PART D: Critical Reflection

Digital storytelling allows us to make personal connection and an opportunity to reflect, think critically and apply problem solving skills whilst helping students become a better thinker and learner as they create their digital story using their imagination and creativity. As an educator I feel that we need to make learning relevant and useful for the 21^st century learners. Merely giving them facts and strategies won’t engage or challenge them, rather the need is to equip them with digital literacy skills where they can apply multimodal media such as visual, auditory, reading, writing, and kinaesthetic methods. This will ensure that learning is personalised and matches students’ unique strengths and interests, and quality and best teaching practices are observed.

 

I have tried to incorporate peer feedback( Belinda, 2022) where it was suggested that it would be interesting if each section on the timeline was a snapshot, and the reader could jump around to read the parts that interested them the most. as my digital creation features various aspects of migration so I have created a timeline of my migration journey and experiences where the reader can jump around the timeline and read it out of order.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Literature in Digital Environments’ which could also be aptly called Digital Literacy and believe that I have gained vast knowledge through exploring, learning and using digital storytelling as a tool to engage students. I got an opportunity to unleash my creativity which will come in handy to engage my future students as well as an opportunity to differentiate content as per their needs.

 

We can’t disagree that during pandemic, these digital resources provided equitable and fair use to all our students. For someone like me who has been always an ardent fan of pen and paper, this was a new arena to be explored. As Carr(2008), mentions that the difference between surfing the web and reading print is the difference between the visual rush of jet skiing and the immersive experience of scuba diving.

Also, it made me realise how important it is for teachers to be aware of the copyright issue and fair use of digital learning materials in this era of information overload. This is one area that can be easily overlooked.

Digital literacy is much more than reading an online text. According to Davis (2004), a good digital text combines the tradition of oral storytelling with 21st century multimedia and communications tools. They have permanent web presence and can be shared on other social media platforms.

A good digital text fosters appropriate use of technology that suits the ever-changing curriculum and pedagogical requirements. The focus is on learning and not just having fun using technology.  It should integrate with other key learning areas like maths, science, history, art, STEM etc. It should motivate the students and develop their skills to cope up with future workplaces (Puneet, 2022, September 5).

I have learnt that through the creation of digital stories, students not only become more technologically literate, but they also become designers, listeners, interpreters, readers, writers, communicators, artists, and thinkers (Kajder, 2004).

The NSW English K-10 Syllabus has mandated that in each year, students must study examples of media, multimedia and digital texts which are appropriate to their needs, interests and abilities. Unlike paper, Digital texts not only make learning easily accessible, but they also help meet the needs of diverse learners/learners with special needs etc. as the shapes, font sizes and colours of the digital texts can be adjusted thereby offering them deeper engagement with the content for acquiring information and new skills (Puneet, 2022, September 5). Digital Storytelling can be utilised to teach, promote, and inform content that is interactive and could engage multiple senses.

Therefore, I unequivocally believe that it is essential for teachers to obtain an adequate level of digital competence and know that Digital inclusion is about social inclusion (Australian Digital Inclusion Index, 2018). It is important that those with low literacy and numeracy levels and from diverse backgrounds have access to digital technologies and literacies to promote their economic wellbeing and skills. “The inclusion of digital skills alongside the foundation skills of language, literacy and numeracy recognises that digital literacy has become increasingly critical for individuals’ participation in the workforce” (ACSF, 2020).

 

References:

 

Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF, 2020). Foundation Skills for Your Future Program. Draft Digital Literacy Skills Framework. https://www.dewr.gov.au/foundation-skills-your-future-program/resources/digital-literacy-skills-framework

 

 

Australian Digital Inclusion Index (2018). Australian Digital Index Inclusion Report. https://digitalinclusionindex.org.au/about/australian-digital-inclusion-index-report/

 

 

Carr, N. (2008). Is Google making us stupid? The Atlantic. Retrieved 5^th October 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/

 

Davis, A. (2004). Co-authoring identity: Digital storytelling in an urban middle school. Then: Technology, Humanities, Education and Narrative. 1(1), 1-16

 

Kajder, S. (2004). Enter here: Personal narrative and digital storytelling. The English Journal, 93, 64-68

Miller, C.H. (2019). Using Digital Storytelling to Teach, Promote, and Inform in Digital Storytelling: A creator’s guide to interactive entertainment (4th ed. pp 269-348). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429440045

 

 

 

 

PART A: Context for Digital Story Telling Project

 

My digital storytelling project is called “In search of greener pastures- My Immigration story”.

