SAY WHAT!? This is the last blog post for DS 106??! How can this be?????

For this class, we had to create assignments for future students to do. I had a lot of fun creating and coming up with my assignments, I just hope the future students have fun doing them! I created a submitted work tab on my blog where you will find the assignments and tutorials I created as well as the daily creates I submitted.

I created a Best Work tab on my menu. I went back to my previous assignments and picked what I thought was my best work on each topic: video, remix, audio, visual, web, and design. I had six best work pieces. I know that visual and design usually go together but I couldn’t pick so I picked one from each :)

• Video: YOLO – What does YOLO mean to you?
  • I like this video that I made because it is funny and flows well. This assignment didn’t have many guidelines so I got to do what I wanted {within reason}. This was one of the first video assignments that I have ever done – but it’s also my favorite :)
• Remix: Island od Misfit Toys – Recycle and reuse other DSers work.
  • The reason I picked this assignment for my best work in the remix/mashup category because it actually tells a story. I was worried about putting the recycled media together and tell a coherent story, but I did. And I think another reason it’s my favorite is because it’s about graduating. Which will be me…this time next week :)
• Audio: Paging Dr. Grey – How would you call Meredith Grey if she was a bird?
  • Although this assignment could have been created better {I could have over layed the sounds}, I still love this audio assignment. It is realistic and would actually call this character if she was a bird. Audio gave me a headache at first, so it’s amazing that I even like an audio assignment to put it in my “best work” category!
• Visual: A-Z Photo Collage – A collection of pictures from A-Z dealing with my future.
  • I loved visual week. LOVED IT. This assignment was probably the most time consuming DS assignment. But I would do it again in a heartbeat. I really had to think creatively in this assignment. The theme I picked, doesn’t really have a lot of “z” words…so I really had to get creative with that. This collage tells a story about the theme I picked, which will also be my future career! :)
• Web: I’m Lovin’ It – What does McDonalds really want you to know about their food?
  • I think this assignment is so daggon’ funny! I love this assignment so much. During web design week, I realized just how much you can’t trust anything online – because people can really change it. I think this is my favorite web assignment because I’m such a health nut and try to avoid McDonalds whenever possible. Actually all the time. I just hope they never find this assignment…
• Design: Clicka Clicka – A new-age children’s book.
  • This assignment might be my favorite one {or at least in the top three} out of all of the DS assignments that I have done this semester. I am going to graduate school to become an educator so I automatically love children’s books. When I saw this assignment, I wanted to do it right away. The outcome of this assignment is funny and tells a great story! I wonder what the inside of the book would contain. Oh, that would be a great assignment to create {to you future DS students possibly reading this!!!}

A long time ago {but not so much} back in week three, we had to investigate what digital storytelling was. Looking back on what I said now, I realized that my concept is constantly changing. At the start of the semester, I blogged about what digital storytelling is to me. I said that stories needed a beginning, middle, and an end. But now, I don’t really think that’s true. I can now look at a picture and guess the story. The person who created it doesn’t need to tell me what the story is. This class has taught me that “open-endedness” might be a key element in digital storytelling.

The one thing that the work this semester has led up to – the final story!! I had such a great time creating my final story. I wrote a final story review about the process and the assignments that I created. You can check out all of the work I did relating to my final story in my final story tab on my blog!

We had to do at least fifteen stars and at least three forms of media. I ended up with seventeen stars! I realized that it’s not about the star amount, it’s about whether or not your story makes sense. There was even something I designed that didn’t even count as a assignment, but I needed it for the flow of my story :)

Here are the links of my final story in order:

• Introducing Me – meet Sabrina, a fun teenage…witch.
• I Put a Spell On You – Libby blackmails Sabrina.
• One Way or Another – Sabrina plots for revenge on her enemy, Libby.
• Better Than Revenge – how did Sabrina seek revenge on Libby?
• Some People Change – see where the characters are ten years later.

Throughout this semester, I felt like Twitter was an amazing tool for DS students to vent, help, and brag about the work for this class. I tried to reply to people if they needed help {and I could give it to them} as much as I could. I think that being a part of this community was so welcoming and made this class have more of a club feeling. I also was on the other end though, I tweeted about frusterations and how I needed help too. And I appreciated it when people would reply to me. I also helped a fellow DS student by giving advice on where to go to get running shoes :)

I think this class does not get as much publicity. I would not have known about it if it weren’t for my friend who took it last year. This class has so much to offer and I feel like it should be more advertised. If I had it my way, students would have to take it. I created this little video for future DS students. This video contains secrets about how to survive this class and my view on this class {which shouldn’t really be a secret by now}

I had such a great time in this class. I learned SO much about digital storytelling and about myself. I learned that I actually do have patience and that I do know some about technology.

So…that’s it…the last post. This is literally the LAST thing I have to do before I am done with my undergraduate career at UMW. When I press the ‘post’ button, I will be done. You’re about the witness history. You’re also about the witness the true meaning of “open-ended” stories. It’s been real DSers. The rest is history.

That’s all she wrote.

Blog post song title: Here Comes Goodbye – Rascal Flatts