Beyond Words

Beyond Words: The Craftsmanship of DigiTales Stories aka Beyond Words: From Data to Enduring Understandings

When a digital story is finished it should be remembered for its soul, not the bells and whistles of the technology tools. (Bernajean Porter, 2004)

We need to tell someone else a story that describes our experience because the process of creating the story also creates the memory structure that contains the gist of the story for the rest of our lives. (Roger Shank, Tell Me a Story.)

The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts but learning how to make the facts live. (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

Thinking About the Topic

Stories are not just for campfires anymore! People today are quite simply up to their eyeballs in information. Artificial intelligence research is showing that the more people are buried in the mind-numbing avalanche of today's information, the greater the importance of stories in making sense of the endless pieces of data. While storytelling does not replace analytical thinking, good stories do provide an essential process for conveying information in an easily absorbed form.

There is increasing urgency to develop communication skills that translate raw information into valuable knowledge for ourselves as well as others. Discovering the personal meanings of topics or events helps us create memory, meaning and understanding of the data and complexity in our lives.

Digital stories created about events and topics need to reflect the author's full intellectual and personal engagement with the subject--not just a reporting of facts and information. Storytellers are now able to "envision" information using digital tools to make sense of, evaluate, and share their deep understanding of historic, social, scientific and political topics. As we practice the craftsmanship of designing information through mixing colors, images, symbols, voice tones, music, sound and artful pacing, we are also striving to crystallize our perspectives into memorable digital stories that reveal meaning and understanding out of the data and complexity in our lives.

It is the act of telling our personal story of what we know and understand from an event or topic that provides a "sense-making" process enabling us to deal with a myriad of data details while also increasing its "sticking power." We want authors to be able to artfully use the digital media in ways that dance ideas together into illuminated understandings.

Time Duration Options

1+ hour keynotes or sessions for large group interactive experiences providing awareness and first steps; one (1) day workshops providing basic skills and understandings; or multi-day (3-5) camps providing in-depth technical skills acquisition, support from start to finish for crafting one personal digital story; learning cutting edge mentoring / coaching skills, experiencing group project management strategies, and gaining capacity to design and evaluate digital products.

One Hour Keynote/Session Program Description

Stories are not just for campfires anymore! Digital playgrounds are here to learn and master new communication forms! Designing information requires students to deepen their understanding of content while increasing visual, sound, oral language and information literacy skills. Experience digital stories that artfully dance ideas and media together into illuminated understandings!

One Day Program Description

Stories are not just for campfires anymore! Designing information requires authors to deepen their understanding of content while increasing their visual, sound, oral language and information literacy skills. The day is spent in small teams crafting 3-5 minute movies that artfully dance ideas and media together for illuminated understandings while learning the seven stages of digital storytelling along with sound, image and video editing software. Participants will leave prepared to coach exemplar communication products that have soul not just bells and whistles!

Three - Five Day Storytelling Camp Description

Experience an adventurous multi-day DigiTales Storytelling Camp! This unique artistic learning retreat is designed to immerse you in a very personal storytelling experience that weaves images, sound, memorabilia, voice, and graphics into a 3-5 minute movie. Practice the craftsmanship of designing information while learning the latest sound, imaging and video-editing tools. Participants will leave fully prepared to take their newly found talents back to colleagues, students, friends and families.

One Day Agenda Topics (Multi-Day Topics and Time are Expanded)

8:00 Opening
    Process: Organizing Collaborative Teams 
    Topic: Defining Digital Storytelling Stages
    Topic: Identifying Team Roles and Tasks
    Learning Lab 1: Comparing and Contrasting Craftsmanship
    Learning Lab 2: Applying Take Six: Elements of a Good Story
    Topic: The Power of "SO WHAT!"
    Learning Lab 3: Defining Types of Communication 
    Team Time for Pre-Production Tasks
    Learning Lab 4: Creating VoiceOvers with Audacity
    Topic: Getting Copyright Savvy
    Learning Lab 5: Image-editing Skills with PhotoShop
    Team Time for Production Tasks

12:15 Lunch Onsite

1:00 Learning Lab 6: Rough Cut Video-Editing Skills
    Team Time for Post-Production Tasks
    Learning Lab 7: Final Cut Video-Editing Skills
    Team Time for Post-Production Tasks

4:00 Wrap-up Deadline 
    Distribution Tasks (Saving and Making Back-ups)
    Unpacking Skills, Aha's, and Next steps

4:30 It's ShowTime! Group Projects Shared
5:00 Workshop Closing

Schedule Keynotes, Sessions, One-Day Workshops or Multi-Day Camps with

info@digitales.us or (720) 381-6336