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Abstract .

The aim of our module is the incorporation of digital storytelling into the classroom. Our students learn in many different ways. As a result, we as teachers must adapt our lessons to cater to their evolving needs and stay relevant in these changing educational climates. Digital media and technology when used appropriately can support our students in many ways and provide them with learning opportunities that were not possible decades ago. As educators, we must stay mindful of the access our students have to these technologies as well as their ability to navigate them on their own. In order to mitigate the disparity in access, and provide equal access for our students, providing class time to work on projects, such as this one of digital storytelling is imperative.

The aim of our module is to help students understand the pedagogy that is outlined in the curriculum by providing multiple options for students to demonstrate their mastery of knowledge and at the same time display their creativity. This lesson is multimodal and provides students the opportunity to convey a story through a narrative as well as through illustration by combining the two. There is a value in having an audience understand a story through various forms of media, which can bring out new learning experiences that can show one’s creativity. In addition, our aim is to show the way storytelling can be done in different ways and take different angles that can create new opportunities for learning. This project deviates from the traditional forms of storytelling, in which pen is put solely to paper, by applying a modern twist in which students have the opportunity to create their story using technology and allowing their story come to life through voice, text, images, audio, and video; which can reflect their own learning and show their creativity.

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What is Literacy? .

Literacy development is at the heart of every classroom. Students of every level are in the process of developing both their reading and writing skills, while simultaneously gaining and understanding how it connects to the world around them. In order for students to achieve this understanding, we, as educators, must take the time to connect language learning to the world that surrounds them. The world we live in today demands that we work towards building competencies that can attend to the ever-rapid changes in social, cultural and technological environments. As per the Quebec Education Program (QEP) (2001), “the goal of any literacy program must be to provide opportunities for the learner to experience the power of language as a way of making sense of her/his experience and of breaking down the barriers that separate individuals” (p. 72). In today’s modern world, technology can be used as a tool to provide new opportunities for learners to make sense of their learning.

In our experiences as teachers, we have noted that students do not always have the full ability to express their thoughts through traditional means, namely written assignments. Children spend countless hours at school, trying to find ways to express themselves through writing, and they sometimes run into barriers that don’t allow them to complete their written tasks. Our digital storytelling design will help alleviate this issue that certain students have by differentiating the objectives of producing a self-expressive written text. It will allow students to use a different platform to express their thoughts through an oral and visual method. The original intent of this lesson was meant to address our guiding question, “how can we ensure that all students voices are heard?”. Through this storytelling lesson plan, the use of audio to recount a story, rather than text, allows students to express themselves at a higher level than their written abilities; often, students’ imaginations run faster than the work that they can produce on paper. Engagement in such a project levels the playing field for all learners, as they have the opportunity to use their voice and illustrations to capture their imagination for others to see!

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Curricular Competencies .

This lesson plan allows for a cross-curricular project to be produced by the students; they will have the opportunity to develop their proficiency in English Language Arts, and Visuals Arts.

English Language Arts

Competency 2- To Write Self-Expressive, Narrative and Information-Based Texts

Through this lesson, as previously stated, the students will be targeting this competency in an alternative form – using their voices to produce narratives, rather than producing a written text. The students will be meeting this competency’s intent, as to “communicate ideas, experiences, feelings and information to others” (QEP, 2001, p. 82). By providing such an alternative, we aim to have students develop a love for storytelling and positive feelings towards the creation of their own narratives.

Competency 3- To Represent Her/His Literacy in Different Media

According to the Quebec Education Plan, students are encouraged to explore the relations that print mediums have with other media platforms. Competency 3 understands the changing landscape of our literacy world and it contributes to cross-curricular competencies of using information technologies and creativity. In addition, it makes fundamental contributions to media literacy and making it an important part to one’s literacy repertoire. (QEP, 2001, p. 91)

Competency 4- To use language to communicate and learn

As per the QEP, the best way for students to learn is through a social context. As we focus on this dimension of learning, competency 4 allows students to narrate their ideas for a story through a digital platform that focuses on their ability to talk rather than write.

Visual Arts

The visual arts allow students to explore their own world of creativity, subjectivity and sensitivity. In doing so, we are allowing students to portray their thoughts through constructing meaning of it with an artistic production. Through the process of digital storytelling, students will be drawing their characters and creating a setting for them. By doing so, they are producing a story to tell and are merely creating what they imagine their story would look like. As they invent a story through their senses of creativity and imagination, students are interacting with the language of their work and are telling a story. The students are essentially given the opportunity to produce their work at a level that best fits their needs which engages them in a creative process that can help them to visualize the literacy they wish to present.

Competency 2- To Produce Media Works in the Visual Arts

During the process of digital storytelling, students are gradually exploring their abilities to communicate their thoughts through imagery. This helps them to develop their creative senses, and gives them an opportunity to share their creative imagination through an alternative medium.

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Relevance to Digital Media .

Copyright

An additional pedagogical objective of this lesson is to highlight an important topic related to digital media, Copyright. For this age group of learners, their understanding of the concept will be based on developing respect for the artists’, or producers’, work. In doing so, we aim to have the students understand that it is not just to copy someone else’s work and pass it as their own – this is infringing on the rights of the original creator. This, in turn, aims to promote students’ imagination and most importantly, to trust their own ideas, rather than taking those of others.

Remixing

Lastly, the students engage in remixing obtaining their inspiration from stories they have previously heard, and perhaps using aspects of these stories to create their own. Additionally, students may use existing songs, video clips or sound effects for new purposes.

