DigiLit Sunday: Connecting What We Know About Writing Workshop to "Going Digital"

Thank you to Margaret Simon for inviting teachers to share how they are using technology in their classrooms.  You can link up and/or read others' thinking at her blog Reflections on the Teche.  


This week I played more with Zeega to create my digital story, House Hunting Blues.  If you haven't seen it, you can view it on yesterday's post.  You can also read more about Zeega here, where Mashable explains what makes Zeega different from other storytelling platforms.

I find that the more I play (thank you #clmooc for providing this opportunity), the more I ask questions about where I've come from in the writing workshop world and where I'm going as I incorporate more and more digital composition. How did this experience mirror and differ from what I might do in a traditional writing workshop?
  • What could I do in my digital composition that I couldn't do in my written narrative? 
  • What other tools would give students the same access as Zeega?
  • Does one get my message across more clearly than the other?
How did my knowledge of writing narrative inform my digital composition? (What was the same?)
  • I had a message:  This house hunting business is crazy, but it all ends well.
  • My audience:  Family & friends, blog readers, Google+ community
  • It has a beginning, middle and end structure.
  • My lead tells a bit of the background story.
  • I wrote about something that was important to me.
  • I focused on the important details of the story.
  • My ending brings the story to closure
  • I revised as I composed.  
What was different?
  • The music I chose (Everything Gonna Be Alright by Bob Marley) helped me send the message that the story was going to have a good ending.  I could have chosen more chaotic type of music to show the frustration I was feeling when the story began.
  • I carefully chose images to show what I was thinking and feeling.
  • The cartoon of the person spiraling out of control and "Nope" swirling through the air shows my sense of helplessness at that time, which leads into the muppet running away, which is exactly what we did when we terminated the contract.
  • Charlie Brown's "I need help." indicates the point when I was at the end of my rope.
  • From that point, the images begin to show my sense of peace as I said a little prayer and moved through my day.
  • I edited images, took screen shots, and used a combination of my own images and those from the Internet.
  • I easily shared with Facebook, Google+, Twitter and through my blog.


http://pactressia.tumblr.com/post/11238062249/i-think-i-need-help

  What could I do with my digital composition that I couldn't do with a traditional narrative?
  •  The choices afforded in Zeega made writing this composition very engaging.  I found myself in the flow.  
  • Using a combination of still images and gifs make my composition appealing and engaging to my audience.
  • I am able to connect with a wider audience (which I can also do through my blog).
  • I can add layers of meaning through the images (both still and gifs) and the music I've added.
Are there other tools I could have used?  Of course...and I'm sure I'm only hitting a few of the possibilities:
When comparing the written narrative to the Zeega, does one get my message across more clearly than the other?

I'd love to get feedback from my readers.  If you have time to look at yesterday's post and compare the two, please do and let me know your thoughts in the comment section.

Next week, when I post, I'll be one day away from moving.  Let's hope that this week is uneventful and the house hunting woes are finished.  


Comments

  1. This storytelling process is different but just as creative. You chose your images well and mixed in personal photos with others. We could get a sense of your frustration, then you relinquish fear and find joy.
    I checked on using Zeega but it is blocked by our school network. I will be sticking with Tapestry and Animoto. Thanks for sharing your process and reflection.

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  2. Fantastic thinking! I loved the "big, beautiful questions" you asked. ;-) I will take a look at Zeega. BTW, I had to read Flow: The Psychology of the Optimal Experience when getting my gifted endorsement, and I think about it often. It's such a great concept and wonderful when you feel it.

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  3. I really appreciate how you've shared your thinking here. Your reflective posts about digital learning spur my own thinking about what I'm doing and what I could be doing in my classes.

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  4. Julie, I did read your Celebrations' post and left you a message.Since I am so in tune with visual imagery and presentation modes, I am delighted to have read your piece with all of the intriguing questions to ponder. I felt energy in your Zeega post and decided to try out Tapestry when Margaret opened DigLit Sunday. My attempt is a very modest one but I will be practicing with various formats to present at a fall workshop for teachers.

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