Proposed Topic:

The topic for the project will be a creative writing task to support an integrated Year 7 and/or 8 Humanities unit.  Students will examine literature from a variety of different genres, for example  Dreamtime, folklore, mystery to explore imaginative processes of writing to engage the reader. This unit will unpack the stylistic features of narrative, descriptive language and character development.  Students will plan, create and present a digital story which will include a variety of visual and audio elements.

Proposed Digital Tools:

Students will use Google Forms as the main tool to create a Choose Your Own Adventure story.  They will have a variety of options to create the visual and audio elements with such applications as, but not limited to, GarageBand and iMovie.  

All Middle School students have an iPad, as a part of the school’s 1:1 Device Program, as well as having access to the Google Suite.  This project can be planned and published completely on their iPads giving them full control of the use of the apps.  GarageBand and iMovie are readily available applications.  

Rationale:

This project incorporates the five different Elements of Digital Storytelling (slide 8). For this project students are required to think critically, and creatively, in their planning in order to present their story in a cohesive way that incorporates the reader’s choice.  Through detailed planning, and support of a scaffold, students can tell their story through various outcomes.  This unit explores all aspects of English curriculum, requires students to reflective evaluate literature and apply their knowledge creatively through the use of digital technology.  When integrating digital technology it is important to ensure it has Pedagogical Usability (p182-186), this project is carefully designed to  purposefully integrate digital technology with literacy.  Teacher librarians can support this task  through the explicit teaching of digital literacy skills during library lessons. 

 

 

References

Nokelainen, P. (2006, April). An empirical assessment of pedagogical criteria for digital learning material with elementary school students. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 9(2), 178-197. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/jeductechsoci.9.2.178.pdf?casa_token=aVb8pbkqdQAAAAA:AxaxySyjXkHXLsYv4ThW7BHsalXcY0ZOzed3kN1DHZqVCamoxjJCK9fjXXsxu0bQiiYpvCrTzzPBhBNGq1gX66WqoVbZnyCS2Zonl2uSqdlEJkVYjy

 

Paul, N. (2002). The elements of digital storytelling. University of Minnesota. https://www.academia.edu/459532/The_Elements_of_Digital_Storytelling