For this digital storytelling project, the focus will be on megacities and urbanisation. This falls under the changing nations and place, space, and interconnection descriptors for year eight geography in line with the Victorian curriculum. At the year eight level, students are investigating the causes and consequences of urbanisation and they use a case study from Indonesia to support their understanding (VCAA, 2020). The specifics of the story are to give a background of megacities and urbanisation and then personify it through the story of a person that has moved from country Indonesia to the megacity of Jakarta with their family.
Virtual School Victoria is located in the north western region of Victoria but has students enrolled from all over Victoria. The students that are the intended viewers of this resource have a wide range of needs as the target students of Virtual School Victoria are those who mainstream or brick and mortar schools do not meet the needs of those students as they have learning difficulties or physical difficulties. This project is an adaptation of two weeks of work that the students complete and send into the teacher. There have been comments in the past from students and parents alike that the work can be overwhelming or that they can not understand it. The way that it is presented is so that students of all abilities have an easier way to access the course materials and complete the tasks.
As the students progress through the presentation, they will be able to listen to audio clips that read out the text for them to better comprehend what they are reading. Through the process of storytelling and reading someone else story, students reflect on what they already know and to challenge assumptions that they previously had on the topic (Malita & Martin, 2010, pp. 3061). The personification of the context and concepts that the students are learning allows the students to grasp at the key ideas in a way that was not present before. With year eight geography, it is seen as an introduction to the key geographical concepts and skills, so it is quite basic in nature and in parts that can be quite dry and dull. Presenting them in a story like format in a relatively new way will make it easier for the students to engage with. Microsoft Sway is a platform that is used sparsely at Virtual School Victoria, but the students are familiar with its layout and how it works.
As the student cohort consists of students with drastically different learning needs, presenting the information in a format other than a word document or on a learning management system website, there are a lot more opportunities to differentiate the information and the tasks that they need to complete. By giving the students different opportunities to access the content and different ways to express what they are learning, this form of universal design for learning can assist teachers to devise ways that they tackle teaching, learning, and assessment that are both flexible and meaningful for the students (Kingsley, 2007, pp. 53). If the students have different and engaging ways to access the information and tasks, they will be more willing to connect with the subject information and may be excited for lessons as it is different from the other classes at the school
. Vulnerable and special needs students often find it difficult to communicate with adults and their peers, both in terms of language difficulties and in an inability to focus on feelings and thoughts, and as a result to express them properly (Botturi, Bramani & Corbino, 2012, pp. 10). The anxiety around posting in a public forum or discussing ideas in an online lesson can be extremely overwhelming for students so the different way to engage with the information and the individual nature of the tasks makes it a much more calming environment for then as the students know that it will only be the teacher of the class seeing their responses rather than being in such a public forum.
Students should feel safe and supported in their learning, and by presenting the information in a way that is different and exciting compared to the norm will hopefully allow them to fully engage and take part. The inclusion of a story will also help the students make sense of the key geographical concepts and skills that are required to be taught at the year eight level.
References:
Botturi, L., Bramani, C. & Corbino, S. (2012). Finding your voice through digital storytelling. TechTrends, 56(3), 10-11.
Kingsley, K. V. (2007). Empower diverse learners with educational technology and digital media. Intervention in School and Clinic, 43(1), 52-56.
Malita, L. & Martin, C. (2010). Digital storytelling as web passport to success in the 21st Century. Procedia Social and Behavioural Sciences, 2, 3060-3064.
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2020). Level 8 Geography level and content descriptors. Retrieved from https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/level8?layout=1&d=G