Guest Post: Shipman Reviews The New Digital Storytelling by Bryan Alexander
In the final chapters, Dr. Alexander provides example of “how to” build a digital story, using the classic Center for Digital Storytelling workshop model. For me, this was the most thought-provoking section. The description of how a workshop is conducted, the questions used to prompt creative/insightful “story-able” thought is worth the price of the book. Alexander inventories the software available for audio, images, video editing, publication, concept mapping, and other production tools. This inventory of tools describes the appropriateness of each with respect to the level of experience of the storyteller. Digital storytelling in education is covered in Chapter 14 and is a rich resource for parents and educators who want to leverage the digital world.
The New Digital Storytelling should be the standard guide for anyone who wants to use all the new digital gadgets available to tell their story; this book is an excellent one-stop resource. I plan to use what I’ve learned in the expansion of my family tree history to an A/V platform and have already built a to-do list to get started.
One closing thought; the irony isn’t lost that this “book” about digital storytelling is made of paper, glue, and ink. I can only imagine what an adventure this would be if presented digitally where all the links were connected…a digital story on how to tell digital stories.
The New Digital Storytelling comes with my highest recommendation. Get this book, use those tools, and tell your stories.
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The New Digital Storytelling, reviewed | Bryan Alexander:
May 12th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
[…] Good review from Zenpundit: The New Digital Storytelling should be the standard guide for anyone who wants to use all the new digital gadgets available to tell their story; this book is an excellent one-stop resource. […]
onparkstreet:
May 14th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
My favoritest topic, ever! Good review.
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eastoftheweb is my favorite short story site on the net.
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Before I fell into the milblog corner of the online world, I spent most of my digital time in the online story telling world.
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And it led to many beautiful little intellectual and artistic adventures.
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I submitted 250 word "short short" stories to normblog (truly one of the bestest blogs out there).
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http://normblog.typepad.com/normblog/2006/06/short_short_sto.html
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I took part in the fifty word short, short story Fridays at Sepia Mutiny:
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http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/002304.html
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And I wrote six-word "memoirs," at Smith Mag and even got one published! My only non-digital, non-medical journal publication! I am a total creature of the academic college town world in which I was raised….I hardly know how to exist outside of that world and that is why I find intellectuals and artists totally hilarious. Their daily foibles in contrast to the beauty of their work fascinates me.
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http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/
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http://tinyurl.com/4yzpz5v
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I am included in a collection that includes a bunch of "nobodies" like me, and "somebodies" like Gloria Steinem. Which if you know me, is utterly hilarous. The Gloria Steinem bit, I mean. Utterly hilarious.
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– Madhu
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(I should go back to that world, I always say. I’m too emotional for the milblog
zen:
May 14th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Great review! I ordered three copies for colleagues at work.
J. Scott:
May 14th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Hi Madhu, Glad you’re familiar with the genre. It was all new to me; I knew there was something called Second Life, and online gaming, but I had no idea just how much. That’s one part of Bryan’s book, but his processes and questions truly made me think about my stories—mostly family related, and how to convey them. I’m the last in my line, as it were; so if I don’t tell my children some stories from the family, they won’t get told. And I believe I’ll go all in and do video and audio—but rather than post on the web, make DVDs. I do love to find books like Bryan’s that take me away in a new direction—I’ve a stack of legal and emergence philosophy awaiting after I finish Dancing With Monsters by Jason K. Stearns—a history of the Congo War. [I would insert a new paragraph here:))] Zen, Thank you again for the opportunity, and I hope your colleagues get as much out of the read as I did.
Bryan Alexander:
May 16th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Greetings, Madhu the kindred spirit. Those are fun examples – can I add some to http://newdigitalstorytelling.wordpress.com/?Many thanks, Zen. Looking forward to hearing what folks think.
Bryan Alexander:
May 16th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Zen, Scott, I’m starting to poke around the use of stories for geopolitics and security purposes. Is there anything great of late that I should pore over?(Thanks for the Dancing With Monsters reminder)
Charles Cameron:
May 16th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
You might take a look here, Bryan.
Critt Jarvis:
May 17th, 2011 at 10:26 am
Bryan,re: geopolitics and security purposesThe research work coming from Mary Joyce is awesome… macro, meso, micro. Example:The Implications for Digital Activism of Key Social Movement Theorieshttp://www.meta-activism.org/2011/04/digital-activism-through-the-lens-of-social-movement-theory/
Charles Cameron:
May 17th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
Hi Bryan, Madhu, Zen, Scott, Critt…
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Ha! A goodly chunk of my social network all gathered in one place, talking!
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We (the generic, not the individuals here present) have all been living in silos too long, methinks, and now we (those here present and other "kindred") seem to be in convergence mode.
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It’s about time!
J. Scott Shipman:
May 17th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Charles, In many respects there is both a convergence and emergence happening simultaneously. Very good company, indeed!
onparkstreet:
May 18th, 2011 at 3:28 am
@ Bryan Alexander – of course!
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– Madhu
onparkstreet:
May 18th, 2011 at 3:31 am
Oh, I’ve forgotten my Twitter fiction. I deleted the account but may open up a new one.
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– Madhu