Laura reflects eloquently and poetically on how objects contain memories that bring us back to our pasts. Her well-crafted story leads us to discover and reflect on our own objects and on the nature of objects as containers of memories and stories: as objects hold our individual histories, museums are holders of our shared histories.
As part of the MA programme at Durham University I had the opportunity to partake in the Digital Storytelling course, a short course developed as an addition to our summer lab practice. The course was designed to teach traditional storytelling skills alongside digital skills, the latter used to not only share these stories to a wider audience but further enhance the experience with images and sounds.
During the course we were able to learn about what makes a compelling story, the power of images and the digital skills required to create a digital story. Throughout the sessions we were given lots of examples and the opportunity to discuss within the group, allowing us to consider perspectives which differ from our own.
The course offered a learning environment where practical sessions blended with a theoretical framework and allowed for learning by doing. This helped to cement the skills being learnt and allowed for feedback from the group throughout the process.
Through the creation of my story, I was able to reflect upon my own career path and it gave me a renewed sense of why I had chosen to undertake the masters course. It was also a chance to learn new things about others on the course and gave the group an opportunity to discuss our collective experiences in a positive manner.
Digital stories have great potential within the museum sector to engage with a wide audience. With the skills acquired through this course I now feel more confident I would be capable of producing digital stories within a professional setting.