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Topics for Class Eight:
Writing a Script -
part 2: Another Round of Story Circles
A Few Words about Original Writing, Using Quotes,
Paraphrasing and Citing Sources
Creating a Storyboard
Assignments for Next
Class:
* Reading Assignments
*
Blog Assignment
* Hands-On
Assignment 8
Review Assignments from
Last Class
Hands-On Assignment:
For this week's hands-on assignment, you should write a first
version of the script on the popular culture topic you will be
using for your final semester digital story project.
Personal Blog Assignment
In this week's class, we held our first round of story circles
in which students met in small groups to discuss the scripts
they are writing for the final semester digital story project.
For this week's blog assignment, go to your personal blog at and
post a comment in which you discuss some of the feedback and
ideas that came out of the story circle experience. In your
posting, talk briefly about how you think this might affect the
script that you will be submitting for next week or if not, why
not.
Some of the
results:
| I really
enjoyed the story circle once I was past how embarrassed
I felt reading my writing to my peers. I think the
circles are a great way to really get some good ideas on
which direction you would like to go with your digital
photo story, and to find if there are any areas in your
story that do not quite make sense or do not flow so
well together. I also think, knowing that I will be
sharing my script with my peers makes me want to make it
that much better, so the criticisms and suggestions I do
receive will really help me develop a better final
project. |
| The most valuable thing that
came out of this assignment was Hal's advice to write
the story using a conversational tone. I think I've been
stuck in the academic writing mode so long that I have
forgotten what other kinds of writing are out there. I
am going to have to practice my first-person narration
skills for this project. |
Last
Wednesday I and two other people from my group (Coretta
and Hannah) participated in a writing circle activity as
part of Dr. Robin's Digital Storytelling class. The
exercise was insightful, fun and useful.
The group was given 15 minutes to write a story about a
moment in time when they were forced (had) to make a
decision that would change their life. I spoke of the
time I chose to move to Austin for a job that would
change the course of my career. Hannah chose to write
about her decision to go to U of H and how it has
changed her life and career. And Coretta wrote of her
journey to self fulfillment and a career doing something
she loves. By the end of the exercise, having discussed
each participant's story with the assigned group, we had
found common themes, discuss a little of how to make the
story better (though probably not as much as we should
have) and in my opinion gotten to know each other a
little bit better and enjoyed ourselves in the process.
The exercise itself showed us how easy it was to pour
out at least a rough draft of a story. We all agreed
that it was easier to write about something we knew, as
well as something near to our hearts and experience. Dr.
Robin checked in on us and we discussed the difference
between the exercise topic and working on our final
project. I came away with a better understanding of what
lies ahead in creating the text for my final project and
hopefully understanding the creative process a little
better.
Finally, the writing circle was without a doubt
something that anyone working on a story could use. In
practice, as an educator, I could see using this at the
beginning of the digital storytelling course as an
icebreaker amongst students. The student is not expected
to spill their heart out about a sensitive topic, but to
speak about something that brings pride to them. Another
possibility would be to use the writing circle at the
beginning of every class to - maybe a five minute
exercise - to allow the students a creative moment to
either build on lessons learned from the last class or
areas of their final story where they would like
feedback. Actually there are so many options for when
and how to use this type of exercise. |
When first put on the spot to
write quick and off the cuff, I was not to sure how to
handle it. My first inclination is to be perfect, sound
smart and usually boring. I figured with the time
limitations that my page was going to be empty if I
followed this path. So… I gave up my first inclinations
and just tried to write as I speak and see what
happened. The words came to me more quickly and flowed
onto the paper. I found that I enjoyed the process more
than the usual writing assignment. Reading the story
back to the group was easier than expected as well, I
suppose, because I was reading words that I would say
naturally. When it was all over I found that my circle
of listeners enjoyed what I had to say and I did too.
Although the topic I had in class was not the subject of
my digital story, I will take this approach in some form
or fashion when I write my script, but maybe with a
twist. |
The story
circle that we did last Wednesday was a great way to get
me thinking of ideas to do my script for the final
project. The group included: Alma, Me and Leon.
Since me and Alma have done this exercise before we
discussed what we did in the past to the rest of the
group. We then listened to Leon we recently came to the
United States from Taiwan. He offered an insight to us
about the culture of Taiwan and what he had experienced
here in the United States. I think that it is a great
way to bounce ideas off of others in the class.
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| I enjoyed the writing activity
we did in class. Because I was unaware it would be read
out loud, I let my writing flow more, which was an
interesting realization for me - that I hold back when I
know my writing will be read aloud. I was pleasantly
surprised to have my group tell me that I am a good
writer. I think that will give me an added confidence
when I am working on my script for the project. Other
than that, I don't think it will affect how I write my
first draft. I do hope that we do the exercise again
this week to get feedback for the final draft.
|
| When we met
with our circle, I enjoyed the constructive criticism
that was said by all members of the circle towards
everyone. It was a great way to get everyone involved,
and since everyone had to go it wasn't stressful or
anything. I think that as an educator, I will definitely
use this in my classroom... it helps students process
thoughts and editing one another was fun and easy.
