Beginning of Class Writing: Miller, Chapter 14, Using Digital Storytelling to Inform

For today’s class, you read Miller’s Chapter 14, “Using Digital Storytelling to Inform.” Of course, this chapter has a lot of relevance for our current project and much of the kinds of work that you will do as PTW practitioners. Summarize your reading in a new memo, and copy-and-paste your summary into a comment made to this blog post during the first ten minutes of class.

4 thoughts on “Beginning of Class Writing: Miller, Chapter 14, Using Digital Storytelling to Inform

  1. jstephenson

    To: Professor Ellis

    From: Jodieann J. Stephenson

    Date: 04/04/2016

    Re: Chapter 14 Summary

    In Miller’s Chapter 14 was an in-depth look at how it is important to use storytelling to inform individuals. The ways in which individuals stay informed has changed drastically from traditional ways of receiving information. Now with the affordances of new technologies, people are informed via blogs, podcasts, blogs, websites, emails and SMS text. This movement to new technologies also revolutionized the ways consumer digested information which changed the print industries. Once online mediums were introduced, it had a severe impact on the way information was packaged. More importantly, it changed how it could be shared via online articles with hyperlinks, videos, and social media sites such as Twitter. The telling of news via those new mediums have changed the ways in which we see information and analyze what we view as information. This is now a challenge for writers because they have to write for an audience who has a much shorten attention span and wants the information up front and center rather to have to sift for information. My contention is that this new integration of writing and information architecture is changing our brain and how it understands the world and the information within it. This is an incredibly complex issue that no one is addressing. The issue of ethics comes into place. With so many different mediums, that each have its own unique audience and likes, how can writers tailor the information to not only inform but to make sure its suffice and ethical. This is quite the challenge for all writers and will continue to be a challenge moving forward. But it would be a unique conversation to discuss.

  2. MariahRajah

    To: Professor Ellis
    From: Mariah Rajah
    Date: 04/03/2016
    Re: Chapter 14 Summary

    Miller’s chapter 14 has been by far for me the most interesting. The chapter covered the topic of using digital storytelling to inform. The chapter covered a wide range of topics from the ways from how we can stay informed (websites, blogs,podcasts, news bulletins via email and texts) and the content we pay attention to and when we want to see this content. One of the most important mentions in this chapter is the understanding of the movement of print based media to digital based media and the impact it is having not only on how we share, receive, and analyze information but also the way in which information is prepared. A team would have investigated a story before but now it can be told, shot, written, and produced by one individual. A story can be told not without the use of live video shooting because of the fact that eyewitnesses can be trusted due to their smartphones and the video-taking capabilities. The daily and nightly news has become a source for social media videos, and posts to become evidence in crimes, and posts used for entertainment. With this move has also come the portability and customization of content. Now that a user could participate more openly in digital media, analogous forms of media such as newspapers are becoming less and less interesting, available, and interesting. This move has also created a larger industry for online or as I would like to call them ‘behind the scene information curators’. This movement has allowed for more people to create information or a story behind the camera of the news and have one person tell that story. This movement of infotainment has also taken various digital storytelling technologies and applied it to the way in which they are able to connect and influence users. They play on key features such as interactivity, participating, and making the experience as personal as ever as to encourage the audience to staying tuned for their information. The way people receive information has also broadened because of the new digital platforms in which information is being shared. From wikis to virtual world experiences a viewer can now be completely immersed and completed a part of the story by influencing the information or the community of people who receive it. Information no longer comes from one source it comes from all of those who contribute to social platforms. This new influx of information also needs to be regarded for its accuracy, its regard, and its influence. Information and the way in which digital storytellers present this information comes at risks and also potential benefits.

  3. Samantha

    To: Professor Ellis
    From:Samantha
    Date: 4/4
    Subject: ch14

    This chapter in summary discusses the conversion from in writing and on paper information sharing to mainly digital means. The way in which we obtain our news, entertainment and even weather is mainly digital now. This fast paced mode of getting information changes how we expect to receive information and how we process it once we have it. We seek information quickly but in doing this the issue of accuracy is raised, to me at least, with so many ways for people to share information how do we sort the streams of data that comes at us. I don’t think we as a society have addressed the change and I don’t think many are bothered by it at all.

  4. Pamela

    To: Professor Ellis
    Form: Pamela Drake
    Subject: Digital Storytelling – Summary of Chapter 14
    Using Digital Storytelling to Inform
    Date: April 4, 2016

    Chapter 13 of Digital Storytelling by Carolyn Handler Miller discusses how digital storytelling is applied to informational content. Digital media has changed the way we incorporate news and events. Digital technology and wireless connectivity has caused a shift in society and therefore, a shift in news gathering. Also journalism has seen a dramatic change in the way news is captured and reported. Never before have we had so many civilians photographers who immediately send in their snapshots after an event has just happened and instantly, it’s available for airing. Not to say that people no longer watching the television to get their news but there are so many other mediums that are quicker to access. As a result, traditional news mediums are seeing a decline in ratings as today, more and more people are going online to get their news. In this “always on” society, we have mediums such as YouTube, Google, Facebook, and Twitter, where viewers not only read and view the news but participate in its content.

    Therefore, Miller explains, news organizations are having to find new ways of providing information while integrating new media into their outlets. However, the challenge is for storytellers to find new ways that users can experience the stories, whether it’s building the stories or sharing the stories, is a challenge for storytellers. But Miller says that applying digital storytelling techniques to an information subject does add more interaction and paths that make the experience more productive and rewarding.

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