Erin’s Educational Technology Journey

Reflection: 50 Ways to Tell a Story Using Social Media

Introduction to Mrs. Ozeki can be viewed here:

     I am an elementary teacher in an international school setting. As such, I have worked in many different schools and with hundreds of students. I have often noticed that students and parents are curious when I enter their school community, and rightly so! I am a foreigner, I am new to the community and I am instantaneously placed in a position of trust and influence in the school.

     I decided to create a digital story to introduce myself to students and parents. Students will meet me in the face-to-face environment, but they may not feel comfortable asking me personal questions or they may lack the conversational English skills necessary to ask. In addition, parents may not have enough time or confidence speaking in English to schedule a face-to-face meeting. Generally, students and parents tend to rely on biographical information the school sends out about new teachers. Newsletters and group e-mails lack a personal touch, and I want to establish a genuine relationship with both students and parents.

     Through a digital story (DS) I can present myself as approachable and add that necessary personal touch to a standard introduction. I created a DS (Introduction to Mrs. Ozeki) using Roxio Photo Show (RPS) which would be released to the learning community at the beginning of the school year.

Is the story viewable either as an embedded file or a link?

     I selected RPS which is viewable as a link, or an embedded file, making it easy to share and view productions. I have created MS Power Point presentations and embedded them in a blog in the past. However, I received feedback that some viewers could not open the show or watch it play automatically. I have also used Microsoft Movie Maker to create slide shows with narration, but I had difficulty uploading my presentation to a blog due to file formatting. When I was selecting a digital story tool from Alan Levine’s (2007) cogdogwoo  site, I was overwhelmed by the amount of choice for open-source applications! I experimented with RPS, Tikatok web publishing, Photo Peach and Slideroll. Slideroll’s demonstration mode frustrated me, and did not support music files. Photo Peach has an excellent collaboration whiteboard wiki for “mashing” ideas and media together, but I was seeking a very user-friendly photo-slide show application. I completed an experimental project with both Tikatok and RPS due to their ease of use and sharing features. Both can be easily embedded or linked but RPS had greater interactivity than Tikatok as it supports music and movie files.

Why was this the right tool for you to use to tell your story? Explain how you purposefully selected your tool.

      The SECTIONS framework stresses students, ease, cost, teaching and learning, interactivity, novelty and speed when selecting a technology (Bates & Poole, 2003). The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for teachers stresses modelling digital-age learning, designing digital-age learning experiences and engaging in professional growth. After investigating and using RPS, I feel it is appropriate for my students (grade four, 10 years-old) and for my DS needs. Referring to NETS for teachers, my use of DS using RPS models educational technology for students and enhances my professional growth as I learned production skills. In addition, using RPS, students would be provided with a digital-age learning opportunity.

     To model the use of RPS responsibly, I would pre-teach the Terms of Service and Privacy agreement policies and create a class login in my name for student use. I would not upload student data to RPS accounts and I would insist that all presentations be shared using the protected-password option. For my DS, a self-introduction, RPS was easy to use, easy to share, interesting to watch and resulted in a professional-looking production that would engage viewers.

      Concerning SECTIONS’ “ease” of use, RPS is extremely user friendly at the novice level. I was concerned with uploading photos from the computer, especially MS Power Point slides. MS Power Point slides are often used for text displays and saved as jpegs to use in different applications. For the teacher and students, this reduces time spent re-writing material. RPS has tools to upload files one by one or all at once and tools to import files from Facebook , Shutterfly or Flickr. Any file that is an “image” seems to be compatible, and I had no difficulty uploading images from Picasa, Flickr, Power Point jpegs or Windows Photo Gallery when creating my story.

     Interactivity and novelty are components from SECTIONS I also considered when selecting RPS. Students will be engaged through the variety of production themes, arrangements, musical selections, text “bubbles” and animated “stamps” using a simple drag-and-drop process. My story was simple, but it became more interesting using RPS features. A review of my Tikatok production and my RPS production (based on the same theme using similar text and photos) can be viewed for comparison to highlight how RPS features enhanced the production.

