A story should do something. Create outrage, understanding, compassion, or grace. This is my sister’s story and how she was able to accept grace and peace.  

This week I viewed a video on Story Center called “Taffy.” The author, Shedrick Wicks tells a story of love and companionship. After moving to Denver, Wicks found himself to be lonely and ended up adopting a cat named Taffy. The story is endearing and the viewer can’t help but root for the duo. I … Continue reading "For Taffy"

My momma always told me to mind my own business and to never eavesdrop. Today though, I purposefully listened in to random conversations to gain a fun snippet. My mom would NOT be proud! The Daily Create posed an assignment where eavesdropping was the name of the game. I was to take a snippet of … Continue reading "An Epigraph from Eavesdropping"

There is a strong possibility I am behind on the creation of my digital story, but I have just now settled on a focus. I know, I know, I’ve had weeks to figure this out. I’ve truly been struggling with my chosen theme and had a bit of an epiphany last week. My true focus … Continue reading "Story Board"

A grim silence lingered, excess from the cries that preoccupied the air moments earlier. Shattered from an exhausting battle, neither had won, both distressed from defeat. They lay down their arms and lay down their persons. Absorbed slowly by the damp earth, entrenched along the pin straight path that broke the meandering road between Kald … Continue reading "On the Road from Kald to Hirane"

Every week I’ve been grappling with my theme for this course. I settled on learning photography, which has been a lot of fun, but hasn’t created meaning for me. I tend to be over analytical with connotations. I dissect language, I tear apart novels, and I examine how communication in all forms affects my understanding … Continue reading "My True Theme and How To “Do” Storytelling"

I’m about to be cliche and refer to an old adage, but when you think about it, there is a reason the sayings are universal and prevailing. A picture is worth a thousand words is what rings true as I was watching this week’s digital story. One can quite literally use a thousand words to … Continue reading "Digital Story: Photography for Social Change"

This week, I found an article about transliteracy and the application of digital storytelling. Suzana Sukovic defines transliteracy as, “The ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks.” The idea of transliteracy directly relates … Continue reading "Transliteracy- not just web 2.0"

So…Marvel has an exciting app where you can create your own superhero. Select your body, hair, eyes, and even your accessories! Check out my superhero Sagitta. She is a scavenger who liberates the people of Loagnes as they struggle to escape the Pelitch troupe that has invaded their sacred lands. #ds106 #tdc1759  

This week we read a chapter from Digital Storytelling: Capturing Lives, Creating Community by Joe Lambert. Lambert is the founder of StoryCenter, and organization that I have deeply respected while exploring digital storytelling this semester. StoryCenter highlights the human experience and allows connections to occur between the viewer and the author. The stories are deeply … Continue reading "A Road Traveled"

So..I love the daily create and assignment bank at ds106. Allowing myself time to be creative and to have a space to do so is energizing. This week though, there isn’t a whole lot of creativity that went into my assignment, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.  #VisualAssignments1875 asks the community to post a … Continue reading "Me and My Spirit Animal"

  This week, I sought out a digital story about how photography has influenced someone’s life. I came across this digital story, and wanted to review it because it is not professional quality, and I haven’t evaluated a story that has not been presented by a professional company yet. The story is a narrative from … Continue reading "Story Critique: Photography Changed My Life"

My Gallery Walk can be viewed here: Links to the blogs I reviewed are below: Digital Storytelling: What it is, and What it is not: https://boylebou.wordpress.com/2016/10/14/response-to-digital-storytelling-what-it-is-and-what-it-is-not/ Digital Storytelling for Struggling Writers: https://louizainte5340fall2016.wordpress.com/2016/09/30/digital-storytelling-for-struggling-writers/ The use of Digital Storytelling for English Learners: http://robertfpiper.com/blog/my-response-to-the-use-of-digital-storytelling-for-english-learning 8 Steps to Great Digital Storytelling: https://kellyreseigh.wordpress.com/2016/09/30/8-steps-to-great-digital-storytelling/ Virtual Reality and the Future of Storytelling: … Continue reading "Midpoint Gallery Walk"

If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you know that I’ve had a focus on how to incorporate digital storytelling into my school. I know the all too familiar feeling of being overwhelmed by yet another strategy and another approach in my classroom. It can be daunting. However, when something is good for the … Continue reading "Get Going in the Classroom"

Have you ever had a day where you wish you could be in two, or even three, places at once? There are days when time flies by, and you are rallying against the clock. Now, with your handy-dandy smartphone, you can clone yourself and be everywhere all at once! Today I needed to catch up … Continue reading "Clone Yourself!"

