Digital Storytelling: An Effective
Mechanism in Foreign Language
Acquisition
Professional Development Workshop Project
Natalia Bukharova
Brandman University College
Goals and Measurable Objectives
Digital storytelling mechanism will improve student speaking proficiency
The school academic results for 2010 in Oral Proficiency Tests (OPI) were: 95 % - level 1+
The school goal for 2013: 100 % - level 2
Skills and conditions needed to close the gap:
Effective use of technology tools by teachers and students
Continuous professional development
Increase of speaking sessions per week
Goals and Measurable Objectives
(cont.)
This training will improve teacher effectiveness
Teachers will help students progress in the speaking skill
Since the digital storytelling mechanism is implemented, the OPI results will have risen
This training will increase teacher awareness about the necessity of technology application
Speaking Proficiency: Mapping
the Route to Success
Effective use of technology tools by teachers and students
Continuous professionaldevelopment
Modern infrastructure, hardware, technical support, and software
Sufficient funding and budget
Effective monitoring and evaluation
Today1+
95%
2013Level 2100%
Needs Assessment
Determine gaps in student performance
Compare the OPI results of the team/department with the results of other teams/departments
Compare the OPI results of the team with the DLI goal for 2013 (100 % - level 2)
Determine gaps in teacher performance
Conduct the “Foreign Language Teacher Survey: Use of Technology in Practicing the Speaking Skill” http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8QTPHBM
Preview of Learning Activities
In order to enhance speaking lessons and improve students’ performance at OPI, the team needs:
to integrate digital storytelling on the daily basis in class and outside class using the Sakai Learning Environment or other cloud computing tools
to organize workshops and/or tutoring on digital storytelling tools
to organize team meetings and conferences in order to monitor the implementation of the digital storytelling mechanism
to conduct demo classes and activities for sharing the best practices
Research and Resources
Useful resources for creating digital stories:
Storybird. Home page: http://storybird.com/
The Center for Digital Storytelling. Home page: http://www.storycenter.org/index1.html
The Digital Storytelling Association. Home page: http://www.storycenter.org/index1.html
University of Huston. The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. Home page: http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/
Research and Resources (cont.)
Research articles on digital storytelling:
Sadik, A. (2008). Digital storytelling: a meaningful technology-integrated approach for engaged student learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 56, 487-506. doi: 10.1007/s11423-008-9091-8
Varona A. Digital storytelling. Retrieved from http://beyondwebct.wetpaint.com/page/Digital+Storytelling
Fascinating examples of digital stories can be found at
http://www.storycenter.org/stories/
Evaluation Plan
Compare the OPI scores before the training (2010-2011) with the scores after implementation of the digital storytelling mechanism into the curriculum (2012-2013)
Conduct frequent team-level peer and and self-evaluation using student results at monthly oral exams
Study periodic (twice a year) student evaluation of teachers
Conduct annual “needs assessment survey”
Thank You!