Day 5 and soon we share work with our colleagues, a humbling experience indeed. I’m still abuzz with all the technology crammed into a few days of learning and amazed that we all generated two products in so little time. I can’t say my projects are ready for prime time – I typically need time away from a project and return with fresh eyes – but the learning process was well worth it.

I was struck by a common reaction by myself and my colleagues when we saw the image of ourselves on screen or heard the sound of our voice. We flinched. I wanted to escape to another room, maybe doing something more appealing. Maybe read tax forms. Anything but see and hear myself. But herein lies its usefulness for dance classes.

There’s typically a gap between how students believe themselves to be moving and how one is actually moving. As in writing, there’s a gap between what writers believes is communicated and the actuality of the words. In dance, students often use a mirror, which cranes the head and distorts the movement, or they rely on another’s feedback. In using digital media,students can tape themselves moving and reflect on the discrepancy. They can explore a movement in isolation or an entire sequence. Dance is transient. An assignment capturing a transient moment for extended investigation and reflection could be beneficial.

My concern is still the time required by a digital project. It’s challenging enough to get students, especially those not majoring in dance, to get their bodies moving. How could I organize an assignment to keep focus on embodiment, their fleshy self, not a virtual one? Were this purely a writing class, the pathway between digital versus paper seems clear. My reflections on coming up with a suitable assignment with reasonable expectations continue.

Creating a digital story was just like being a student again — with all the possibilities and pitfalls that entails.

• I was learning how to use new technology, find material to use, and create something worthwhile all at the same time.  I felt the stress of having to create something interesting and meaningful under pressure — and yet making the final product like it was effortless and could be no other way.  I sometimes forget when I am teaching students how to analyze policies, how to use SPSS, and how to write up their arguments that all of this can be very new and foreign to them.  I forget that fluency with any media or language is built over time and with experience.

• Last night I was up at midnight, having written ten different drafts of the script and recorded the audio at least seven times (only to wake up inspired, change the script, and re-record this morning).  My husband came downstairs, laughed at me, and said, “This isn’t even for a grade!”  I realize how much I want something to look perfect (or as close to) when it is public.  I remember too why students sometimes take their grades personally — There is something of ourselves in any creative endeavor.

• I forgot to do my “homework”!  That’s right.  I forgot to post my daily reflection yesterday because I was in such angst about the DST.  And I’m only taking one “course”!  (To make up, Profs. Warren and Scott, this post is longer than typically the case.)

On the other hand, I really enjoyed the creative freedom of the digital story.  As a “scientist,” I am used to be detached and analytical, even when my papers have “my take” in them.  I found it really hard to write the DST script this way.  However, once I was able to “find my voice” and write “from the heart,” I found the process a lot easier, but it was like I had to think and speak in a different way.  I also realized that I could create a two-level story, one told in the spoken narrative and one conveyed through the visual images.  I could be ironic.  I could leave a lot unsaid — and in fact, the story could be more effective that way.

When I was done, I had a great feeling of satisfaction in getting to flex creative muscles that I don’t normally use and to bring forth something so closely tied to me — as a person instead of me the political scientist.

I am still not sure how I will use digital stories for my courses.  I’ll have to think about that some more.  I ask students to use quantitative and qualitative data to analyze social and economic phenomena.  I don’t know that digital stories would be effective for this.  But I also want (and it is often more a wish than an outcome) students to write with an awareness of the human beings behind the data.  I could see digital stories being a powerful medium for building that awareness.

Day 4. The head is still swirling with information in search of spots in my memory for storage. I fear there will be a loss of data. No, I know data will be lost. Hopefully enough residual information will assist me in the future.

My first digital story is complete to the best of my abilities. Lots of clicking and dragging, determining pacing, listening and looking. Surprisingly, I’m ready to continue, to start another project. How far does this new language go? Dare I ask my students to go through the process themselves? When their technology questions arise, the best I can do is give them the phone number of this lab, as long as, that is, I remember how to write down a phone number.

I know digital storytelling is all about “the gift of your voice”, but after listening to my recording I fear the “gift” might not be an especially good one. Unlike Kathrin, I haven’t realized I “did” something specific to make my voice sound as it does. I am reminded of that scene in the movie Juno when the characters make fun of a girl in their high school for giving everyone “the stink eye.” Turns out, her face was just like that. I think that’s what I’m dealing with.

