Element #1: Take a look at the two examples and see if you can identify the purpose behind each story. What is the point of view in each? Whose voice do you hear?
1. The purpose behind the first video was to show the process of making salt, and how it is a part of their culture. It was really hard for me to hear the story (I think there was something wrong with either the video or my computer), but it seemed like children were narrating the story.
2. The purpose of the second video was to demonstrate an extended elementary science project about maintaining a fish tank. The point of view seemed to be an observer that was narrating the experiment and process.
Element #2: See if you can find a dramatic question in the examples for this section. A dramatic question is posed by the narrator at the beginning of the story to create tension and draw in the audience. A dramatic question is usually not an actual question that the narrator poses; rather, it is an intriguing statement that causes the viewers to ask themselves a question.'I was seven years old when I met my father' is an example of a dramatic question. It hooks you in and motivates you to listen to the story until its conclusion. Is the question resolved in each movie or are you left without a resolution?
1. In the first example the narrator begins by asking, "Are you making our island ugly?" The dramatic question is followed by children unloading junk in what appears to be a dumping site. You later see several images of actual garbage in areas of the island. At the end, the children ask you to do your part in cleaning up the island.
2. This video was particularly difficult for me to hear and understand, but I gleaned that the children were suggesting we should only fish for what we will need and use. They told an old story of how a woman fished so much that she ran out of salt to salt her fish. The moral of the story was to simply take what you and your family need.
Element #3: See if you can identify the emotional paradigms behind these stories.
1. The first video is about teen depression and suicide. The emotional paradigms that seem to be present are love & loneliness, and acceptance & rejection.
2. The second video is about the lack of knowledge and wisdom that is traditionally received from grandparents. It talks about picking up the pieces where they may have left off, despite the fact that they're no longer around.
3. The third video seems to focus on the paradigm of good and evil-looks can be very deceiving. I found the depictions of the "stranger" very interesting in response to the student abduction. It sends a powerful message to young children.
Element #4: What impact that the voice plays on the overall effect of the story?
1. The elderly woman in the video uses various voice intonations to indicate that she is telling a personal story-it is not scripted. This gives the content a more personal and laid-back feel.
2. Even though I could not understand the language of the singing or narration, the sounds of the childrens' voices made it more personal than hearing an adult's voice would have.
Element #5: What impact does the music have on the emotional content or purpose of the story?
1. Based on the pictures, the video seems to be about a type of conservation society or something of that nature? The soundtrack is a native song that lends to the personal feeling of the land and their culture.
Element #6: Look at the examples in this section and consider the decisions the authors made about length of clips, types of transitions and sequence of events. Are you able (as a viewer) to fill in the missing pieces? Give an example?
1. The transitions are almost like the pages within a book. They aren't too short or too long, and keep you engaged. It was really hard for me to hear the narration, and I couldn't seem to fill in the missing pieces.
2. The second video was a little easier for me to understand. The girl feels crowded within her large family and deeply wants some space of her own.
3. The length of time these images were depicted seemed to be a bit too long-it didn't draw you in as much as the first video, where the images were actually moving and transitioning continuously. The difference in images were also stark, and it was kind of difficult to follow the story.
Element #7: How does the narrator use their voice to pace the story? Give a specific example.
1. Near the end of the story, the narrator is using their voice to pace the story and tell people how to protect themselves in the event of an earthquake.
2. I really liked this digital story-it contained several elements of humor such as when the kids changed the library sign to a "cafeteria" sign. The teacher is depicted in several different teaching outfits, showing that she is a true jack-of-all trades. I preferred this story because I am a highly visual person and prefer to read things on a screen, rather than listening to narration. The pacing was more of a visual pacing in this instance.
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