During my last #ITDML class I was asked to complete a digital ethnography of a lesson I would teach in school. I tried to think of a lesson that not only meant a lot to me, but also was an important concept. I decided to do my lesson and ethnography on the overall health and wellness of a person.
Contrary to what some people believe, health education is an extremely important subject our youth will learn during their high school career. Most people believe to be healthy is optimal for a happy life. It is also true, may believe mistaken a healthy lifestyle as just a physical part of life. Working out, running, weight training and other activities are only a portion of an overall healthy person. The truth is, many of my students believe to be considered a healthy person you must be physically fit. The truth is that is only part of it. In order to be seen as an overall healthy individual you must not only be physically fit and free from disease, but you must also be socially and emotionally stable as well.
When I was a little girl, my parents tried to teach me positive life skills and values to create a solid foundation of good morals. Throughout my childhood family was always a big part of my life. Unlike some families, I lived only a mile from my aunts, grandparents and cousins. If that was not enough, we also were likely enough to have a summer cottage by the Connecticut shore. Of course it was not just my family who had a house, but instead we had a community of just my family. Needless to say, my family was always an important part of my life. Emotionally, my family grounded me. They supported me through the good times and bad. Socially, my family encouraged and supported me throughout the years. When designing a lesson about why I strongly believe it is important for someone to be both socially, emotionally and physically important, I was excited. It was a great way to not only reflect on myself on a more personal level but it can also help the students understand the importance as well. Most of my students are lacking in one of more of the healthy areas.
When I first started the digital ethnography, I tried various different programs such as soundslides, present me, and WeVideo. I finally settled on the program UTellStory. Although the program was a little difficult at the beginning, it was easy to use once I played with it. The biggest challenge I faced with the program was the music. I tried to incorporate the music on the pictures but could not align it up correctly. I finally tried Audacity. It was difficult for me to work with so I decided to use Windows Movie Maker. I then saved the work as a MSWMM and converted the task into a JPEG. Once converted the music was easy to upload into the UTellStory. I feel this assignment was difficult but also very meaningful. Once completed, I have a better understanding how I can present information to my students in a different way than they are used to. I believe when I show my students the digital ethnography they will like the video. I also believe they will have a better understanding of what it means to be an overall healthy person.
Here is my completed lesson plan as well as my digital ethnograpy. Hope you enjoy them!
