Ramapo NY Digital Storytelling
 
For those of us who are external consultants, nothing pays in gold like opportunities to work directly with students. Peg Sheehy, Kevin Jarrett and myself seredipitiously found ourselves conjuuring up an extrodinary experience - introducing Suffern Middle School students to digital storytelling via Robert Frost’s Road NOT Taken. The students were challenged find their own visual story of a time that some choice had influenced or changed their life while performing the actual words of Frost’s poem. Needless to say the students inspired us all as they found their personal stories AND lessons learned. Kevin Jarrett’s blog share our own story of working with the students. See the links below for a bit of memory lane documenting the Ramapo NY Suffern Middle School students creating storytelling with imovie, machinima, and secondlife "storyworlds." For me it was the most inspiring experience in years! The student's 3D Emotional "StoryWorld" Immersions telling their personal stories within Second Life especially caught our imaginations! But whatever the mode of communciation - the story lines and lessons learned guided the student's learning tasks. And again the big BFO (blinding flash of the obvious) - finding, shaping, polishing up their storylines, narratives took an unexpected abundant amount of time. A little tough when the kids are ready to rock and roll with the technology tools. But the quality at the end is worth the strife and patience to get their message rigorous and robust BEFORE using the technology tools. My colleagues Peg Sheehy, Kevin Jarrett, Marianne Malstrom, Liza Medina, Jenn Furhling, myself and other Ramapo staff became one of those dream teams you imagine would be possible if we focused on our key outcome: students!  What a delight to work with these incredible students and their teachers! Must be somthing in the Ramapo water - not one time were the kids not respectful, fully present and dramatically engaged in their work. ShaZamm! A group of students even tried to get out of their field trip to stay and work on their stories. Made me remember that working with kids has always been my life's joy - and when I get weary it will be memories of these last days of working with these middle schoolers that will refuel me to forge ahead!  Coming SOON . . . URL sites for viewing the student work. The school is planning an Applause - Applause evening with parents and community. We will be presenting a panel of this experience at NECC this summer . . . and we will also be launching a new ISTE SIG group for digital storytelling! Join us for a heartful enlightening experience!  in peace Bernajean Photo Tour: http://flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/sets/72157604261802375/ Local News Article: http://tinyurl.com/3ygho2 Kevin Jarret Blogs an Overview: http://www.ncs-tech.org/?p=1219 Skim The Ramapo Team Digital Storytelling Wiki: Outlining our Work; Journaling; Reflections http://ramapoproject.wikispaces.com/ http://flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/sets/72157604261802375/http://tinyurl.com/3ygho2http://www.ncs-tech.org/?p=1219http://ramapoproject.wikispaces.com/shapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3
Tuesday, April 1, 2008