Storyboard for Digital Story

Double Entry Journal #12

1.     How can documentary video production help prevent the underdevelopment of urban youth minds and spirits?

Several skills can be developed through this process like writing, speaking, and interviewing.  In the words of Julius when asked about improvements he made through his documuentary production, “I like to learn by doing my work, homework, classwork, or talking… I learn best by talking…” (p. 90, Goodman, 2003).  Documentary video production allows urban youth minds to have an alternative way to learn school-based literacies, something more appealing than writing a paper about a novel.

2. What school-based literacies does documentary video production help to develop?

            As mentioned above, writing, speaking, and interviewing.  It also teaches students how to research, analyze, reflect, and edit.    

3. What 21st century skills does documentary video production help to develop? Provide concrete examples from the chapter. Use this Wikipedia article  to help you answer this questions.

            Teachers need to move away from the traditional methods of teaching and bring into the classroom new and innovating approaches to teach the content and lifelong skills.  Documentary video production covers the 4 Cs of 21^st century skills.  It causes student think critically, be creative, communicate with others, and collaborate.  This causes students to have an extremely authentic experience that they will remember and value the rest of their lives.

4. Would you support a documentary video production in school or after-school program in your community? Why or Why not?

I most certainly would, but I would make sure that proper restrictions were made to ensure the safety of the student.  I wouldn’t want to allow them to go knocking on doors in the drug-using parts of Southern West Virginia (and yes, these areas where everyone is positive that meth labs are running do exist).  Interviews would have to be approved and when possible, done on school property. 

 

Citation:

(2003). Teaching youth media. New York: Teachers College Press.

Week 12, Activity 2

My opening line is not going to be verbalized.  It is a quote that will come onto the screen for about 5 seconds before I begin my digital story.  That quote will be: "Everything I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. --Abraham Lincoln "

The next thing to appear on the screen will be the word overcome and I will verbally define overcome "Overcome <pause> to struggle successfully against a difficulty or disadvantage"

Next verbal line(along with sound track) that will lead to digital story will be, "We all have had overcome things in our lives; Just before turning nine, I had to struggle successfully against the biggest difficulty of my life, losing my mother"

Essentially, my essential questions is "How to overcome the loss of a parent at a young age?"

Week 12, Activity 1

Element #1 - Point of View

Consider your audience as you plan your story. Why is it important for you to tell your story to them?

To learn about my success, despite struggles.

What do you hope your audience will understand about what you have to share?

I hope they understand that there were traumatic events of my childhood that changed me, but through it I am empowered and successful.

Will you be telling your story in 1st person (more personal) or will you be telling it from 3rd person (more removed or detached)?

I will be telling my story in 1^st person, because it is a very personal story.

Video Questions (once I can watch videos):
Take a look at the two examples and see if you can identify the purpose behind each story. What is the point of view in each? Whose voice do you hear?

Element #2 - Dramatic Question

I need to make sure that my question can be identified and that I resolve the question by the end of the video.

Video Questions (once I can watch videos):
See if you can find a dramatic question in the examples for this section. Is the question resolved in each movie or are you left without a resolution?

Element #3 - Emotional Content

My entire story (because it deals with death through the eyes of a child) will contain emotional content.

Video Questions (once I can watch videos):
See if you can identify the emotional paradigms behind these stories.

Element #4 - The Gift of Your Voice

I need to strive for natural conversational tones and patterns. I need to include room to stop, pause and think while I’m telling my story.

Video Questions (once I can watch videos):
As you watch the examples in this section, consider the impact that the voice plays on the overall effect of the story.

Element #5 - Sound Track

Can you think of instances in movies where the sound track had you sitting on the edge of your seat as you waited for something scary to happen?

Every scary movie has me on the edge of my seat because of the soundtrack!  I think I wouldn’t even be afraid of scary movies if it wasn’t for the sound track.

Element #6 – Economy

Video Questions (once I can watch videos):
Look at the examples in this section and consider the decisions the authors made about length of clips, types of transitions and sequence of events. Are you able (as a viewer) to fill in the missing pieces?

     

Element #7 - Pacing 

Have you ever listened to a really good story and noticed how the storyteller changes the pace throughout the story?

Yes!

Gathering the Pieces

I went ahead and added this for myself:

·         Still images

·         Video clips

·         Voice over narration

·         Soundtrack

·         Sound effects

·         Titles

·         Transitions

Double Journal Entry #11

Quote:

Mara, a 15-year-old member of the Young Gunz team, shared similar beliefs.  When asked how she and her video team members gathered information she explained, “We found out the truth. Like the street way of knowing it.  Getting information the street way is better than getting it the other way, you know, like the people with the suit and tie. ‘Cause they don’t really know.  Who really knows is the people who are on the street” (p.49, Goodman, 2003).

Explanation of Quote:

This statement really surprised me.  I think that it is sad that inner city minorities feel that a library is for the “suit and tie” people and that the street is truth.  I have been lucky to grow up in a world where I was encouraged to question and research everything.  In fact, if I was to create a video about a social problem, I would research the problem (internet, books, articles, etc.) before asking the opinion of others.   This may just be because I teach math, but I find comfort and reliability in research and statistics.  Someone’s word is just an opinion.  An opinion is just an opinion without statistics.  Statistic bring meaning to the opinions.  Yes, interviews of traumatic experiences are powerful.  However, start a video out with a cited and reliable statistic like (note not a real statistic), “50 percent of inner city minorities have witnessed a friend or close family member die from gun-related violence before the age of 18.”  Then, when someone is telling a first-hand experience or opinion on the matter, the connection between the statistic and opinion are made.

Additional Resource:

http://crimelab.uchicago.edu/page/report
It would have been beneficial to the students to find statistics like the above, on youth gun-violence.  It would have made the video more powerful.

Additional Questions for Week 11:

1. What are your concerns about teaching young people to make videos about social problems?

The opinions of the video make it powerful, but I feel the video is very unorganized.  There isn’t a clear problem and solution.  Statistics are lacking.  Adult supervision is lacking.  I am concerned about the safety of the student.  I am concerned that creating videos about social problems will put teens in danger.  Gang members could see these social explorations to be invasive and feel threatened by the young people making the videos.  Guns can be dangerous; the handling of guns in this video made me uneasy and I am even someone who is exposed to hand guns and rifles (My husband is an avid hunter);  I even target shoot myself.  However, the way the guns were handled (even if it was to make a point), made me very uneasy

 

1. Name a social issue specific to the Appalachian region that you think young people in your community would or should address.

Social Issue: Drug abuse, specifically prescription pain medication, methamphetamine (meth), and cocaine.

 

2. Find an online resource you might use to scaffold community-based  video production process.

http://www.druginterventions.net/westvirginia.htm

 

3. Choose one of the following perspectives; teacher, parent, or community member. From your chosen perspective, would you be supportive of a school program that engaged students in community-based video production? Why or Why not?

As a parent, I would be a hesitant combination of proud and afraid.  I would try and see the benefits of teaching the youth media, but the topic might make me hesitant.  If my child was interviewing people about their opinions on drug abuse in the county, I would be afraid for the safety of my child.  I would be proud of my child for being a positive influence in the community, but I would be afraid that possible drug abusers might hear of my child’s community outreach and try to harm him/her (whether it be fighting, threats, etc.).

 

Citation:

Goodman, S. (2003). Teaching youth media: A critical guide to literacy, video production & social change. NY: Teachers College Press.