Cal U students bringing local history to life with digital storytelling
Dr. Christina Fisanick teaches her honors English class at California University of Pennsylvania. Her students will present their final projects through digital storytelling April 28.
Dr. Christina Fisanick teaches her honors English class at California University of Pennsylvania. Her students will present their final projects through digital storytelling April 28.
Dr. Christina Fisanick teaches her honors English class at California University of Pennsylvania. Her students will present their final projects through digital storytelling April 28.
Dr. Christina Fisanick's honors English class presents its final projects at the fifth anniversary premiere in Cal U蘑菇视频 Natali Student Center.
California University of Pennsylvania students are bringing pieces of local history to life for an online audience with performances of digital storytelling.
Dr. Christina Fisanick蘑菇视频 honors English students are separated due to mitigation efforts for the coronavirus. Each semester, her class puts on a presentation to showcase their semester project. This semester, they will move their presentation online.
鈥淢y honors students always push through whatever obstacles might be thrown in their way, including this pandemic,鈥� Fisanick said. 鈥淭hey insisted from the start of this that we would hold a digital storytelling premiere not just to showcase their hard work, but to help their historical societies get the positive recognition they need and deserve. I have been incredibly pleased with their willingness to accept my critiques and their eagerness to produce high-quality final projects.鈥�
In 2012, she started a partnership with Robert Stakeley, director of the Heinz History Center Affiliates Program, so students could work with local historical societies throughout the region. Groups of two or three conduct research at one of the historical societies and choose a topic for a 2 to 4 minute presentation. This year, the students will present live on Zoom at 7 p.m. April 28. The public can watch at https://calu.zoom.us/j/540034252.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited about making it even more accessible to even more people, and to give people something to do when they鈥檙e stuck in this quarantine while being able to learn something, too,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese are pretty thought-provoking stories.鈥�
The presentations will also be published on YouTube and on the historical societies鈥� websites, to help generate interest in the historical societies. The six videos will focus on Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, in Avella, Pa., the Duncan & Miller Glass Museum, in Washington, Pa., and the Bethel Park, Fayette County, Elizabeth Township and Rostraver Township historical societies.
The Rostraver Township group will tell the story of a family who survived a Native American raid and trekked 27 miles to the safety of Pittsburgh蘑菇视频 fort during the Frontier Era. Fayette County蘑菇视频 group will discuss the importance of the Searights Tollhouse to the National Road. Avella蘑菇视频 project will discuss a fire pit where people have been gathering for parties for 1,900 years.
鈥淭hey found evidence, not only from 1,900 years ago, but from the 1970s 鈥� beer bottles, and things like that,鈥� Fisanick said.
She said the project has served as a way to unify the students, who are glad for the digital connection to each other and to their audience after their semester was disrupted, and most were told to move back home. The digital platform is an opportunity for the students to virtually get together again as a class and to show their work to a larger audience.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e pretty pumped about it,鈥� she said.
Fisanick said that she is impressed every year by her honors classes, and this semester蘑菇视频 students are no exception.
鈥淭hey have been absolutely amazing about this,鈥� she said. 鈥淣o matter what kind of bar I set for my honors students, they not only reach that bar but they vault over it every single time.鈥