This week I watched another Blank on Blank episode with an interview by Jane Goodall. The story was apropos to what I’ve been feeling lately about literacy and integrating a new approach for future success of my students. Jane describes how she followed her instincts to pursue a life involved in nature. Her journey was … Continue reading "Instinct"

My learning this semester has really branched into two areas. On one hand, I have been learning about photography for my own interests to incorporate into my final project. On the other, my headlong dive into this class has taken on a world of its own in my thought process. After reading this week’s article, … Continue reading "Social Learning"

  Most days I am either glued to a computer, analyzing data, or hanging out in classrooms. But sometimes, I get to go on field trips! Now, as a teacher, field trips were by far the most exhausting day. When I was asked to attend a field trip to the farm today, I was happy … Continue reading "A Day in the Life of a Principal"

As educators strive to incorporate technology in the classroom, many teachers are blogging and are having students interact on their own blogs. As I’ve ruminated previously, giving students a space to record and reflect on their learning can have a huge impact. Elizabeth Guerra questions whether blogging is having a positive impact in the classroom, … Continue reading "Story Review: Blogging in the Classroom"

Today’s Daily Create encouraged snapping a photo and using this site to make it old! The site is in Japanese, it was fun to use my intuition to figure out how to use it without a translator. #tdc1726

Digital storytelling has been at the forefront of my mind every time I talk to my colleagues, yet I feel like I’m still not finding the right words to incite excitement. As educators, we are often bogged down with the race against the school year clock and wading through intense curriculum that is overwhelming in … Continue reading "Storytelling Improves Student Writing"

I am drawn to animated storytelling. This is my third found narrative where animation is paired with an interview. This week I watched a Blank on Blank episode entitled “Joni Michell on Illusions”. Joni describes her desire to represent herself the same way she represented her music. She wanted to be ordinary. Her goal was … Continue reading "Illusions"

So…I recorded myself reading a poem I wrote about my blog. Not sure how I feel about this, but it was fun either way!   Pelt (by Ashley Padilla 2016) Renegade salt and PEPPER shaker Born to wield an untidy union Shackled among thieves of ingenuity Their escape will result in reciprocity Do NOT deny … Continue reading "Poetry- Audio"

Is the act of creating greater than the creation itself? Music Remix in the Classroom opens the reader up to a culture where music creation, and remixing of another artist’s work, is an expression of appreciation, nostalgia, and a rejection of the status quo of ownership. Remixing music spans genres and can be as simple … Continue reading "Remix Your Mindset"

Storycenter.org strives to “preserve and share humanity’s stories” through multiple modalities. After reading an article about the importance of teaching children to be aware of a global “us” rather than a foreign “them”, Story Center was the perfect landing spot to discover how moving a digital story can be. There are stories about loss, love, … Continue reading "An Inspiring Q&A"

Focusing on citizenship has becoming increasingly important in our schools. Buried beneath test scores, evaluations, and data analysis, students are often missing an opportunity to develop critical characteristics that enable them to become effective global citizens. Truong-White and McLean explore how digital storytelling in the classroom can enhance global citizenship. Digital Storytelling for Transformative Global … Continue reading "Tell Your Story, You Global Citizen"

I really enjoy perusing Daily Create assignments from ds106. While trying to learn new photography techniques, I came across a fun Daily Create about colorizing a black and white photo. After converting a color photo to black and white, I uploaded the image to Deep Learning powered colorizer to add color back in. I rather … Continue reading "A Dollop of Color Please!"

My personal theme for this semester is photography. I received a camera as a gift and am excited to learn how to technically take a good photo, and am hopeful that I will develop my skill enough to tell a story with my photographs. With this focus, I am exploring digital stories that will support … Continue reading "Behind the Lens: Analysis of a Digital Story"

I have decided that everyone is a nerd, it just depends on what kind of nerd. Me, I am a Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, sentence diagramming nerd. Yes, sentence diagramming. That is another post for another time. This week, I grabbed a #VisualAssignment from ds106 that requested one make their own Game of Thrones … Continue reading "House Padlun"

The flickering candle doth glow in my heart, as a tainted darkness devours the hearth….if that quote excited you, this is not the post for you. I will not be discussing that kind of “flicker”, instead we will explore the absent ‘e’ Flickr, the photo sharing giant that dominates a social sphere of image exchange. … Continue reading "Flickering Flickr- Glowing Photosharing"