The Media Production Process, Phases II-V: From Preproduction to Performance

I noticed when posting for chapter 13 that my chapter 12 post didn't publish.  Grrr.  Have I mentioned I am not a fan of blogs???
The grade is blown but here it is anyway...

Just introducing the process and phase I took an entire chapter, so I was very interested to see how the other four phases were going to covered together in one.  Well, they were covered…simply.

It was a practical, no nonsense way to cover a lot of information and considerations without getting too in-depth on any one aspect.

While some of the topics mentioned such as performance based green screen storytelling had me thinking “Yeah, right. Like I’ll EVER be into that level of this stuff.”  As got to the part about final assessment and reflection I found I was thinking more like a student than a teacher.  “What’s the story of making your story?” (Ohler, 2008. pg. 157).  I find I am continually reassessing what I’ve learned and keep adjusting fine.  So why not think ahead?

That brought me back to the beginning of the chapter where Ohler discusses the preproduction phase and the importance of not rushing it.  “Don’t be surprised when children don’t want to spend a lot of time with this step…the reality is that creating the list will save them a good deal of time while helping them develop good planning habits.” (Ohler, 2008. pg. 150).   I think a good deal of my struggles may be that I try and skip over a lot of ‘preproduction’ when learning new technology.    

The Digital Storytelling Toolbox: The Tools Teachers and Students Need to Tell Digital Stories

This ‘nuts and bolts’ approach continued into discussing the tools in ch. 13 And I liked it.  

While Ohler was referring to digital cameras “…we know 10% of what they can do and don’t even use most of that.  I try to distinguish between ‘essential features’ and ‘bells and whistles’ that I might use.” (Ohler, 2008. pg. 169).   I found the advice immensely helpful for considering all tools.  

I get glossy eyed when techies try to explain every detail of a thing, share the origin of the technology, tell me how it all works, why this widget is better than that widget, provide every possible combination of options - UG!  Just tell me what I need to get to be able to do what I want.  That is all. 

My favorite part was “Give yourself a ‘search time’ budget” (Ohler, 2008. pg. 167).  I get so worried about making a mistake or getting the wrong thing I spend way too much time researching.  Plus, I am a tight wad so the idea that there may be some academic discounts available is very appealing.  I live in fear that the minute I press the ‘purchase’ button I will see it cheaper! 

I resisted the urge to fill a video with pictures of my grandson, and chose to make it about something you don't already know about me!    

The Media Production Process, Phase I

So, how do we start? For me? With relief at this statement “The last thing you need to be is a digital whiz.” (Ohler, 2008. pg. 133). I think it’s clear by now that I love a good list and the figures (11.1-11.3) here were very helpful in that they showed several ways to break down the process into manageable pieces. I kept thinking this chapter should have been titled “How To Eat An Elephant”*.
I also liked that each approach had opportunities for review and reflection by the students. I think this would truly elevate the experience for students. They can correct, modify and enhance as the work vs. being set up to pass or fail at the END of the process.
Lastly, the section on adapting the development process to meet the learning objective was right on target. There is an analogy I use with new teachers or those struggling to connect lesson plans to standards or desired results: You don’t make a shopping list, get the supplies, prepare a birthday cake, put 13 candles on it, and HOPE there is a student who is having their 13th birthday that day. Effective planning is the same thing- you start with the need you are trying to meet, gap you are trying to fill, and then plan your activity.

*the answer: one bite at a time

Other Kinds of Stories

“We don’t know what we don’t know” Is one of my favorite axioms.
I don’t know if I would have thought of the cultural aspects of story type. I think the story or images themselves would have to specific references to a time, place or a group of people for me to ‘get it’.
I agree its important to explore different ways of doing everything so I will keep the quote “Antiheros, anti-plots, stream of consciousness, telling with texture and other forms of narrative all stretch our concept of story in interesting and useful ways” (Ohler, 2008. pg. 116) very close at hand while we continue working with DST.

More Story Maps

I was happy to revisit the idea of story mapping and even happier to have so many examples of different ways to do it! Coming right after the chapter discussing the importance of the struggle to change and how it is needed to propel a story and make it interesting, Aristotle’s design seemed simplistic to the point of useless. Not Ohler’s best planning if you ask me. But then I started thinking about the levels of storytelling and where DO you start to learn how to do it? You do have to start from the basic structure – a simple rise and fall – to have something to build on. (hmmmm, maybe he had a reason to put this here…). It was here I could find support for my belief that when teaching ANYTHING you need more than one way to do it.
Campbell’s Diagram suited my personal esthetics the best. I too believe in the cyclical nature of most things so approaching storytelling with the idea of return to the start (transformed, yes, but we tend to return none the less) makes sense to me.
I also liked the Treasure Map approach “The treasure map allows flexible customization of a story map.” (Ohler, 2008. pg. 116). Some stories need more time to develop-more places to go- and mapping in this free form way would really open possibilities.
McKee’s Story Schematic took that too far for me. I see the value for some types of stories, but they just aren’t the kind that interest me. That push-pull-back-and-forth-come-here-go-away story arc usually just irritates me.
I am very familiar with Kieran Egan’s work and loved that it was represented here. While Ohler provided a wonderful thumbnail, the idea that children could and in fact should achieve complex emotional development through storytelling and imagination is based in numerous philosophies (Piaget, Vygotsky, Gerber…) and is outlined more fully here:

