Content
Purpose
This FRED is an explanatory paper containing my own practical example of the digital narrative form. It outlines theories and benefits of digital storytelling within e-learning and blended learning environments and documents the development of my own digital narrative utilized to provide connection with students and to introduce an interest in the concept of functional typography.
What is digital storytelling?
Usually defined as a combination of digital media content with a narrative structure (Rebmann, 2012, paragraph), digital storytelling has become a standard narrative educational resource for presenting hypermedia content (Martinez, Perez, 2012, p. 115). There is lack of clarity of definition for digital storytelling: the traditional view of it being a highly personal narrative over still images may be too constrictive for many learning scenarios, so educators have embraced broader definitions which incorporate a scope including academic related stories, as well as associative and poetic videos (Clark & Adam, 2012, p. 11). Indeed, many academics have determined that students must learn to disassociate their intensely personal “voice” from their own voiced opinions based on research (Clark & Adam, 2012, p. 12). Ganley (quoted in Clark & Adams, 2011, p. 5) broadens the digital storytelling definition to encompass any narrative product produced and shared digitally.
Though the term “digital storytelling” has come to engender concepts of personal stories for therapeutic purposes in non-educational contents, the terms “digital narrative” and “digital storytelling” (used interchangeably) in this paper specifically refer to digital stories used within education with an pedagogical goal (Clark & Thomas, 2012, p. 2).
Use of technology as transformative
As globalisation and Internet connectivity has transformed the landscape of communication and exchange, altering concepts of literacy and communication (Lotherington & Jenson, 2011, p. 1), educators have increasingly seen the need to engage with students of the digital generation (Wankel & Blessinger, 2013, pp. 5-9). As digital media, including social media and gaming is pervasive and multimodal technologies update at an accelerating rate (Lotherington & Jenson, 2011, p. 2), it is vital for higher education to embrace digital technologies in order to engage with and enhance the learning outcome for digital native students, maintain relevance in the 21st century and encourage "authentic learning connections" (Clark & Adams, 2011, p. 4).
In recent years, Web 2.0 technologies emerged as facilitating rich opportunities for creating digital storytelling (Rebmann, 2012, p. 3). When implementing Web 2.0 technologies, the educational goal is that learners will initiate intuitive and responsible exchanges in a problem-solving manner (Grosseck, 2009, p. 4), in order to engage them in the intellectual flexibility and key competencies that are required for employability in the 21st century. Technology provides innovative opportunities for transformative education, involving cognitive processes, solution acquisition and reorganization of materials (Hughes, Pea and Reinking, quoted in Yang & Wu, 2012, p. 2), as new media enriches the student experience and enhances engagement and motivation (Truong & Zanzucchi, 2012, p. 268).
While digital natives have matured in a world immersed in technological sophistication (Wankel & Blessinger, 2013, p. 4), Danciu and Grosseck caution that learning true engagement with the social media world, educators and students need skills derived from deeper tasks than simply surfing the web and that true adoption of critical thinking is vital (2011, p, 3770). While Martinez & Perez (2012, p. 3772) insist that social aspects of computerization are acquired largely through learner’s own personal experiences and those around them, Clark (2010, p, 32) notes that though students are familiar with social technology through gaming and social media, they may nonetheless be novices regarding critically and analytically approaching digital texts. Other students may be keenly interested in digital texts, but unaware how to create and review multimodal texts. It is vital students are involved in content creation and sharing (Grosseck, 2009, p. 4), with expectations in the post-print era that students are competent creators of knowledge, as much as consumers (Truong & Zanzucchi, 2012, p. 272).
Multimodal literacy
The notion of literacy is now a wide-ranging term, inclusive of critical, digital, computing and informational literacy, as well as the older definition of reading and listening (Robertson, Hughes & Smith, 2012, p. 2). Clark (2010, p. 32) proposed educating students to critique rhetorical features of digital hypertexts, encouraging students to build on their traditional writing skills in order to create multimodal digital media.
Digital storytelling assists in demonstrating how theories emerge and manifest through creative involvement with personal experiences (Clark & Thomas, 2012, p. 2). It is a vital alternative medium to traditional textual medium for learners to express their theoretically informed comprehension of texts (Clark & Adams, 2011, p. 3), creating opportunities for students to articulate difficult conceptual material in narrative ways, in order to foster deeper understandings (Coventry, 2008, p. 2). As students present their own verbal to visual reflection of a theoretical idea in a narrative format, composing and creating materials related to associated academic enquiries, learners are forced to move beyond simply restating what they have read (Truong & Zanzucchi, 2012, p. 271).
