My understanding of what it means to be an education professional in digital environments has shifted from viewing technology as a teaching tool to recognising it as a dynamic framework that supports collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. Initially, I saw digital environments as functional tools to increase engagement; however, through deeper exploration of ETL533, I came to understand how they create spaces where teachers and students can collaboratively construct learning. My digital literature project reflects this shift by using Canva as a means of engaging students in the learning process, with the expectation that they will later use the same platform to create their own digital storytelling project aligned with curriculum outcomes.

One of the ways this unit has challenged my understanding of digital learning is by transforming how I viewed digital and print storytelling formats. Previously, I perceived these as opposing formats, an either/or approach to storytelling in the classroom. However, as evidenced in my reflection Evaluating Digitally Reproduced Stories in the discussion forum for Module 1.2, I acknowledged that both mediums share the capacity to evoke emotion and encourage critical thinking, whilst acknowledging that they differ in how readers navigate them (Gibbons, 2025). This shift from viewing digital and print texts as competitors to viewing them as complementary to each other, has reshaped how I engaged with concepts of digital narrative and teaching digital literacy.This idea is further developed in my Thinkspace post Finding Story in the Digital Space (Gibbons, 2025), where I reflect on how transmedia storytelling reshapes literacy learning. I came to understand that digital storytelling does not replace traditional literacy, but rather extends and enhances it, offering students opportunities to become creators as well as consumers of stories and information. This reflection reinforced my growing belief that explicitly teaching digital literacy skills, empowers learners to participate actively in the storytelling process, navigating and constructing meaning across multiple platforms.

The idea that digital storytelling enhances or extends traditional literacy was explored further in my reflections for Module 4.1. In the discussion forum I explored how video games can be used to engage student interest with learning through the example of the Assassin’s Creed: Discovery Tour (Gibbons, 2025). The digital storytelling tool not only engages students but has been used to create an interactive, experiential tool to deepen understanding of historical eras such as Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. This reflection helped me to recognise that digital learning environments can be used to foster curiosity and critical thinking. It was this realisation that formed the initial concept of my project, as students could move from passive consumption of information to using digital learning environments as a multimodal tool.
Peer feedback on my Digital Storytelling Proposal was particularly influential in shaping the final project. It was noted that my personal connection to Matthew Brady could make the project more relatable, and they suggested students could be encouraged to explore their own ancestral stories (Brandt, personal communication, August 25, 2025). Thomas & Manalil, stat that digital storytelling can promote a sense of belonging and personal connection for students, especially when asked to create narratives (2025). The peer feedback influenced my final project in that I included a factual biography to accompany the fictional diary entries. This allows the resource to not only model historical research but demonstrates how personal histories can be creatively represented. It also provides a template for student-generated stories aligned with the Stage 3 history outcomes (NSW Department of Education, 2024).

The feedback also encouraged consideration of the format and presentation of the diary entries, including opportunities for multimodal storytelling. To further support this concept, Yu suggests that multimodal story production supports the development of communication and digital literacy skills (2025). In the final project, I included four diary entries.These remained text-based to model traditional diary writing, whilst also incorporating audio clues to create deeper meaning. The use of the AI voice over feature was included to make the text stand out and to be more accessible (Canva n.d). This project provides a guide for how students can utilise the built-in tools and AI features that are present within Canva. By demonstrating these options, the project empowers students to experiment with multimodal storytelling, fostering creativity and critical thinking, whilst also supporting diverse learning preferences and abilities.

Throughout the unit ETL533, my professional identity has developed from that of a teacher librarian who uses technology to one who designs learning experiences within digital spaces.. By synthesising theory, practice, and peer input, I now understand that effective digital education relies on thoughtful, inclusive, and story-driven design rather than just implementing the newest and shiniest technology without purpose.

References
Canva. (n.d.). Create a design. https://www.canva.com/

Gibbons, G. (2025, July 16). 1.2 – Evaluating digitally reproduced stories [Online discussion post]. ETL533: Digital futures in education, Charles Sturt University.

Gibbons, G. (2025, September 17). Finding story in the digital space [Blog post]. Grace Gibbons – Thinkspace. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/gracegibbons/2025/09/17/finding-story-in-the-digital-space/

Gibbons, G. (2025, September 17). Digital storytelling [Online discussion post]. ETL533: Digital futures in education, Charles Sturt University.

NSW Department of Education. (2024). Curriculum K–10. https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum

Thomas, S., & Manalil, P. (2025). Digital storytelling and the pedagogy of belonging: reimagining inclusion in higher education. Frontiers in Communication, 10, Article 1630596. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1630596

Yu, B. (2025). Pedagogical Insights from Multimodal Digital Story Production in English as Second Language Teaching. In M. M. Gu, Y. Liu, & C. F. Huang (Eds.), Re-envisioning English-Medium Instruction in K-12 Schools (pp. 39–59). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-83002-0_3