Show and tell
By Danielle Beverly Beverly is the Diederich College’s digital professional in residence.
Digital media has changed how we tell stories. Once, the power of the pen was heralded as the path to change hearts and minds. Today, the pen is not dead. It just has a new ally. Audio, high-definition video, imagery and online distribution work together to engage senses, mobilize citizens and even help topple governments. This affects how we educate students, particularly in the Diederich College. As educators, we seek scholarship and critical thinking. Now, we also encourage students to speak in today’s language — their native tongue. This developing digital landscape weaves multimedia, technology and online distribution to tell rich stories that make a difference. As the college’s professional in residence in digital media, I harness digital media every day as a documentary maker. I shoot video, record sound and create images that are edited and pieced together. I then distribute this work in digital formats you can hold in your hand, stream or download.
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I translate these formats into teaching with film clips, links and online discussions to keep the information fresh and have it visually and aurally appealing to students who (quite frankly) demand layered stimuli. No sense in fighting this fact. Rather, digital media afford a chance to embrace exciting opportunities. In my Women & Documentary course, I let students choose a digital project or a traditional research paper as their final. Making a documentary is not a requirement. Many students have never held a video camera or even watched a documentary. But the ones who don’t have prior experience are often emboldened by documentary films they view each week. At least half chose the digital project. One student is Leah Todd. I witnessed her transition from a strong traditional writer to a full-fledged documentary maker. Her path was forged with fits and starts and, like many of us, technical difficulties — but also many “a-ha” moments.
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