This fall students from Dr. Autumn Sutherlin’s CHEM 101: Consumer Chemistry class produced short infomercials introducing their subjects to a general audience.
You and your partners will create a 5-8 minute video infomercial about a Green Product. A green product is a product that claims to have little or no impact on the environment. Your final infomercial will explain the advantages and disadvantages of this product over the “non-Green” product it is replacing. You will need to consider things such as environmental impact and the cost of both the Green and Non-green Products.
This is the second year Dr. Jennifer Shewmaker has introduced digital storytelling into her PSYC 401: Psychology Seminar class. Students were asked to reflect on the skills and attributes that first led them to psychology through short media narratives.
As you work through the semester thinking about the career that will be the best fit for you, you will construct a digital story reflecting on Max Lucado’s book Cure for the Common Life. The Lucado readings will focus thinking about your work as a way to live within your God-given calling, gifts, and passion.
This semester the Learning Studio will be adding support for media production on the iPad. Several classes with iPad access will be looking for ways to produce upcoming digital storytelling projects, so the following resources introduce some of the tools you may use.
Though there are a number of strong video-editing apps for iOS the easiest to pick up and use is iMovie for iPhone 4+, iPod 4+, and iPad 2+. The app runs $4.99 in the App Store or can be purchased at a discount for an entire class.
The iMovie for iOS app allows you to quickly create movie files from the following assets:
Add photos from your camera roll and reorder them, edit their duration on screen and the Ken Burns effect to add motion.
Record audio narration for your digital story directly into iMovie. Generally it’s easier to record your script FIRST and then change the duration of clips afterwards.
Introduce video clips or other media, either recorded directly to the device or imported using the Apple Camera Connection Kit.
Finally, export an HD copy of your movie back to the Camera Roll or directly to YouTube. Since most images are higher resolution than HD video, you should be able to export a 720p or 1080p version without noticing pixelation.
This summer the Learning Studio worked closely with students in ACU’s first Summer Academy. High school students from around the country joined us in Abilene for 9 courses that included Digital Media, Film & Faith, and Photography.
Students in select classes worked with faculty and media production specialists for training in photography and audio and video editing. The main photography students with Nil Santana worked with Canon 60D DSLR cameras from the checkout pool. Each student was issued an iPad for submitting content via course blogs and producing final media projects in Dr. Kyle Dickson’s Film and Digital Media classes.
One unique feature of the courses in the first session in June was a 4-day, 2,000 mile visit to three World Heritage sites in New Mexico and Colorado. Fifty students and faculty members toured the Taos Pueblo, Mesa Verde cliff dwellings, and the Carlsbad Caverns producing images and video that would later be submitted as part of digital stories.
Under the clear sky of Colorado, Nil and Kyle also offered an evening of lightpainting that students from all courses were invited to attend.
The Learning Studio was honored to be part of the teaching and support for a group of excellent students. Thanks to Dr. Kristina Davis and the Honors College for including us in their inaugural summer.
Sample Projects
Students from the Film & Faith class analyzed a short scenes from one of the assigned films for the Mise en Scene project. Here are a few of the Hitchcock films they looked at. Images were cut together with audio narration using iMovie for iPad.
Thanks to a great group of faculty, we ended our first year with a great storytelling and media training experience. We welcomed back Mary Ann McNair from the Center for Digital Storytelling to work with ACU faculty Al Haley and Jennifer Shewmaker facilitating the three-day workshop. This is our third workshop this year working with staff from the CDS, and faculty from across campus continue to be challenged by the format to produce original content and reflect on the role of media in the broader curriculum.
Thanks to faculty participants for investing their time and creativity in the workshop. Here’s a glimpse into the experience.
This semester the Learning Studio will be adding support for media production on the iPad. Several classes with iPad access will be looking for ways to produce upcoming digital storytelling projects, so the following resources introduce some of the tools you may use. 
