LLA OUTCOME

As with all of my classes at Marylhurst, I think the gift has been and continues to be in the receiving of the information given and what I choose do with it.  I think of words like malleable and flexible and mature.  The knowledge is offered and is available to interpret and receive as needed.  In other words, in case I am not making sense, I think that there is much more information available than the 10 weeks we have in class allows, and it has been up to me to do what I choose to do with it during and after the course.  Yes there are assignments, and plenty of them, in all of my classes and sometimes I am overwhelmed, but overall I am grateful for what is offered and I take and leave as desired.
As far as this LLA outcome, I think that we have been given tools and food for thought to take and expand upon as needed depending on who we are and what each of us needs for success.  Life changes, technology changes, the possibilities are endless and forever open to interpretations.  I think the outcome means, like many of the classes offered at Marylhurst, that we be present with what is, not what we think it should be, and find gratitude and room to explore and adapt as needed as adult's in an adult learning environment.  This class has been a good example, as is the outcome.

digital story resources

resources for microsoft photostory and other digital storytelling treats
and a video on how to save photos and video for photostory

Improving the human connection through technology

I have mixed feelings about this subject.  I do think this technology has improved the human connection, but at what risks?  There are so many amazing ways we have grown as a human population in that we have access to learn about things we never could have known as fast or as up close as we do with this computer technology.  On the other hand I think it is way too much information and is adding stress that is hurting us in other ways.  It can be way too much of a distraction from interactions of the heart of face-to-face humans being in the world.  If my daughter thinks it is ok to write me from another room on a chat to talk to me about really deep personal issues rather than come and sit with me face-to-face, there is somewhat of a problem.  If it takes mining chemicals in Africa that risk the life of poor people so that we here can have computers, then there is a problem.  If it is true that indeed the low frequency sound waves of information from the towers that are needed for wi-fi and all of this is affecting our health in adverse ways, then no, this is not worth it.  I, for one, needed to jump on this bandwagon of computer technology in order to work, in order to live, as a student, and for my children to get their work done for school, but I would not be opposed to dismantling the whole darn thing as well. The human connection is at risk, and maybe it has been for a long time, but who knows what this level of communication will all work out to be.  Maybe it is a gift and a curse.  It just is what it is for now.

Digital Storytelling

What immediately pops into my head in responding to the prompt is to point out and recall the digital storytelling component to a creative non-fiction class I took here at Marylhurst where we learned about the genre of digital storytelling and proceeded to learn how to make our our digital story.  This was an amazing and enlightening experience for me, in particular, because I was not used to using anything close to photos or film or audio on a computer or anywhere else in my life.  We wrote our short story (250 words or less) and then spent part of a class recording our voices in the basement of the library. We also played with Imovie here in this room and created beautiful memoirs and narratives. Little did I know what a great experience this would be.  I now know that I will use this type of storytelling again and again for myself and for the high school students I work with who might not feel comfortable with writing, or who might better express themselves with visual and audio.  I had no idea how creative I could be and how many ways there are to tell a story.