Towards the development of digital storytelling models for use

in resource-poor environments and across disciplines to activate

student’ social and cultural capital

Daniela Gachago, Eunice Ivala, Veronica Barnes, Penny Gill, Joseline Felix-Minnaar, Jolanda Morkel and Nazma Vajat

Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Digital storytelling in Education

• Digital stories are short movie clips, created with off-the-shelf equipment and software, combining text, images, videos, music and narration (Lundby, 2008).

• Some very personal others more content based (digital narratives: Clarke & Thomas, 2012).

Digital storytelling in Education

• Digital stories are short movie clips, created with off-the-shelf equipment and software, combining text, images, videos, music and narration (Lundby, 2008).

• Some very personal others more content based (digital narratives: Clarke & Thomas, 2012).

Digital storytelling in Education

• Digital stories are short movie clips, created with off-the-shelf equipment and software, combining text, images, videos, music and narration (Lundby, 2008).

• Some very personal others more content based (digital narratives: Clarke & Thomas, 2012).

Personal stories - purpose

• Potential to transform pedagogical practices and to provide opportunities for new knowledge building and identities (Scott Nixon, 2009).

• Critical reflection

• Contextualising / transfer of knowledge between academic and community settings

Digital storytelling in Education

• Digital stories are short movie clips, created with off-the-shelf equipment and software, combining text, images, videos, music and narration (Lundby, 2008).

• Some very personal others more content based (digital narratives: Clarke & Thomas, 2012).

Content based stories - purpose

• Replacing traditional essay assignments

• Particularly suitable approach for teaching students from non-traditional educational backgrounds,

• and/or those for whom academic literacy and plagiarism is a challenge (Barnes, Gachago, & Ivala, 2012; Clarke & Thomas, 2012).

• Authentic Learning opportunities (Herrington et al. 2010)

Digital storytelling in Education

• Digital stories are short movie clips, created with off-the-shelf equipment and software, combining text, images, videos, music and narration (Lundby, 2008).

• Some very personal others more content based (digital narratives: Clarke & Thomas, 2012).

Research on Digital storytelling

• Research mainly in research rich environments, focus on giving voice to marginalised groups

• What’s missing? Digital storytelling in resource poor environment

1st year Industrial Design Students

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Context of CPUT

• Diverse learners (age, gender, race, economic backgrounds)

• Diverse preparedness for tertiary education

• Diverse access to resources

Course name

Gender Age Race

F M Under 21

22-30 Over 30 White Black African

Coloured Indian

ArchTech 39% 61% 96% 4% 0% 0 54% 42% 4%

Nursing 89% 11% 11% 46% 43% 0 54% 46% 0

Design 44% 56% 72% 24% 4% 83% 2% 15% 0

Food Tech

69% 31% 32% 60% 8% 23% 79% 16% 1%

Courses involved

Course name

Gender Age Race

F M Under 21

22-30 Over 30 White Black African

Coloured Indian

ArchTech 39% 61% 96% 4% 0% 0 54% 42% 4%

Nursing 89% 11% 11% 46% 43% 0 54% 46% 0

Design 44% 56% 72% 24% 4% 83% 2% 15% 0

Food Tech

69% 31% 32% 60% 8% 23% 79% 16% 1%

Courses involved

Digital storytelling in Education

• Digital stories are short movie clips, created with off-the-shelf equipment and software, combining text, images, videos, music and narration (Lundby, 2008).

• Some very personal others more content based (digital narratives: Clarke & Thomas, 2012).

Social and cultural capital

• Bourdieu (1986): social and cultural capital determine students educational success

• Slightly deterministic view of social reproduction

• Critiques: how do students activate these capitals? What capitals are we talking about? (Lareau & McNamara Horvath 1999, Yosso 2005)

Digital storytelling in Education

• Digital stories are short movie clips, created with off-the-shelf equipment and software, combining text, images, videos, music and narration (Lundby, 2008).

