For Class Discussion:
Many say that storytelling is the best and natural way people learn. Using digital storytelling, drawing, or mapping tools, people can create artifacts, learn visually, practice with safety, simulate the model, and most importantly, have fun and learn actively. These tools may look different in terms of purposes and usage, but they have one essential commonality: creativity.
Many say that storytelling is the best and natural way people learn. Using digital storytelling, drawing, or mapping tools, people can create artifacts, learn visually, practice with safety, simulate the model, and most importantly, have fun and learn actively. These tools may look different in terms of purposes and usage, but they have one essential commonality: creativity.
- Educause’s 7 Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling
- Web 2.0 Storytelling: Emergence of a New Genre by Bryan Alexander and Alan Levine
- Open Discussion on Web 2.0 Storytelling by Bryan Alexander and Alan Levin
- 50+ Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story Wiki by Alan Levine
- Google for Educators – Maps
- Digital Storytelling Part V – Google Maps by Silvia Tolisano (a great example for how students can create a virtual tour or field trip diary and share with others)
- Educause’s 7 Things You Should Know About Google Earth
Popular Tools - Course Google Site at https://sites.google.com/site/idt351class/
- Voicethread - The Voicethread 4 education wiki is a great pedagogical resource.
- Toondoo - Create your own comics! Book Maker. Make a character or ToonBook!
- Animoto. Using Animoto to Promote Speaking in the Foreign Language details how José Picardo used it with his Spanish language students
- Gliffy - Online diagram software, can create and share flowcharts, network diagrams, floorplans, user interface designs, etc.
- Concept/story mapping: Mindomo and Spicynodes
- Flick'r - The most popular online photo management and sharing tool
- Picasa - Fast and easy photo sharing from Google
Further Resources - These are for those who want to explore further...
Post your comment. Try to answer each and every question clearly and concisely using contents/insights gained from this week:
- Which tool did you focus for the purpose of digital storytelling? What are benefits and challenges of utilizing digital storytelling for learning or training? For effective use, what do you need to do in terms of instructional design, management, and use of media/tools? Do you think a school or workplace must actively use tools introduced in this week? Why or why not? If you are the designer or teacher, what should you consider in adoption or implementation?
27 comments:
Google Maps was my favorite tool that we went over this week. The other tools I really don't have a use for. Google Maps has many useful tools built into it. Also you have the capability to use it on most if not all smart phones. It can be used for planning things such as scavenger hunts or planning trips. I do not use it all to often unless I am traveling then I use it to look up places to eat and other things of that nature. I do not think schools or workplaces need to actively use these tools. I think they are helpful and could be very beneficial to them though.
Our group did Google Maps for the web 2.0 tool this week. I initially thought that Google Maps was just used for providing directions, but after experimenting with the tool I realized that it had more to offer. I found out that Google Maps has the ability to create your own maps so that you can map out the quickest route to your destination. You also have the ability to share maps that you create with others. I feel that this tool can be used in certain situations in the workplace and in schools. If you own a tour guide company you can utilize this tool to map out different landmarks or points of interest. For a school this tool can be used by teachers to show other teachers who are newer popular destinations around town or where past field trips have gone. I feel that if this tool was implemented that the things that I listed above would be beneficial.
This week my group covered Gliffy. At first I wasn't sure how the chart and diagram making tool would really apply to education. After reading some blogs of people that are currently using Gliffy, I found that the best applications of the software are at later years of K-12, higher education, and teaching professionals on the job. Gliffy could be used in the earlier part of K-12, but the monthly cost of the software might outweigh the educational value a teacher could get from a class of such young students; evaluation on class by class basis would be needed to determine if it was worth it. Higher education and corporate/professional learning would probably be better suited to Gliffy as they could more easily afford the expense. For these areas I like that diagrams/charts can be very simple, for just arranging ideas or detailing simple processes or complex for things such as floor-plans or even possibly blueprints. By researching the uses for Gliffy I came across what has become my favorite tool this week, which is Freemind, an open source "mind-mapping" or "digital brainstorming" tool. With it you can get a lot of ideas on screen and then organize them how you wish. Similar to Gliffy, but where it is more end user oriented, Freemind is more of a planning tool.