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| The writing and sharing
exercise took be back a number of years. I had
experienced "just write for 10 minutes" in 1990 when I
participated in the New Jersey writing project through
Sam Houston State University, offered by my ISD. It was
somewhat uncomfortable, but with such a small group made
it OK. I also used to have my students do similar
exercises when teaching fourth grade. When we read our
writings to each other Hal joined us and we shared other
stories as well. |
My first
story circle time, which I even can't understand the
meaning, has influence me a lot about my project. I said
that this is my very first class in the UH and never
been to the U.S. before. I talked something about my
home country and they said that it's an interesting
story.
I am not sure how interesting it is, but I am sure it
will be easier for me to do the research. |
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Writing a Script -
part 2: Another Round of Story Circles
Students will have another
opportunity to get peer feedback on their scripts during our
second round of story circles.
A Few Words about
Original Writing, Using Quotes, Paraphrasing and Citing Sources
Below are some guidelines related to original writing, using
direct quotes, paraphrasing and citing sources.
- Students are expected to
complete and submit their own original work. This means
that you should write your script in your own words even
though you may be using quotes from other people's
writing as well as themes and ideas that you find in
movies, books, magazines, or on the web.
- You should keep a record of all
of the sources you use in both writing your script and
creating your digital stories. You should include a
credits slide or slides at the end of your digital story
that list the names and locations of material you used
in your story.
- You may use a direct quote (the
exact words written by someone else) in your digital
story or script but if you do, the words must be placed
within quotation marks and the source of the material
must be cited on the particular slide or slides that the
quote covers.
- You may also paraphrase
material from other sources. Paraphrasing means that you
took material that someone else wrote and re-wrote it in
your own words. It also means that you re-wrote all of
the original material in your own words, not just part
of it.
- When you paraphrase material
from other sources, you should include a reference to
that information on your credits slide. The reference
should contain as much information as you have about the
material, such as the name of the author(s), the work
where the material originated (name of book, magazine,
newspaper, etc.), the date the work was written, and if
you found the information on the web, the URL of the
webpage where the information was found.
- Also, using Microsoft Word's
thesaurus feature to change a few words in a paragraph
that someone else wrote, does not mean that you have
re-written it in your own words.
- You should also include
references to any commercial music that you used,
although commercial music should only be used when it is
part of the story or reflects a mood or period in time
that other music cannot do. When possible, it is best to
use royalty-free music, as described on the Class 7
webpage, at:
http://courses.coe.uh.edu/brobin/7358-pop/class7/class7-pop.htm
- Your final digital story will
include a mixture of different images, including
pictures taken with a digital camera, some created with
image-editing software, some that were scanned from a
source such as a book or magazine, and some that were
downloaded from the web. You should add references on
your credit slide(s) to indicate the source of any
scanned or downloaded images you use in your final
digital story.
Creating a Storyboard
For some, storyboarding may
seem like a hassle, or a tedious extra step
in the process of creating a digital photo
essay, digital story or informational
website. However, storyboarding can be a
valuable step in the creative process by
allowing the developer to organize images
and text before in a blueprint fashion
before the actual development begins. It
allows the user to visualize how the project
will be put together and what holes exist
since they can see the entire plan laid out
in front of them. Storyboarding can also
inspire new ideas as well as rearrange
existing resources before the final
development begins and changes may be harder
to make.
Below is an early version of
storyboard that shows how a photo story
might be created on the topic of online game
addiction. These sample pictures were found
online, however, for the final project, you
will need to take some of the pictures
yourself. But you could also supplement your
project with some pictures you find other
places, such as on the web using images
search tools like Google or Yahoo, as well
as scanning some images from books,
magazines, or newspapers.
