Welcome to the TRIO Quest Blog. Stay updated with all the happenings in TRIO Quest, and get important tips and resources to help you create and submit winning entries to the competition.

Note: The TRIO Quest blog is monitored. The TQ Support staff will review comments and polls daily and will post all responses that are appropriate. Any response with inappropriate content or language will not be posted.

If you are planning to create and enter a TRIO Quest DigiMedia or DigiSites activity to the TRIO Quest 2012 competition, you need to know that “pre-planning” is required; i.e., you must provide a storyboard, mind map, team log, or other visual planning document within your entry.

Pre-planning essentially begins with brainstorming. And, there are more effective ways to brainstorm than other. For example, you don’t want to brainstorm to the point that it inhibits creativity, right?

According to Effective Brainstorming, a Whitepaper from idfive: Informed Design, collaboration is still the best way to achieve results, BUT we need to follow “mature guidelines”. Here is a summary of their steps to effective brainstorming which also leads to discovered value:

1. Beware the extrovert bias
   This means introverts have often been the best thinkers in history, but animated and outspoken individuals often get the attention. Giving attention to the extroverted members limits (often brilliant) possibilities that the “quiet” introverted collaborators can contribute. Allow the introverts among your team some time and include them in all decision making.
2. Challenge assumptions and falsify
   Don’t silence debate; it will limit diverse perspectives and critical thinking. It’s OK to act like a scientist and try to get to the truth through eliminating those things that are false.
3. Build consensus for hard data
   To help keep competing egos and opinions at bay, begin with the facts.
4. Utilize relationships, don’t ignore them
   Use existing positive personal dynamics to move your project/entry forward.
5. Foster genuine, not enforced, respect
   We all have egos and differences will arise.Therefore, be sure to earn respect through the way you communicate during those moments of debate. Respectful communication delivers positive results vs. disrespectful communication.

TRIO Quest believes that these helpful guidelines will not only be helpful during pre-planning, but during production, and post-production as well. These steps will also help you lead in other areas of your life.

To see the entire whitepaper, go to:
http://idfive.com/insight/whitepapers/effective-brainstorming

For those creating DigiMedia, DigiSites, or DigiText, you will love Wordle.net! With Wordle.net, you type in words (about something you want to represent, emphasize, inform, conceptualize, etc.), hit Go, and choose from endless randomizations of images.

I typed in the following key words for Digital Storytelling Best Practices:

Digital Storytelling, Storyboard, Script, Purpose, Inform, Convince, Provoke, Question?, Audience, First Draft, Narration, Point of View, Storyboard, Visual Layout, Background Music, Cohesiveness, Media, Free Media Resources, Organize Components, Record, Tools, iMovie, Final Cut, Windows Movie Maker, Photo Story, Assemble Media, and Edit.

I don’t know about you but just reading the text is BORING!!! But put these words into Wordle.net and these are two of the countless images I could use!!

For more information on Wordle.net go to
http://depts.washington.edu/triolive/wordpress/ttt/archives/791
Have fun Word-el-ing!!!

And for more information on Digital Storytelling Best Practices, the following are great resources!

Center for Digital Storytelling

Developing Digital Storytelling with Students

The Future of Storytelling

Digital Storytelling Best Practices

So, you want to participate in TRIO Quest 2012! Because we now have a Google Educational account, it’s easier than ever. No more multiple accounts for Gmail and YouTube. No more changing ownership. I can hear cheers already. To learn about the changes and the ease in participating, listen and view webinars for TRIO Quest 2012 at: http://uwtrio.org/trioquest/webinars/

If you have any questions, please post them as comments on this page.