We are in the midst preparing for our own digital storytelling, in the hope of popularizing it to our students. Thus in order to answer the questions like what do students need to learn; how do students learn with it and how to lead students motivation for academically rigorous work, we need to ask these questions to ourselves first. What have we learned from the process?
Even thought it's the first time for some of us to touch on the Movie Maker, I don't think it's the biggest problem because as far as it is about technology, there should be ways to solve the problems. On the other hand, I believe, most of us did spend some time on thinking what we were going to tell, what types of modality we would employ and how we would arrange them, when starting to think about it without worrying anything about how to use the Movie Maker. Technology is easy to be taught but thinking depends on our own experience and the understanding of other matters.
After the theme has been fixed, it's time to get the sources, which is easy as when we want to talk about a specific story, we should have been familiar with it. However, how to put them together is another story. The still images, the videos, the music, the narration and etc. should match in a coherent way. And among them, narration needs more efforts.
Thus from the process, we actually focus much on thinking and writing, but not the technology, and so do our students. What/ how to tell the story; modalities and transitions and writing of the narration and the explanation essay are what we as well as our students need to learn.
In the new digital classroom, we need to lead the students look beyond the technology to the essence of task, like what Dr. Towndrow mentioned in class, "where should we start?" For the DN students, technology is not a problem and once they master it, they will gradually lose the interest. So from the very beginning, we cannot seduce students with the technology, showing them the sound effects and the magic of the multiliteracies, which are too artificial. To let them understand the real meaning and importance is more attractive and abiding. Focus on meaning is the motivity and the form is just chosen as a tool to express the meaning.
Motivation varies from individual and individual and from time to time. However, motivation is a key factor in nearly any learning process. Some kids get motivated to avoid punishment; some are motivated because of a hope. While an inspiring teacher can still make students motivated. Students don't use computer for academic work sometimes due to the habit. They haven't got enough chances in doing so and they may not know that computers can be used in that way. So some in-class activities could be planned to get computers involved and some tests could be based on computers too. If the computer use is embedded in study itself, the major function of computers to students will not be having fun but learning. They will get used to studying with it and be highly motivated to use computers for academic purposes as computers have been a part of study. Just as nowadays computers have been an essential part at workplaces and a huge number of people claim that they cannot work without computers.
The digital storytelling project is just a start for us to think about the usage of multiliteracy in education, both in class and after class. And if learning can happen in different ways, why not?
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Hi Daisy,
ReplyDeleteYour blog reminded me of the research design used by Dr N on his research study. He wrote, “The class started with some theoretical orientation toward the nature and implications of …The purpose of which is to give a framework…” (2006:61) I interpreted it as, building the foundation or to use the socioculturalists’term, “scaffolding.” It largely transpires during interaction wherein the zone of proximal development is traveled by the learner (the novice) and the teacher (expert) from the current level of understanding to a more advanced learning. This calls for orienting students on what technology plays in the learning and teaching process. It is underscoring the salience of equipping themselves with DL skills. It implies clarifying key issues such as what else can we do with computers (aside from playing games!), what skills are tapped when we utilise the technology tools and like what you said, how can we create meanings using technological tools.
I strongly agree with you that motivation plays a key role in learning. However, it is only one of the many esential factors involved in the learning process. Other key factors are attention, input and interaction, nature of the learner, teaching strategies, learning strategies, learning styles, social context, nature of instruction, etc. MAE802 has a lot of things to say on this issue.
Hi Eula, yes, we did talk about about the factors that can influence learning on MAE 802 and I was the one presenting of that chapter.
ReplyDeleteWhat I am thinking is realizing the importance of the factors is one thing and applying them is another story, which needs to be explored more.
Thank you.
Dear Daisy
ReplyDeleteYou have a very interesting topic at hand. If my memory serves me right, you are the very first Mongolian I have met.
Way back in School some 40 years back, we learnt about how brave the Mongolians were with big names like Genghis Khan etc.
My suggestion would be for you to focus on a specific topic for your DST project. Is it going to be, "Why I am proud to call myself a Mongolian? or Why it is worthwhile to visit Mongolia? or even why we should drink more milk from the goats/cows from Mongolia?(joking, lah).
On a more serious note, reduce your span of coverage and decide which aspect of the Mongolian lifestyle you are most proud of and would like to share with your classmates about?
Good luck.
Wilson
Hi, Wilson, Thank you. I think I am going to focus on the first one you mentioned.
ReplyDelete