Topic:
Students will create an interactive website allowing preschool students to follow a character around a map of their prospective primary school (GGPS), introducing them to spaces and routines.
Platform:
This digital storytelling project will utilise Canva’s website building function, which is free to access, able to be published and made accessible for viewing with a URL.
Rationale:
This digital storytelling project will support learning in both English and Geography for Stage 3 (Year 5 & 6 students). The English creating written texts outcome of EN3-CWT-01 English will be addressed as students ‘…choose multimodal features suited to a target audience and purpose… [and create] hybrid texts for target audiences, use print or digital tools…’ (NSW Education Standards Authority [NESA], 2024). Further, students will use Geographical tools such as maps, photography, satellite images, multimedia and web tools to work towards the Stage 3 Geography Outcomes of GE3-1 and GE3-2 (NESA, 2024).
The proposed audience is children, and families, new to GGPS. The websites will be used as social stories that support students’ transition to the primary school learning environment. The digital story will be able to be accessed online, as well as face-to-face in a library open day event where Year 6 buddies and preschool students will be able to navigate the web page together.
While students have previously used Canva to create posters, this will be the first time they have engaged in a small-group, collaborative project to co-create a multimodal text. While engaging in this project, students will learn to hyperlink content, insert and format their own photography and text, and maintain a consistent character voice throughout.
References:
Canva (2024) Canva [Web App]. https://www.canva.com/
NSW Education Standards Authority (2024) English K–10 Syllabus. https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/learning-areas/english/english-k-10-2022/content/stage-3/fae233967c
NSW Education Standards Authority (2015) Geography K–10 Syllabus. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/hsie/geography-k-10
This is a well-thought-out project with strong educational objectives. I especially love that it serves as a project for students in older year levels, as well as being beneficial for use with new students.
I love that you’ve incorporated the use of geographical tools like maps – what a fantastic idea! This could be an exciting and engaging way for new students to explore and familiarise themselves with the school. It would be wonderful if new students could click on different rooms or areas to discover what happens there. You might even consider adding a video link where teachers introduce themselves, explain what happens in their space, and offer a brief tour. This would make the experience even more welcoming and informative.
You’ve come up with a wonderful idea and I think new students would benefit so much from this interactive resource!
Hi Jess, thanks so much for sharing your ideas. I love the idea of a video link to ‘meet the teachers’! I am thinking this could even be part of the staffroom- as students click on a map to travel to different areas in the school. Great idea!
Hi Bianca,
I really like the sound of your proposal! Creating a website that families can access from home is a clever way to boost engagement in Kindergarten Orientation. It’s great that your Stage 3 students are already familiar with some aspects of Canva. I am wondering if you have a timeline for the groups to learn the necessary skills and complete each stage of the project? I have found that interruptions and absences during the term can threaten to derail group tasks so I try to have a contingency for that.
To ensure that the Pre-Schoolers can feel a sense of autonomy when using the website, maybe the Stage 3 students could record their voices reading the text? I can see that there will be photos and videos to support understanding, but an audio of any relevant text might also be helpful.
I’m so interested to see your digital resource at the end of the assignment! I am working on a similar topic; mine will be a video rather than a website but I really like the interactive aspect of your idea. Good luck!
Hi Amanda! It sounds like you have experience on Stage 3! We have just missed 3 consecutive library lessons due to sports, puberty talks and an excursion. I hope we can get back on track this week! I have looked into AI text to voice for the webpages but couldn’t find anything suitable and free. I will have to dive deeper into how to record voices and include as an element on the page. This will certainly support accessibility. Thank you!
Hi Bianca,
Your proposal has the potential to be an example of quality digital literature that is highly relevant to your school context. Creating a website that families can access from home is a clever way to boost engagement in Kindergarten Orientation and ensure new students are well-prepared for the transition to school. It is an advantage that your Stage 3 students have experience with some aspects of Canva and it is a shrewd choice to utilise a tool that is easy to access and navigate to manage the cognitive load for students (Furenes et al., 2021). I am wondering if you have a timeline for your students to learn the necessary skills needed to complete each stage of the project? Research indicates that successful engagement with digital resources requires careful planning, explicit teaching and scaffolding (Schugar et al., n.d).
I also suggest that in addition to photos and videos, the website could include audio recordings of student voices reading the text. This would ensure that the young children feel a sense of autonomy and control when using the website (Kucirkova, 2022), thus strengthening their connection with the content .
I look forward to seeing your digital resource and wish you the best of luck.
References
Furenes, M. I., Kucirkova, N., & Bus, A. G. (2021). A comparison of children’s reading on paper versus screen: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 91(4), 483-517. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654321998074
Kucirkova, N. (2022). Children’s agency and reading with story-apps: considerations of design, behavioural and social dimensions. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 19(1), 66–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2018.1545065
Schugar, H., Smith, C., & Schugar, J. (n.d.). Teaching with interactive picture e-books in grades K-6. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/teaching-interactive-picture-e-books-grades-k-6
This is a well thought out project with strong educational objectives. I especially love that it serves as a project for students in older year levels, as well as being beneficial for use with new students.
I love that you’ve incorporated the use of geographical tools like maps – what a fantastic idea! This could be an exciting and engaging way for new students to explore and familiarise themselves with the school. It would be wonderful if new students could click on different rooms or areas to discover what happens there. You might even consider adding a video link where teachers introduce themselves, explain what happens in their space, and offer a brief tour. This would be similar to using a social story to help ease any anxiety about starting school and being in an unfamiliar environment (Raising Children Network Australia Limited, 2024).
You’ve come up with a wonderful idea and I think new students would benefit so much from this interactive resource!
Raising Children Network Australia Limited. (2024). Social Stories. https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/therapies-guide/social-stories