Digital Story Telling - Journal #1

I'm having a bad hair day - that is why I cannot post a video.  Ok, I lied.  My hair looks ok - I just don't want to do a video.  Maybe next time!

The story I chose was "Unable" by RaNiqua Wilson.  RaNiqua created a story sharing her experiences with her mother and fathers abusive relationship and how it affected her family.  My overall impressions were that it was a sad, yet powerful video.  I thought the way in which she used her own voice to tell her story was great and the way she spoke showed her sadness and the seriousness of the topic.  The pictures of her family made it more meaningful and real.  When she said that it seems like her life is great and that she hides behind a smile, I feel that many people can relate to this - and when people can relate to something, it makes it more valuable.

I can think of lots of ways to use this in a HEALTH classroom.  One example would be to use this as a demo of something I would have high school students re-create into their own.  I would include this in a STRESS MANAGEMENT unit.  Sadly, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among adolescents and young people, which is why stress management skills are VITAL to helping them cope with all the difficulties life brings - especially at that age.  There are many adults who don't know how to cope with problems in healthy ways, but children/teens especially don't have as much life experience in knowing that they can get through certain things (a breakup, not making a sports team, etc) - things that seem so silly, but can seem so BIG to them.  Although we all have our own struggles, many people feel as though they are the only one's dealing with a certain situation, when in reality, there are many others facing similar struggles.  Learning strategies to help cope with these struggles can be learned through a project like this where they can see what others their own age go through.

*I would possibly allow students to make a video on someone else (must be around the same age) if they do not feel comfortable telling a story of their own - b/c telling someone else's story can be just as powerful & still benefit the purpose.

I would have the students create a video on a struggle or hard situation that they dealt with in the past or are dealing with now.  A great environment where students feel comfortable sharing these personal things is very important - so I wouldn't do this project until a little later in the school year.  They can share something simple (stress over school, friends, parents) or something more personal (someone having cancer in the family, a friends suicide, an major injury/accident, etc)  I think that students are willing to be very open - and not only will the students see difficult things that their peers go through, but will help to create a sense of connectedness within the classroom.

I would EVALUATE this project/idea by the ability of them to be creative in their personal story (music, voice, pictures, etc), ability to create emotion, showing how the situation affected them AND the people around them, how they dealt/are dealing with the problem, and suggestions to others who may be facing a similar situation.

Thanks for reading! -Eileen