Mixing Memory and Desire: A Family Literacy Event

Faust, M. (2004). Mixing Memory and Desire: A Family Literacy Event. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 4/12, 47:7, 565-572. Retrieved from http://www.reading.org/General/Default.aspx.

Salient Points:

• "When we open our eyes each morning, it is upon a world we have spent a lifetime learning how to see. We are not given the world: We make our world through incessant experience, categorization, memory, reconnection" (Sacks. 1995. as cited in Faust. 2004. p. 565). This quote means that our world exists in how we personally see it. We create our own memories and experiences and organize our perceptions into categories that can later be recalled. 
• The author wants to see how people's memories work and use that to his advantage in language and literacy classrooms. He went about answering these questions by interviewing his grandmother and recording what she said using video and audio technology. Next, they visited some of the places she mentioned in her stories. Then he and his older daughter transcribed it onto the computer in a digital story format, using audio and video from the interviews and photos from their road trip. 
• The author keeps going back to Hilts (1995) and his study on memory in human beings. Memories are constantly changing and being remolded, so that when you tell a story from your personal history, you reshape it in the act of storytelling, so that fits your current needs. Hilts says, "The central feature of memory is its malleability. Memory is, at the end, a  site of endless construction...in response to one's current, and most urgent needs" (Hilts. 1995. p. 224. as cited in Faust. 2004. p. 566). 
• People are constantly making stories with their memories and exercise their brain when they recall them to others. For example, the author's grandmother enjoyed being able to communicate her life's story to others and liked having a space to perform her life's story. The family learned not just about her life, but learned something about themselves and their situation in life. As Faust (2004) says, "Our lives might unfold differently as a result of what we are learning, not only about GG, but also about one another through this event" (p. 568).  
• "Among the various effects of this moment was the disruption of the logical boundaries separating past, present, and future" (Faust. 2004. p. 569). The author and his family thought differently about their lives, after learning about the past. For example, Faust's father and older daughter thought about how much technology has changed their lives for them and how simpler things were in the turn of the century and early twentieth century. A connection between the past and present was made and new possibilities were created for the future, as well. 
• "The work of memory provides an opportunity to shape our identity according to what we hope for ourselves, and the resulting configuration of memory and desire reveals the character each of us is in the process of becoming" (Faust. 2004. p. 570). We control our memories and shape them to our own ideals, so that they reveal not only who we are, but what we hope to be. When we tell our personal stories, we are hoping that others will see us how we want to be seen. 

Implications:

• Faust (2004) says that "as students begin to see their own life history as a composition through memory that is subject to constant revision, it is possible to imagine a process approach to reading and writing that makes more sense to them. Activities that require students to pay attention to and craft their own memories can be directed toward helping them become more thoughtful readers and writers in other contexts"(p. 570).  
• Faust provides various digital storytelling projects teachers can use in their classrooms. They are multiple perspectives on individual history, family history, national and world history, and literary reading. Students interview each other, their families, and members of the community to learn about each other, the different types of families, and historical events in the community. They can also use this approach to recall events in literature in literary groups. 
• Students can then create digital stories and projects to present what they have found. This is a skill that they can use later in college and in life to present to others information about themselves and other topics of research. 
• Teachers can use digital storytelling to make students recall events in their lives and in their schooling better. I know that when I was a student, doing a project about a topic made me remember the details of that topic better than studying for a test. It required close examination of the subject, but was more enjoyable than just studying for an exam. It is almost like a study group--each person brings to the table a different perspective as they each remember different details about the topic, whether it is an event in history or a story in literature. 
• One of my favorite projects in elementary school was interviewing a relative or someone in the community who was alive and old enough to remember what happened during the Depression and World War II. For me, that was my grandparents, who were first generation Americans. For others, they interviewed Holocaust survivors. I really learned a lot of details that were not covered in the textbooks. 
• When I was older, I interviewed my grandfather about his life with my Bubbe, using audiotapes to transcribe his words. Then I wrote it up in the style of a first-person autobiography, with some fiction stylistics thrown in, so that it looked like a piece of historical fiction. I gave it the rough copy for his 90th birthday. But now that I have learned more tools of multimedia, I think I might make a digital copy of it for posterity. 

