Design Ideation

Design Option #01 - Individual Storytelling

The plan for this learning design is a series of eight blended-learning modules centered on: (1) trust-building exercises that encourage students to share a story out of personal experience and (2) a work plan that addresses learners' specific technical skills.

Something important to note about the trust-building exercises/community circles is that students will never be forced to share personal ideas if they do not feel comfortable doing so. While the design would encourage authentic reflection, students are also invited to create fictional stories.

Overall, this design's goal is to provide community support in the development of their narratives through the 15 minute community circle tasks, but also provide individualized/personalized support for technical training through the work-plans and individualized work time afterward.

It can be organized in the following structure:

• Class/Module 1

  • 15 minutes Getting to know you trust building exercises, introduction + welcome + setting up

  • Before class, create your own intro slide with GIFs and no words

• Class/Module 2

  • 15 minutes continued trust building exercises that create a safe space to explore possible narrative topics that are personal to the students, Work Plan Developments

• Class/Module 3

  • 15 minutes Roundtable discussion of ideas so far (based on their Work Plans)

  • Good Resource Doc for Learning Apps on their Phones

• Class/Module 4

  • 15 minutes Roundtable discussion of ideas so far (based on their Work Plans)

  • Adobe hard skills class

• Class/Module 5

  • 15 minutes Roundtable discussion of ideas so far (based on their Work Plans)

  • Work time (narrative + storyboard) + additional questions

• Class/Module 6-7

  • 15 minutes Roundtable discussion of ideas so far (based on their Work Plans)

  • Work time (gather resource + process media/build the story)

• Class/Module 8

  • Presentation

The theories that support our design include Constructivism, Constructionism, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and Situativity. Constructivism will be present through the emphases of learner self-assessments and a metacognitive way of tracking personal progress in digital media storytelling. For example, learners will construct a “Work Plan” that follows their project from its inception to its finalization, and it will act as a physical representation of students’ ZPD. Throughout the course, learners and instructors will reference their work plan/work plan goals in order to assess both progress and the ability to meet these goals. Constructionism shows in our design through Class/Module 8, the final presentation. The very nature of a digital storytelling course supports theories of Constructionism, as learners design, produce, and present a constructed artifact for public view. This also connects to Situativity, wherein the knowledge and learning of digital storytelling is located in the detailed experience of making one’s own digital story narrative. For example, learners will identify narrative elements in professional stories to then apply in their own stories, showcasing a higher-level ability to use what is known. However, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs serves as one of our most important frameworks for approaching this design. Learners’ need for belonging, esteem, and actualization must be centered when creating personal narratives. Therefore, our design not only includes roundtable discussions embedded throughout the series, but spends a significant time in each module reinforcing the activities/trust between students in order to celebrate learners, their ideas, and encourage mutual respect in one another’s narrative process.

Design Option #02 - Group Storytelling

This design shifts the focus of Design 1's modules from individual work to group work, helping build community within the library for students with historically low-engagement.

This design centers the first 3 days on helping students develop technical skills in a jigsaw puzzle activity, turning to focus on their specific digital narrative from the fourth day on as a team. The "digital narrative" will ultimately be a video developed out of the Adobe tools provided by the library. One example structure is as follows:

1. Sign-Up Survey conducted before the first workshop to determine students' ZPD and provide recommended roles for them to focus on in the upcoming workshops.

2. Students are given a specific role-based on the sign-up survey. These roles are based on production necessities (for example, Audio Master, Camera Operator, etc.)

3. Students choose groups based off their interests (and any remaining students are placed) These interests will provide the basis for their digital narratives (for example a group that met through their interest in music may develop a story about music). The students will receive logistical guidelines to the narrative, such as a 5 minute time-limit.

4. Overview of roles: Learning why each role is vital in digital storytelling.

5. Jigsaw Activity: Learners from different groups with similar roles meet with one another to learn about and master their tool. In each of these temporary groups there is a student observer/facilitator who monitors what is being learned/what needs to be explored more. The facilitator uses a specific document to write down that information. Eventually, the learners return to their original groups and bring back their expertise to their main group so as to continue working on their digital stories (planning, production, editing).

The natural step 6 would be that students return to their original groups with new technical knowledge, but that they will continue on to work on the planning of their digital stories. This includes identifying and developing a topic, cohesive structure, etc.

The main theories that support our design include Constructivism and Situativity. Constructivism will be present through the introductory survey that will allow instructors to identify students' prior knowledge/interests, and will help manage students' ZPDs/what roles will allow them to grow within the larger project. There is also evidence of metacognition in step 4 and step 5, when students' are reflecting on their roles/what is being learned in their temporary groups. When learners teach others, it simultaneously provides review and also helps them address their learning-gaps at the same time. This also connects to Situativity, wherein the knowledge and learning of digital storytelling is located in the social environment of this design. For example, learners will work in groups with a student facilitator monitoring their learning and also learn from others when they return to their main group and puzzle-piece new knowledge.

Design Option #03 - Gallery Website

This design shifts from the previous 2 designs and centers the blended-learning modules around a paired online website designed specifically for the workshop series. This website is a "gallery" reference of digital storytelling examples, elements, tutorials, and tools that learners can utilize both inside and outside the library. The 8 blended learning modules would incorporate approximately 20-25 minutes of "Online Individual Work" with 35-40 minutes of "Offline Collaborative Work" based on topics learned through the website. This website is to give inexperienced learners a chance to access library resources even outside designated workshop hours.

