EDUC 5333 Week 2 Blog

How do the choices made by the author engage audience members?  If music is used, what effect does it have on you? If graphics or animation is included, how do they enhance the story?  If the story is interactive, what are you able to explore? 

"Pine Point" isn't just a digital story; it's a heartfelt journey back to a mining town that time has forgotten. It feels incredibly personal, almost like a friend is sharing a cherished memory with you, recounting the life and eventual disappearance of this place.

The creators do a great job of mixing both real photographs, and what looks like scrapbook-style cut outs, that make it easy for you to give your own feedback. The background music also is mixed in making it even better to set the mood behind everything perfectly. The music varies from brighter tunes to more mellow sounds to give a more engaging and interactive touch to the storyboard. 

Being able to click through chapters and uncover hidden stories gives you the sensation of leafing through an old photo album or a forgotten diary. These thoughtful design choices pull you right into the narrative, allowing you to intimately explore profound themes of memory, identity, and loss. It's a powerful experience, beautifully told.

What educational value do you see in the story?  What content and ISTE standards are addressed by the creation of the story?  What age group is the target audience? What connections do you see to your content area or grade-level instruction?

Pine Point gives a compelling narrative that does a great job of illustrating the huge impact that memories and places have in shaping our identities. Through using a mix of original photographs, nostalgic tunes, and genuine narration, it reminds us of a personal history of a town that has since vanished. This kind of resource is irreplaceable for students, in that it can prompt them to reflect on their own communities, families, and experiences they have had in their own lives.   

Pine Point seems more age appropriate to use for high school, and maybe even middle school learners, with proper guidance from instructors. It seems a bit too complex, and emotionally deep and overwhelming for most elementary school aged students. The exploration of deeper themes like loss, memory, and transformation makes it more appropriate for more mature users. 

Teachers can think about adjusting the Pine Point approach to better educate their younger students. As an example, they can ask their younger students to share personal stories through artifacts like photographs, pictures, or creating basic digital scrapbooks. They can encourage discussions with a theme like what they think of when they think of “home.”  These exercises are excellent for fostering early storytelling abilities, digital proficiency, and social-emotional development in a manner suitable for their age.

Based on Ohler's and Lambert's guidance for story creation, what connections do you see to the story you have focused on?  What type of story is it? Construct and share a simple story map.

My personal narrative follows the storytelling principles from both Jason Ohler and Joe Lambert. I revisit where my recovery started and how that place became the center of my recovery journey.  The use of personal voice, emotions, visuals and music will make it a heartfelt story. 

Robin’s 7 Elements are easy to spot — it has a clear personal perspective, a central question (“What is the process to recovery? How much money will it cost? How long will it take?), strong emotions, thoughtful narration, fitting music, a well-organized flow, and a calm pace that encourages reflection.

The type of story I’m featuring is a personal narrative. It shows that personal memories are mixed in with emotions and truths of what actually happened. This story will move you in a way just like how our memories come back in pieces.

Simple Story Map (Ohler’s Model): 

Protagonist: Me

Setting: Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital & Bryan West Trauma Hospital  

Problem: I have suffered a life altering accident. 

Journey: Searching through memories, and paperwork that remind me of what I went through.

Climax: Encouragement from medical staff that made me believe that I can walk again. 

Resolution: Cooperating with medical staff to be released from the hospital, and be able to return to being a productive member of society.

Message: When there’s a will, there’s a way. Persevere, and do not give up.

Reference 

Pinepoint  by the National Film Board - Canada

Lambert, J. (2010) Digital Storytelling Cookbook. Center for Digital Story Telling. Open Education Resource. (Chapters 2 - 16 pages)

Ohler, J. (2023). How to make a story - Process notes. Retrieved from: 

http://storyconcepts.blogspot.com/  (14 pages)

Robin, B. (2006, March) The educational uses of digital storytelling. In Society for information technology & teacher education international conference (pp. 709-716). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). (17 pages)