User:Jameynicholas
Bonjour!
About me
First-semester student in the SUNY Albany CDIT program. ESL instructor and Director of Studies. I've also worked as a junior program coordinator. I received my CELTA certificates and have taken courses at the New School. I completed 12 credits in Hunter's MA TESOL program before transferring to Albany. I am interested in multiple uses of digital storytelling and Web 2.0 learning apps. I hail from Woodstock, NY. Continuing Professional Development is part of my job, so I'm looking forward to developing a teacher training course.
Mini-course
Link to course page: Digital_Storytelling_for_ELLs
My Topic/Purpose
In Digital Storytelling for ELLs, we'll explore a streamlined process to develop language and expression from your English Language Learners via the engaging performance of a Digital Story, as well as promoting a culture of autonomy and development of higher-order thinking skills.
Learning Outcomes
1. Teachers will develop an understanding of what a Digital Story is, and the stages involved in creating one.
2. Teachers will learn how to incorporate a Digital Storytelling project into their ESL classes successfully.
3. Teachers will learn about important elements of digital storytelling, such as brainstorming, storyboarding, and assessment.
4. Teachers will engage with cloud-based technology to practice aspects of creating Digital Stories (WeVideo).
5. Teachers will understand the rationale and academic benefits of such a project.
Needs Assessment
Instructional Problem ESL students should be developing not just language skills, but 21st century learning skills and strategies. "Digital Storytelling provides a meaningful environment to interact with technology and develop these skills" (Jakes and Brennan, 2005.) They should not just be learning language receptively, but should be actively using it in a relevant context. Digital Storytelling satisfies both of these criteria. Additionally, "students have a need to tell their stories" (Ganley, 2012.) However, some ESL Teachers feel unequipped to engage their students in 21st century learning activities such as Digital Storytelling. Some teachers do not see the academic benefits of such a program, while others express hesitancy in their technical abilities to facilitate such a class.
What is to be learned The rationale and benefits of Digital Storytelling for ELLs will be discussed, as well as engaging the teacher in the process of creating their own mini-Digital Story. It is believed by this Instructional Designer that the best way to teach Digital Storytelling is for instructors to engage in the process themselves.
Participants The intended learners are ESL teachers working in a variety of contexts. The concepts could be applied to other educational disciplines as well.
Instructional Content Unit 1 will cover the academic rationale and benefits to the student. Unit 2 will deal with active steps of the digital storytelling process, along with considerations for ELLs. Subunits within Unit 2 are: Finding The Moment (brainstorming & writing your story) and Creating Your Story (audio components, visual components, video editing). There will be some short instructional videos to assist you in your process of creating a Digital Story. Unit 3 covers Classroom Implementation, Considerations and Assessment. There will be a reflection at the end of each unit to share ideas with peers and discuss progress. You will also submit a link to your final project for the professor to assess.
Addressing the Instruction Problem/Solution By the end of the course, teachers will feel confident in their abilities to facilitate a Digital Storytelling program and will understand and be able to communicate the benefits to students.
Prerequisites
1. Students should have a working knowledge of computer hardware, software, and the use of internet-based tools.
2. Students have experience working with English Language Learners.
3. Students will need access to the Internet.
4. Students should have at least a C1 (Advanced) level of English.
Analysis of the Learner and Context
The learners in this course are teachers in an ESL or EFL context. This is an asynchronous online course. It is designed primarily for those working with older teens and adults; however, the principles can be applied to digital storytelling with younger learners as well. This course is suitable for teachers in contexts with access to computers and internet access; nonetheless, it is possible to complete this project purely via Smartphone apps.
Performance Objectives
- Using videos, scholarly articles and student samples, learners will be able to identify key elements of a Digital Story.
- Using scholarly articles and videos, learners will be able to identify the academic benefits of digital storytelling for ELLs (linguistic, development of 21st century skills, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation).
- Given video tutorials and the cloud-based program "WeVideo", learners will be able to create a mini-Digital Story following procedures discussed in the course.
- Given the information and tools to create a digital story, learners will be able to contribute reflections with their classmates on the process of such a project and how they would implement such a project in their contexts.
- Given a rubric and student sample videos, teachers will be able to properly assess student work.
Task Analysis
Unit 1: Why Digital Storytelling for ELLs?
Objectives
Teachers will...
1. Identify what a Digital Story is and the academic benefits of such a project for ELLs
2. Identify skills needed and type of language used in Digital Storytelling, given student samples.
3. Reflect on the academic goals of their class and make connections with the academic benefits of Digital Storytelling
Activities
1. View sample digital stories from ELLs
2. Discuss academic benefits as it relates to learner's classroom on the Padlet wall
Unit 2: Creating Your Digital Story
Objectives
Teachers will...
1. Identify the elements of a Digital Story
2. Create an account with WeVideo.com and be able to use the basic features of the application
2. Create a mini Digital Story about being a teacher using WeVideo.com
- Teachers will choose 3-5 photos they want to build a digital story around
- Teachers will write 1-2 paragraphs about their photos
- Teachers will record their paragraphs directly into WeVideo or on a Smartphone
- Teachers will combine elements in WeVideo Storyboard mode
Additional Activities
1. Watch short instructional videos on each step of the process
2. Submit video project to classmates on Padlet wall.
3. Comment and give feedback on classmates' work.
3. Reflect on the process of creating a digital story
Unit 3: Implementation & Assessment
Objectives
Teachers will...
1. Identify considerations for implementation, including working with students from marginalized communities
2. Practice assessing a student work with a rubric. Answers will be submitted to the instructor.
3. Identify a plan for an upcoming Digital Storytelling project in their specific context.
Curriculum Map
References and Resources
1. Lambert, J. (2012). Digital storytelling: Capturing lives, creating community. Foreward: Ganley, B. New York: Routledge.
2. Vivienne, S. (2012). The digital storyteller's stage: Queer everyday activists negotiating privacy and publicness. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media.
3. Digital and traditional storytelling. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://www.jasonohler.com/storytelling/assessmentWIX.cfm
4. Hagood, M. and Skinner, E. (2008). Developing Literate Identities with English Language Learners Through Digital Storytelling. The Reading Matrix.
5. Jakes, D. S., & Brennan, J. (2005). Capturing stories, capturing lives: An introduction to digital storytelling.
6. Siegel, M. (2006). Rereading the signs: Multimodal transformations in the field of literacy education. Language Arts, 84, 65-77.
7. Brown, H. D. (2000). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents.