Monday, May 9, 2011

Welcome to the course! Ten Things About Me (plus some xtras!)

This course is one of my favorite courses to teach. It allows for students across disciplines to explore storytelling and digital media making - two of my favorite things!

I base some of my pedagogy (theories and practices of teaching) on the methods developed by Joe Lambert and the Center for Digital Storytelling in Berkeley, California. Their motto is to:


I don't follow Lambert's method exactly, but I am greatly inspired by the way he approaches storytelling and creates a space for anyone and everyone to tell and share their stories.

I have written about how I teach digital storytelling in an online academic journal seminar.net. This essay includes a short video piece, authored with Dr. Walt Jacobs and Candance Doerr-Stevens (we are writing a book about pedagogy and digital storytelling):

Seminar.net Introducton - Raimist, Doerr-Stevens & Jacobs from UA, Telecommunication and Film on Vimeo.

I have created a few digital stories. Here's one that is a very personal family story (and was kind of hard to share... & folks who watch tell me that it should be a feature-length documentary):


The Wedding Album (2010) from UA, Telecommunication and Film on Vimeo.

1. I was born and raised in Middletown, NY. It is a little bit of nowhere but close enough to Manhattan that I could get into lots of fun and trouble (and fun that got me in in trouble!)

2. I have two children - Tiana (age 13) and Joseph aka Bubba (age 4).

3. I have a dog named Miss Emma Stone (daughter named her).

4. I have two cats - Bella and Jacob (yes we are a Team Jacob household & yes, Tiana named them too).

5. On any given day my house is wild kingdom, see #2, 3 and 4.

6. I love to watch River Monsters and Vampire Diaries... real monsters at see and guys with fangs who are more human than monster.

7. I make mostly documentaries, and a few of them have been on TV and have traveled through the world.

8. I have traveled and filmed all across the US (only a few states are missing from my travels), and overseas - Lagos (Nigeria), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Madrid (Spain), London (England), Paris (Frances), Santiago & Vina del Mar (Chile), Mar de Plata (Argentina), Oslo (Norway)... and I really want to go to Australia, Japan, & really anywhere!

9. I run the media production track here in TCF and I LOVE my job and I LOVE working with my students.

10. My students call me Dr. R or Doc Raimist. My Dad was always known as Doc Raimist. He passed away in 1998 (and so did my Mom), so I think that its time to carry I on the tradition of being the Doc.

I am really excited for this course! Here we go...


6 comments:

  1. I was wondering where "The Doc" came from, I think that's an awesome way to honor your dad. I love little things in life that can mean a great deal to someone.

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  3. River Monsters is AWESOME and slightly scary. I watch with caution.

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  4. Doc, I am happy to call you Doc! Also, I can relate to your 2,3 and 4. Finally, if you ever need any assistance when going overseas, please know that I am available! I have never traveled internationally and my number one spot to go is Spain. Take me with you!!! :)

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  5. I love that your house is like the wild kingdom! My parents' house has always been that way. There have always been animals in my life. I have had some WONDERFUL pets over the years. My parents and I often talk about them at the dinner table and how much we miss them. It is wonderful to have a companion that is always there for you, but it is so devastating when they are gone. I don't have to miss the craziness of my parents' wild kingdom because I have my own. I have a boxer named Bear and 3 room mates. Plus Bear has a lot of play dates and sleep overs so it can get a little crazy!

    I'm really excited for this class!

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  6. I'm really excited about this course too! It's awesome to get to know so much about you.

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