Oral+History+Project

Find a relative to interview. Ideally this relative would be someone who is much older than you and either partially or fully retired. Your goal is to capture some interesting stories and life highlights in a 5-10 minute conversation. You should also plan on using at least one photo of your relative. This can be a photo that you take during the interview, or it can be an old photo from when he/she was younger. Ideally it would be nice to have a "then and now" photo, but we know this isn't entirely possible.

Below you'll find some potential questions to ask (these questions were taken from the chapter on storytelling in Daniel Pink's book, //A Whole New Mind//.

How did you and your spouse meet? What was your first job? What was the best job you ever had? The worst? When was the first time you were away from home overnight? Who was the worst teacher you ever had? Tell me a little bit about your schooling. What was the happiest day of your life? The saddest? The most terrifying? What was the best decision you ever made?

You might also ask questions about specific eras and times in which your relative remembers well. For example, they might have some interesting stories about the 50s and 60s. If this is the case, some historical context questions about the time would be appropriate. Something like, what was it like to grow up with the Viet Nam War going on? Do you recall any major anti-war protests near your community or nationally?

Prepare your list of questions. You may use any/all of the question below. Have your mom and/or dad help you with this process. Record your questions below.
 * Preparation:**

Figure out how you are going to record the interview: Will you use a laptop with a mic? Will you use an iPod with a microphone? If your subject is far away you could use skype and use a skype recording application to record your interview. Mr. Montagne has a voice recording software program for skype calls on his computer. You could also use a "Gcast" account to record a telephone conversation with your relative, but gcast doesn't allow you to have much control over the end product.

The goal is to create an mp3 file that we can use to upload to a wiki and transfer to a voicethread.

-Edit the audio clip where necessary -Create an introduction to your interview...this should be scripted below. In your introduction you might elect to use a garageband clip that is 5-10 seconds in duration for the "bumper" music. -After the introduction, you'll have your interview. -Conclusion-wrap up your interview with a brief conclusion. Again, you may include some type of "bumper" music in your conclusion just like you placed in your introduction. -Prepare for you interview. Read the questions and make sure you are comfortable with them. You should ask the questions slowly-don't "race" through them.
 * Project:**

-Interview shows evidence of a good amount of preparation. The planning guide below demonstrates this preparation as well. 1 pt -mp3 audio file uploaded to your wiki page and to voicethread. 1 pt -project includes a photo (then and now photos would be nice if possible!) 1 pt -Project due date: Friday, January 4th 1pt -Reflection completed on your course portfolio page of your wiki 1 pt
 * Evaluation:**

Evaluation: Mr. Montagne's Comments:

Your name: Date: The relative who will be the subject of my interview:

Explain your method of recording:

List out the questions you will be asking. You do not need to stick soley to thise questions. As a matter of fact, if you would like to ask follow up questions to some of you guiding questions.