the best stories are simple
the most interesting people are real

Digital slideshows showcased on this site were created by Diederich College of Communication students in my Introduction to Communication Design & Technology course. We used a variety of Web 2.0, computer-based storytelling tools to experiment with different story forms.

Most of the students in the class had little or no experience in digital storytelling, photography, capturing and editing audio, and slideshow design and distribution.

It was my students first photography exercise and The New York Times One in 8 Million: New York Characters in Sound and Images that inspired this project.

Similar to the One in 8 Million series, I wanted my students to “introduce the individuals they know in sound and images - telling extraordinary stories of passions and problems, relationships and routines, vocations and obsessions.”

These are simple stories about real people. Adobe Photoshop was used for image editing and iPhoto for an introduction to basic digital asset management.

We experimented with a variety of Web 2.0 tools for digital story design including Flickr, Animoto, ThisMoment, and Prezi. Ultimately, for the final part of the project, students integrated audio and images using iMovie ’09.

Thanks to Dan Johnson, Marquette University Photographer, for team teaching with me. Without his expertise and experience students in this course would not have had such a great project-based learning experience.