Transformation Formations

This chapter on transformation struck home on several levels. The first being the essential NEED for transformation “Effective transformation creates the potential for memorability.” (Ohler, 2008. pg. 108) Repeating the same cycle of actions over and over is not only boring from a story telling perspective, but when no changes are made, there is no growth. I have been at my job over a year now and was still feeling isolated. I am secure in my competence and how I handle my duties, but there is a lack of connectivity. I’d been thinking it will come with time, if I just kept doing what has always worked before, things will start to click. They didn’t and I was getting frustrated and wondering if I had made a mistake. What I realize now is that by clinging to my old actions I had left no room to grow-BORING.
While I had always been respectful, I was trying to lead staff and provide service to a population with serious challenges with techniques and approaches that were unsuited. My skills didn’t transfer and my achievements didn’t matter. Essentially, I‘ve finally identified the imperfection!
While the book is about teacher / student applications, “You can use the taxonomies to facilitate a conversation with students…” (Ohler, 2008. pg. 111) The Eight Levels of Transformation table put what I had experienced so viscerally myself recently into a logical order. And I was able to see how stories could be a way to make the connections I have been missing.

Assessing Digital Stories

I have a favorite article I share with new teachers “What to say when the WOLVES come knockin’! by Lisa Murphy
In it she talks of the desire parents, administrators, colleagues, principals and even ourselves (the ‘wolves’) have for goals, objectives and activities that are aligned with standards, benchmarks and an assortment of desired results. “Wolves need obvious links between classroom projects and established learning guidelines.”
I am in constant pursuit to equip teachers with the vocabulary to answer that age old question “But what are they learning?” Ohlers addresses the complications in assessing new media with old vocabulary “teachers need to be able to respond reasonably and meaningfully…”
I support the idea that assessment tools for DST must reflect the work not just the product.

Confessions of a Digital Storytelling Teacher

It has been very easy for me to dismiss on-line activities as nonproductive time sucks. Revelation #16 ‘Digital storytelling helps students develop planning skills that are transferable to many endeavors’ got me thinking about what it actually takes to participate in activities such as role play gaming, social media sites, web production and even blogs. I recognize now the environment and tools are different but the commitment to vision and drive is the same.
In reference to research indicating that critical thinking skills in children is uncommon Stephen Norris wrote “Most students do not score well on tests that measure ability to recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments, and appraise inferences” (Norris 1985). I believe this is due in part to the decreasing opportunities to work things out on their own. So much focus is now on results and test scores and curriculum is geared to right vs. wrong answers and less on the thinking process itself.
In revelation #19 ‘Digital storytelling helps students develop creativity and innovation skills needed to solve important problems in imaginative way.’ We see DST offers a way to include these activities again.

Story Planning Considerations

Earlier this week I attended a workshop on the cycle of poverty and strategies for how we as social service providers can improve services in our communities. Although I didn’t realize it at first, after listening to the presenter I began to see what she was talking about was that we need to understand our clients stories to begin to understand their needs.
While the general idea of this chapter was about planning and keeping the process flexible to allow room for individualization I kept coming back to the idea that the order doesn’t matter as long as the story is told from the source, not provided by the format. “If we don’t write the stories of our lives, someone else will do it for us.” (Ohler, 2008. pg. 102). This is a new perspective for my but I feel it is going to significantly impact my work as an administrator and how I approach my clients. “No significant
Learning occurs without a significant relationship.” Dr. James Comer

Ohler also presents the idea that story planning can be used effectively at many ages. I bregan to think of instances where this may be put to work with pre-readers. Sign concept and is an important phase of writing development when children begin to understand that words stand for something. I recalled an activity I’ve done frequently with groups of 5 & 6 year olds. I read the story “The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear” by Don and Audrey Wood, not showing them the pictures, as the children draw the story. They always include the bear in their pictures and he is never actually present in the story! When I read it again, showing the pictures, the children begin to understand a bit about perception and that written words have meaning and represent and reflect real world events, items and ideas.

Applying Story Maps

Story mapping appealed to me as a creative way to exercise critical thinking and problem solving skills. How to ‘sneak in the fun’ is a challenge for teachers at every level of education. When students are allowed to explore problems from different angles and bring their own unique perspective into the process the learning opportunity increases with each added idea vs. just right or wrong question and response.
“The Reggio Emilia approach has evolved from the belief that children are endowed with enormous potential, full of the desire and ability to construct their own knowledge. Creativity and learning are considered parts of the same process. Children create their own knowledge through exploration.” TES Newspaper on 20 September, 1996Wendy Holland
And the value of exchange isn’t limited to student to student or classroom interactions. Ohler supports this in stating “…many situations might require us to learn from those whom we never expected to be our teachers. (pg 93)

Thinking About Story

While considering the approaches to story presented in this chapter I was intrigued by the idea of the story core and more specifically the importance of identifying the power in a story. “…helps them see their own experiences as a great source of material.” (Ohler, 2008. Pg.73) And, how connecting one skill (such as the story core) can be applied to other areas “…also be used to help them understand many of life’s challenges.” (Ohler, 2008. pg. 73).
When used as a technique, stories can involve students on an emotional level and significantly impact learning. “Learning becomes meaningful and effective if students are given the opportunity to link their school activities to real-life experience.”PAIVA, V.L.M.O. Making learning meaningful.Newsletter da APLIEMGE. Vol. 5, n.4, dez. 2000. p.5
And according to Westwater & Wolfe (2000:49) information that the brain determines is important is much more likely to be attended to, stored, and later retrieved than that which the brain decides is meaningless or of little consequence.
Lastly, I appreciated that Ohler had boundaries for his use of technology, suggesting computer use for certain stages would be distracting. I find that some of the most resistance to technology in my level of education is stems from the fear it will replace actual experiences for young children.