Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The Adventures of Super Learning Girl and CyberTeach (or does digital storytelling distract from issues of digital literacy?)

Here is an intro to the week 2 theme:



As you can see, I got distracted!
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5 comments:

  1. mcwilkinsWednesday, May 05, 2010 7:33:00 AM

    I had never heard of this program before seeing your video. I have spent quite a while playing with the different functions and making a movie!

    I can definitely see how distracting it could be. I have been more interested in making mine look 'nice' and not bothering much with the content.

    If the activity is structured properly and there are guidelines for the students, I can see the educational benefits.

    Have you ever (or know someone who has) used a program like this in your class? It what ways? Has it worked well?

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  2. Jo BlanninWednesday, May 05, 2010 4:35:00 PM

    Hi Jane
    I thought that was great and a good way to get your point across, even if I'm not sure I agree! I actually think I was listening to the words more because I wanted to see what the characters were going to do!
    Micah, I have used this in class, and as you say it's about the structure, my students used it AFTER they had planned their work. THey had all written a narrative text and had peers read and critique it (normal practice as part of our writer's notebook program) then they chose to enhance the writing by adding visuals, they were assessed by each other and by me using a rubric - which they had from the beginning of the activity so they knew exactly what was expected. I loved the results! Insightful use of images can enhance a text, some students did stray and spend too long on the 'fancy' stuff but got back on track when they were redirected to the assessment rubric.

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  3. AnonymousThursday, May 06, 2010 2:42:00 AM

    I loved this program, I agree that it would have to be a structured activity- maybe something to work on with a buddy? Especially for the younger students? I can also see that it would have to be highly planned and spellchecked. But it was quick and easy to get results. Thanks for introducing this. Andrea

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  4. Philip BowlerThursday, May 06, 2010 3:27:00 AM

    I couldn't help looking out the window of the train half expecting something (like a bird) to fly into it. I can see how distracting it could be, especially to young kids, however, with a little modifying it could certainly achieve its objectives.

    It comes down to how the learning is structured and presented. In this example there may be too many things happening in the picture to allow learners to focus on the dialogue.

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  5. JaneThursday, May 06, 2010 4:06:00 AM

    Hi Jo and all,
    I must admit I was being a bit cheeky with this - and I agree planning would be the key to successfully using this in a classroom environment. Great to hear that you have used it in school, Jo. What year level are your students?

    I showed it to colleagues at work (training adults in IT systems) and we were discussing ways it could be incorporated in a blended learning approach for scenario-based learning.

    I genuinely did get distracted by it as I couldn't get over how simple it was to use, and content certainly took second place in my example. I will post a 'real' response to this week's blog post soon (maybe tonight after class).

    In a previous work life I worked for a screen culture organisation and we ran lots of training in filmmaking. This is an ideal tool for media studies and even teaching very young kids about deconstructing all aspects of film - impacts of audio, video, camera angles etc.

    It distracted me from posting my written response, but I must admit I had a ball!

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