Finale Part 2

The Finish Line. (2013, July 3). Retrieved April 15, 2015, from https://childrenscorps.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/the-finish-line/

Previously on my blog posts…

I’ve told you guys how I’ve felt all year about learning news games and trying them out and I thought I would reflect a bit more on my journey thorughout my digital story teling semester. I’ve definetely learned a lot about writing scripts and how much work goes into it. I’ve talked about writing for digital story tellings more in detail in a past blog post, but overall after writing a long 10 page one, I’ve realized how much work it really is. Scipts are complicated. You need actions, settings, and conclusions to every path you take. Really appriciate the games you play online kids! Somebody spent a lot of time writing for that. Also just brain storming ideas is hard work. I like to think I’m a very creative and imaginative person, but because it’s a digital story and the story can go so many ways, you can’t stick to one plot line like a regular author. That being said, it sure is a lot of fun to keep making up twists and problems for characters to run in to.

Only having one week of school left upsets me, I for sure want to learn more about digital story telling. I really REALLY liked how I got to write, write AND blog about my experience. It’s been real people 🙂 Thanks for reading!

http://www.tech4learning.com/frames/digital-storytelling-links

The Finale Part 1

We are coming to the end of my semester folks. Almost the end of digital story telling. It’s the final lap now pretty much so I decided to dedicate these last two blog posts to sort of a reflection on my digital story telling process. The whole semester and what not. I really learned a lot about digital story telling and coming from somebody who had absolutely no idea what it was, I think I have a good hold on it now. Digital story telling for me has helped me find a bunch of new online games to blog about but has also given me some inspiration to write some of my own scripts.

I think playing other games has really brought back some memories of when I used to play and read them as a kid. Also I have really gotten into them. I never really was a huge computar gamer but I really enjoyed choosing the paths of my own stories so I throughoully enjoyed this semester.

Writing a digital story was quite challenging for me as well. I struggled with a few things but I think overall I got the general idea. It’s actually so creative when you have to think of 2 different endings of your own story. It’s a never ending use of your imagination.

There’s too much to write about in a single blog post so I think I’m going to make a part two of this. Stay tuned!

https://www.coursera.org/course/digitalstorytelling

Writing for Digital Storytelling

Insight Moving Images – Script Writing. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2015, from http://www.insightmovingimages.com/Pages/new pages/scriptwriting/scriptwriting.htm

I’ve never had the opportunity to create my own digital story or even write one. I’ve only ever gotten to play them. Recently, in my digital story telling class I’ve learned how to create the perfect digital story. First you need to think of an idea with different outcomes. It’s a lot harder than you think because your story can’t just have one ending. It has to have plan B just incase your user clicks B for the if/then moment.

Next you need to think of your if/then moments. Each of them have to take separate paths but you decide if the ending outcome is going to be the same or different. In my experience of playing games and writing them, it’s really disappointing to have clicked both options and they take you to the same ending. Yes it’s a lot more work to think of two different outcomes but it is so much more rewarding in the end for the user.

I’ve written a fictional script and also a non fictional script and in my opinion a fictional script is a lot more easier. You can come up with anything you want to keep the story interesting, while a non fictional script you need to stay true to the story.

In the end, your imagination can go wild with this. It’s a lot of fun to create your own story. You get caught up in how exciting the adventure can be. Try it out, you might really enjoy it like I did!

https://sites.google.com/site/digitalstorysite/process/create-script  

A link to help you get started on your first story!

May the Odds be Ever in your Favour

The Hunger Games Adventures – android free game. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2015, from http://www.androidfreeapp.net/the-hunger-games-adventures-android-free-game/

Warning: The following blog post make contain spoilers* Please read at your own risk.

Everyones seen the Hunger Games right? If you haven’t I suggest you close your laptop and go buy yourself a ticket to the theatre. They are honestly incredible movies. All three of them were done so well. If you can’t get enough of the Hunger Games (Like I can’t) I found a solution that’s actually won a few awards. There this website called the Hunger Games Adventure and it’s a virtual, social game that you can download on your Ipad or tablet.

You can join Peetah, Katnis, Finnick and the rest of the gang in more than 1,000 story based quests to each district and become a hero of Panem. The game has won two Webby awards and a Variety Entertainment Award for Best Entertainment based mobile game.

Some features of the game are you can see the whole map of Panem and unlock hidden secrets of the Hunger games. Also you can customize your character with lots of different outfits which is always my favourite part of a game. Theres also tons of stories between all three movies that you can play.

If you are a fan of the Hunger Games and understand the stories you will love this new app. It let’s you become part of the story and communicate with all the different characters. Definitely worth downloading if you are finished your homework and need to kill a few hours.. or days.. or weeks!

http://www.androidfreeapp.net/the-hunger-games-adventures-android-free-game/

Make it your own!

Paint Your Room Online with Personal Color Viewer®. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2015, from http://www.benjaminmoore.ca/en-us/for-your-home/personal-color-viewer?action=category&page=/en-us/photos/bedroom

A super cool new edition was just released in certain stores all across North America. Now I don’t know exactly if this counts for “digital story telling” but it’s displayed on an ipad and it’s digital so it must! Anyways, Lowes Hardware store for example has this cool thing where you can hold up a certain device and it will show (in a room with nothing) how a toilet or sink will actually look in the washroom. It shows you right infront of the screen as you can move it all around the room, what different tiles, or wallpapers will look like. This is called Lowe’s Holoroom. A holographic room to help people visualize how to redesign their rooms.

It’s such a genious idea. Everybody struggles with being too indesisive with paint chips or doorknobs because they don’t know how it’s going to look in their own house. Not anymore. Apperently these Holorooms are going to be installed in every Lowes store across Canada.

Just like Lowes. Benjamin Moore paint store does something similar to that as well. If you visit their website you can choose which room, which style you want and it will give you a designed room with hundreds of different colour swatches on the left and every time you click a different colour the wall colour changes. A great new way for people to pick ther perfect colour for their house.

Technology is insanly cool now. I’m so glad I don’t have to say “I wish they had this when I was buying a house” because now I get the oppertunity to try it out one day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s6_GQKL7WE   -A link to Lowes Holoroom.

You Call the Shots…

Since I was little I always love, love, LOVED choosing my own path games. You know the ones, they could be books, or computar games where you would be in a situation and it would give you two options and both would take you in different directions. It used to be my biggest delema as a kid, deciding which option I should choose. Do I choose to take the elevator or the stairs? Do I eat the apple, or keep walking? I used to never question how an author could do it, or what would happen if I chose the other option. As I got older I realized there must be a second ending and sometimes the ending would be exactly the same as the other one and that is the biggest dissapointment of all. If I was an author for one of these choose your own path games there would need to be alternate endings to make it more realistic. The books “Choose your own adventure” I used to read as a kid and I read them ALOT. I used to read them so much that even though I knew the endings, I would still go through each page. If you never have heard of them, they are a series of kids books where you become the protagonist and are faced with different options that lead to different endings. I don’t think I have ever had so much fun reading a book before! Who ever came up with the genious idea of that for kids is a legend in my books.

http://chooseyourstory.com -I linked a website that you can check out if you have never done a choose your own story type game. It’s really fun, and I suggest you give it a try!

^http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site510/2014/1114/20141114_094222_choose-your-own-frac-sand-adventure-picture.jpg

A “Smart” way to use Digital Story-Telling

I know it’s really fun to be playing computer games or video games. I mean you could get lost in them forever. I know I have, and that only means I have left my homework for the last minute. With technology today it’s almost impossible to get work done and I am so glad I grew up without iPads.. until I got to highschool. So I almost made it through without them. But now there is so much contraversary about kids and technology and not getting there work done in school. I know this is my personal opinion but there should be a way that kids can get the learning they need through the computar and interactively. I know there must be some lessons, or some schools that might do that but I believe it should be a regular thing. I mean, it’s not an absolute dream to see kids on the computar or ipad 24/7, but wouldn’t it be better if they were learning something from it? I think it would be beneficial to not only the kids but to the parents as well. They know that when their kids have their noses in a device they are actually learning something. Interactive games are addicting and really fun (and this is coming from an 18 year old) Imagine what it would be like if kids felt that way about their education. I think it would be a postive solution to a lot of distracting problems.

I linked below a website that I found all sorts of information on the educational use of digital story telling. Here is the quote on the main page: “Digital stories help students with time management, problem solving, communication skills and interpersonal qualities such as teamwork, critical thought, information collection, data interpretation, text and image analysis, synthesis and self-evaluation” -Carmen Gregori Signes

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/example_stories.cfm

http://www.lifelong-learner.com/ClassroomTech/images/shapes_benefits-of-DS3a.gif -Picture

“The Taylor Swift Experience”

I know I’ve written about her before, but I promsie this is different. Same album though, I’m sorry but what’s not to love about her! I recently discovered that really cool app that’s kind of like a digital story. So the creators of the app took her recent music video “Blank Space” (if you havn’t seen it, go watch cause it’s awesome and if you read on theres spoilers!) and they made this really cool app where you get to explore the stunning castle the music video takes place in. It digitally takes you through each of the rooms where you get to follow characters and objects with her soundtrack in the background. It also shows you the behind the scenes of the making of the video which is probably my favourite part.

It is so cool. I have been exploring it for hours. It’s like the most she’s ever gone for a music video! I mean her album 1989 has probably been her most successful one but the digital app makes it even cooler to explore. If you havn’t already checked it out I suggest you to because it will blow your mind how they created something like this. I didn’t even know it was a real house when I watched the music video! It just goes to show you she is full of surprised that one. http://musically.com/2014/11/11/american-express-unstaged-taylor-swift-app/ (Picture)

I linked American Express’ words on the app and more that you can discover!

   https://www.americanexpress.com/us/content/unstaged-app/index.html

“Beary” Cool Digital Story

My title was super corny and not at all creative haha, But! I recently found this super cool interactive documentary about bears. At first I was kind of skeptical about if it was cheesy and weird but I played it for a bit and it really was cool. It’s a 20 minute documentary about the way bears live. Not only does it give you facts about bears and how they survive but it treats you as if you are a bear yourself so you can see everything. Theres a map that shows you everything in the forest and you can pause it at anytime. I found myself getting to into it I didn’t even realize time was passing.

Also, it shows you the coolest cameras of real wild life set up in the woods with a womens voice as the bear themselves. Telling stories of her life as a bear but also giving people information about their wildlife.

Never have I tried something like that and I can speak for a lot of kids when I say, thats a great way for them to learn about bears or anything in general. I remember growing up and at school they gave us books or made us watch videos, and I just remember falling asleep every time. This interactive story was so cool to follow and is probably for all ages because I could not stop playing!

http://bear71.nfb.ca/#/bear71 (I linked the website so you can check it out!)

Back to 1989

Taylor swift, a personal fave of mine and to a lot of other teenage girls. Her new album 1989 has by far been her best and I can’t stop listening to it. In the past I have read the articles and see the interviews of her being personally chewed out for her past lyrics in her music. People saying she dates too much, and a whole bunch of other rumours just through her song lyrics. 1989 has been her best album so far because she makes fun of everything everybody has said about her and herself.
If your wondering what I am talking about, her song “Blank Space” if you’ve heard it and or seen the video know she blatantly exaggerates everything people In the media have said about her to get her point across that she does not care.
I have a lot of respect for Taylor myself, not only has she stuck up for herself but has been very successful in doing so. You go girl!!!
The URL I linked shows an article explaining the back story of her new album and how she takes a completely different stand point in writing her music. Not only is it creative and unique for her, but her songs are so catchy and hard to skip over!!
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6289405/taylor-swift-1989-album-review