So this semester, in Hickory, I’m teaching “Storytelling”. How does one tell a story? What distinguishes a great story from a poor one? What is the role of stories in our lives? How do stories reflect our identity? How do we use stories to create our identity? What do the stories we tell say us about our culture and values? What is the relationship between our own life’s stories, and the story of humanity? These are some of the questions we will look at.
The assessments I’ve designed for students are, besides the exam, all blog-based. Their blogs are then posted to facebook. Why?
Because social networking is playing a role of growing importance in the 21st century. Blogging, tweeting and facemail is one of the most common and most efficient ways of telling stories.
In the shift from oral to written, written to print, and now print to online, technology is constantly shaping and reshaping our methods of communication, our methods of sharing ideas, inspiring greater and greater levels of creativity.
The process of blogging is a critically-reflective process. As you write, you consider different influences, you consider what others’ might think of what you have written, you open up conversations that can be continued over years to come.
Teaching is a two-way communication. Every person brings an entirely different set of skills, knowledge and life experiences. Through a blog students become the teacher and teachers become students. My students have already impressed me with their opinions.
I made this little prezi presentation to introduce some of the topics we’ll be discussing this semester. As whatever I do in my daily life tends to inspire what I talk about on this blog, I thought I’d share the prezi and invite you to join my class from afar.
Just press play and click through the stages. You can also create your own path by clicking on different text or YouTube boxes in your own order.
