I was skimming through my Twitter timeline yesterday when I saw this Tweet:

Now I have this subdomain:

Although I was exposed to elements of digital storytelling at UMW prior to taking the course actually titled Digital Storytelling, the fall 2010 semester of the class is what really sparked my passion for sharing stories through all forms of media. No class I took before or after it really compared in the way ds106 is led and structured. It encourages students to not only think critically about what it means to use the web and technology to share and interpret all types of stories, but also to create their own narratives. It was a process I loved, so I am happy to have learned the course is again open to online participants this summer.

In his post The Summer of Oblivion at bavatuesdays on the open, online version of ds106, professor Jim Groom writes:

Now there is no reason to try and scare anyone interested in taking the open, online version about the workload because you can do as little or as much as you want, and leave the rest. No apologies necessary, you do what you do—only requirement is that you try and have fun doing whatever it is you do.

As a registered UMW student taking the course in the fall of 2010, my situation was a little different because I was required to complete all of the course requirements. However, the course content and assignments were all thought-provoking and fun, and I think Aisle 2 Bin 36, the project I completed for the course, nicely reflects how the ideas and tools the course exposes participants to can be used to create a digital narrative with impact, no matter what topic is being covered.  So, I am going to try and participate in the open, online version as much as possible from June 20-July 21. Last year, the course exposed me to several new tools and helped me become a better storyteller, so I am excited to see what power it will have this summer.

With that in mind, Jim links to this email, sent to UMW students registered take the course as part of their studies at UMW. Though the open, online experience will be a little different, the message offers insight into the basis and benefits of ds106.

More information about the opportunity and how to sign up is available here.