Technical Writing

During our class on April 17, 2012, we had to, in groups of two, put together little bug or animal projects that would typically amuse a 1st grader.  Not only did we have to put these together, but we also had to write out specific instructions on what we did.  This is what made the activity a little more challenging.  The easy part of the activity was putting the things together.  Its easy to picture in your head what needs to be put where and how.  When you need to put an eyeball on an alligator, its natural to put it towards the center of the head, and either on the right half or left half, depending on what eyeball.  Most people wouldnt even think of going into detail when describing how to put an eyeball on.  But when the directions made by one group were passed to another, their recreations rarely took the same form as the original.  This made it clear that specific directions are usually necessary, whether this be through description or illustration.
  Making the directions as specific as neccessary was the hardest part.  It was difficult to not assume that simple things are understood by all.  Just because I see that eyeball on the alligator towards the middle of the head doesn't mean that is the vision everybody else has.  Specific detail was needed in this experiment, and it was probably the area that I struggled the most.

Digital storytelling cookbook

Digital storytelling is an increasingly popular way of portraying a story.  It is becoming a new way for people to express emotions and insight through a story.  It is a form of art that many people are beginning to enjoy.  Digital storytelling can "revolutionize" the narrative experience.  It is a method that makes it more possible to funnel emotion and thought into stories rather than writing or typing it on paper.  Digital storytelling opens a new door for the narrator because it gives them the ability to depict the story in a very specific tone and attitude.  This methods also makes the story more valuable and easy to listen to.  Narrators of digital stories are able to really express themselves in these pieces of art.