Digital Storytelling

Digital Tourism

Real Life – Venezia

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Venezia/204/72/23

This was my favorite location that I visited so far! I got very excited when I saw that there was this virtual replica of the city of Venice, Italy. The reason for this being the fact that I am planning on going there in real life in September of this year. I’m super excited about it and it’s pretty much all I can think about. I can’t wait to see all of the architecture, experience the food, see their culture, and more. Everything I tried to play with in this location seemed to work and I was actually able to give myself a bit of a virtual tour to prepare myself for the real thing later this year!

Project Summary

My plans throughout the Digital Storytelling changed and varied radically. I eventually ended up creating a series of stills that could be displayed on a computer monitor to give a quick glimpse into working Adobe Premiere Pro in the hopes it may inspire others to pursue an education and career in the field of video production. This relates to the step in the hero’s journey that I chose. Step 2: Call to Adventure. The other monitor also displays a YouTube video I created about S.T.E.A.M. in the trucking industry. The holo-projector was the other object. It symbolizes that while a college degree may not be something we can physically hold in our hands right now but we can see it in the future as long as we persevere. These items are inside the Information Technology bubble in our dive in class project located right off the coast of the island.

Keys to Success

For this class, I chose the “develop empathy” and “respect” keys to success. I felt like these were both things that I could not only work on as a student but also just as a human being as well. I put these keys in the texture I developed for the capes that will be welcoming gifts for new arrivals to the island. I designed a texture to be placed on a cape that contained these keys.

I also developed the following QR codes that we can put on campus in Keegan Hall.

Mood Boards

In-World Objects

My Personal Hero’s Journey

Step 1: The Ordinary World

Everything in my life seemed to be very ordinary. Until Spring quarter in 2023. I enrolled in the Digital Storytelling class. Little did I know of the adventure I had before me and how much my life was about to change. Here I go!

Step 2: Call to Adventure

This was the step that I chose for the assignment. I had no idea how much this step was actually going to apply to my own personal journey. My call to adventure was starting this class and realizing how challenging it was going to be. I knew I had my work cut out for me and I shouldn’t stall on it. I had also recently found a pair of shoes. That helped inspire me to take up the adventure.

Step 3: Refusal of the Call

Once I truly realized how this class was going to be for me, I immediately wanted to give up. I had fleeting thoughts about dropping the class because it was the easy way out. I told myself, “I can just take this one later.” I’m glad I didn’t give into those thoughts. Having a poor home, work, and school balance made it even harder to not want to give up.

Step 4: Meeting with the Mentor

One day I decided that I wasn’t going to succeed in this class if I didn’t ask for help. So, I went to Professor Brock’s class on Zoom and established communication with her. Luckily, doing this and having her explain things in more detail to me, helped push those thoughts of dropping the class out of mind. For now, anyway.

Step 5: Crossing the First Threshold

After talking with Professor Brock about the class and what was expected of me, I thought I had a revelation and suddenly everything made sense. I was ready to tackle this class head-on. It wasn’t until after leaving the conversation with her and trying to dive into some more of the assignments that I suddenly realized, I still didn’t understand very well.

I had to pet the baby bear before I continued down the path.

Step 6: Discovery of Superpowers and Challenges

I returned to the mentor for more advice on creating my objects in the virtual world. She explained it to me and showed me a few things. I was then able to quickly replicate the item myself in the sandbox. I was so proud of myself. I discovered that day that I was way better at designing items in Second Life than I thought I would be. This is definitely a super power if you ask me!

After being viciously mauled by a black bear, I decided I’d see how close I could get to a killer whale.

After being chewed up and almost drowned by a killer whale, I thought I’d swing into my bubble to pose for a quick photo.

Step 7: Adaptation of Perspective and Approach

As I started to get a slightly better understanding of the class, I begin to fall behind because of my crazy schedule. I remained steadfast and held my faith in myself and my ability to get caught back up again once I could devote some time to my schoolwork.

Step 8: The Ordeal Reveals Resources and Inner Strengths

Now I have started busting a lot of the assignments out. I thought I was doing great now. I had this! Then I realized I did not when I received a low grade on one of the assignments.

I of course stumbled across some cool looking big kitties in a cave. Here kitty kitty!

Step 9: The Unforeseen Reward

I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that I had actually done the assignment correctly, there was just a misunderstanding during the grading process. This was unforeseen and very rewarding to be surprised by the fact that I was understanding the class better than I thought I was.

After being viciously mauled for the second time today, I plunged from a cliff on accident. I’m not sure how many more times I will be injured today.

Step 10: The Road Back and Metamorphosis

Now, it is time for me to begin my journey back to my ordinary life by completing this class. The end of the quarter draws nearer. I’m in it to win it now. I can see the finish line in the distance. The light at the end of the tunnel. The rainbow on the pathway.

Step 11: The Resurrection Hero Evaluation and Reflection

As hours and minutes remain before the end of the class, I realize that the final project is going to take longer than I had expected to complete. I’m up against the clock now! I feel a deep rooted sense of anxiety take over my body. I reassure myself, “You got this Jesse. Nothing can stop you!”

Step 12: Becoming the Mentor and Return with Education Elixir

I finally complete the class by finishing the final project with the completion of this very sentence. I have made it. I have completed the hero’s journey and lived to tell about it! I have finished the quarter successfully and now I can enjoy a few months off from school and spend more time with my family. This is the ultimate reward.

P.S. No virtual animals or avatars were harmed in the making of this story.

Conclusion

Second Life is a vast, open, virtual world that has limitless boundaries. Things are possible here that you cannot even begin to imagine. When I first started this class, not a single thing about it made a shred of sense to me. However, as I’ve experienced before with Professor Brock’s classes, it always all seems to come together towards the end, like putting the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle. The picture is complete and it all makes sense now. I really do hope that future classes build off of what we have added to the experience in a way that’s truly beneficial to newcomers or potential Peninsula College applicants. I will be revisiting in the future to see what has changed!