Experimentation And Artistic Creation

Experimentation and Artistic Creation:

Storytelling and the Digital Media Course

Jeremy SarachanAssistant Professor, Communication/Journalism

St. John Fisher College

NMC 2009

Please follow along

Slideshare: http://tinyurl.com/jeremysarachan

Introduction to Digital Media

Offered three times to date.

COMM 260 Topics

Digital Media Tools

Cyberculture/Theory

Digital Storytelling

Place in curriculum

First course in Digital Media “track” within Communication/Journalism major. Production Elective.

Major Elective for Applied Information Technology: Communication/Journalism.

Fulfills a core requirement for all students. (Perspectives in the Arts)

Course Objectives

Learn tools.

Be creative/think outside the box.

Think in terms of stories.

Something (one thing) for everyone.

Core Learning Goals

Students will have at their disposal ways of identifying the cultural assumptions implicit in artistic representations.

Students will discern how design or form influences meaning.

Students will be able to analyze a work from a variety of perspectives. (e.g., creative, formal/aesthetic, cultural, critical)

Students will produce a creative project.

Facebook Pages

Used Blackboard for grades and to post PDFs.

http://tinyurl.com/comm260

Feel free to become a fan during 2009.

Theory Integrated into Class

Convey the qualities and value of digital media.

Digital media offered as an art form.

Article links available on Facebook.

Wide Range of Articles

Wired Magazine

Scholarly

Classic

“The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”

“Computer Lib” and “Dream Machines”

“A Rape in Cyberspace; or How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database into a Society”

Digital Storytelling

Inspiration from Laurie Burruss’s NMC Conference presentation in 2008:“Digital Storytelling: Old Ways, New Tools.”

Blog Assignment

Fall Semester: personal blog and articles

Spring Semester: articles

Simple grading rubric

http://tinyurl.com/jennaex

Used Wordpress, Blogger or something else.

http://tinyurl.com/netvibesex

Wikis

First exploration of digital storytelling

Assignment completed in PBWiki.

Graded on story coherence and participation.

http://tinyurl.com/wikistory

Wikipedia practice/improv

Editing is difficult for students

Next time, Twitter story

Podcasting

Used Garageband.Fairy Tale Practice

Fall Semester: personal story (enhanced)

Spring Semester: personal story and “show”http://tinyurl.com/skydivingjoshhttp://tinyurl.com/sisterbeccahttp://tinyurl.com/jackiediary

Next Semester: No enhanced podcast. One story andone Commentary (to introduce political/performance art.)

Paper 1: New Media Art

1) Describe the work and discuss its form (considering the technological requirements, including interactive elements; how it appears or stimulates the senses; and aesthetic considerations.)

2) Discuss the work in terms of its content: cultural or political meaning aesthetic value creative significance.

3) Discuss how the work might be viewed by different cultures. What cultural assumptions have been made by the artist about the viewer that would allow the viewer to appreciate/understand the work?

Flash

Fall Semester: Animation

Spring Semester: Animation and Interactive Project

http://tinyurl.com/USmapex

Preferred topic for some students; others found it difficult.

Keep it simple. Textbook used. Provided step-by-step instructions.

Second Life: Identity

Second Paper:1. How could one consider this creation of identity function as a form of art? Consider creative, cultural, political, and/or formalistic approaches (include at least two approaches in your paper.)

2. How do these approaches help one's understanding of avatar creation as personal expression and of Second Life in general? Students should include both research sources (at least three: scholarly or popular press) and 2-3 brief interviews with Second Life citizens.

3. How does this analysis help us understand artistic expression in Second Life?

Second Life: Culture

Tour (architecture, religion, and amusement)

Itinerary provided.

Students took photos and wrote about experiences in blogs.

Birthing Center experience/Rules of Conduct

Second Life: Building

Building objects, furniture and dwellings

Some students were “hooked.”

Our land seemed to be getting smaller.

http://tinyurl.com/comm260SL (for the SLURL to the NMC rented land)

Final Project

You are encouraged (but not required) to produce a work that encourages collaboration (Web 2.0). You may work in groups of two if the project demands it.

The work must be substantial and worthy of two months effort. You will be graded on whether the project has/is1) A “finished quality”2) Artistic in either the aesthetic and/or political sense3) “Interesting”4) “Innovative”5) Leaves the user with a “lasting impression.”(And the use of quotes confirm that I realize this is vague.)

A paper discussing their project as a form of new media art was also required.

The focus was “why was this project important.”

Students presented in a small auditorium and Second Life. (Don’t do this.)

The Projects: Examples

Students created online poster session(Did you check out my Interactive?)

http://tinyurl.com/podcast1ex (Talk Show)

http://tinyurl.com/podcast2ex (Politics/Sexual Identity)

http://tinyurl.com/flash1ex (Choices/Stop Motion)

http://tinyurl.com/virtualmovement (Flash dance)

http://tinyurl.com/secretflash (Secrets /Flash)

http://tinyurl.com/secretsfb (Secrets/Facebook)

http://tinyurl.com/techlove (TechLove)

Stadium/Lacrosse

Interest Level for Each Topic

“Extremely” or “Very” interesting or useful

Facebook: 57%Blogs: 35%Wikis: 28%Podcasts: 82%Flash: 60%Second Life: 71%

Assignment Ratings I

Which were worthwhile (students defined)?

66% or more of class chose “Extremely” or “Very.”

Podcast (both)

Flash (both)

Second Life: Building

Final Project

Assignment Ratings II

Which were not worthwhile (students defined)?

20% or more of class chose “Somewhat” or “Not Worthwhile.”

Blog

Digital Media Art paper

Virtual Worlds paper

More time should be spent on...

Flash

...and a new course is coming Spring 2010.

Course Corrections

More digital storytelling focus

Twitter instead of wikis

More emphasis on performance in Podcasting

Flash: Simpler interactivity

Second Life: more use of events

Teach this class!

Great flexibility to explore tools.

Allow students to understand the “why” in addition to the “how.”

Recruits students to field/department.

How to find me

Would you like a copy of the survey?

Any questions or comments?

Contact me via Facebook (Jeremy Sarachan) or at [email protected] or in (Jarold String).