Anyway, this is giving me a greater appreciation for the act of recording. In my classes where students have created DSTs I designate a class period to listening to all the digital stories without video. My decision to do this was almost entirely content driven — I wanted to make sure the stories made sense without visuals and that others who were not familiar with the content could understand the story, too. Thinking back on this class period, my students were extremely good sports about listening to themselves (even students who were reluctant at first). Granted, I didn’t give them a choice, but no one really resisted. I suppose ultimately I am thinking more about the sort of personal implications of creating a DST that I hadn’t considered. Even if the story itself isn’t personal per se, the performance/recording surely is. Putting oneself out there in this way is different than producing a paper — a different type of performance of identity. Good stuff.

It’s good to be a student again and have the expertise of Ken and Hil shared. Thanks to you both. Such new tools to behold. How might I apply them? My wheels are turning.

Practice, practice, practice. The sooner and more often I can repeat what I’ve learned, the better. The material presented has been rich. So many buttons to press.

My  head, at this moment, is in techno-swirl. I want to organize it, review it. I may also have to power down soon.

I second Kathrin’s use of the word “humbling” to describe today’s experiences, particularly with video recording. Given that I forgot to put a mic on myself for part of the interview, recorded a “ghost” in the interview room, and lost sound for half an interview (at least those were the more glaring mistakes), today was an important reminder of what could go wrong (and often does) when trying something out for the first time. Frustrating, for sure, but I’m gearing up for another try. Day three, here I come!

I appreciate the low stakes nature of this assignment and am thinking that such an exercise would be really helpful in the classroom. When a grade hangs in the balance the atmosphere changes immediately, so practicing when it doesn’t “count” helps maintain focus on skills. I have been thinking about documentary as an option in my media history class, for instance, so today was a great primer and practice.

Today’s session also has led me to think more about the blogging possibilities and a reminder that there’s a lot that I could do. I’m still thinking through what that would look like in my classes more concretely.

I found today’s session to be both informative and enjoyable (and I’m grateful for my shield, Ken). Unlike several other members of our group, I had no experience with WordPress. As a result, I was intrigued and inspired by the pedagogical potential of such a medium and was impressed by some of the examples of how faculty are using blogs in their classes. I had already planned on using a blog for the new course I’m creating on “Visions of Berlin” and this first brush with WordPress gave me a better sense of the range of possibilities for that course and others.

The video interview assignment was an opportunity to actually experience the challenges of speaking in front of camera, consider issues of composition and lighting, and recognize that multiple takes may be required to get the desired effects. It is also humbling to realize how much easier it is to stand in front of a class than talk to a camcorder. I’m looking forward to the hands’ on exercise of editing in iMovie tomorrow.

We talk a lot today about the challenges of integrating digital projects into our classes. How do we assess the success of new media projects? Is it possible to compare research papers to digital narratives? What types of projects are appropriate? (Does WordPress have a plugin to solve all of these problems?) It was wonderful to hear about other uses of WordPress, and how it can aid in various types of CBL projects and mapping projects. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own use that I fail to be inspired by what could be. Today was really inspirational in that respect. I also had a pressing question answered: should I use the UR blog platform for my journal project? Nope. All hail statistics!

As for the video portion of the class, I’m glad that I never fooled myself into thinking I could become 1.) an actress, 2.) a filmmaker, 3.) an AV specialist. Despite my personal inability to understand simple concepts of mirroring and visual balance, the practical information was extremely valuable. I foresee creating a useful worksheet and sending my students on their filming adventures.

The courses that I want to use DMP for are my CBL courses.  I can see the value, but my students already get an orientation to WordPress, to community-based learning, and to the use of web-based data analysis interfaces like Social Explorer and American FactFinder.  I wonder if, with DMP, the students will feel that there are too many orientations that they have to get through.  And if they didn’t immediately use the material, they would forget it.  So it seems that I would need to think about how to stage each part of the process so that they learn it in an “as need to know basis” and can build each part of the project in stages.

It’s very important to me that we immediately have tasks that implement our new skills. I need practice to confirm and retain new knowledge.