As there is an innate reviewing and recursive nature to the process of creating a digital narrative (Wright & Ryan, 2010, p. 9), new media enriches the student experience and enhances engagement and motivation (Truong & Zanzucchi, 2012, p. 268).
Life stories to enhance learning
Reasoned, purposeful, critical thinking utilises processes similar to higher order thinking, with processes such as problem solving, decision making, calculating outcomes, analyses, synthesis and evaluation (Pear, Szarbo & Schwartz quoted in Ertmer, 2011, p. 3). Requiring skill sets and thought processes associated with traditional writing, digital video production also requires unique challenges including guidance regarding appropriateness (and possibilities) of subject matter, overcoming access and technology issues, technical and software self-study and production techniques which resemble professional practice (Truong & Zanzucchi, 2012, p. 271).
The production of digital narratives enforces the learners to utilise their own voice: interfacing with content from their own point of view (not a standard third person) to represent their assignment ideas (Clark & Thomas, 2012, p. 6) encourages emotional engagement to the task (Jenkins, 2010, paragraph 4). There is much educational research that indicates that developing common narratives within social contexts creates powerful incentives for learning (Lewis, 2010, p. 8)—presenting within their own voice can facilitate a student’s deeper engagement with presenting an argument and placing it within the context of their own social and cultural issues, individual experiences and self-concept (Jenson, 2010, paragraph 4). Martinez & Perez state that adult student’s previous knowledge should be utilized and validated, as they display differing perceptions and understanding and practical knowledge than younger students (2012, p. 3771).
Though much of the motivation for the implementation of storytelling stems from an imperative to engage digital native learners, it is acknowledged that educational cohorts spring from diverse backgrounds and Clark & Thomas note that digital narrative projects can assist in engaging students less comfortable with traditional educational backgrounds, for whom cultural or linguistic concerns may form a barrier (2012, p. 2). Clark & Adams also found that, though the technological and software knowledge requirements aspects of production are immensely daunting to many students, skills development can be a positively motivating component of storytelling projects (Clark & Adams, 2012, p. 3).
Benefit for educators
Though narratives reflect personal experiences, in higher education, the storyteller’s voice is authentic as a professional, rather than personal identity (Wright & Ryan, 2010, p. 4). Digital storytelling may assist in demonstrating how theories emerge and manifest through creative involvement with personal experiences (Clark & Thomas, 2012, p. 2), empowering educators to understand and convey their identities as researchers and teachers. Teaching educators have noted that digital narrative investigation may also enhance the facilitators sense of history and identity as an educator, bridging the divide between the personal back stories which inform a specialist trainer and the professional knowledge they convey (Wright & Ryan, 2011, pp. 1, 3, 10).
While digital spaces have become both personal and collective spaces, where displaying personal integrity is vital to maintaining credibility (Hess, 2014, p. 3), Clark & Thomas note that students are particularly receptive to lecturers showing their own digital narratives as exemplars (2012, p. 6).
Challenges
In their survey of academic use of digital storytelling, Clark and Adams concede that there are questions regarding the parameters of digital storytelling it's recommended uses and perceived benefits within Australian higher education (2011, p. 3). Though promotion of student problem-solving is an acknowledged outcome of digital storytelling, insufficient time and lack of hardware resources were cited as common reasons for not implementing digital storytelling in classrooms in higher education and upper secondary school (Clark & Adams, 2011, p. 6). Academics utilising digital storytelling have confirmed that digital storytelling should be an augmentation, not a replacement off traditional learning methods such as critical research, with careful alignment to ultimate learning outcomes (20111, pp. 1, 12).
Finally, while insights can be meaningful because of the personal nature of many digital narratives, it is imperative that the facilitator and institution creates a safe learning environment of trust (Gazarian, 2010, p. 288), where the option of creating but not enforcing the presentation of the stories can further empower the students to rethink their ideas about assessments (Roberson, Hughes & Smith, 2012, p. 10).
Conclusion
Digital storytelling is seen as a valuable tool in education, as it may be seen to enhance understanding of empathy, as well as re-enforce the recognition that we are all shaped by our histories (Matthews, 2014, p. 1). Digital storytelling has been viewed to promote critical analyses and multimodal literacy, utilising the learner's own experiences and personal voice to investigate learning content within a deeper context. Further to this, use of narratives completed by the facilitators in the learning environment can also enhance learner/teacher interface, while enriching professional information with the personal experiences that have informed professional development.
