Digital Stories

Digital Stories

Since 2009, preservice teachers in the technology integration course at the University of Wyoming have created digital stories to explore message design using age appropriate, content specific ideas. Although students in the course generated videos for several years prior to this time, the assignment was modified to further align message design with instructional planning approaches emphasized during the course. A requirement of the assignment was to create a short (2-5 minute) narrated story as opposed to present information in video format. Preservice teachers were also required to create audience appropriate stories based on their desired subject and grade level and align stories to specified goals and state content standards.

Like most assignments in the course, extensive planning occurred prior to story development. Preservice teachers write a narrative, they take or select pictures, identify appropriate music, and state their rationale for media selection based on their goals and desired outcomes. This exercise allows for many opportunities to discuss message design, media literacy, and writing tasks associated with video production. Once plans were approved by course instructors, preservice teachers selected appropriate tools to develop them—though particular attention was placed on iMovie, PhotoStory III, and Windows Movie Maker.  The entire process lasts two weeks.

During the past two years, this assignment was refined further by asking preservice teachers to use videos, photos, and music they either created themselves or obtained from creative commons and public domain locations.

A few examples of story plans and movies follow:

·      Plan: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5j8xWTYD3UYTU1OUmw4YU5oR28/edit?usp=sharing

·       Movie: Uses copyrighted works so will not be shared.

·       Plan: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5j8xWTYD3UYRGdrN2NZa01aOEE/edit?usp=sharing

·      Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJlUMpJK5tU

·      Plan: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5j8xWTYD3UYWlhUR3N1Z0k1bDA/edit?usp=sharing

·      Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gdY8BMt5xU

Assignment descriptions and grading rubrics are provided in the links below. If you use these resources, please provide attribution back to the University of Wyoming or link directly back to this page.

Planning Document

Digital Story

Dr. Craig Shepherd

AECT Teacher Education Division Communications Officer

Case-Based Learning in Preservice Teacher Education Courses

The preservice teachers in this course complete two case-based learning activities. The cases were created by inservice teachers; they described an instructional situation that they believed could benefit from technology. For example, one secondary history teacher described that her high school students needed constantly updated resources for a current events class. Preservice teachers completed a Case Analysis using a scaffolded template. The template provided structured guidelines for students to follow, in order to help them make strong technology integration decisions. As they were at the beginning of their teacher education program, the Case Analysis template helped them consider different technologies and scaffolded development of their technology integration abilities. They were required to list potential options, select the best option, and explain the rationale for why it is the best option.

For example, in the secondary history example above, preservice teachers could have provided a range of RSS feeds, websites, twitter accounts, or blogs as technology options for constantly keeping high school students updated on current events. After considering the additional restrictions embedded in the case (availability of resources in the school, time restrictions, student disabilities, etc.), each preservice teacher selected one of the options and explained why that option was the best choice. After receiving feedback from the instructor, each preservice teacher created the Case Artifacts they selected in the Case Analysis. As the cases were ill-structured problems, the Case Artifacts varied for each preservice teacher. By constructing the Case Artifacts, preservice teachers developed a wide range of technical skills and technology integration abilities within their own subject-area contexts. They received feedback on how to use technology, as well as how to structure technology artifacts to promote student learning. The case assignments began in the middle of the course, during unit two. Over the last six weeks of the course, preservice teachers completed one case analysis or artifact each week (e.g., Case Analysis #1 in week six, Case Artifact #1 in week seven).

Here are several examples of student's completed Case Analysis and Artifacts:

Math Education: https://sites.google.com/site/karapriebeseportfolio/case-1

Early Education: https://sites.google.com/site/jessicahostetterseportfolio/case-1

Social Studies Education: https://sites.google.com/site/christinaschlicksupeportfolio/case-1

Here is a link to the course: http://www.indiana.edu/~educw200/index.html

All our materials are embedded in them. All we ask is if you use these materials, please provide attribution back to Dr. Anne Ottenbreit-Leftwich or link directly back to the page.

Dr. Anne Ottenbreit-Leftwich

AECT Teacher Education Division President

left (at) indiana (dot) edu