I finished and turned in my storyboard for IDTE 553, and it was a laborious activity. Don’t get me wrong, it was so fun! But creating a storyboard is an intense process. On reflection, it requires a certain amount of roleplaying as well.

If you know me at all, you know I’m a big fan of roleplaying games, like Dungeons & Dragons. I don’t get to play much anymore, but I enjoy playing the part of a hero saving the world from orcs or Cthulhu or mystical cultists. In that role, I imagine what it’s like to be someone who must summon up the courage and stamina and possibly magical abilities to defy the odds and team up to make the world–whatever that world–a better place.

The roleplaying involved in storyboarding is taking on several roles, inhabiting them for the good of the learner. One of the roles is that of the developer. What information makes sense to convey to the person who will create the images in a theoretical instructional design team? What will help her understand it? How can I put the vision in my head into her head so she can reproduce it–while still allowing for her own creativity?

Another role is the learner himself. I can’t assume he will know what I mean from my perspective, so I need to get inside his head, take on that role, and create an experience that will add to his knowledge.

I don’t know to what extent I was successful in the storyboard I just finished in taking on these and other roles. I’m just starting out in my ID journey. But I think if I can look at all the aspects from the point of view of each participant, I’ll go some distance toward saving the world–just a little bit.