Tag: oral history

Creating a Global Learning Community Through Digital Storytelling

Digital Storytelling is featured this year at the University Global Coalition Virtual Gathering that takes place September 27-28, 2021. Dr. Sheila Marie Aird, Associate Professor, European Director of International Programs and Dr. Thomas P. Mackey, Professor of Arts and Media, both at SUNY Empire State College, present on their international collaboration during the session Creating a Global Learning Community Through Digital Storytelling. According to the abstract for this presentation:

Teaching and learning the art of digital storytelling creates a global learning community that supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Co-teaching a fully online course on digital storytelling at SUNY Empire State College brings together students from the United States, Canada, Czech Republic, and Albania, in a model that others can learn from and adapt for their institutions. As part of this learning experience, students develop individual digital narratives about such themes as mobility and empowerment. They also produce a culminating collaborative digital story about a specific cause that they research and advocate for as a team. Team story topics have included racism and social justice, COVID-19 and pandemic art, and Violence Against Asians.

This interactive presentation will feature both a survey and padlet to engage with the audience during the talk. The slide deck is available with an overview of ideas and digital storytelling resources.

If you have any questions about our presentation or would like to learn more about our approach to teaching Digital Storytelling, feel free to reach out to us!

-Tom and Sheila

Window-View and Reflective Digital Stories

The first assignment in our fully online Digital Storytelling course at SUNY Empire State College requires students to create a “selfie-video” to introduce themselves to the class. The selfie-videos created by students were so inspiring we decided, as co-instructors, to develop our own visual narratives.

In Prague Through My Lens, Dr. Sheila Aird takes us on a journey through the beautiful city of Prague, Czech Republic with this window-view digital story.

Prague Through My Lens

In An Albany Story, Dr. Tom Mackey shares a few landmarks from Albany, the Capital City of New York State, with this reflective memory digital story.

This approach is an excellent way to see and hear from everyone in the course and to establish the art of digital storytelling because we move beyond text and static “selfie” pictures to communicate with digital media. Since this international collaboration extends from the United States, to Prague, Czech Republic, to Tirana Albania, this assignment is a dynamic introduction to everyone in class.

As we say in our course video Telling Your Digital Story, everyone has a digital story to tell, what’s yours?