Part 2
My digital narrative—Typetown
Click here to view.
Self-reflection/Critical Analysis
Part 1: The academic aspect
The academic aspect of this assignment was, by necessity, a brief outline of definition and benefits of implementing digital narratives. I had engaged in this investigation hoping to find some enlightenment regarding the use of digital narratives to engage online and blended learning students and to enhance student/teacher rapport in my own, accelerated Vocational teaching environment: an aspect much talked about on the leading digital narrative exponent sites (http://digitalstorytelling.ci.qut.edu.au/, http://storycenter.org/stories/) which had initially piqued my interest. Aside from Clarke & Adams and Clarke & Thomas, I was able to access frustratingly few academic texts (rather than those also engaged in self-promotion) regarding digital storytelling from the teacher point of view. Unsurprisingly, I could not find academic text regarding digital storytelling in vocational education, but a major source of frustration was the lack of intensive study regarding its use in blended learning, beyond incidental comments that made broad assumptions.
A majority of academic texts and surveys were also related to teaching of creative writing and education, which, though related to my arts field, is not directly translatable in all aspects. However, I was able to gain much insight into the benefits and issues around digital storytelling, and also the broader course that are embracing it as a means of engagement and enhanced critical thinking. In the course of this assignment, I have learned much about digital storytelling and perhaps more importantly, broader concepts such as critical thinking and delving further into engagement theory.
Part 2: TypeTown digital narrative
Context
As previously stated, though the primary emphases of the academic paper was student digital narrative projects to enhance engagement and development critical thinking, my fundamental interest area is Clark and Thomas's notion of facilitators creating narratives to enable self-analysis, as well as deeper student understandings.
In an environment where one to seven training packages of design concepts is delivered and desired to be concluded within a limited five week block, I believe a short digital narrative to entice students to be enthusiastic regarding the subject is more imperative than trying to involve students in a non-curriculum enrichment task. Another important aspect of the digital narrative is its use to facilitate trust and familiarity between teacher and students (Gazarian, 2010, p. 288), which is crucial in a VET environment of casual teaching staff and high student turnover. As blended learning has become such a central aspect of vocational training, the use of a succinct video to engage and familiarise online students is also significant.
Amongst the graphic learning units I teach, Typography is given subsidiary status. The hours are very limited and the emphasis is on using type to create an illustration, rather than typography's power within graphic communication. It is often difficult to inspire digital native students to look beyond the richly illustrative typography that dominates much social media typographic conversation (for example, http://jessicahische.is/agoodeater) to the staple typographic communication of graphic design. One of the most crucial design units we teach has an underdeveloped curriculum that does not give impetus to further investigation or engagement in functional typography.
Aim
A fundamental aim of my own digital narrative was to inspire an interest in everyday typography, to show the variety of non-decorative type that abounds—the useful, the efficient, the unsuccessful, etc.
An additional goal was to provide a shorthand connection to students, with a view to implementing this as an introduction to online learning students. While not being highly personal in tone, it nonetheless should provide a snapshot of my experiences and environment and a little of my personality. As a long-time resident of Stones Corner, walking the streets of Stones Corner and appreciating its jaded charms has been an integral part of my life for longer than many of my students have been alive. Face to face students find that I my teaching is imbued with a sarcastic humour, which a Film Noir parody may encapsulate.
Format
To highlight incidental typography, as well as my experience, I decided on the format of a journey around my neighbourhood, in type. It quickly became apparent that a genre film would be suitable, and "walking the streets" set the tone of a light-hearted film noir parody. Obviously, there are certain characteristics of film noir storylines, which are not appropriate for this medium, so the genre was taken very loosely: there is no sexual tension and night filming was not appropriate for highlighting text. I deliberately did not grade the shots to be too dark, nor black and white, as this would diminish the visual diversity of type imagery shown. Though the voiceover would usually be male, it was vital that the film carry my figurative and literal "voice".
Though the film was planned and the shotlist produced, creation of the narrative was necessarily an iterative process, with the voice-over modified to suit the type imagery found. The completed narrative was intentionally kept short and light-hearted, with many type examples being culled because they didn’t directly progress the narrative.
