Workshops+Timetable+2008-09

=Overview= Over the course of the school year, we will gather for six Saturday morning workshops to further our work with integrating digital storytelling into your work with students. Unless otherwise indicated, bring all of your materials with you to the workshops.

All workshops are from **9 a.m. to noon**. Attendance at at least four of the six workshops is required to receive the second stipend.

=Timetable of 2008-09 Workshops= >> At our first workshop, we will be asking your partnership to provide an update on your progress with implementing the tools and ideas from the summer institute. >> We will ask that you also share a brief overview of your current school and classroom environment. Between now and our first Saturday session, do a bit of videotaping to provide a visual accompaniment. Footage that you gather could include: >> • your classroom environment >> • available technology access points for you and your students around your school >> • shots of fellow teachers with whom you team >> • shots of your technology support people >> • shots of your administrators >> We will provide time and assistance at the workshop to capture your footage and to do the simple editing. >>> We shared brief stories about the beginning of the new school year. >>> We spent the majority of the time working on the short video and then shared them at the end. >> >> We will be looking at how the combination of digital storytelling and personal narrative can be a powerful one for language development. In addition to digging into some research relating digital storytelling to language arts, we will experience it firsthand with narratives of our own. >> We will also spend a bit of time with the status of your projects. >> //Please bring cameras, tapes, tripods, and microphones.// >>> We examined the connections to the teaching of reading and writing. A copy of an excellent article awaits you. >>> The phrase “digital storytelling” is used in two ways. Our usage has been the more general one: the use of digital tools to tell stories. The other refers to the telling of personal stories with multiple media as a vehicle for self-expression and for getting in touch with power forces in our lives. In these times of change, it is becoming increasingly important for us to understand what motivates us and this style of storytelling provides an excellent way to do so. A number of examples can be found on the Center for Digital Storytelling site. One particularly illustrative one, Mama Bisrat, can be found at http://www.storycenter.org/stories/index.php?cat=4 (you’ll need to select it after arriving at the page.) Shelby shared a story of his, as well. >>> After looking at examples, we asked you to reflect, brainstorm, map out, and write a personal narrative about something powerful in your lives with the intention of creating a 3-4 minute digital story in a subsequent workshop. This is a wide open exercise that could focus on an event (childhood or more recent) or relationship that has affected you deeply. >> >> We will be continuing work on your personal narratives and your projects. The next steps for the narrative are to write a storyboard and/or script from your written piece and to produce the video. The next steps for your project are up to you, so we ask that you give some thought about how you will use your time. As we indicated in November, this and the next two workshops will be devoted primarily to your work. >> //Please remember to bring the writing you did at the November workshop as well as your camera, tripod, microphone, tapes and cables.// >> //And, as always, we welcome tales and media from your classroom!// >>> We watched "The Power of One" (http://sfett.com/html_movie/Ican4/the_power_of_one.html) and listened to "What Has Happened to the Human Voice" by Studs Terkel (http://www.storycorps.net/listen/ - scroll down and click to start). The latter demonstrates an example of when images may distract from voice, where audio prompts the listener to form their own pictures. On the other hand, the first example would be diminished by the lack of images. Examination of different stories and media appropriate to them helps us to better understand the nuances of digital storytelling. >>> We asked you to meet with your partner and sketch a schedule for how you will spend your time on the personal narrative and the project - both in this workshop and the next. We asked that your narrative be completed by the end of the January workshop. We will share them then (unless you are uncomfortable sharing the content of your particular narrative). >>> We asked you to record your narrative as an audio track (in MovieMaker or iMovie) so that you can focus on the quality of voice. Record it in distinct chucks to avoid the need to re-record large amounts of text due to error. >>
 * ===1 - September 20, 2008===
 * **Preparation**
 * **Description**
 * **Welcome Back!**
 * **Activity**
 * **Agenda**
 * ===2 - November 1, 2008===
 * **Preparation**
 * **Description**
 * **Digital Storytelling Revisited**
 * **The Power of the “Intense” Personal Story**
 * **Activity**
 * **Agenda**
 * ===3 - December 6, 2008===
 * **Preparation**
 * **Description**
 * **The Role of Voice and Images (Sites Worth Visiting**!)
 * **Activity**
 * **Agenda**
 * ===4 - January 24, 2009===
 * ===5 - February 28, 2009===
 * ===6 - April 25, 2009===