This week, my group decided to do ToonDoo. After spending time playing with ToonDoo, I actually loved it. It's much easier to use instead of you hand drawing your comics. As a kindergarten, I was actually into comics. Not understanding some of the words at the time, but the pictures made the comic fun to look at, especially in the newspaper. Now that I'm older, I can create a comic by using ToonDoo, which is a lot easier to use, even though you can't hand draw. ToonDoo is a good site to use for teachers to teach their students in class by using comics for their k-2. I wish this site was up back then when I was in kindergarten.
This week’s tools were interesting to me because I had not considering them as learning or teaching tool before. There are so many uses in the classroom all these tools. I wish I would have had these tools when I was grade school. The two tools that impressed me the most were Google Earth, VoiceThread, and Toondoo. Google Earth was an interesting tool that I had heard of but never used before but never thought about the storytelling application. On the website, there is an example of how Google Earth can be used to learn the locations of our founding fathers. The presidents were born, when they died, what terms they served and what presidential rank they fell into. When you press the play button, you move onto the next president.
Another tool that interested me was VoiceThead. I like the interactive video posting function because this tool can be used to comment on a video without having to be present for class. Online learning could greatly take advantage of this tool. I can also see a history course use this tool to comment on biographies they watch in class.
Toondoo was a fun comic program. I spend a lot of time reading comics and this program impressed me the most. I can see how many people could create comics for classroom discussions or reflections by a simple comic stip. I could see many k-12 classes using this. Some already do. I like the fact that you don’t even have to be an artist to use the program. Also you do not have to draw anything. All the materials for creating a comic are right there so you just need to set up the characters, scene, and write what they say, then publish it.
There are so many applications we learned this week that can be used for digital storytelling in the learning environment.
My favorite tool is Toondoo because is a cool, comic-creating tool that allows you to create your own cool comic strips with just a few drag ‘n drops ‘n mouse clicks. WHats not to like about that especially if you like creating things. Compared to the other ones this was more funnier to me and straightforward as with voicethread which is another interesting tool that is fun aswell. I would plan to use this tool for storyboard purposes in a creative way. This is really fun to me because its like living a childhood dream of creating a comicbook/animation character with really no hassle at all. I think that must school don't have to adopting use these tools unless it was grammar school mostly but for learning newer programs that is put here alot of these programs could be effectively used in higher education.
I am a huge fan of ToonDoo maybe because I am a huge Nerd and Comic Book fan. I like it because it is really colorful and the user can get really creative with their storytelling. I think Storytelling in beneficial because it is out of the ordinary when it comes to teaching. The challenges would be finding a way to visualize your story that the learners can find interesting and would want to participate or become engage in it. Another would be how the user would want to visualize their story as well in a coherent faction so that the learners would not get confused. For school to use these tools it has to depends on the grade because I can see High School students thinking these style of teaching corny or University not finding it interesting. It also depends on the workplace such business as the film making business it would definitely work. If a screenwriter has an idea for movies they can use storytelling tool to visualize it to the producers and actors. Actually Animation studios such as Pixar actually use Storytelling when they are discussing the theme, story, filming, and making of a new movie project. If I was a teacher I would definitely implement ToonDoo especially if I am teaching K12 to 3rd grade because they love cartoons. It also leaves me room as a Teacher to be more creative with my stories because kids love corny stuff and I think I do a good job of being really corny.
For this assignment, I focused on Flickr. This is a method of storytelling with images. I think it's a very successful site. They have a lot of information. I do not, however, think it should be implemented in the school curriculum. I do not see this as a beneficial method. The site does not really effectively teach anything, in my opinion. Maybe a different storytelling tool we learned this week would work better, although they do not focus on images as Flickr does. The only potential use I could see is using the world map to show common life in other countries.
I would say my favorite tool is ToonDoo because of its fun ability to create stories just by playing with it. Its really beneficial to the learning environment too by helping younger kids with learning. I found one site that made a math toon to help kids count. It helps kids that aren’t that artistic be more outgoing and creative. I know I cant draw worth anything but when playing with ToonDoo I feel creative. It would be helpful in this day in age to incorporate tools like this into some art classes for those that aren’t so artistic with a pencil. It could encourage them to do into an IDT Class or a GCom Class.
Toondoo is a fantastic product that has been created with what seems to be a vision to easily create fabulous comics from a simple one slide cartoon to a 3 slide strip. Mutlipe slides and strips can then be placed together in the book maker to put short comics together into a longer story. After discovering the tools and how creating comic books, I loved it. it is much easier than I thought. From this point, it will be my new friend!
I focused on Flickr, actually.