Challenges
Working with my entry level Canon Eos 1100D, the foremost challenge was expeditiously filming in and around a busy urban area that did not always have spaces available for a tripod. Many shots were kept as short bites to eliminate too much “shaky cam”. However, technical perfection is never one of the aims of digital storytelling, with engagement and a personal touch being of more significance.
Conclusion
The final digital narrative is technically flawed and doesn’t quite gel with its Film Noir aspirations. I believe that, with more time and elaborate dollying and tripod use, I could have accomplished a more polished film with perhaps a greater variety of type. However, as a lightly personal introduction to myself, as well as an encouraging opening to the examination of type, it fulfils its digital storytelling criteria.
Possible future investigations
- Visual rhetoric in digital video;
- Enhancing learner engagement through Vlogs and blogs;
- The use of metaphor to enhance visual meaning;
- Enhancing critical thinking in vocational education students
- Cartesian theory;
- Cognitive learning theory.
References
Chisholm, J. S., & Trent, B. (2014). Digital storytelling in a place-based composition course. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 57(4), 307.
Clarke, R., & Adam, A. (2012). Digital storytelling in australia: Academic perspectives and reflections. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 11(1-2), 157-176. doi:10.1177/1474022210374223
Clarke, R. G. H., & Thomas, S. (2012). Digital narrative and the humanities: An evaluation of the use of digital storytelling in an australian undergraduate literary studies program. Higher Education Studies, 2(3), 30. doi:10.5539/hes.v2n3p30
Danciu, E., & Grosseck, G. (2011). Social aspects of web 2.0 technologies: Teaching or teachers’ challenges? Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 3768-3773. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.371
Ertmer, P. A., Sadaf, A., & Ertmer, D. J. (2011). Student-content interactions in online courses: The role of question prompts in facilitating higher-level engagement with course content. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 23(2), 157-186. doi:10.1007/s12528-011-9047-6Grosseck, G. (2009). To use or not to use web 2.0 in higher education? Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1(1), 478-482. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2009.01.087
Hess, M. E. (2014). A new culture of learning: Digital storytelling and faith formation. Dialog, 53(1), 12-22. doi:10.1111/dial.12084
Jenkins, M. (2010). digitalstorytellingsynthesis / Digital storytelling in higher education. Digitalstorytellingsynthesis.pbworks.com. Retrieved 22 May 2014, from http://digitalstorytellingsynthesis.pbworks.com/w/page/17805620/Digital%20storytelling%20in%20higher%20edu
Lotherington, H., & Jenson, J. (2011). Teaching multimodal and digital literacy in L2 settings: New literacies, new basics, new pedagogies. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 31, 226-246. doi:10.1017/S0267190511000110
Matthews, J. (2014). Voices from the heart: The use of digital storytelling in education. Community Practitioner, 87(1), 28.
Rebmann, K. R. (2012). Theory, practice, tools: Catching up with digital storytelling. Teacher Librarian, 39(3), 30.
Robertson, L., Hughes, J., & Smith, S. (2012). "Thanks for the assignment!": Digital stories as a form of reflective practice. Language and Literacy, 14(1), 78.
Wankel, C. & Blessinger, P. (2013). An Introduction to Web 2.0 and Blended Learning Technologies. In Wankel, C., Blessinger, P., & Emerald. Increasing Student Engagement and Retention in e‐Learning Environments: Web 2.0 and Blended Learning Technologies Cutting‐edge Technologies in Higher Education, Volume 6G, 145–174. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/books.htm?issn=2044>‐9968&volume=6%20Part%20BCopyright r 2013
Wright, M. F., & Ryan, K. (2010). Meshing the personal with the professional: Digital storytelling in higher education. Seminar.Net, 6(2), 286-295
Yang, Y. C., & Wu, W. I. (2012). Digital storytelling for enhancing student academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation: A year-long experimental study. Computers & Education, 59(2), 339-352. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.12.012
Bibliography
Clark, J. E. (2010). The digital imperative: Making the case for a 21 st-century pedagogy. Computers and Composition, 27(1), 27-35. doi:10.1016/j.compcom.2009.12.004
Gresham, P. (2014). Fostering creativity through digital storytelling: "it's a paradise inside a cage". Metaphor, (1), 47-55.
Jenkins, M. (2011). Digital storytelling: Guide for educators. Learning, Media and Technology, 36(2), 207-209. doi:10.1080/17439884.2010.507363