Example of an Early Visual Storyboard:
Video Game Addiction
Patient in a counseling session
Doctor in a medical
library
Doctor using a computer
Group therapy session
Screenshots of online computer games
Photos of people playing games
Pictures of equipment
game players use
Devices, such as cell
phones, that people don’t usually think of
as gaming devices
Pictures of game boxes,
such as displays in a store
Pictures of Gaming
magazines
Charts that you create to show how games work
Charts with statistics about game use
Photos of kids playing games
And a humorous image that could be used at the
end of the story
Tutorial:
Creating a Storyboard in Microsoft Word
http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/pdfs/inword.pdf
Storyboard Created with Excel
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Sounds |
Images |
Text of narration |
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1 |
Instrumental: cash4trash |
Use it up |
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2 |
Nar1 |
Montage of Maps and Names 17sec |
In the last 6 decades, America has been involved in a
variety of armed conflicts. Some have been short and
quickly forgotten. Others have been costly, long, and
emotionally devastating to the nation. Yet none have
required large-scale economic sacrifices. This makes it
difficult for most of our population to image the
willingness of the nation to do without during the Second
World War. |
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3 |
Nar2 |
30s movie 19 sec |
65 years doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but our country in
the early 1940s and the people in it may as well have
existed in a parallel universe, so different were the
circumstances of everyday life. |
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4 |
Nar3 |
Depression Pictures |
As1941 drew to a close, we were just beginning to dig
ourselves out of the most severe and longest-lasting
depression ever experienced in the Western World. |
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5 |
Nar4 |
Military pictures |
Our military was pared to the bone and undersupplied. |
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Rosy the Riveter |
Our manufacturing sectors were only beginning to gear up
after years of low production. |
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6 |
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Pearl Harbor pictures |
[Pearl Harbor announcement]. |
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7 |
Nar5 |
Map of war zones |
Then, suddenly, we were at war—not only in the Pacific, but
in Europe, as well |
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8 |
Nar6 |
posters |
Vital components of the war effort such as rubber, silk and
nylon; as well as staples of the American diet like sugar
and coffee were suddenly in short supply. |
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9 |
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Poster—use it up |
And a nation that was just beginning to once again enjoy the
fruits of economic prosperity was suddenly asked to “use it
up, wear it out, and make it do.” On the upside, they had
had a lot of practice. |
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10 |
Essentials |
poster |
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11 |
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Record Label |
Aunt Mary Lou sings we did it before |
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12 |
Nar7 |
We can do it |
For the most part, American citizens fell behind the war
effort with enthusiasm. |
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poster |
They were incensed by the sneak attack on American soil and
willing to do whatever it took to keep the war machine well
supplied and productive. |
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13 |
Nar8 |
Boy with Pans |
Scrap drives were common place, and often used children as
the primary collectors. |
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Children scrap drive pictures |
This not only freed adults for more burdensome tasks, but
allowed children to feel that they could do something toward
the war effort—thereby helping to calm their fears and give
them a focus. |
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14 |
Nar9 |
Posters |
The population was extorted to turn in scrap, including the
all important rubber and metal, but also paper, wood and
even unused cooking fats. |
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15 |
Sound
Clip |
song clip with posters |
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16 |
Nar10 |
Inflation graph |
World War I had seen rampant inflation as supplies had
dwindled. In an effort to keep a similar problem from
occurring during WWII, the federal government began
rationing supplies almost immediately. |
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17 |
Nar11 |
Ration board/ OPA/sugar make it stretch |
Across the country, over 8000 rationing boards were
created. The office of Price Administration (OPA) froze
prices on almost all consumer goods, starting with sugar and
coffee. |
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18 |
Nar12 |
Posters |
The first things to be rationed were items made of rubber,
and gasoline. Japan had annexed many of the American
sources of rubber. Just when the supply was needed the most
for war production, there was very little to be had. |
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19 |
Sound clip |
Posters |
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20 |
Nar13 |
Poster |
Gas rationing, though stringent, was less about shortages of
the fuel, and more about keeping precious tires from wearing
out. |
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21 |
Nar14 |
Picture of family sitting around the radio |
Throughout the war, citizens at home were urged to conserve
and make do. The messages were everywhere—in the
newspapers, the post office, and, of course, the radio. |
Click here to download the Excel File Example
Above
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Click here to download the Blank Excel
Storyboard Template
Celtx Media Pre-Production
Software for Film/Theatre/Radio/Animation/and AV
http://celtx.com/download.html
After downloading the program,
click on the Storyboard link.
You will then be able to add
images and text descriptions.
A video about how the program works is online
at:
http://celtx.com/walkthru/storyBoard.html
More info about Celtx is online at:
http://wiki.celtx.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
Additional Storyboard
Resources
Blank Storyboard Template 1
Blank Storyboard Template 2
Blank Storyboard Template 3
Index Card Storyboard Example
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~ricky/etec/example.html
Creating a Storyboard for Video Production
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~ricky/etec/sboardtemplate.html
Assignments for Next
Class:
Reading Assignments:
Review the material listed on the Class 8 webpage then
explore the following article:
Chapter 4: Storyboarding
from the Digital Storytelling Cookbook
http://www.storycenter.org/cookbook.pdf
Hands-On Assignment 8:
Reminder: If you have not yet completed Hands-On
Assignment 7: which was to email a copy of the script on the
topic you will be using for your final semester digital story
project to Dr. Robin at:
brobin@uh.edu), please do so before our next class.
For this week's hands-on
assignment, you should create a storyboard on the popular
culture topic you will be using for your final semester digital
story project. If you create your storyboard on the computer,
you should email your storyboard to Dr. Robin at:
brobin@uh.edu or post a
comment on your personal blog in which you provide a link to an
online location where the storyboard file can be viewed and
downloaded.
If you choose to create a paper-based storyboard, you should
bring a copy of the storyboard with you to class next week.
Blog Assignment 8:
Post a comment on the course
discussion blog related to the storyboard you are creating for
next week. In your posting, you may also discuss any other
aspect related to your digital story, such as describing the
progress of your work, discussing challenges you faced as well
as comment or ask questions about your work on this week's
storyboard assignment.
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