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“Stories should give you a promise” (Stanton, 2012).

In his talk, Stanton elaborates on what listeners expect in a story. When one gives a storyteller his or her time, one hopes that the story will be one that will “draw us in”. Absence of information, he explains, does not necessarily make the story flawed, but has the potential to keep listeners engaged with anticipation. Rather, active listeners begin to make their own predictions on what will happen next.

This information has provided me with a new perspective on storytelling. Although I find this a bit challenging, especially for ELLs, it is also exciting, as it will show students how to organize a story and other verbal tasks, like oral presentations. For example, certain parts of a story that would be commonly considered important to the student might not be with the help of certain guidelines. In other words, students will be able to compare the details that could bore listeners to those that make his or her story exciting or interesting.

Gloria Jimenez

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Nobody said anything. And, I usually jump in, but I had an overwhelming sense that all that was necessary was the space.  The space (and the silence and the witnessing as part of that space.) Ten seconds. Twenty seconds. Half a minute maybe. And then Wynne broke down into tears.  Not just tears, but full weeping (Lambert, 2013, Interlude 2 Wynne's Story).  This part of Wynne’s story is very moving and it reminded me of a technique that is used by some nonprofit groups such as Refugee Transitions working with traumatized ESL students.  The technique is really to give students more time to feel safe, and to be an active listener rather than “Director” in the classroom.  This may seem like common sense.  However, usually the emphasis in ESL classrooms is on “production” and part of that is eliciting many responses in English.  It takes a different mindset to have the patience and sensitivity not to ask lots of questions and just let students tell their own stories in their own time.  Creating these kinds of ‘safe spaces’, though, can be really critical for many students.  It's very interesting to me, as an educator, how cathartic and transformative story telling can be, and how therapeutic...  (From Nancy)

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Some writers fear providing too simplistic a picture of the people they are describing, or their behavior in a given context, so they expand the narrative with a multiplicity of facets in order to feel more “fair.”  Personal storytellers are not judges or juries, they are witnesses.  And as witnesses, we seek truth inside and around the simple lines of the sketch of their memories. (Lambert, 2010, p. 29).

This quote really struck me.  I recently had to give a eulogy at my father’s funeral, and I remember being afraid that things I said would be misinterpreted or disputed by my family.  As my brothers and I discussed our childhood memories, I realized how different our lived experiences were, so our interpretations of those events were also very different.  One brother didn’t want me to mention that my father had moments of doubt or difficulty.  But, my view was that that these were all moments my father overcame and could be a source of inspiration for others.  In the end, I spoke from the heart, but I recognize those moments of being afraid not just of revealing yourself, but also those you are trying to describe or portray.    (From Nancy)

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"Of all the suggestions that we have made in helping people to prepare their writing, the use of 4 x 6 index cards has garnered the most praise. The idea is simple: Novice and experienced writers alike inevitably suffer from a malady aptly called “blank page syndrome.” The weight of filling a blank page, or more than likely, many pages, can easily crush our creative initiative, and as a result, cause us some difficulty in getting started."
Lambert, Joe. Digital Storytelling Cookbook: January 2010. Berkeley, CA: Digital Diner, 2010.
This quotation from Lambert was especially interesting to me. It isn't exactly the quotation, but the idea he's discussing. As a writing teacher, I'm always interested in ways to help my students access their ideas. Overall, I think that the digital storytelling framework is going to be helpful to me in my classes. However, the idea of using 4X6 index cards really struck me as a practical tool I can use right now. First off, I think it could be useful, as Lambert points out, in getting past writers block. Secondly, I think that even in academic essays, trying to write your main ideas or even to condense your entire essay down to fit on a card this size would be helpful. (from Jordan)