Did you know you can tell a story in so many different ways? Humans for centuries have told stories with words, through sound, movement and dance, and nowadays with moving images. Do you also know that it is important to learn how to listen to a good story? Surprisingly, it is not as easy to be a good story teller and listener. But if you start from an early age, you too can become a great storyteller and an even better listener.
In this introductory multi-media class, students will learn to use storytelling tools and techniques to explore, understand and tell personal stories. This class will teach about the art of storytelling across time and the various opportunities traditional and modern technologies provide in telling stories today from writing and drawings to photography and video. We will begin with traditional storytelling techniques including oral stories, books, poems, drawing, mapmaking, and dance. Students will then explore a few digital storytelling methods through photography, audio recordings, and experimental video. At the end of the course, students will leave with a curated collection of materialized memories as part of their storytelling portfolio, meaning their creations from each storytelling technique lesson taught as part of the course. Learning the art of storytelling will not only empower young learners to better express themselves, but to also find inspiration and hope through their observations, imagination, and all other sources of creativity.