It is a rather interesting idea, telling stories in this way as a method to teach. People have always used stories in this manner, sure, but they used to be bound to the spoken and the written, or in drawn images, as in a comic. This kind of teaching or training can be quite effective if done right, and can be available to a great many people.
The catch, though, is that it will be less useful as it is less warranted. The more reason to use this kind of training, the greater use it is, but, if it is not needed, its impact will almost certainly be greatly reduced in comparison. That’s the thing with cool tools like this: their use must be justified. Just because you can use it does not mean it will be work it. It may be costly, or it may be difficult to maintain. It may be hard to come up with any good reason to include it at all.
Digital storytelling is a lot like any other such tool: its use needs to have a driving purpose. A school or workplace does not need to use it, nor is it always the best idea to do so. It is far less likely to cause trouble if used on a small scale, though, such as if it is used for one class as opposed to for a whole large organization. The class may simply struggle a little, but the organization would take more work to keep on track if this kind of training were to cause problems.
One way to use Flickr in particular would be to have students create stories using pictures, and having other students try to figure out what these stories are. Students would learn how things can be viewed differently by different people, and how somebody’s perspective on something can show something another person’s did not.
As long as it is adequately justified and supported, this kind of training should be fine.
For my online site I choose gliffy. I found gliffy to be an interesting tool for mapping. Though I was disappointed to see that it wasn't free. In my opinion, while it is a useful tool, it really doesn't have the strengths need to justify me as an worker or if I was a employer to pay for it. While Gliffy makes putting together diagrams faster, as a designer I could use other free tools to still get the same result. That doesn't mean its a bad tool for teaching or instruction by any means, just that to me its not worth the money.
Great points about quality script as a must before using storytelling (Omoruyi). Good point Haley – maybe Google or Wiki search for storytelling with Flickr can be worth trying. Yes, if used well expressively, it can go a long way to increase motivation and confidence (Chelsea). Excellent points Jake – starting small and execute strategically are great. It is also worthwhile to think about potential negatives as you have mentioned – one introduced and is not active leave bad impression. If used well, visualizing story can be a very powerful approach that is new to many, if collaborated and supported well. Jonathan - Cost scheme surely a critical factor that affects adoption. Alternatives need to be constantly examined by many and this should become a norm in any organization. Eric - Good point about training teachers to focus on how to apply/use the tool, not just on features. Together, I am so pleased with the quality of comments as the whole.
The digital storytelling tool we used was Picasa. The benefits of using this particular tool for storytelling, and teaching is pictures can allow a step by step actual view of a certain situation. In other classes the text books use screen shots of computer programs to explain the material, so this same technique can be used in a paperless version. A school or workplace does not necessarily have to use any of the tools we covered this week, but it would seem for the most part that using the tools would only be helpful, as most of them are pretty easy to use and understand.
As a designer or teacher the most important thing you would want to determine when using a new tool, is what way can your students get the most out of the material, and be able to create their own learning experience outside of the instruction given.
this week, we decided to do a Picasa tool. Picasa makes photo editing simple. Students and teachers can easily post pictures to their blog, and make slide share presentation. Another benefit of Picasa for learning is that students or teachers can remove low quality pictures to create a profetional presentation. With Picasa, students can easily organize and manage photos for their project and quickly edit them. I don't think that school and work place must use tools introduced in this week, however, using them would make the learning process more effective.
The tool our group focused on was Google Maps. Some of the benefits are when you create a map, you have a map custom made to what you are wanting to teach. I challenge of this is if you were creating a very large map and had to do the research of where the points on the map went, you are then entering a very time consuming project. I think that for teaching or training purposes, people, especially children, are more entertaining when there is something moving or a picture I’m on the screen that is interactive. I think do used to be good tools for teachers to integrate into the classroom use. They can do a project as well as having the students complete one. Some things to consider as a teacher would be the technology use and the length of some of these programs. These would be great to implement into group projects. I think the easy of use is good so most kids would be able to operate in the programs.
