Digital storytelling a meaningful technology-integrated approach for engaged student learning

  • 格式:pdf
  • 大小:298.92 KB
  • 文档页数:21

INTERNATIONALREVIEWDigitalstorytelling:ameaningfultechnology-integratedapproachforengagedstudentlearning

AlaaSadik

Publishedonline:11April2008ÓAssociationforEducationalCommunicationsandTechnology2008

AbstractAlthoughresearchemphasizestheimportanceofintegratingtechnologyintothecurriculum,theuseoftechnologycanonlybeeffectiveifteachersthemselvespossesstheexpertisetousetechnologyinameaningfulwayintheclassroom.TheaimofthisstudywastoassistEgyptianteachersindevelopingteachingandlearningthroughtheapplicationofaparticulardigitaltechnology.StudentswereencouragedtoworkthroughtheprocessofproducingtheirowndigitalstoriesusingMSPhotoStory,whilebeingintroducedtodesktopproductionandeditingtools.Theyalsopresented,publishedandsharedtheirownstorieswithotherstudentsintheclass.Quantitativeandqualitativeinstruments,includingdigitalstoryevaluationrubric,integrationoftechnologyobservationinstrumentsandinterviewsforevaluatingtheeffectivenessofdigitalstorytellingintolearningwereimplementedtoexaminetheextenttowhichstudentswereengagedinauthenticlearningtasksusingdigitalstorytelling.Thefindingsfromtheanalysisofstudents-producedstoriesrevealedthatoverall,studentsdidwellintheirprojectsandtheirstoriesmetmanyofthepedagogicalandtechnicalattributesofdigitalstories.Thefindingsfromclassroomobservationsandinterviewsrevealedthatdespiteproblemsobservedandreportedbyteachers,theybelievedthatthedigitalstorytellingprojectscouldincreasestudents’understandingofcurricularcontentandtheywerewillingtotransformtheirpedagogyandcurriculumtoincludedigitalstorytelling.

KeywordsDigitalstorytellingÁEngagedlearningÁPhotostoryÁTechnologyintegration

IntroductionWithinthelast10years,theEgyptianMinistryofEducation(MoE)withtheassistanceofmanyinternationalorganizations(suchasUSAIDandUNESCO)hasintroducedmanyeducationreformstoimprovetheeducationalsystemandraiseteachers’technological

A.Sadik(&)DepartmentofInstructional&LearningTechnologies,CollegeofEducation,SultanQaboosUniversity,Muscat,SultanateofOmane-mail:alaasadik@squ.edu.om;alaasadik@hotmail.com

123

EducationTechResearchDev(2008)56:487–506DOI10.1007/s11423-008-9091-8awarenessandencouragethemtointegrateInformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT)intothecurriculumwithagreateremphasisonscience,mathematicsandtheuseofcomputers.Inaddition,newlearningresourcecentersarebeingsetupinschools,completewithlaboratoryequipment,audio-visualsystems,computersandotherteachingaids.However,althoughEgypthasmadegreatstridesinitsgeneraleducationalarena,growthintechnologicalsupportsthatfacilitateeducationaladvanceshavebeenslower.TheuseofcomputersoftwareandhardwarehasnotbeenfullyunderstoodorusedandtheintegrationoftechnologyintotheEgyptianeducationsystemisneeded.Jacobsen(2001)believethatmanyteachersworldwidearenotabletoadopttechnologyforteachingandlearningtasks,andthegapbetweentechnologypresenceinschoolsanditseffectiveuseistoowide.Manyteachersbelievethattechnologyintegrationisadifficult,time-consumingandresource-intensiveendeavorandismoretroublethanitisworth(SheingoldandHadley1990).Theunder-utilizationoftechnologyisprobablyaresultofalackofvisionoftechnology’spotentialforimprovingteachingandlearning(OfficeofTechnologyAssessment1995)andthedifficultytocrossthebridgebetweentechnology’scapabilitiesandcurriculumrequirements(SERVE1996).Dexteretal.(1999)indicatethattheeffectivenessoftechnologyintegrationintoedu-cationislargelydependentuponitsabilitytoengagestudentsintolearning.TrillingandHood(1999)believethatthekeyinusingeducationaltechnologyistoutilizemeaningfulactivitiesthatmayengagestudentstoconstructtheirknowledgeindifferentways,notavailablebeforethetechnologywasintroduced.Studieshaveshownthatlearnerengagementisparamounttolearningsuccess(Herringtonetal.2003).Limetal.(2006)reviewedtheliteratureandfoundthatthereisamyriadofdefinitionsfortheterm‘engagement’.Theyconcludedthat‘whatisapparentaboutthedefinitionsofengagementisthattheyentailsomekindofmindfulness,intrinsicmotivation,cognitiveeffort,andattention’(p.213).However,therearedifferentlevelsofengagementthatonecanattain:Theengagementcaneitherbeclassifiedashighorlow.

MeaningfultechnologyintegrationandlearningMeaningfultechnologyintegrationisdefinedascurriculautilizingauthentictasksthatintentionallyandactivelyhelplearnerstoconstructtheirownmeaningsfromthinkingaboutexperiencesandallowsformoreinterdisciplinaryproject-basedinstruction(Jonassenetal.1999).Integrationisdefinednotbytheamountortypeoftechnologyused,butbyhowandwhyitisused(Earle2002).Meaningfulintegrationoftechnologyisachievedwhenstudentsareabletoselecttech-nologytoolstohelpthemobtaininformationinatimelymanner,analyzeandsynthesizetheinformationandpresentitprofessionally(Harris2005).However,harnessingthepoweroftheintegrationoftechnologyrequiresnotonlyaneworadvancedtechnology,butalsoasystematicwayofutilizingthetechnologytoimprovestudentlearning(Schofield1995).Researchindicatesthatinordertoachievemeaningfultechnologyintegration,learningmustbedesignedfromaconstructivistapproachthatencouragesstudentstolearninasocialcontextandhelpthemtodevelopanabilitytoreadilycreatenewknowledge,solvenewproblemsandemploycreativityandcriticalthinking(Griest1996;Hoffman1997;Mergendollar1997;Richards1998).Spivey(1997)indicatedthatconstructivistsviewstudentsasconstructiveagentsandviewknowledgeasbuiltinsteadofbeingpassivelyreceivedbystudents,whosewaysofknowingandunderstandinginfluencewhatisknownandunderstood.