My theme for my final project was “literature comes to life.” I had high hopes and different visions of how I was going to do some assignments a couple of weeks ago. With that said, I really enjoyed my theme and I think I did some pretty good work this week. I tried to think about how some of my favorite characters would be getting along in this new world constant connectivity. I also just played around too.
I present to you, Literature Comes to Life!
First, everyone’s favorite literary loner tweets:
For this I used a service called Twister that allows you to tweet fake things. I then took a screencap and used Gimp to make it look like an official tweet. The tweet is also something that old Holden would definitely say.
Next I created a flier for The Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I initially wanted to do a propaganda type poster but that doesn’t really fit the book. I went with a simpler, more whimsical flier instead.
I used Gimp in an attempt to tell this story. I placed the Nautilus just outside of danger and the blue background gets a shade darker when you go to the bottom. I used a font that reflected the steampunk quality of the book as well.
Then I decided to make a little postcard for one of my favorite places to visit. The Admiral Benbow Inn from Treasure Island.
I found an empty postcard template online and just decided to toy with it. In another version I had writing on the postcard but it was too distracting for a finished product.
Then I created a scenario that might have happened if Facebook had been around in the early Middle Ages.
There are a few various online tools to use when creating fake posts like this. I decided to search for those after I spent hours making this with Gimp. So is life (and so is art).
Next I decided to return to the X-Ray Goggles from Mozilla to create a Craigslist ad for the painter from The Picture of Dorian Grey
The X-Ray Goggles might be might favorite tool from this semester. I think it will be useful when I am teaching history. I might be able to trick a few middle schoolers.
Lastly I created a radio commercial for Sherlock Holmes Detective Serves LLC. Watson and Holmes would surely have to take advantage of advertising today.
https://soundcloud.com/mcorriga/holmesradiocommercial
I tried my best at a British accent but I fear that I am no Don Cheadle. I used my web cam mic to record this radio spot and clipped some edges using Audacity.
Ta-Da. I also tried to create a television commercial for Jurassic Park but I completely ran out of time. I also tried to use animation… tried. I am proud of the pieces I created for this project though.
Over the semester I’ve learned to use all sorts of nifty technology to tell stories with my site. This project is meant to reflect how some of my favorite characters would also use new technology and social media in their lives.
I also spent a lot of time this week thinking about storytelling. I think my definition has slightly changed as I now understand digital storytelling to be the creation of digital works. I think the “stories” that people can pull from these works are entirely up to them. I liken the process to viewing art. A reaction is the end goal of storytelling in the digital world.
My favorite creations from this course came from my new found ability to edit photos using Gimp. I love Gimp. I am a Gimper 4 Lyfe now. Here are my favorite works:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85491327@N08/sets/72157631662949462/
I also find myself watching this video all the time too.
I am pretty sad that this is coming to an end. I didn’t always understand why we had to do the things we did but I wish I could go back and do them all again for the first time. I absolutely loved discovering some talents and passions that I didn’t know I had. I am probably going to keep doing the daily creates because I think they are useful exercises in creativity. I will also probably keep viewing the DS106 site to see if I want to tackle any new obstacles.
My sole advice for future students is DONT BE AFRAID TO ENJOY THE WORK. This class went so much smoother when I decided to have fun with the assignments. I secretly think that is what this class is about.
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