World in a StoryBox / StoryBox in the World

based on cc licensed ( BY SA ) flickr photo by cogdogblog: http://flickr.com/photos/cogdog/2904818586/

The StoryBox has been sitting for a few months in my closet. All alone.

But it is about to go on a big trip with me starting Friday, and I am revving it up for a brand new round of media collection. I’ve not yet put out the details on this, and many of them are still jelling. But what I know is:

March 2-11 I will be in Yokohama Japan. The whole making of this trip was an invitation from Julie Lindsay to be a part of the 2013 Flat Classroom Project Conference. I’ve followed this project from its start, and have done a few things with Julie and Vicki Davis, but this is my first immersion. The conference has little in presentations, its a lot of workshops and hands on with teachers and middle school students coming from Japan, China, Indonesia, and India.
Before the conference, I am slated for two days of visits/workshops at Yokohama International School, thanks to an invite from Kim Cofino.
March 11-17 I am in Singapore with something set up to spend time with Jabiz Raisdana and compadres at UWC Southeast Asia. Hopefully a lot of stuff about creativity, blogging, photography, music, and whatever else.
I’m also hoping to meet up with Clay Burell one of my earliest blog infulences and on my list of “people I’ve met online and in person”
March 17-22, Hong Kong I’m visiting my friend and colleague Nick Noakes and doing a storytelling workshop at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. I have another one lined up for a group at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, plus a workshop/visit with colleague Ross Parker who I met on my first visit there in 2008. He has me slated for a session on Internet Openness and Storytelling for the International College of Hong Kong.

cc licensed ( BY SA ) flickr photo shared by cogdogblog

If you have not heard of this, I call it a Digital Time Capsule (see the 2011 intro video and other info at http://cogdogblog.com/storybox).

I’m eager to give the StoryBox a go while traveling and at some of these events. I’m thinking it will be interesting to collect both my own media and ones shared by others I meet, and see what kinds of common themes we can get between these different places. I’ve re-organized the local site that runs on the storybox. I am weaving a 3 step approach:

Explore what is inside, to generate curiosity, to inspire ideas what to add, maybe as prompts for creative activity.
Add new media to the StoryBox. Here you will find some suggested prompts that may help you figure out what to add. I will also have a way set up for people to contribute who are not in the vicinity of the StoryBox.
Remix the media within, create something new, and add that back to the StoryBox. This is the most interesting part to me.

For some nudges, I started a list of prompts (this is a first draft):

A photo of a recent meal.
An audio recording of the sounds during your commute to work or school.
A video showing us the view out your window.
A photo of the tallest building or structure in the city/town you live in.
A poem you wrote about what you like about the place you live.
A video interview with someone special in your life.
A photo or video of a mode of transportation you used today.
A photo of your favorite book.
A video of you or someone else telling a joke. The worse the joke the better.
A recording of you playing a musical instrument.
A photo of an open vista.
A video tour of your school, office, workplace.
A photo of a drawing you made of the most impressive place you visited.
A photo of lucky charm, talisman, or something you always carry with you.
A photo of your shoes.
A video panorama of a sunrise or sunset view.
A photo of an unusual object in a place you might not expect to find it.
The sound of you and/or your friends laughing.
An audio greeting in every language that you know.
A photo of the palm of you hand with a message written on it.
A recording of an elder in your life/family sharing the most important life lesson they know.
A photo or video of severe weather.
A photo or video of your pet.
A photo of someone with their eyes closed, deep in thought.
An audio recording of the sounds walking in a park or down a busy street.
A photo of the most typical place tourists might go if they visited where you live.
A photo of your kitchen.
A video showing something fun to do outside.
A photo showing your favorite place to sit and contemplate life.

Now you can only see what is on the StoryBox if you are within 150 feet of it (and I have turned it on). That’s what makes it special. But I do want to open it to others to contribute stuff, so I have a place for you to drop media:

Create some content (e.g. text document, photo, audio file). Do not use your name to identify yourself, this is anonymous. Be sure to give your stuff descriptive or interesting file names; that is the only thing people will have to go by when they look inside the StoryBox
Upload as many things as you like to dropitto.me/cogdog — use the password storybox.
storybox (UNDERSCORE) tu8r (AT) sendtodropbox DOT com

I’m also going to be giving Jux a run as a tool to publish updates about the Box’s travels (http://storybox.jux.com/)