As Bryan Alexander says, storytelling just might be the most important cognitive tool of the 21st century.
This panel discussion at the LACOL2017 workshop highlighted how faculty and students at liberal arts colleges are using media-rich storytelling to spark creative expression in teaching, learning and research.
Panelists:
Mark Andrews, Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies, Vassar College
In teaching intermediate French, Andrews has collaborated with colleagues at Vassar (and LACOL) to engage students in storytelling based on authentic French and Francophone story books. The premise of the learning design is that students learn French in the same way a Francophone child would through authenticate cultural material. Examples
Christopher Bolton, Professor of Comparative Literature, Williams College
Bolton specializes in 20th and 21st century Japanese literature and animation. As one exploration into the use of visual narrative, he and his students created a short animated introduction to poststructuralism that illustrates the concept of the signifying chain. Examples
Erin McCloskey, Associate Professor of Education, Vassar College
In her Adolescent Literacy classes, McCloskey’s Vassar students are paired with area middle- and high-schooler. Together, the students produce short digital autobiographies. As they work hands-on to gain fluency with multimedia technologies, students also explore concepts of audience, story arcs, and different kinds of literacy. Examples
Baynard Bailey, Academic Computing Consultant, Vassar College
Bailey collaborates with faculty at Vassar to support digital storytelling as “applied pedagogy” through workshops and consultation. He maintains Vassar’s Digital Storytelling Support site, Project Pages, and the TechAdemia blog.
Ben Harwood, Lead Instructional Technologist, Skidmore College
With interests in digital literacy, Harwood supports faculty, students and staff with digital storytelling and maintains resources such as, How do I, Skidmore Blogs, and Video Production Basics.