The tool I focused on for the purposes of digital storytelling was Animoto. The greatest benefits of digital storytelling is the fact that it is a great way to gain attention, and learners tend to retain more information from storytelling because they find it more interesting. In regards to the benefits of Animoto, it is useful because you can combine pictures, music, and video to create a powerful learning tool. The results that people create can pertain to an education, business, personal, etc. audience, and range anywhere from step-by-step instruction, paperless/time efficient lectures, or even a video that promotes discussion. Some major challenges that could come with digital storytelling is that technology doesn’t always function properly 100% of the time, and editing such videos could take a lot of time. For effective use of these tools you must first consider if digital storytelling is the best approach to teach the material presented, and then figure out how you want to design and implement it. I don’t think a lot of the tools presented this week are used actively, simply because digital storytelling isn’t as widely used, thus these tools don’t get the recognition they deserve. If I were the teacher/designer I’d make sure digital storytelling would be appropriate in teaching the material, then I’d pick the most appropriate means to implement quality work that the students could absorb in an easy and fun way.
The tool that our group focused this week was Picasa. One of the benefits of Picasa is that it offers 1GB of free photo and video storage, Picasa does not count files under a certain size towards the 1GB limit. Also it offers you the option of purchasing more storage space if you reach the 1GB limit. I do no think it is necessary that a school or workplace must use this tool introduced this week because I feel that the app does not teach anything in my opinion. I think that is more for a personal use because it only has a few editing tools that anybody can use it without any problems.
The tool I focused on for the purpose of digital storytelling would be SketchUp. With SketchUp you can create a 3D models to help create a story. How an environment in is designed can tell a story in itself. Art Director, Robh Ruppel used SketchUp to help create the environment in Naughty Dogs’ Uncharted 2. One benefit of digital storytelling is that it can be engaging. One challenge of utilizing digital storytelling for learning is that will learners want to participate. I think that schools and workplaces should use the tools. These tools can help people get involved in whatever is being taught and they can reflect on what they were taught for deeper learning. For teachers to implement digital storytelling they should consider is do the students have access to the technology. Another thing that teachers should consider is should the teachers develop the digital story or the students.
The tool that we used was animoto. I think that using digital storytelling for learning and training is great because you can see have the ability to show others how to do things. It's a more effective way to get someone to want to learn something new. Using this method to teach can be more effective because it can be easier for people to follow along and understand how the things that they are learning work.
The tool our group focused on was Google Maps. With this tool, you can make a virtual tour that allows the learner to see areas that would be too difficult or expensive to visit. We were able to show the route that Marco Polo took in to China. On each stop in the tour, you can add information for the learner to read, as well as images to help give the user context. They can also see what the modern day areas of the journey look like.
The tool our group used was Google Maps. This tool can be very beneficial when it comes to searching for certain locations or just using it in an educational standpoint. There can be many benefits of this tool but only if you know how to use it properly. Pinpointing specific locations, creating your own maps, getting directions, and so much more can be used in Google Maps. It is really amazing how far technology has come this day and age and I believe tools like this should be used everyday in the workforce for specific jobs that could use it effectively such as economic development corporations, architect firms, and more. If you were to use Google Maps in the IDT world for training or just for projects, you would need to be up to date on the tool as it updates frequently. As an ID, if you do not continue to maintain current status on tools you use often you may find it difficult to use effectively and struggle down the road. I think Google Maps should be used more in the classroom because it is an excellent tool to work with and should be essential to people and students to know how to use it effectively.
A couple of things:
Please read everyone post from Courtney, Kathryn, and Joe (there are many great comments from others, sorry if name was not included). There are two school of thoughts here, about equally - one should adopt digital storytelling, and the other that shouldn't. In class, we will discuss, so be prepared to defend or negotiate.
Joe brought up a concept, deep learning, which is the new buzzword these days. Think about what that means to you and how you do it.
Last but not least, be prepared to give a minute or two demo about what the group created or which features to pay attention for storytelling: GoogleMap, Animoto, Picasa, and SketchUp
This week is one of the best class comments! Henceforth, see if you can respond to other(s) (other weeks were good/very good)
The tool I focused on this week was SketchUp. This tool allows its user to create 3D models and enhance them through various features. What was neat about this tool is that you can make an endless amount of creations, either for school work or just for fun. The has features that allows you to make your creation as realistic looking as possible. Benefits of this tool are that it is easy to use, has several tutorials on how to use all the tools within Sketchup, and ones creations to make are endless. One set back of SketchUp, is that you have to pay to use all of the top of the line features. I think this tool could be used effectively in schools, for programs pertaining to design and 3D modeling.
My group used Animoto for this week. I liked Animoto because it's very easy to make a photo slideshow or videos and share with your peers. Videos are a very enjoyable and fun way to share information and Animoto makes doing it quick and easy.
what kind offield trip diary do you teach students to make?
Post a Comment