At the 2018 Rockcliffe University Consortium Conference in San Francisco, I presented on Superheroes’ Transformative Digital Storytelling. I was delighted to share my Peninsula College coursework and the systems I use to weave students’ experiences with heroic adventures.
Empower agency and reveal superhero skills with immersive lessons that activate educational transformations using storytelling techniques including reflective origins, challenging problems, and creative solutions to evolve students into exceptional mentors utilizing technology, art, and imagination.
Develop artful solutions using storytelling technology to inspire and overcome challenges by telling unique accounts as an active learning modality.
Students are superheroes and education is an equity mutation. Virtual environments unlock their potential because anything is possible. We recognize the catalyst and hero’s journey that makes each student unique through positive persistence to persevere achievements beyond the classroom.
Want to visit? Let’s connect or find me in Second Life! Here is the slideshow from that presentation!
The Hero’s Journey New Student Orientation Digital Storytelling and 3D Design Interactive Project is an ongoing, persistent engagement experience to inform and inspire new students to attend Peninsula College on campus and online.
Digital Storytelling students design, build, and institute components of The Hero’s Journey. The continual goal of the project is to build an innovative marketing space and introduction to the college through an adventure filled with information, helpful resources, encouragement, and inclusive experiences.
Our next class start Spring term with Media 224 – Digital Storytelling which is taught online and on campus!
Peninsula College 2017 Media 196 – Intro to 3D Design Class:
Joseph Beeson
Cory Castillon
Jack Cote
Mariah Dillard
Isaac Fink
Cindy Guoan
James Iredale
Christeal Milburn
Nicholas Rehler
Naoko Scott
Bryan Smith
Special Thanks to all the Peninsula College Digital Storytelling Heroes
The Hero’s Journey – Step 1 – Ordinary World – This step refers to the hero’s normal life at the start of the story, before the adventure begins.
The Hero’s Journey Step 2 – Call to Adventure – The hero is faced with something that makes them begin their adventure. This might be a problem or a challenge they need to overcome.
The Hero’s Journey Step 3 – Refusal of the Call – The hero attempts to refuse the adventure because they are afraid.
The Hero’s Journey Step 4 – Meeting with the Mentor – The hero encounters someone who can give them advice and ready them for the journey ahead.
The Hero’s Journey Step 5 – Crossing the First Threshold – The hero leaves their ordinary world for the first time and crosses the threshold into adventure in the extraordinary world.
The Hero’s Journey Step 6 -Tests, Allies, and Enemies – The hero learns the rules of their new world. During this time, they endure tests of strength of will, meets friends, and comes face to face with foes.
The Hero’s Journey Step 7 – Adaptation and Approach – Setbacks occur, sometimes causing the hero to try a new approach and adopt new ideas.
The Hero’s Journey Step 8 – Ordeal – The hero experiences a major hurdle or obstacle, such as a life or death crisis.
The Hero’s Journey Step 9 – Reward – After surviving death, the hero earns their reward or accomplishes their goal.
The Hero’s Journey Step 10 – The Road Back – The hero begins their journey back to their ordinary life.
The Hero’s Journey Step 11 – The Resurrection Hero – The hero faces a final test where everything is at stake and they must use everything they have learned.
The Hero’s Journey Step 12 – Return with Elixir – The hero brings their knowledge or the “elixir” back to the ordinary world, where they apply it to help all who remain there.
Join me March 7 at 12:30 PM PST for “Courage to Encourage: Origin Story Lessons” at the Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds Conference. The event is online in a virtual world, please go to this site to register http://consortium.militarymetaverse.org/
My presentation provides step-by-step guidance for instructors and trainers to tap into inspiring students through developing their mission and how that pursuit fuels their educational drive and development. Every student superhero has a catalyst that changes their lives and is the incentive to improve themselves and the world around them. Discover students’ origin stories and principal motivation to turn passion into positive projects and promote partnerships.
Virtual worlds foster flexible, imaginative play to reveal and utilize students’ individual stories. Create a safe learning environment where this vulnerable intersection transforms into a lesson of confidence, compassion, and connections with other superheroes. After exploring the events and elements of their influential story, implement transmedia storytelling through multimedia, blogs, social networks, and virtual world engagement to support student centered success and unique learning styles while inspiring universal listening, inquiry, and teambuilding.
The last time I presented at the Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds Conference it was at the National Defense University in Washington D.C. Dig my red mary janes! #FCVW #FCVW15 #besuper
Because I teach expression and engagement with technology, there can be a high level of frustration and fear of failure that the students feel. So much of this is brand new and things can go wrong that are unseen or misunderstood and out of the control of the student and the instructor. We joke about having tissues on hand in front of the computer because we take these problems personally.
I often remind students that I reward effort. They need to just do something! We learn by participating, not sitting on our hands at the edge of the education abyss with our eyes closed and ears plugged. I encourage my students to take the plunge because they might find out they know how to fly and soar higher than they ever expected. And, it is okay to fall and fail once and a while to be grounded, gain perspective, and take the hand of another to help launch someone else who is ready to fly.
