Earlier this summer, I was lucky enough to be a participant in one of the Golden Apple Foundation's Summer Seminars. Entitled Telling Tales: Capturing the Essence of the Teaching Experience With Digital Storytelling, we worked with acclaimed storyteller Syd Lieberman and his daughter, Sarah Weisz, the Director of the Teaching Excellence Network (TEN). It was refreshing that the workshop didn't place the main focus on the technology (iMovie, Audacity, etc.). Instead, we started with the story. Syd not only told us wonderful stories, he offered suggestions for using storytelling with our own students and guidance in writing/telling a good story. In four days, we wrote, edited, recorded, and put our stories together using images, video, sound and special effects. Sarah has posted our stories on the TEN and on TeacherTube. The participants in this workshop came from all over the Chicago area - from public, private, urban and suburban schools. Each story represents an individual teacher's voice and experience. While filled with personal meaning, the stories can also offer lessons and insights to other teachers. If you'd like to share your stories or become a part of the discussion, be sure to check out the new-and-improved TEN website.
Here's my first digital story:
