Digital Story

Rationale

After spending countless hours exploring Levine’s “50 web 2.0 ways to tell a story,” choosing of the tools was a difficult task. I wanted to choose one that could be easily integrated into my classes. Also, I was cognizant of the learning styles of my adult learners. I wanted something which would: (a) be easy to use, (b) require little technical help and (c) not demand several additional peripheral devices. Therefore, I chose BubbleShare’s, free software which allows individuals to tell a story using a collection of pictures. I wanted this experience to be real so I used what was available to me at the time; some pictures of a group of students who participated in a project to tell my story. This was a collaborative project where the participants explored both academic and non academic issues.

I chose BubbleShare to tell my story because of its accessibility, its ease of use, and its students centered approach which encourages project based learning.

As outlined by Bates and Poole (2003) ease of use is one of the factors to be considered when choosing technology for the classroom. That is, students and teachers should not spend a lot of time trying to make the technology work. The home page for BubbleShare has simply and easy to follow instructions. I did not have to spend a “great deal of time learning how to use” (Bates and Poole, 2003, p.87) BubbleShare.

Also, in a time when developing countries are faced with harsh economic challenges, costing was another important factor which helped to inform my decision. An analysis was done on the cost of the software as well as the benefits to be derived from its use in the education sector. Like others, BubbleShare is also a free software. However, it allows the students to express themselves through basic and easy to follow instructions. BubbleShare gives students the opportunity to display their creativity with features that are easy to use. These features will not cause students to become anxious nor frustrated.

Describe how a story-telling approach would work within a course that you teach (or would like to teach) using sound pedagogical arguments. (10)

It is possible for the story telling approach to be used in all the courses which I teach. In particular, I would use this approach in both mathematics education and mathematics content classes. These classes are aimed at preparing students to use appropriate methodologies in their teaching environment.

Storytelling according to the National Storytelling Association “is an interactive performance art form.” There is interaction between the teller and the audience. This creative form of expression requires the audience to use their own experience to interpret the story. Hence storytelling is personal; it passes on the essence of who we are. Storytelling is also interpretive and forms an essential part of the human experience.

Storytelling unlocks the imagination of individuals (Moore, n.d). According to Forest (2000) storytelling encourages students to explore “their unique expressiveness and can heighten students’ ability to communicate thoughts and feelings in an articulate, lucid manner.” Story telling when used as a classroom application encourages collaboration and team work (Goodwin-Jones, 2003) which are necessary components in the teaching and learning process. This tool also helps students to improve their communication skills and get a deeper understanding of the issues at hand.

Storytelling provides students with the opportunity to relate their own story, share knowledge, and make sense of their experiences. With this teaching strategy, students’ thinking processes are activated, their interest is ignited and they are able to create vivid mental images.

Many of the topics in mathematics are often seen as abstract. For example, teaching geometry to a group of ninth graders. Often times these students will question the relevance of this topic to their lives. The students’ inability to relate the topic to their personal experiences affects their learning of the topic. With the introduction of storytelling, students will be better able to create vivid mental pictures of how geometry is used in everyday activities.

The students could be asked to collect/take pictures of their favourite places, or of historical buildings in their communities. Using places of interest can serve as a motivational factor for students (Banaszewski, 2002). Making decisions about the content and sequence of stories provide for students the opportunity to be responsible and independent learners.

With the plethora of web 2.0 technologies, the students will use these tools to create their own stories of a geometric town. With the inclusion of these technological tools in storytelling, students will have better appreciation for geometry. The knowledge garnered from these activities will then be shared with other students in the class. This according to (Banaszewski, 2002) is a quick way to instill a positive classroom environment and empower student voices.

References

Banaszewski, T. (2002). Digital Storytelling Finds Its Place in the Classroom. Retrieved on July 24, 2009 from http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan02/banaszewski.htm.

Bates, A.W., & Poole, G. (2003). “A framework or selecting and using technology.” In

effective teaching with technology. Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 75 – 105.

Forest, H. (2000). Storytelling in the Classroom Concepts and Activities. Retrieved on July 25, 2009 http://www.storyarts.org/articles/storytelling.html.

Goodwin-Jones, R. (2003). Emerging Technologies: Blogs and Wikis: environments for On-line Collaboration. Language Learning & Technology, 7(1), 12-16.

Moore, A. (n.d). The educational benefits of storytelling. Retrieved on July 24, 2009, from http://www.helium.com/items/

What is Storytelling? Retrieved on July 25, 2009 from http://www.eldrbarry.net/roos/st_defn.htm.

My Digital Story

http://www.bubbleshare.com/myalbum/278419.6fadd777cfc/editor

BubbleShare: Share photos – Play some Online Games.