 

The platform that I have used for the creation of this digital storytelling project is Canva. I believe that each immigrant has their own story to tell as settling into a new country is not easy. My digital story features a timeline of my journey, many challenges, and opportunities that came across my path along with added links of some successful immigration stories.

 

Subject area

This story writing and storytelling activity can be integrated into KLAs like History, English, Computer, Art, and Values. The subject area will help students develop their understanding of migration and its impact on the development of Australia as a nation. They will research the Australian government policies on migration in the 20th century and how this contributed to changes in the Australian population. Immigration is a fundamental feature of Australia’s history and national identity. Since 18^th century, millions have made the long journey across the oceans to Australia seeking better lifestyle, lucrative opportunities and a right to live with freedom.

 

Suggested outcomes

The NSW outcomes that will be addressed are HT3-3 and HT3-5. In Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), students develop their critical and creative thinking as they investigate historical, geographic, civic, economic and business concepts and ideas through inquiry-based learning (ACARA, 2022).

 

Intended Purpose

The purpose is to shed a light and understand the complexities of transitioning to a new country, culture and language through storytelling. It will build the understanding that how these stories of love and loss, culture and traditions are so unique and personal. They have the power to remind people that how much we all have in common and how we can make this world a more compassionate place. Migration histories are reminders of the amazing abilities of humans to adapt to new circumstances (Strom,2017).

Audience
The intended audience are Stage 3(Years 5 and 6) students and fellow educators. Teachers will be given a list of suggested fiction Story Book and non-fiction texts to support learning like My Two Blankets; The Peasant Prince; The Little Refugee; Boy Overboard by Morris Gleitzman and one of my favourites “I’m Australian Too” by Mem Fox. Teachers will also be familiarised with Digital collections like National Archives Australia, Trove and State Archives and Records of NSW.

 

 

Value for program implementation

Through this program implementation, students will understand and value how migration throughout Australia’s history contributes to the diversity within their class, school, and community. They will research the ‘push and pull’ factors of migration and compile social, economic, political or environmental reasons that motivate people to migrate. Students will be given an opportunity to participate in a project called Making History: research, create, share adopted from Museum Victoria. They will conduct research and make their own short digital history and sharing it as a student showcase. They will explore the experiences of migrants who came to Australia during different times, in different ways and for different reasons.

 

The diverse learning needs of students will be met through allowing them to make their thinking visible using Canva’s amazing storyboard templates and video collage. The highly flexible learning approach-books, research, Canva will accommodate different levels of learners and different learning styles, hence allowing the students to proceed at their own pace.

As more and more people delve into digital world especially after pandemic, I think this digital storytelling project will be a powerful tool for telling stories about migration. It will not only provide the opportunity to the students to create their own stories, but also learn from other’s stories which could help them broaden their world view. The digital platform will enable a much wider reach enabling personal connection and building hope, resilience and empathy. Digital storytelling is one of the innovative pedagogical approaches that can engage students in deep and meaningful learning (Smeda et al., 2014). This digital story can be used across different key learning areas to support a rich, authentic learning experience for the students and educators.

 

References: –

 

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2022). Australian curriculum.
https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

 

Smeda, N., Dakich, E. & Sharda, N. (2014) The effectiveness of digital storytelling in the classrooms: a comprehensive study. Smart Learning Environments. 1, 6 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-014-0006-3

 

 

Strom A. (2017). Why teach about migration? Because It’s the story of humankind. Re-imagining Migration. Retrieved 5^th October 2022, from https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/why-teach-about-migration-because-its-the-story-of-humankind