Critical Reflection
In the beginning of INF33: Literature in Digital Environments I was challenged to consider and define my own knowledge of digital literature concepts and practices. As a response to this on my Thinkspace blog and to Module 1’s question “is the printed book dead?” (Croft, 2021a, p. 1), I discussed the benefits and disadvantages of electronic texts, as I believed digital literature literally translated to ‘eBooks’ (Bramble, 2021). I did not understand that there was a whole world of digital literature out there, until I immersed further into the learning modules.
I admitted in my Thinkspace post that my knowledge and exposure of digital literature was minimal (stories recorded on YouTube, for example), however I was interested in developing an eBook collection for my school library in order to future-proof the collection (Bramble, 2021). I received great practical advice to “dip my toe in the water” of adding eBooks to the library collection by accessing Project Gutenberg to select materials to add to my library catalogue, as a cost-effective way to introduce electronic texts to students (Croft, 2021). I have since done this successfully, which has created a lot of excitement amongst students at my school, particularly since COVID19 lockdowns occurred and we delved into digital home learning. By having digital stories and texts available for students and staff, this has successfully created greater access and engagement for students with library resources and literature.
Through engaging in research on digital literature, I began to see that digital storytelling can empower students in a variety of ways. Being able to communicate using different multimedia techniques through digital storytelling platforms allows the author to express a personal or particular point of view, and creates opportunity for students to become active creators of digital media, rather than simply existing as passive consumers of it (Robin, 2016, p. 20). Robin (2016, p. 20) additionally states that through the creation of digital stories, students are able to make deeper connections to their own lives and the lesson content and further produce their own interpretations of narrative. This research additionally supported my understanding of the learning during Module 2, when discussing the changing perception of narrative in digital environments and how electronic media is changing the nature of story, and most importantly, how we interact purposefully with technology in teaching and learning (Croft, 2021b).
Moving through the course content, Module 3 exposed me to a realm of fantastic digital stories, web comics, interactive narratives, transmedia narratives, virtual reality and immersive multimedia journalism (Croft, 2021c). I became obsessed with discovering as much digital literature as I could find, and then sharing these findings with others in the discussion forums (Bramble, 2021a; Bramble, 2021b; Bramble, 2021c). Assessment 2: Part A allowed me to utilise the connections I had made with the learning in Module 2 and 3, and the range of digital texts I had discovered along the way, in order to analyse how digital literature can be used effectively within teaching and learning programs and the value that they offer to these (Bramble, 2021d). Module 4 (Croft, 2021d) began to spark my interest and ideas of creating my own digital storytelling project for Assessment 4, in particular through accessing the plethora of digital storytelling tools on Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything (Schrock, 2021).
During Assessment 2: Part B, I critically reflected how I had learnt that digital storytelling can have the ability to personalise student learning experiences and support individual student needs, particularly when selecting digital tools and platforms for storytelling (Bramble, 2021e). Through further research, I discovered that this can have a profound impact on student behaviour and confidence when interacting with narratives, and can increase student achievement across a range of literacies, allowing for more engaged teaching and learning (Smeda, et al., 2014, p. 12). I discovered many benefits to digital storytelling throughout this course, and I have realised that in a rapidly changing world and even quicker shifting digital landscape, students must acquire new levels of skills in problem solving, communicating, collaborating and critical thinking in order to apply what is learnt across a range of new contexts, in order to thrive as 21st century citizens (Australian Council for Educational Research, 2019, p. 5; ACARA, n.d.). Through this research and my active participation in the course content, I now believe that digital storytelling allows students to become confident communicators and creators of digital narratives and media, as they effectively develop these essential 21st century skills.
But most importantly, INF533 has allowed me to critically analyse my own understanding of what digital literature is, and what quality digital literature looks like. It has taught me that the technology and digital tools, and the “bells and whistles” (Bramble, 2021e), shouldn’t be first preference when selecting, engaging with and creating digital literature, but rather the importance of selecting a narrative that will weave an immersive and truly great story.
References
Australian Council for Educational Research. (2019, August 4-5). Preparing students for life in the 21st century: Identifying, developing and assessing what matters [Paper presentation]. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Conference 2019, Melbourne, Australia. https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1346&context=research_conference
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and reporting Authority [ACARA]. (n.d.). A world class curriculum for the 21st century. https://docs.acara.edu.au/resources/Information_Sheet_A_world-class_curriculum_for_the_21st_century.pdf
Bramble, L. (2021, July 20). INF533: Online reflective journal blog task. Unshelved. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/lucyb/2021/07/20/inf533-online-reflective-journal-blog-task/
Bramble, L. (2021a, August 8). Webyarns [Online discussion comment]. Interact2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au
Bramble, L. (2021b, August 8). Digital graphic novel [Online discussion comment]. Interact2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au
Bramble, L. (2021c, August 8). Digital documentary [Online discussion comment]. Interact2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au
Bramble, L. (2021d, August 21). INF533: Assessment item 2 – experiencing digital literature (Part A). Unshelved. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/lucyb/2021/08/21/inf533-assessment-item-2-experiencing-digital-literature-part-a/
Bramble, L. (2021e, August 21). INF533: Assessment item 2 – experiencing digital literature (Part B). Unshelved. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/lucyb/2021/08/21/inf533-assessment-item-2-experiencing-digital-literature-part-b/
Croft, T. (2021, July 28). Re: INF533: Online reflective journal blog task. Unshelved. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/lucyb/2021/07/20/inf533-online-reflective-journal-blog- task/
Croft, T. (2021a). Module 1: Trends and developments [Online learning module]. INF533: Literature in Digital Environments. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au
Croft, T. (2021b). Module 2: Learning and teaching [Online learning module]. INF533: Literature in Digital Environments. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au
Croft, T. (2021c). Module 3: Interactive texts and interfaces [Online learning module]. INF533: Literature in Digital Environments. Interact2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au
Croft, T. (2021d). Module 4: Digital storytelling [Online learning module]. INF533: Literature in Digital Environments. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au
Robin, B. R. (2016). The power of digital storytelling to support teaching and learning. Digital Education Review, (30), 17-29. https://doi.org/10.1344/der.2016.30.17-29
Saponaro, T. (2014, March 13). Digital storytelling: an efficient and engaging learning activity. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/digital-storytelling-an-efficient-and-engaging-learning-activity
Schrock, K. (2021). Digital storytelling. Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything. https://www.schrockguide.net/digital-storytelling.html
Smeda, N., Dakich, E., & Sharda, N. (2014). The effectiveness of digital storytelling in the classrooms: A comprehensive study. Smart Learning Environments, 1(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-014-0006-3