfriend.
The War, a Ken Burns Film, a story of the Second World War through personal accounts from men and women started this evening as a seven-part series. More information can be found at http://www.pbs.org/thewar/ . There is a great section for educators that talks about the Power of Story and it contains lesson plans as well. http://www.pbs.org/thewar/edu_power_of_story.htm .
I’m enrolled in the IT 5330 Digital Storytelling Workshop at the end of October. This course will be the first course of three for the Digital Storytelling Certificate. I’m really excited about the certificate.
Sesame Street DVD for Injured Veterans
Sesame Street is producing DVD’s that will be distributed to military families to help them cope with war disabilities. “In the new production, Rosita, a fluffy blue mop-headed muppet, is upset because her father has returned home in a wheelchair”, states Nancy Zuckerbrod.
Multimedia finds a new avenue to help injured veterans and their families.
References
Zuckerbrod, Nancy. (2007) Sesame Street DVD for Injured Veterans. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SESAME_STREET_IRAQ?SITE=KLIF&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT .