Chapter 7

iMet is its own transformation.....

As a potential presenter of a course on digital story telling, this chapter was critical. Ohler frames the way an educator can approach a student or situation that is challenging in a very constructive way. He breaks down the potential issues and offers exercises and interpretations of the problem to not only solve the issue but understand it. Ohler discussed what can make a powerful story and it really "resonated" with me. It made me think of the many transitions I have gone through and the many I am currently going through including my transformation in this program. Ohler said,

"If you want to create a story that is memorable and useful for listeners, then connect your experiences to theirs through universal appeal. It's often quite simple to do, because your story is often everyone's story. Powerful experiences become powerful stories if authors reflect on how the experiences have transformed them. The question for storytellers is not just "What happened?" but also "How has what happened changed me?"

Jason B. Ohler. Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity (p. 105). Kindle Edition.

I identified with this upon reflection of the iMet program. Graduate school is a unique experience because each student has an opportunity to choose to apply to a particular program that interests them, and to choose to focus two to four years on one subject. I think everyone in this program, along with any other student in a graduate program, has a similar experience of self discovery, self reflections and a constant challenge of what each individual knows, accepts and believe to be true.