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 18th 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 5th October 2022, from https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/why-teach-about-migration-because-its-the-story-of-humankind