     SECTIONS’ “cost” could be a major concern when selecting RPS for sustainable use. RPS is a free open-source (OS) application, but productions are available for a maximum of 28 days. This was appropriate for my production because a self-introduction is required for a short time. A more inclusive package from RPS can be purchased with a yearly subscription rate of $35.99 (USD), and student productions could be saved on DVD, as mp.4 files or stored online for the entirety of the subscription. However, using the free OS application, my students could embed presentations in a class blog or an individual blog, although the presentations would not remain part of their long-term portfolio.

     As a teacher, I feel pressured to purchase the $35.99 professional edition, because presentations can be saved, burned to DVD and archived. Although the OS lifespan limitation is frustrating, students can still use RPS for free and can learn the mechanics of creating a digital story. A possible benefit of a short-term production is that the material is not forgotten about or lost in cyberspace: It is deleted and all links become inactive. My DS will require editing and updating by the next school year, so a shorter lifespan is suitable.

Limitations and Concerns with RPS

     I am aware of limitations to using RPS open-source application in the classroom. The first limitation is student privacy and identity protection. According to the Roxio Privacy Statement, Sonic Solutions, which RPS is a subsidiary of, does collect personal information but protects against misuse, alteration or loss of data. However, there is a disclaimer that information is not guaranteed to be protected. Children under the age of 18 are not advised to submit any personal information to Sonic Solutions under the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. Minors can use Roxio Photo Show under the guidance of an adult, but should not submit any personal data.

 The Terms of Service (TOS) clearly state that Sonic holds royalty-free rights to use, alter or redistribute any content a user uploads. In addition, the TOS stress online guardians of minors are responsible for the minor’s online conduct, consequences misuse and access to the service. The “Prohibited Conduct” section clearly describes activity that would be damaging to students, such as posting unlawful or profane materials. As a teacher, I would make one general class login and have students create digital stories under that user name. Students could personalize their digital stories without their own login name. RPS opens with a “cover page” prompting users to create a title, list the stars of the show and the digital designer. Students could sign their digital story using their first name or their initials. In addition, I would teach students about online safety issues and obtain parental and administrative support for digital storytelling using Roxio in an educational setting.

Describe how a story-telling approach would work within a course that you teacher (or would like to teach) using sound pedagogical arguments.

     SECTIONS components of teaching and learning can both be enhanced by the introduction of DS techniques. I teach year four of the The International Baccalaureate Organization’s (IBO) Primary Year’s Program (PYP) curriculum framework. The PYP curriculum framework consists of six transdisciplinary themes and five elements (concepts, attitudes, skills, knowledge & action) but technology is not a core subject (IBO, 2002). However, PYP teachers are expected to integrate educational technology into most subjects within the framework (language arts, second languages, personal/social education, sciences & mathematics). In my opinion, I can use DS to support the integration of technological skills within all subjects I teach and possibly enhance students’ communicative skills as a result.

     DS supports creative expression and communication using English, encourages technological skill development and encourages critical thought across disciplines (Porter, 2004; The University of Houston, 2008). Students engage in multiliteracy and use their authorial voice and critical thinking skills with digital storytelling (Nelson, 2006). Digital storytelling is a powerful medium to introduce ELS’ to analysis and critique according to Benmayor (2008).

     Stack and Kelly (2006) argue “the media is a central if not primary pedagogue” and media critique and production opportunities must be modeled by educators across the curriculum to promote the democratization of media production and interpretation (p. 6). DS is an excellent addition in the classroom to promote democratic media because the tools of production and critique are in the hands of the marginalized: the student. DS improves on traditional storytelling techniques, basic word processing programs and social software by incorporating multimedia and multiliteracies resulting in increased levels of engagement, analysis and critical thinking skills (Benmayor, 2008; Sadik, 2008). DS has been shown to increase learning engagement, increase multiliteracy exploration and improve English reading, writing, oral expression and listening comprehension skills in English Language Learners (Kajder, Bull & Albaugh, 2005; Nelson, 2006; Ramirez-Verdugo & Belmonte, 2007; Sadik, 2008; Tsou, Wang & Tzeng, 2006). Working with the PYP curriculum framework and considering the principles of NETS and SECTIONS, I believe I could effectively integrate DS learning and teaching opportunities into my year four class.

References

Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for Selecting and Using Technology. In  Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success.(pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers.

