Digital events at the 2012 AAAs

It’s my great pleasure as convenor of DANG’s AAA faction to bring to your attention some exciting events at the upcoming annual meeting of the AAA in San Francisco. If you have planned something “digital” themed at the 2012 AAA’s that you would like advertised, let us know and we will blog about it.

If you haven’t yet experienced an Innovent, put this one at the top of the list. “Media in Motion in the Mission: Mobile Digital Storytelling” is scheduled from 11am to 1pm on Saturday (11/17). In it the Director of the Center for Digital Storytelling in Berkeley, Joe Lambert, will lead a 45-minute photo walk and story session through the murals of the Mission District. After the tour, Joe will facilitate a short movie-making process (doing a short writing prompt, a brief story circle, and then a five-photo edit with attendees’ own iPhone, iPad, Android, etc.) This event will be a fantastic opportunity for attendees to get away from the conference facilities for a while, take in some of unique sights that San Fran has to offer, AND take away some useful skills/techniques.

Acting as bookends to the Innovent is a two-part panel: “Crossing Contexts and Redefining Borders with Digital Media and Storytelling”. The first half of the panel will deal with utilizing digital storytelling and digital applications to teach anthropology courses. It is scheduled from 8am to 9:45am on Saturday (11/17). The second panel will be on research on utilizations of digital media in school and community programs. It will be held from 1:45pm to 3:15pm that same afternoon (Saturday, 11/17).

The abstract for “Media in Motion” reads

A digital story is a short, first person video-narrative created by combining recorded voice, still and moving images, and music or other sounds in a digital media product. Since 1998 the Center for Digital Storytelling in Berkeley, California, has been giving digital storytelling methods workshops aimed at helping K-12 teachers integrate the use of digital storytelling assignments into their classes. In large part due to the tireless efforts of the Center, and aided by a growing belief that such projects are better suited than traditional paper assignments for developing active learning styles needed for participation in the information age, digital storytelling projects are being increasingly assigned at K-12 education institutions throughout the U.S. More recently, such assignments have been finding their way onto syllabi of courses given at the country’s colleges and universities, where digital storytelling is increasingly being seen as a useful tool for the facilitation of engaged learning. Taking advantage of the Center for Digital Storytelling’s proximity to the site of the 2012 Annual Meeting, this Innovent will provide an opportunity to get acquainted with a media form and process that is rife with potential for anthropological pedagogy and practice. Innovent attendees will gather at the Dance Mission Theater, near the 24th St. Bart Station, where the Director of the Center for Digital Storytelling, Joe Lambert, will provide an introduction to digital storytelling before leading the group on a 45-minute photo walk and story session through the murals of the Mission District. The tour will end up at Galeria de la Raza or Brava Theater at the other end of 24th, where Joe will facilitate a 1-hour session of making a short movie in a hurry (doing a short writing prompt, a brief story circle, and then a five photo edit with attendees own iPhone [or other ios device] or 2012 Android Phone or Tablet). Not everyone would have to participation in the project making process, but could benefit from following along. This event is a fantastic opportunity to get out and get acquainted with the unique environs of the 2012 Annual Meeting location while learning practical skills that can be utilized in anthropology teaching and research practice. Participation in the Innovent costs $50 per person. To sign up for this event go to the American Anthropological Association’s registration page and click on “Add Workshops/Events” in the left-hand column to log in.

Any questions about this Innovent should be e-mailed to Aaron Thornburg at aaron.thornburg AT duke.edu.