Reflection 2

The Process of Creating a Digital Story

Stages & Challenges:
I began with brainstorming, jotting down random ideas in a notebook. Then, I moved on to scripting, organizing those ideas into a coherent story. Gathering media was tough as finding suitable images and music that fit the theme took a lot of time. I overcame this by using free - media platforms like Pexels for images and YouTube Audio Library for music. For editing, I used iMovie. The challenge here was learning the software's functions, but I watched online tutorials to figure it out.

Collaboration & Tools:
I worked alone on this project. I used Google Docs to write the script, which was convenient for making edits. For media gathering, I relied on the mentioned platforms. In terms of AI, I used ChatGPT to help refine some of my sentences in the script. I'd input rough drafts and ask for suggestions on word choice and sentence flow.

Writing Enjoyment

Initial Emotions:
At the start, I was excited yet a bit anxious. Excited because it was a new way of storytelling, different from traditional essays. Anxious because I wasn't sure if I could pull it off, especially with the technical aspects.

Turning Points:
During the editing process, I felt frustrated when the transitions between scenes didn't look right. But when I finally fixed them after hours of tweaking, I felt a huge sense of pride. Compared to traditional writing assignments, digital storytelling is more engaging as it combines visuals and audio. The part that surprised me with enjoyment was visualizing scenes. It was fun to think about how to represent my story not just through words but also pictures and music.

Writing Growth Mindset

Skill Development:
I improved my technical skills in using video - editing software. I also got better at multimodal literacy, understanding how to blend text, images, and audio. Editing skills improved as I learned to be more concise in my script to fit the time limit.

Future Applications:
I'll carry the importance of planning and organization from this project into future writing. Also, I'll be more open to using different media elements to enhance my written work, even in a simple essay, by adding relevant images or links if possible.

Writing Self - Efficacy

Baseline Confidence:
At the start, I was moderately confident in my writing skills from past English classes, but not so much in digital storytelling. Past experiences of writing essays gave me some confidence, but the lack of experience in video - related work made me hesitant.

Moments of Mastery:
When I successfully added background music that perfectly matched the mood of my story, I felt proud. This moment made me believe that I could handle the technical parts of digital storytelling. It boosted my self - belief and made me more eager to take on similar projects in the future.