• Class/Module 1

  • Online Website Tasks: Establishing What Story They Want to Tell

  • Offline Collaborative Work: Deepening Story's Script

• Class/Module 2: Elements & Digital Storyboarding

  • Online Website Tasks: Identifying Key Elements in Digital Storytelling

  • Offline Collaborative Work: Storyboarding the Story

• Class/Module 3

  • Online Website Tasks: Learning The Tools

  • Offline Collaborative Work: Teamwork to Familiarize with Tools

• Class/Module 4

  • Online Website Tasks: Building the Media

  • Offline Collaborative Work: Identifying What Edits Must Be Made

• Class/Module 5

  • Online Website Tasks: First Round of Edits

  • Offline Collaborative Work: Feedback

• Class/Module 6-7

  • Online Website Tasks: Further Edits

  • Offline Collaborative Work: Further Feedback

• Class/Module 8

  • Presentation

The theories that support our design include Constructivism and Constructionism. Constructivism will be present through the way learners will track their personal progress in digital media storytelling. For example, learners will leave digital evidence/footprints of their learning and drafted thinking on the website by saving their progress. The website also encourages reflection, asking that students incorporate new knowledge into their pre-existing ideas of digital storytelling. Constructionism shows in our design through the website's emphasis on a final, constructed product. The "gallery" will reserve a space for learners to place their own final product. This website emphasizes the "project" part of project-based learning, providing the framework for students to make connections between different areas/knowledge. The storyboard below showcases what Module 2: Elements & Digital Storyboarding might look like.

Final Design

Outline of Learning Experience

Below is a series of images to outline each module of our learning experience. Similar to Design #2, students will spend the first few days days learning a technical tool through a jigsaw activity, and then choose their specific digital stories as a group afterward.

These digital stories can be on a variety of topics, such as school-life, family, friends, struggle, etc. But it is important to emphasize that students can choose fictional narratives if they do not want to share personal stories.

Scroll down for a more thorough outline and a list of necessary resources for each module's activity, learning theories, and technology rationales.

Necessary Resources To Develop:

• Module 1

  • Introductory/Sign-Up Survey

  • Presentation on Roles and Mediums in Digital Storytelling (Gallery Walk Content)

• Module 2 and 3

  • Jigsaw Activity Guidance Documents (3 Total)

    • Jigsaw Group Monitor (Note Taking)

    • Jigsaw Participant (Discussion Points and Places to Explore the Role)

    • Returning to Teams (Discussion Points: tool, brainstorming sheet, Google Sites for Work Plan)

• Module 3-7

  • Google Sites for each group that include tabs on...

    • Storytelling Roles

    • Realistic Project Expectations/Guidelines Based on Medium of Choice

    • Examples of Stories from Different Mediums

    • Project Management Tools (learners/teams choose)

    • Digital Storytelling Elements

    • Links to Free Digital Storytelling Platform Tools

    • Links to Exit Tickets (Corresponding Google Forms) for Each Day

  • Adobe Creative Cloud (Already on Library Computers)

• Module 6

  • Collaborative Feedback Google Slide

• Module 8

  • QR codes for Halfway and Final Presentations

Learning Theories

This design is a combination of our three different iterated designs. It takes the first design's focus of a guiding work plan, the second design's collaborative teams, and the third design's online website/tool as project guide. As a result, main learning theories include Constructivism, Social Constructivism, Situativity, and Constructionism:

• In general, Constructivism will be present through the Introductory Survey and ongoing Exit Tickets that will allow instructors to identify students' prior and ongoing knowledge/interests, and it will help manage students' ZPDs/what roles will allow them to grow within the larger project. There is also evidence of metacognition when students participate in Jigsaw Activity Pt. 1. Learners will build an awareness of what they already know about their roles, what they want to learn, and what they ended up learning. Finally, when learners return to their main groups in Jigsaw Activity Pt. 2, they will teach others about their role as they fill out work plans. This simultaneously provides review and helps them address any knowledge-gaps that need to be bridged for the successful implementation of their plan.

• However, the way learners will work with and track their team's progress in digital media storytelling encourages Social Constructivism. For example, learners will leave digital evidence/footprints of their learning and drafted thinking on the Google website, but the website specifically encourages collaboration. The learners are part of a team that actively works together throughout the modules. In Modules 2 and 3, the Jigsaw Activity encourages the negotiation of Digital Storytelling concepts through collective exploration. Meanwhile, in Modules 4-7, learners will collaborate with one another (and their different roles) to put together a final product.

• Of course, Constructionism shows in our design through this final product. Module 6 is the Halfway Presentation and Module 8 is the Final Presentation to members of the library/neighborhood community and stakeholders. The very nature of a digital storytelling course supports theories of Constructionism, as learners design, produce, and present a constructed artifact for public view.

• Finally, this also connects to Situativity, wherein the knowledge and learning of digital storytelling are located in the detailed experience of making one’s own digital story narrative. An additional situated space of learning is in the social environment of this design. Learners participate in the library community, making them a member of said community and rooting their learning in the environment.

Technology Choice & Rationale

Necessary Technology:

• Google Workspace

  • Site, Forms, Drive, Chat

• Adobe Creative Cloud (Library provides free Adobe license on each of their computers)

  • One student chooses only 1 Adobe tech tool.

• QR Code Generator

  • For Instructors to set up Gallery Walk