Jason was quite the visionary in the field of educational technology and was an “early adopter” of seeing and understanding the great influence computer technology was having and, more importantly, would have on the world’s cultures; and how the field of education would have to find ways to integrate the digital world into their whole curriculum. He spent his entire career as an educator helping school districts and departments of education prepare, adapt to and adopt these burgeoning technologies into their budgets, in-services, infrastructure and planning. As his knowledge in the field became deeper and wider, Jason saw how the human act of storytelling was a key to all. He spent a year or so studying exactly what storytelling was to the human race. He read more anthropology, Joseph Cambell, etc., and realized that storytelling was the basis for all human behavior: that we are all carbon-based organisms that eat, sleep, procreate and engage in storytelling, constantly, with others and with ourselves.

 

Many years ago, Jason and I pioneered green screen storytelling instruction in schools, working in Juneau, Alaska and Cork, Ireland to create methodologies for this nascent aspect of education; teaching children and teachers how to create digital stories. Jason integrated this aspect of Ed Tech into his instruction at the University of Alaska Southeast and at Fielding Graduate University, as well as integrating it into his consulting, workshops and keynotes. He became one of, if not the most, respected pioneers in this field, world renowned for his contributions in digital storytelling and digital literacy. The importance of storytelling became the foundation for practically everything he did as a presenter and consultant to schools, states, and nations, not just in education, but also to the mental health “industry”, businesses… everything. Digital technologies amplified and created new ways for humans to tell stories, and Jason Ohler revealed this to the world in clear and compelling ways.

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It's still all stories, sapes and love, Jason…Brett Dillingham

 

Feel free to explore Jason’s website to see more about the story of his life 🙂