The Digital Learning Commons is extremely excited to be hosting Barbara Ganley on Monday, September 26th for two unique workshops with a focus on techniques, strategies and tools (from the analog to the digital) for strengthening and developing community through storytelling.

Keep reading for more background on Barbara, workshop descriptions, and registration information.  Seating will be limited, so sign-up soon.

Barbara is Founder and Director of Community Expressions, LLC and is a former member of the writing faculty of Middlebury College, where she pioneered the integration of social media and digital storytelling in the liberal arts and service learning. In 2008, she left the College to found her consultancy dedicated to helping small communities bring traditional and new forms of storytelling to civic engagement efforts. Her expertise in using social media and storytelling to engage citizens and to foster belonging has brought her to work with small towns in the Northeast and the Rocky Mountain West as well as foundations, schools and nonprofits on local, national and international levels. Her research and artistic interests include the multimedia essay, slow-blogging and community-based storytelling. She gives talks and workshops around the world, and writes widely about storytelling, social media and lifelong learning.

Workshop #1 An Overview of Storytelling Techniques
10:00-11:30am Monday, September 26, 2011
Digital Learning Commons (2nd Floor of Kade)

Participants:  Anyone interested in using storytelling for community engagement

Description
In this short interactive introduction to storytelling techniques and tools for community engagement, we will cover storytelling approaches and their effective implementation in a range of community-building efforts, from classroom communities to inter-departmental communication.  We will explore and experience a range of storytelling approaches from the simplest, non media-needed story circle to the story interview to dispersed digital stories told through platforms such as WallWisher, Geostory and Storify.

Pre-Workshop Assignment:

  1. Send Barbara a brief email [bgblogging @ gmail dot com] stating what you hope to get out of this workshop and prior experience with community-building storytelling.
  2. Watch Community Expressions’ Storytelling for Community Planning Video (for Orton Family Foundation) http://vimeo.com/23910697

Register for this event at the bottom of this post.

Workshop #2 Strategies for Creating a Vibrant Online Community
4:00 – 5:30pm Monday, September 26, 2011
Digital Learning Commons (2nd Floor of Kade) 

Participants:  Anyone interested in the opportunities and challenges of community development

Description
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll discuss effective techniques for building online communities within the academic context: online classes, networks, and communities of practice.  We will look at the relationship of f2f interaction to online participation and play with some tools and exercises that lead to active participation, bonding and bridging within the online community and make possible a range of participation levels.

Equipment Needed: Bring your laptop if you can

Pre-Workshop Assignment: 

  1. Send Barbara a brief email [bgblogging @ gmail dot com] stating what you hope to get out of this workshop and your prior experience with online communities, including links to your own online work.