      As for the article, I liked this article, because it brought back memories of when I interviewed my grandparents on separate occasions. Bridging the gap between school and family makes a class more personal for students. Children and adults get some real enjoyment out of the project and it furthers the learning process. Memories are stories and they are constantly changing. I also thought that the article did great job talking about teaching implications, which was relevant to me, a budding teaching candidate. Since English Language learners have a wealth of different experiences, digital storytelling projects as well as literacy events can really help them open up and not be intimidated about the curriculum and the language. They will feel more comfortable in their new school after they get to share their stories. Finally, literacy circles can really help them learn the language and material more efficiently.

Digital Storytelling: Bridging Old and New

McLellan, H. (2006). Digital Storytelling: Bridging Old and New. Educational Technology, Sept.-Oct. 2006, 26-31.

Salient Points:

• Digital storytelling is when you tell a story using various forms of technology to reach more people. The first digital storyteller was Dana Atchley, a professional storyteller, who, in the 1980s, when computers first came out, started creating digital stories using family photographs, movies, images, and stories using technology and multimedia. He coined the term "digital storytelling." Eventually, in the 1990s, he and other theater friends create the Center for Digital Storytelling in Berkley, California.
• Over half of today's teens use some form of technology to communicate and tell others about their lives. They are indadvertedly telling digital stories through social networking sites, blogs, Youtube and other video sharing sites, etc.
• "The premise of digital storytelling is very simple. It is designed to help people tell stories from their own lives that are meaningful to them and to their audience using media to add power and resonance, and to create a permanent record. Digital storytelling is aligned with the importance of capturing personal, family, and organizational memories" (27). 
• Digital storytelling is different than digital spectacle, because during the spectacle, whether it's a multimedia formatted opera, circus, or presentation, the audience members are only spectators. Digital storytelling is interactive with its audience members and connects to them emotionally, which is a very effective way of communication. 
• "Good stories make you feel you've been through a satisfying, complete experience. Stories are a form of "expert system"for remembering and integrating what we learn" (28). 
• Digital storytelling can be used across the curriculum and subjects. Many universities and public schools teach digital storytelling techniques to their students to help them communicate and collaborate on projects. 
• From personal stories, to digital archives, to memorial stories and avocational stories (stories that come from victims of domestic violence and other traumatic experiences), digital storytelling 
• Today, there are many forms of digital storytelling, from applications on the iPad and other Apple products to Blogger, the current most popular blogging website,  to Facebook and Tumblr. People tell stories with photos, words, etc. 

Implications: 

• Teachers can use different forms of technology in their classrooms to reach today's diverse student population, most of who have connections to digital media. They can bridge gaps between different learning levels and cultures that populate their classrooms. Many students respond better to technology than traditional methods of teaching. 
• Teachers will be able to manage their classroom better, because many students feel more comfortable opening up and telling their stories in a digital form. Lessons can be more interactive and engaging.
• Teachers can use digital storytelling to get students to become aware of the challenges they face. Then they can use digital storytelling media to tell their stories and help solve problems in the community. 
• Digital stories are a great way for students to express their frustrations they may feel in school, especially English Language Learners, who often feel that the other mainstream students do not understand them and their situation. They can tell their personal stories to the other students in their class.
• Sometimes students have experiences that are difficult to cope with, such as what is happening in current events. For example, they may have trouble today with the economy, racism, death, etc. These problems can affect their learning and a great way to help them cope with such problems is by making digital story. Xtranormal is an example of one therapeutic digital storytelling tool. 

      This article was useful, but I would have liked to see more of a connection to English Language Learners. How can we use digital storytelling media to help English Language Learners? Over the course of the semester, many digital media tools have been presented to me, but I did not see any mention of it in this article, although its focus was not necessarily on ESL. I just think that since there are so many ELLs in schools today, the author might have addressed them with respect to digital storytelling.