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Basic Elements of Digital Storytelling . The following are the basic elements of Digital Storytelling. Written: Writing and editing a story (or remixing an existing story), developing a script and preparing a storyboard. Visual: Create or find images to be used as story illustrations. Original images, stock-free images, or remixing of images can be used for this component. Scratch can also be used to create story illustrations. Oral: Planning, practicing and completing the voiceovers for the images. Digital: Scanning of images (if created or remixed), ordering the images to fit the script, recording and inserting voiceover, choosing and inserting music (if applicable), editing the visual and audio components, and sharing the story in various digital forms (first with group members and/or teacher, then with peers, public, etc.)

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Guide: Digital Storytelling Lesson .

1. Imagine an original story or remix an existing story:

• Students choose a main character for their story. • Students select a location to be the general backdrop for the story. They must also

decide the specific background for each of the five frames of the story. • Students identify their audience. Will this be for a general audience or will it target

a particular age group? • Students identify a purpose for their story. What do they want their audience to

think about or understand after hearing the story? • Students write a draft of their original story or remix an existing story

o Students should consider the structure of their narrative: introduction, body, conclusion, point of view, descriptive language, metaphors, characters, action, setting. The extent of these elements will depend on age level and knowledge of the students.

• Students work together to give and receive feedback on developing stories. • Teacher should guide students to consider the literal “point of view.” What will

audiences “see” from the location/vantage point of their story? • Students complete final draft of their story.

2. Illustrate the story:

• Students draw (or find stockfree images) for the five frames of their story. • Students prepare a storyboard. They will put the illustrations in order and add the

written component to the proper frames. o Storyboards can be created by the students or a template can be used.

(Appendix A – Page 13)

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3. Take photos & upload (or scan illustrations):

• Students scan or take pictures of their drawings and upload these images to their computer/iPad/iPhone.

• Import pictures into iMovie and organize in sequential order following their storyboard.

4. Add Audio: • Students brainstorm effective voice(s) for narration of their story. • Students decide on other media that will add to the telling of their story in a digital

form (music, sound effects, etc). • Practise voice overs and sound-effects. • Students record voice overs for each of the five frames using iMovie.

5. Final Touches:

• Students watch their digital stories and discuss if any changes need to be made. Changes are made if necessary.

• Students share their digital story. 6. Reflection:

• Students reflect on their work and learning.

Assessment The following rubric can be used when assessing students. (Appendix B – Page 14)

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/tonyamckinney1/digital-storytelling-rubric-mckinney

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Resources . Software Resources for Digital Storytelling The following are some resources that could help both teachers and students when navigating various digital platforms. Audio Component:

Garageband: http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/ Garage Band Tutorials for Beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFlcLTqzIR8

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Video component:

Final Cut Pro: http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/ iMovie: http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/

How to create a photo and video slideshow with iMovie for Mac: https://www.organizingphotos.net/imovie-slideshows-mac/

Premiere: http://www.adobe.com/products/premiereel/ Pinnacle : www.pinnaclesys.com/

Other: Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/ Storytelling Using Scratch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgitL0cfTgo Additional Digital Storytelling Resources Center for Digital Storytelling: http://www.storycenter.org/ StoryCenter supports individuals and organizations in using storytelling and participatory media for reflection, education, and social change. *Can be used as part of a Connect Civics unit/lesson. iStock Photos: https://www.istockphoto.com/ca iStock photos offers a collection of millions of exclusive, royalty-free stock files (such as photos, illustrations, video, audio, etc.) that are easy to access and ready to use for a variety of projects. StoryMapping: http://www.storymapping.org/ StoryMapping uses digital mapping technologies like Google Maps to create “maps that share stories about the places that matter to us, and place our life stories in countless geographic contexts.” The site also explores virtual tours and cell phone walking tours as well as opportunities to build story-based maps. Microsoft Education Guide: http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/guides/Pages/digital_storytelling.aspx A guide for teachers that includes information about the various software and hardware that is available, as well as suggestions for student projects. Written by Bernard Robin, one of the leaders in the field.

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Relevant Literature . Hafner, C.A. (2015). Remix culture and english language teaching: the expression of learner voice in digital multimodal compositions. Tesol Quarterly, 49(3), 486-509. https://doi-org.proxy3.library.mcgill.ca/10.1002/tesq.238 Kuo-Ping, L., Shu-Ju, D. & Chen-Chung, L. (2018). Enhancing language learning through creation: the effect of digital storytelling on student learning motivation and performance in a school English course. Educational Technology Research & Development, 66(4), 913-935. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9592-z Peppler, K., Santo, M.G., Tekinbas, K.S. & Booth Sweeney, L. (2017). Script changers: digital storytelling with Scratch. Retrieved from: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mcgill/reader.action?docID=3339881&ppg=1 Schmoelz, A. (2018). Enabling co-creativity through digital storytelling in education. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 28, 1-13. https://doi-org.proxy3.library.mcgill.ca/10.1016/j.tsc.2018.02.002 Yang, D. (2012). Multimodal composing in digital storytelling. Computers and Composition, 29(3), 221-238. doi:10.1016/j.compcom.2012.07.001 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S8755461512000394

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Discussion Questions . 1. How many of you offer multiple options using different platforms for students to hand in

their work? What are these multiple options?

2. How many of you could see yourself using Digital Storytelling in your own classrooms?

In what way can it be particularly used in your classroom based on the age group of your students, and subject area taught?

3. Do you think your school has access to the resources required to implement this type of digital tool in your classroom? Why or why not?

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Story Board .

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Rubric .