DIGITAL STORY WITH ITAL

THE BATTLE OF THE STORY TELLERS!

September, 3, 2018

Every year the group of ITAL organizes a beautiful screening at the end of the semester where we show to the Italian Community of Austin the best Digital Story of each class of 611. If you are wondering what a Digital Story (DS) is then here is my explanation. A digital story is a short video entirely made by students of Italian 611 who present on a topic that bridges between the Italian and the American culture. It is a long process that starts with discussing special Stories made for them in ITAL Module 4, passes though writing a script, and finishes in finding the right person to interview. What we look for in a DS, besides a good use of Italian, is a “trans-cultural flavor” that helps the students to gain a deeper understanding of both their culture and the foreign one.

In the Spring Semester 2018 it was the first time for me, as an Assistant Instructure, to guide my students in the creation of their best DSs. Out of five amazing DSs—that tackled art, food, craft ship and much more—we voted for the one of the group “Disorientato e Confuso” to represent our class at the Battle of the Story Tellers.

“Disorientato e Confuso” centered their DS on the theme of “adolescence.”  They asked themselves what it meant for them to be an adolescent in the US and what it could have meant to be a teenager in Italy. Would they have experienced the same? In order to respond to this question, they contacted their Italian friends and also researched the filmic imaginary portraying Italian kids facing the rite of passage of the Esame di Maturità. The judges, all part of the Italian community of Austin, proclaimed their DS as the best one!
I was and I still am super proud of my students who competed against really admirable adversaries, proving to have all the qualities that made their DS the best one of 2017!

Bravi ragazzi!