1. Watch video: What Makes a Good Story? (below).
2. Read the instructions for the Evaluation Blog (below).
3. Choose your favorite digital stories (or those you can argue are good).
4. Draft a formal, full-sized blog that argues which digital stories are good based on reasonable criteria.
5. Upload your rough draft to Evaluation Blog Draft discussion board on CNM Learn.
1. Watch video: What Makes a Good Story?
This video uses film as examples, but everything said could also apply to other types of stories (such as digital ones). We’ve already been discussing what makes good digital stories throughout this course. Now, you get to decide what criteria you will use to make your argument about why your favorite digital stories are GOOD stories.
Criteria just means the standards you use to judge something. For instance, the narrator of the video below argues that the criteria of conflict and characterization (specifically dynamic characters) are what make a good story. Just like he did, you’ll choose the criteria most important to you for telling a good digital story and give examples from your favorite digital stories (or ones you think are good). You will explain how those examples support your chosen criteria (conflict, characterization, gameplay, etc.). For more on evaluation, see “Chapter 16: Evaluations” in the free CNM English textbook.
NOTE: The critic in the video asserts many criteria. You’ll want to be more narrowly focused.
2. Read the instructions for the Evaluation Blog (below):
Think about the digital stories you’ve read so far. Which are the best? Why are those particular digital stories good? If you can answer the last question, you’ll know what criteria (or standards) by which to measure good digital stories.
Main Points
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You don’t need plot summaries for this blog. It would take up too much room in your blog, especially if you cite several stories.
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Assert reasonable criteria for what makes a good digital story. Try to stick to one or two (maybe three if they are closely related?) criteria. Too many criteria will make your blog less focused.
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Explain how specific examples from specific digital stories reasonably support your criteria for what makes a good digital story.
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Properly cite your primary sources (the good digital stories you use as examples) and any other sources used.
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Use end-of-text citation properly (and include hyperlinks). For the (many) rules of MLA style, check out “Chapter 36.2: Works Cited” in the free CNM English textbook. Your end-of-text citations do not have to be perfect MLA (but should be consistent).
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Make sure to post at least 500 words.
4. Draft a formal, full-sized blog that answers the big question:
What makes a good digital story?
5. Upload your rough draft to Evaluation Blog Draft discussion board on CNM Learn.
