Table of Contents

Reflect
Rethink
Reimagine
Retool

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“Story, as it turns out, was crucial to our evolution -- more so than opposable thumbs. Opposable thumbs let us hang on; story told us what to hang on to.”

- Lisa Cron, Wired for Story

Let Me Tell You A Story:

One way to think about the organization of a course is through a syllabus. It is the most conventional roadmap and gives the basic guidance and sequence of assignments and readings to the learner. But another way to a syllabus is a layout of topics over a quarter or semester. Seen in that light, what is you started to think of your course as a story - one that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. What is the structure of this "course" story - what are the compelling themes? What are the driving events, the signature moments that propel anyone's interest in this material? As you start to conceive of a course as a story, you can start to see, like any story, you have a goal-oriented protagonist (your student) seeking mentors on a unique life journey. Teaching often embraces stories as one of the most natural and compelling ways to learn.

Guiding Questions for this Module:

Here are some of the guiding questions that will be explored in this module:

What is the main story of your course?
Why does your course material start where it does and end where it does? How would the story change if you started and ended elsewhere?
How can you use storytelling techniques to make your remote teaching more successful?
What are some of the ways I can improve my skills as a storyteller?

Earn Your Badge:

Upon completion of this module, you will earn a STORYTELLER badge.

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A good story and being a good storyteller - taking your course from beginning to end - is a great way to reimagine your remote course.

Video #1: How to Create a Module
Total Running Time: 3:15
Abstract: Dr. Ament goes through how to set up an engaging instructional page for your students.

Video #2: Being Yourself on Camera
Total Running Time: 8:22
Abstract: Dr. Ament demonstrates that why it is critical to pay attention to how you appear through your video camera.

Video #3: Storytelling: The Student Journey and Mapping the Build of Your Course
Total Running Time: 12:17
Abstract: Ms. Diermyer covers several key elements behind storytelling in your teaching.

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Redesigning the Experience of Remote Teaching:
Stephen Sondheim as Creative Inspiration, Part Five

Bit by bit, putting it together

Piece by piece, working out the vision night and day

What it takes is time and perseverance

Dealing with details along the way

from the Sondheim song, "Putting It Together"

Now we return to the song that we first mentioned in the Course Overview. This song is the thematic overview of our entire course dedicated to the art and craft of remote teaching.

Bit by bit, and piece by piece, we can see how a great story can propel learning and the organizational strategy of a remote course. The use of story allows students to remember content better, it helps create meaningful arcs from the beginning to the end of a topic, and it can add fun, intrigue, and humor into your course. Now reflect on these questions:

1) As you construct your course, how can you insert play and fun into your process of “putting it together?”

2) What “darlings” can you discard because they may detract from your overall trajectory or confuse your students?

3) How can you connect the art of storytelling into your course so it becomes, as Roland Barte refers to, “The Pleasure of the Text?

Here are some standards you can adopt relevant to the practices of this module:

Logical, consistent, and uncluttered layout.
Enough contrast between text and background for content to be easily viewed.
Course is free of grammatical and spelling errors.
Titles, headings, and other styles enhance readability and improve structure.
Tables need to be accompanied by a title and summary description.
Course offers a variety of engaging resources.
Course materials and resources include copyright and licensing status.
Videos should be captioned.
Hyperlink text is descriptive; avoid using “click here.”
Variety of video instruction; short videos, narrated power points, Q and A sessions with students (optional and highly encouraged).

Congratulations! You are in the penultimate chapter of this course, so thanks for keeping with this story! We hope you are finding this very useful to your remote teaching needs.

Go to Quiz #5 and earn your STORYTELLER badge.

Then we will conclude this course with Module 6 on Authentic Assessments.

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