May 14 2011
Digital Story
My story about the need for change in Assessment & Evaluation practices is necessary because we still have teachers who:
-don’t like change
-are unsure of how to proceed
-don’t agree with the philosophy behind the changes
-are nearing the end of their careers and prefer to keep the status quo
-are worried that this means more work
Most teachers are more than willing to make the changes in their practices, but knowing how to do this efficiently and effectively is their biggest challenge. Workshops alone cannot provide enough information – course modules can’t either. But the use of videos can create a visual that “sticks” as they begin their journey of change. Changing practice towards a greater emphasis on assessment for & as learning (diagnostic, formative, peer and self) can result in improved student learning and there is a great deal of research to prove it. John Hattie, in Visual Learning provides a vivid meta-analysis of the effects of formative assessment when combined with descriptive feedback.
Videos can be engaging, entertaining, and effective in getting the message across to the audience. Animoto is one tool that I found to be very easy to use. I have used other tools – Adobe Premier Elements, Movie Maker, and Photostory, for example that were much more complex to use. In each case, the videos could be uploaded into YouTube or TeacherTube, but unless you did this, the video stayed on your computer hard drive. Animoto is a 2.0 tool, in that others can comment on the video directly on the Animoto site. Copyright-free music is provided, sample photos as well (although I found my images using Creative Commons searches in Google and Yahoo).
Storytelling is an ancient form of communication – beginning with oral storytelling long before written language appeared. Storytelling today is enhanced by the use of audio and visual tools that are very effective for today’s digital learner – a much more visual story replacing the oral traditions of old. The limitations are that it can be a challenge to keep the attention of the listener or viewer long enough to tell your story, so keeping it to the point and keeping it short yet informative is important.
So here is my story: