Kelly Valbuena E-Portfolio

Final Reflection

When I first began this course, the concept of digital storytelling was very foreign to me. And when being described the content that would be included was very intimidating. My interpretation of the directions sounded as if it involved computer science, that is how intimidated I was at first. However, when actually beginning the process, those fears slowly dissipated and instead I found a form of a creative outlet. With a stressful semester revolving around essays on top of essays, my digital story was a reminder of why I am pursuing a career that revolves in humanitarian work. Within my previous reflections, the tech perspective was difficult at first. And although I continue to have technical issues, I was able to learn more on the ability to play around with the software itself and finding ways to maneuver around the issues to see a final image, which is rewarding. I would compare the experience to puzzle in both the initial process of brainstorming to the final embedment of music or photos. The overall process I was able to learn the process of refining the brainstorming process. After being exposed to the multiple forms of storytelling, I was able to learn the different formats and the various topics that storytelling can be based about. From school projects such as the project involving Ana Patricia Rodriguez's "Entre Mundos/Between Worlds: Digital Stories of Salvadorean Transnational" and her UMD students. Through reading about their experiences, I learned that digital storytelling can grant the exposure to different communities that often are overlooked. I also learned that the exposure can help demonstrate a sense of authenticity that I can only describe as a behind the scenes outlook. Using the example of "The Couple in the Cage" the ability of storytelling can open discussions that are often avoided due to controversial topics. With multiple stories being based around migration, I learned that digital storytelling can help capture the essence of past generations and their experiences to help those have a sense of understanding that are stuck between both worlds of not belonging in either worlds. This topic was very relatable and I learned that not fitting in a perfect is common between the children of migrants. Specifically, I would refer to Alan Pelaez Lopez, "An Artist Manifesto: For Brown Folx Surviving the Empire". With new innovative technology I learned that with social media, youtube, and other platforms can be used as new forms of an outreach of narratives that were once written through one post of view. Stories that demonstrate narratives that are often on purpose ignored, well at least in the past they were. I learned that through digital storytelling the communities that need more representation can achieve that through storytelling. Just as demonstrated in Ashlee Cunsolo Wilcox's "Storytelling in a digital age: digital storytelling as an emerging narrative method for preserving and promoting indigenous oral wisdom". From the beginning I had a sense of the impact digital storytelling can have on a global level. One project we did during this course, I learned how StoryMaps can be utilized issues and crimes on human rights that are happening in states that often do not have media coverage. Overall the two things I learned while taking this course is that although you may have difficulty in one task, you are not alone. With the structure of the class, when hearing the hardships within the process of digital storytelling that my classmates had made me feel a bit more confident, in a sense that I am not alone.