Digital Stories - Boys & Girls Club

I am faced with the realization that, tomorrow, I could face very different situations. We will be working with kids who are all at different points in the process of developing their digital stories; some will have already interviewed their selected persons, and some will not have even started that part of the process. So, the question has to be asked--how am I prepared to address this?


In her email to us, Professor Dolson asked the following questions:
1. What helped you the most [in the development of your digital story]?
2. Did you choose sort of a central message you wanted to get across and then choose key facts that you needed to put into the story to make the message make sense and have impact?

I felt these questions are the most crucial to our session tomorrow with the kids. For me, the one thing that helped me the most in the development of my digital story was simply the interview. Before interviewing Dr. Datta, I had no idea what direction I would try to take with my DS. However, after speaking with him, I instantly knew where I wanted to carry my story and the message that I would try to get across.

Thus, for me, I would emphasize the importance of the interview first and foremost to the development of a great digital story. It carries so much weight, and no matter how much planning goes into the digital story beforehand, the interview can completely alter that. For those who have not conducted their interviews, I recommend them brainstorm what they want to ask their interviewee, and for those who have already conducted this part of the DS development process, I would ask them to listen to their interviews as much as possible to pick out something they find interesting enough to talk about in their digital story.

It is impossible to completely plan out a session such as this, because it can be very unpredictable, especially dealing with young children. However, I am confident that we'll have great success, and assist the kids in making progress with their digital stories.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7z5k4B6rxs
http://www.urctlt.org/nmn/

A Semester Without Writing?...But What Have I learned?

It's rather interesting how this semester my academic life has been more bogged down with logic, calculations and chemical reactions than writing. Last semester, all but one of my classes were heavily focused on the writing process and its importance to academia. This semester, with a course load featuring mathematical, chemical and biological sciences, I have had less writing assignments, and the ones I do get usually are science related and formatted completely to explain test results and reactions.

Thus, I've felt really detached from the traditional writing process that I had been previously used to. However, this semester, despite the fact that I am writing a lot less than in previous semesters, I find that I am learning more about writing simply through the ENGL 383 class and shadowing in the writing center.

For example, I have experienced consultation sessions where the writer came in with a nearly complete piece of writing, and simply required a review of their final draft. In contrast, I've also seen consultation sessions where the writer simply came in with the essay prompt, the text needed for the class, and one single piece of paper with brainstormed ideas. There are so many levels and stages of the writing process, and at each stage, peer review is very beneficial.                      

I've learned just how important it is to let the writer take charge, and the importance of simply being the extra voice needed to go towards a finished piece of writing. So, while I may not have written much this semester, I have contributed to many pieces of writing, and I find that just as fulfilling.

Writing Under The Influence.

This morning I came into my chemistry class early (a rarity, indeed) and overheard one of my classmates telling our professor that she had just came from handing in a heavily weighted mid-term paper for one of her classes. She highlighted what the prompt was, and described the stance she took in her paper. The only problem was, as she described, "It's not really my opinion, but my professor made it clear once that that is how she feels about the whole issue, and I probably will get in her good graces for supporting her stance."

My chemistry professor proceeded to advise her that, usually, that is not the best approach towards a writing assignment. However, listening to their verbal exchange made me remember how, for some time now, I have been wondering if there is really such thing as an authentic "writer's voice" in academia.

I must admit, many times when I sit down to write a paper, I think of what my professor wants to hear and they way they want to hear it. A lot of times, it is not my opinion that I am arguing, but the one that I think will garner the best feedback and the best grade. However, this idea has sometimes backfired on me. This is because I came to realize that you cannot truly argue a point wholeheartedly in a piece of writing if you simply don't agree with that stance. And also, many readers can tell if a person does not truly "believe" what they are writing.

So, as a writing consultant, what if I pick up on this same trend in a student's writing? I wonder if it would be appropriate for me to ask their personal opinion in regards to the essay prompt, and encourage them to write about their true stance, instead of writing "under the influence."

Last Minute-Men

[Names have been changed for privacy reasons.]

A large amount of my course load consists of science courses, which then translates to a large amount of my writing assignments being laboratory reports. For the last lab report we had due this morning at 9am, we had 2 weeks (from the conclusion of the experiment until the due date) to write a detailed lab report, roughly 8 - 10 pages. Naturally, when given an assignment of this magnitude, one would probably think that planning ahead and getting an advanced start would be in his or her's best interest. However, Aly did not agree.

Aly is a good friend of mine. She's a smart girl, and she usually gets good grades. However, she has a major procrastination problem, and this time, she decided to wait until Monday night, at 10:00 pm, to start her lab report.

The same lab report that was due Tuesday morning at 9am.

I watched Aly go through the stresses of research, rushed writing, and tear-filled eyes laced with the regret that she was undoubtedly feeling. A few hours, and several angrily-uttered expletives later, Aly submitted--what I could only imagine to be--a poorly written paper that lacked any proofreading or revision.

Through all of this, I wondered, how many "last minute-men" do you think we will end up with as writing consultants? Just because a student may make a writing center appointment does not mean that they are essentially "planning ahead." I wondered, what would I have done if a student in Aly's position walked into the writing center for a consultation on a major paper due the next day with barely an outline?

How can you possibly help one sort out their ideas and express them in 6 or more pages when there has been no previous thought on the part of the writer himself?

Writing about...Writing?

I'm now faced with an entirely new task: writing about my own writing.

For our English 383 class, I am required to write 2 short essays based on previous blog posts that I have made in the past 6 weeks. When Professor Dolson first introduced this assignment to us, I remember thinking: "How do I write about my own writing?" She quoted something to us (and I, apologetically do not remember the exact wording or the author of the quote) that basically said that "learning is not through experience, but through reflection on that experience."

Therefore, I've determined that if I can dig deep down into my old blog posts, I can probably trace some sort of internal development through which I transformed from a regular student to one who is halfway through the journey to becoming a writing consultant. Hopefully, I will be able to note how my ideas about writing and the writing process changed from the beginning of the semester to the half-term mark.

And now, I begin to conquer what I previously deemed an unconquerable task...

Thinking Like [gasp!] a Writing Consultant

Last week, I was able to sit in during an actual writing consultation. As it was my first time, I decided to be less vocal, and truly fulfill my role as a "shadow." The consultant (I'll call her Rachel) read the student's (I'll call her Lisa) writing aloud and made suggestions as she went along, and none of her suggestions surprised me. However, what did surprise me was that, as she was reading, I was thinking like a writing consultant. Most of the advice Rachel gave to Lisa was the similar to the ideas I had in my head as well.

It is amazing how quickly a transformation take place.

How quick was that? I've only been in ENG 383 for little over a month, and already, I'm thinking like a writing consultant.

But what does it mean to "think like a writing consultant?"

Well, for me it meant not picking up on solitary grammatical mistakes, but recurring error patterns and point them out to the writer. It also meant paying more attention to the organization and presentation of the writer's ideas as opposed to just making sure the grammar was correct.

As I move forward in the shadowing process, I can only further look forward to more transformation in the way I read the writing of others and the way that I help them improve their own writing.