• Some very personal others more content based (digital narratives: Clarke & Thomas, 2012).

South African context

These differences in students’ cultural capital

reflect the legacy of Apartheid. In today’s South

Africa, race and language still plays a significant

role in determining educational and economic

privilege, with white students speaking English

or Afrikaans tending to be the most privileged

(Leibowitz et al 2010).

the Study

• RIFTAL funded

• Collaboration between Fundani and various academics

• Exploring use of digital stories across disciplines

• And with differently positioned students and for different learning purposes

• RIFTAL funded

• Collaboration between Fundani and various academics

• Exploring use of digital stories across disciplines

• And with differently positioned students and for different learning purposes

Mobile learning and digital stories

Mobile learning and digital stories

Courses involved

Courses involved

Courses involved

Courses involved

Courses involved

Course models of DST projects

1st year ECP Nursing students

Methodology

• Mixed methods

• Quantitative survey, statistical tests

• Focus groups for explicating findings

• Mixed methods

• Quantitative survey, statistical tests

• Focus groups for explicating findings

Findings

1. Do students’ backgrounds matter?

2. How do students perceive model used (support etc)?

3. How did they enjoy the project? How happy are they with results?

1. Do students’ backgrounds matter?

2. How do students perceive model used (support etc)?

3. How did they enjoy the project? How happy are they with results?

Findings

Findings

Findings

“… the whole time I had no idea what I was going to do because I didn’t know this digital story. I asked myself how are we going to do this because we don’t have an idea.”

I used iMovie …but it’s similar to PhotoStory …it’s got nice transitions… you could use text sliding… with the music you are able to fade out your music & add in new music & transitions. So I enjoyed it – I thought PhotoStory

was very limiting.

Findings

Findings

Findings

You guys really carried us throughout the process, from the initiation when we had to do our story development; you guys really gave us personal attention to what our story was about. So I think from

the onset we, we were nurtured hey?

Just to review the outcome really, [lecturer

and facilitator role] so very little input actually on how we were able to or going to approach our subject matter.

Findings

… we don’t have Internet at home....it was actually difficult –you have to do something which you need the Internet for… you may have a little or no information … You couldn’t

contribute to your group work. …the people who don’t know computers … for sure sometimes

[we feel] as if we are isolated…

Findings

Findings

Findings

“The moment I saw it coming I started seeing mistakes, oh I could have done that better. I could have done that better because I

saw especially when I saw other people’s videos, then I started seeing oh I could have improved that and that but ja I was proud, but not very proud.”

Discussion

• Product vs Process “What set digital

storytelling apart are really the process and the purpose” (Tacchi 2009: 171).

• Diverse settings with diverse students

need “high degree of versatility, adaptability, and flexibility in the format and practice of creating the stories”. (Clarke 2009: 151)

• Product vs Process “What set digital

storytelling apart are really the process and the purpose” (Tacchi 2009: 171).

• Diverse settings with diverse students

need “high degree of versatility, adaptability, and flexibility in the format and practice of creating the stories”. (Clarke 2009: 151)

Vernacular Literacies

Burgess (2006, p. 210): “vernacular literacies –

skills and competencies that cannot simply be

reduced to cultural capital or an ‘artistic’

education, but that instead exploit

competencies built up through everyday

experience, especially experience [acquired]

as a mass media consumer.”

Alternative social and cultural capitals

• Digital stories to cross the divide

between formal and informal learning

• Opportunity for students to draw on

alternative social & cultural

capitals, such as rich oral storytelling

tradition, rich life experience, or digital

literacies. (Yosso 2005)

Conclusions

• Digital storytelling is viable in various settings

provided you chose the right model• Use of technologies that are easily

accessible to students (mobile technologies)

• Don’t underestimate resourcefulness of

students, but also provide necessary support and resources where needed

1st Year ECP Architectural Technology

CPUTstories YouTube channel

References

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