About the artwork progress plunge:
How do we embrace ideals of action, adventure and change with the safety of contentment? Take on a decisive manner with faith in creating change on your own. Not much happens unless you toss a metaphorical stone into a pond to cause it to ripple. Create waves. At the same time, navigate predicaments with the hopeful view that there are no dead ends, only U-turns. Hurdles are placed before us to create opportunities to show how high we can strive. Energetically select paths that challenge to reach humble gratification. Find comfort in choice.
The square spiral is an ancient symbol of homecoming. The maze means movement, decisions and the path of life. Knots intertwine to illustrate continuous connections and your part of an infinite legacy. Woven structures express collaboration of many single parts bound together stronger than alone. The ripple demonstrates the reward of action.
I created my own “Seigaiha” Japanese Wave Pattern for silk fabric. This is the red to purple design covered with fresh stems of Sequim lavender that will become silk scarves. I’ll be selling these during the Sequim Lavender Farm Faire at Purple Haze Lavender Farm July 19 – 21, 2013.
This past week my high school friend, Reed, had a birthday and we chatted on Facebook after giving him birthday wishes. There he gave me permission to pester him to get off his butt and do art again. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity and gave him an assignment right then and there! If you know me, I love to give homework! I suggested that he do a photo essay about presents. I didn’t just mean gifts, but a sense of time, production, and your portrayal.
I am sure Reed is busy working on this assignment. I gave him a week, my students will vouch I am very forgiving for tardiness if there is good reason. So, that made me think about what I got for Christmas gifts and how it would relate to my presents challenge.
I received a box of chocolate toffee from my Uncle Paul along with many other treats and sweets from relatives. Food has always brought my family together, as well as, made us late for many other things. We are known for lollygagging standing around while eating cookies or candy. Those are quality moments with family while someone is waiting in the car to get a move on.
My parents got me red gloves I can use with my phone, a white sweater, and pearls. All quite special and bring out the best in me. I adore learning and teaching technology to help people express themselves, promote their superpowers, and stay connected with family, friends, and the future.
Because I value customization so much, most of my supplies to create apparel are white so I can dye them. I am terribly fussy about the hues I wear, so the gift of a white sweater assures I can dye it just the right shade of orange or yellow or red I need. My colorful appearance is my art and a way to encourage others to be their best selves.
Lastly the pearls, not only are the lovely to look at and wear, but they are a symbol I use often in my artwork. Pearls are an icon of wisdom, education, life lessons, and making something wonderful out of a mistake or disappointment.
Lessons learned, I think back to that Commercial Art class Reed and I had together with several dear friends our senior year. I know I didn’t make it easy on myself when I challenged the instructor publicly as an editorial in school newspaper on her disrespect of my classmates’ intellectual property rights and mine. Her conduct just helped push me to be a better educator and arts advocate. That was a present too.
We all have gifts, receive gifts, and give gifts. Having each other in our lives is also a special present we are fortunate to acquire and that I am grateful for.
“Quite an experience to live in fear, isn’t it? That’s what it is to be a slave.” – Roy Batty
My parents took me to see Blade Runner in the theater in 1982. I was thankful that my folks did because the artistry and message influenced my life. That is what art does. I believe that creative expression is a means to communicate on a higher, deeper level. I encourage and challenge my students to use art and media to define an ideal of a world they want to positively inspire and execute it in an esthetically pleasing way. To imagine this ideal world, that it already exists and to live in it as a responsible citizen while sharing what that exceptional life can be. While at the same time to define themselves as unique contributors who have the freedom to be themselves and express individual perspectives. Is this delusional behavior? No, your ideas and actions can create a better world. Aware without fear.
Answer: Why not? I have been wearing red eye shadow for over 25 years. And, it isn’t easy to stay in stock. Back in 1988, I was so excited when I had a custom set of eye shadows made for me that were yellow, orange, and red with mica sparkles. Of course, I have newer shadows and sometimes blushes to don on my lids. They are the same set of colors that I wear today, sometimes magenta, pink, or coral instead of red to match my outfit.
But, why red? It could be the Japanese geisha look. It could be my war paint. It could because am a fiery Aries. It could be I love bright colors that inspire bees to seek out imperative pollen from radiant blooms. It could be that looking somewhat like a clown confuses people when I am so serious. It could be how the red makes my hazel eyes pop. It could be I delight in the double takes and smiles I get from people who find the world is full of wonder, variety, and unique forms of expression.
Question: Do you look like Zinnia Zauber, your avatar in Second Life?
Answer: Yes. I have done my best to be authentic in the virtual world Second Life. Zinnia might be more cartoonish and less thick than me, but for the most part she and I are the same in appearance. I make my own clothes and skins for my avatar. And, just made a set of eyes for Zinnia from photographs of my own eye I took under my microscope camera. I gotta be me!
Renne Emiko Brock Expressions 