Digital storytelling at CPUT

Daniela Gachago & Veronica Barnes

What Happens When You Turn Your Back In A 21st Century Classroom…

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/what-happens-when-you-turn-your-back-in-a-21st-century-classroom/

• My computer is the nucleus of my workspace • When I need information I go online • Besides IM or email my cell phone is my primary method of

communication • I’m usually juggling five things at once• My attention span is very small• I want instant gratification• I get bored very easily

Oblinger 2008

New generation of students

Oblinger

Axel Bruns

Challenges

We want stories. We love stories. Stories keep us alive. Stories that come from a place of deep

insight and with a knowing wink to their audience, and stories that tease us into examining our own feelings and beliefs, and stories that guide us on

our own path. But most importantly, stories told as stories, that honor the simple idea that we want to

relive what the author experienced in time and place.

Joe Lambert, 2013

Digital storytelling at CPUT

Course models of DST projects

Education

Definition – digital stories / narratives

• Digital literacies• Alternative to research essay• Authentic acquisition of content• Flexibility• Link to communities – transfer of academic

content to personal lives• Student engagement• Alternative assessment tool

Why digital narratives?

Student feedback

If you’re reading something and you get to watch it , so you’re absorbing it, hearing it and you’re doing it especially because part of you were doing the whole thingy. So as you’re doing it, you’re learning from it and it was fun like most videos it was fun. So you kind of want to play the video over and over and you know… it was the fun part like apply what you learnt into the movie …

Thembani: I feel like the video it’s kind of good way of learning like I will prefer the video like in anything.

Interviewer: Why?

Planning of DST projects

Intro

Research / brainstorming

Scripting Storyboarding

Images

Photostory/ iMovie/

MoviemakerNarration

Background sounds & Music

Screening

Visual literacy

Academic literacy, Planning &sequencing

Performance

Multimedia skills

Information literacy

Work in progress

• Focus on open source / freely available software on the web

• Audacity & MovieMaker• Photostory

Software & media used

Creative commons

Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling

Storytelling

Storytelling

Planning of DST projects (7 steps of DST)

Intro

PLA / Storycircle

Scripting Storyboarding

Images

Photostory Narration

Background sounds

Screening

Owning your insights

Owning your emotions

Finding the moment

Seeing your story

Hearing your story

Assembling your story

Sharing your story

Visit to Kirstenbosch, reflect on the experience

DST Workshop 1DST introduction, community map, title and statement of intent

Mobile learning and digital storiesParticipatory Learning and Action Techniques

• Aim: establishing needs of various groups in communities in order to develop some form of action on this need

• Important: critical self-consciousness on the part of the researchers as well as a concern with social justice

• Characterized as process, not a one-off event which is interactive, uses visual methods, is aimed at action and reflection and is usually practiced in a group setting.

• Good for students with diverse academic literacy skills

• Examples: Community Mapping or River of Life

Participatory Learning & Action Techniques

Community mapping - urban

Community map - rural

River of Life

River of Life

• Social cohesion / social pedagogy• From vulnerability to pride, pedagogy of

discomfort• Social justice education• Engagement with issues around diversity• Critical reflection• Student identity

Benefits of digital storytelling

So yes, if you get exposed to another person’s culture,

surely you will respect that culture eventually and you

will learn about that person and you see that person

with more respect and in a better light.

Real stories

Everybody has their own story to tell. So digital story allows you to tell your specific story and share it amongst everybody in your classroom.

• Technology• Assessment• Time• Access• Diverse literacy skills• Adapting model to specific discipline• Process vs product• Dissemination of stories (access, copyright)

Challenges of DST projects

Examples of student stories• Ferrania – Mild steel man (Industrial Design first years): http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFcrN_GeRzc&feature=c4-overview&list=UUm3GeRbRnpn-pkOTtaHSyOg

• Sun by Angela Biko: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6LoHFcOnPg&list=PLe5oHsfRWAnTgiHhMeK35B9-Az-pYMMCu

• Education stories: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe5oHsfRWAnRFpFOgFccYrdiNb4V1KAB3

Any questions?

• www.cput.ac.za/blogs/edutech• http://www.cput.ac.za/blogs/edutech/digital-s

torytelling-resources/

• YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/CPUTstories

• gachagod@cput.ac.za or barnesv@cput.ac.za

Contact us