Congratulations, Academy participants!

Your digital stories were fantastic! I was very impressed by your skills and progress. Best wishes to all of you for continued success. – Kristi

And the "Ozkar" goes to ....

Neier Rodriguez, Best Story; Shaghayegh Hajian, Best Overall Digital Story; Lorenzo Sanchez, Best Technical. Congratulations, winners! Remember us little people when you are famous.

Thanks to instructors Eli Clarke and Ruth Gay who helped judge the digital stories.

Note: Since the posting of this entry, Lorenzo has created a second digital story about his first bike ride to Del Mar.

Shaghayegh's Wedding Story

Neier's Life Change

Lorenzo's Hometown in Puebla, Mexico

Thanks, Sue!

Only two years ago instructional aide Sue Otis was learning to navigate email and make PowerPoint presentations, but before the summer term began, she enthusiastically learned the computer programs used in the ESL Digital Storytelling class and even made a digital story entitled “Little Samurai,” recounting the early life of her great grandfather in Okinawa, Japan.

Thanks, Sue, for sharing your fantastic digital story and for assisting in the ESL Digital Storytelling Summer Academy 2008!

Sue Otis' Digital Story: "Little Samurai"

Congratulations to the Students of MCC ESL Digital Storytelling Summer Academy, 2008

And the "Ozkar" goes to ....

Diana Pinedo!

Congratualtions to Diana! Her digital story, Scuba Story, was voted as "Best Digital Story" by the second class of ESL Digital Storytelling at MiraCosta College, Spring 2008.

Second Class of ESL Digital Storytelling at MiraCosta College

Congratulations!

Your digital stories were awe-inspiring! Pictured here: Eric Hernandez, Hooshang Nayak, Vang Vu, Diana Pinedo, Isabel Bazan, Instructional Aide Adriana Machuca, Instructor Ruth Gay, Instructor Kristi Reyes, Takae Contreras, and Oscar (Oscarin Chapulin) Carrasco. Not pictured: Hellena Cha.

Diana Pineda "Scuba" Story: Best Digital Story, MCC ESL Digital Storytelling Class, Second Showcase

Kiyoko Ando Wins MiraCosta College Noncredit ESL Brooke Brummit Scholarship

Congratulations to Kiyoko Ando, a graduate of the noncredit ESL program and former student in the ESL Digital Storytelling class, who has made the transition to credit ESL classes at MiraCosta College! She recently was awarded a $500 scholarship, (shown here with Dean of Community Education Lynda Lee) named for and founded former noncredit ESL instructor Brooke Brummit, whose death was untimely.

Kiyoko has demonstrated the maturity, perseverence, and drive to succeed in college and in whatever she does. She is definitely a talented person, whose artistic, esthetic sense is depicted in her class work. I had the privelege of having Kiyoko in VESL class, where I learned that an injury derailed her fledging career as a professional dancer. Her current goal, as shown in the digital story she created for a career research project for VESL class, is to apply her talents and artistic skills in the field of floral design.

However, if the floral design career doesn't work out, watch out Steven Speilberg. Check out Kiyoko's digital story about a Turning Point in her life.

Kiyoko Ando's Turning Point Digital Story

Student Spotlight

The morning ESL program is gifted by the presence of Hooshang Nayak, a retired diesel locomotive engineer, who moved to the United States from his native Iran more than 20 years ago.

Hooshang got his feet wet with using computers as a tool for practicing English when he made a video resume in the Vocational ESL class. His interest was sparked, and Hooshang was hooked, spending late nights at home learning more about PowerPoint and Movie Maker. Hooshang’s natural abilities with and interest in technology led him to enroll in the ESL Digital Storytelling class, which was first offered Spring 2008.

Hooshang’s father himself was an immigrant in Iran, having come from India, and owned a movie theater there. As a young boy, Hooshang helped his father, much like the father and son in the Italian film “Cinema Paradiso.” Now, at the age of 85, Hooshang said his boyhood dream of “making movies” is a reality.

In his first digital story, “Good or Bad Story,” Hooshang narrates an Iranian folk story his mother told him, whose message is universal: What goes around comes around. Hooshang has since translated and remade the digital story in his native language, Farsi, and has shared it with his grandchildren, who also live in the U.S., as a way of preserving the story. More recently Hooshang has collaborated long distance with his daughter, an artist living in New York City whose artwork he featured in the digital story, to tell the story of his own father.

As Hooshang demonstrates, it is never to late to learn English, learn to use computers, and use digital storytelling as a means to capture, safeguard, and commemorate the past and the people who have shaped who we are.

Hooshang Nayak's "Good or Bad Story"

And the "Ozkar" goes to ...

The first class ESL Digital Storytelling culminated in a showcase on March 6, 2008, in which participants voted for the best digital stories.

The following students received "Ozkars" for their digital stories, pictured here:



Milena Landwerlen, best story for "A Change in My Life"; Myrna Guttierrez, best overall story for "A Miracle"; and Sachicko Bynes, best technical digital story with "Fan Letter."

Congratulations to the winners and to all students in the class!

Your digital stories were impressive!

Myrna's Winning Digital Story: "A Miracle"

Milena's Winning Digital Story: "A Change in My Life"

Completion of First Term of ESL Digital Storytelling Class at MiraCosta College, Spring 2008

Congratulations to the first graduation class of MiraCosta College's ESL Digital Storytelling Class.

Your digital stories were awesome!

Pictured here: Hooshang Nayak, Instructor Ruth Gay, Jose Meza, Vitaly Pirozmenko, Myrna Gutierrez, Milena Landwerlen, Eduardo Mariano, Instructional Aide Adriana Machuca, Kiyoko Ando, Satomi Ward, Sachiko Bynes, Takae Contreras, and Chika West.

Best Option for Getting Images from the Web

Flickr.com has high quality photos, but with FlickrStorm http://www.zoo-m.com/flickr-storm/, you can access and organize Creative Commons copyright-free images. At the CUE Conference, the presenter of a workshop I attended shared his wiki, which has video and print tutorials for using FlickrStorm and attributing sources, available at http://newtools.pbwiki.com/dst2.