 Benmayor, R. (2008). Digital storytelling as a signature pedagogy for the new humanities. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 7, 188-205. doi: 10.1177/147022208088648

International Baccalaureate Organization. (2002). A basis for practice: The primary years programme. Available Online 20, March, 2009, from http://www.ibo.org/pyp/documents/basis_pyp_000.pdf

Kajder, S., Bull, G., & Albaught, S. (2005). Constructing digital stories. Learning & Leading 32(5), 40-42. Available Online 13, July, 2009, from ERIC:http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/2a/19/38.pdf

Levine, A. (2007). “50 Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story.” Accessed Online 9, July, 2009, from http://cogdogroo.wikispaces.com/StoryTools

National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers. (2008). Accessed Online 12, July,2009,from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Nelson, M. E. (2006). Mode, meaning and synaesthesia in multimedia L2 writing. Language Learning and Technology, 10 (2)m 56-76. Available Online 29, March, 2009, from http://llt.msu.edu/vol10num2/nelson/

Porter, B. (2004). DigiTales: About digital storytelling. Available Online 12, July, 2009, from http://www.digitales.up/about/index.php

 Ramirez-Verdugo, D., & Belmonte, I.A. (2007). Using digital stories to improve listening comprehension with Spanish young learners of English. Language Learning and Technology, 11(1), 87-101. Available Online 29, January, 2009, from http://llt.msu.edu/vol11num1/ramirez/default.html

Roxio Photo Show: Overview. (2009). Available Online 9, July, 2009, from http://www.photoshow.com/home/start

Roxio Photo Show: Overview. (2009). Available Online 9, July, 2009, from http://www.photoshow.com/home/start

Roxio Photo Show: Privacy Policy. (2009). Available Online 9, July, 2009, fromhttp://www.roxio.com/enu/company/privacy.html

Roxio Photo Show: Terms of Service. (2009). Available Online 9, July, 2009, from http://www.sonic.com/about/legal.aspx

 Sadik, A. (2008). Digital storytelling: A meaningful technology-integrated approach for engaged student learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 56(4), 487-506. doi:10.1007/s11423-00809091-8

Stack, M., & Kelly, D. M. (2006). Popular media, education, and resistance. Canadian Journal of Education 29(1), 5-26. Retrieved January 27, 2009, from http://www.csse.ca/CJE/Articles/FullText/CJE29-1/CJE29-1-stackkelly.pdf

The University of Houston. (2008). The educational uses of digital storytelling. Available Online 12, July, 2009, from http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/

Tsou, W., Wang, W., & Tzeng, Y. (2006). Applying a multimedia storytelling website in foreign language learning. Computers & Education, 47(1), 17-28. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2004.08.013

  Roxio Photo Story: Introduction to Mrs. Ozeki

This is an update on the Roxio Photo Story attempt. I returned to the site after 24-hours and it “remembered” that I had exited without my story completed. It uploaded all of the work I thought I had lost without incident. I considered purchasing the “Premium Service” for $35.99 USD, but I visited some web forums to learn more. It seems users running Vista Ultimate, which I have, report many problems with the upgrade. Problems include being “frozen”, losing data, the program closing without warning, the program not installing properly and Vista not recognizing the program. I decided to use the open-source edition, which unfortunately limits my story to 28-days of viewing. I do have the photos and slides saved on my computer, but I would have to reformat the story for any extended use.

Here is my story (self-introduction) for comparison to my Tikatok publication: http://cogdogroo.wikispaces.com/StoryTools, I played with several tools. I had some technical difficulty with Roxio Photo Story after I had uploaded my photos. It seems the program “froze”, which is unfortunate because I was planning on making a stunning presentation with it! Instead, I tried Tikatok, a web publishing tool that is designed for children. I chose this tool because I am an elementary teacher and I thought it would be great to teach the tool to students. I will reflect more on this tomorrow. I spent about one hour on Roxio, then over one hour in Tikatok, but I learned a great deal in both. This posting is just the beginning of my “adventures in social media”, but I thought I’d try to embedd my Tikatok publication as practice. Fingers crossed!

Compare my Roxio Photo Show introduction to my Tikatok introduction:

all-about-me-041 link or