A DS106! A what???

Photo By: Alan Levine (https://flic.kr/p/mMc46H)

DS106 stand for Digital Storytelling. It is a digital resource that people can use for free to create a variety of neat short stories that are creative and full of imagination. Or they can be true. Audio, video, writing, drawing, and photography can all be used to help create these intriguing fun videos. DS106 sounds like a great source for building creativity while becoming familiar with a variety of digital resources.

The course objectives, or purpose of this course are;

• Develop skills in using technology as a tool for networking, sharing, narrating, and creative self-expression
• Frame a digital identity wherein you become both a practitioner in and interrogator of various new modes of networking
• Critically examine the digital landscape of communication technologies as emergent narrative forms and genres

These objectives sound like they will be real eye openers for me and I feel like I will learn a lot. Part of me is excited to get started while another part of me, (knowing how bad I am with technology in general and what a slow learner I am when it comes to using technology), feels very overwhelmed and fearful.

Photo By: Wesley Fryer (https://flic.kr/p/e8uzX)

What I think I like most about is being creative and using imagination. I love doing that, ever since I can remember I dreamed up wild fantasies and played out little stories in my head as a means of entertainment. Though I do not think that I am a very creative person, I love to try and see what I can come up with. And I think this resource will open a few more doors for me in building on my creativity and give me fresh new ideas.

I think that ds106 can be used to inspire creativity in my own life by opening my eyes to fresh new ideas and providing me with the resources to create some really cool stuff; once I learn how to use those resources that is… I think keeping an open mind and having fun with the project will help me out too and getting out of my comfort zone to see just how far I can go and what I am capable of creating. I really hope to be surprised and get some great ideas!

As for using ds106 in the school setting, I think it would be a great resource for digital classes, writing classes, and even English or history classes to help build creativity. For my own personal class use, I could challenge students to make videos of themselves exercising or explaining something about health, like how sugar or exercise effect the body.

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