Research Article
Kannattha Chaisriya, Siriwatchana Kaeophanuek, Lester Gilbert
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 2, Article No: ep416
ABSTRACT
Communication skills are soft skills critical for students’ development in educational institutions in the digital age. This study aims to determine the feasibility and practicality of a learning model, which combines digital storytelling with a metacognitive strategy called the DSTMC model. This learning model utilized digital storytelling as a primary learning step and integrated metacognitive strategies to monitor the thinking process to improve students’ communication, such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, and presentation skills. The research was conducted through case studies at a regional, southern Thailand university. The data were collected from 30 undergraduate participants. The research instruments were expert validation, pre-/post-test data, and a self-assessment questionnaire. The study showed that the DSTMC learning model is an alternative teaching method to improve communication skills, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The results of students’ test scores and self-assessments provide significant evidence indicating that it increases their learning and retention of information. The paper concludes with suggestions for using various strategies and motivating activities to encourage learners’ communication proficiency. Future research should investigate the creation of a system to track how learners improve their communication skills.
Keywords: digital storytelling, metacognition, communication skill, learning model, active learning
Research Article
Hannele Niemi, Shuanghong Niu, Marianna Vivitsou, Baoping Li
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 9, Issue 4, pp. 331-353
ABSTRACT
The aim of this digital storytelling (DST) study was to investigate how students acquire twenty-first-century competencies, here focusing on active knowledge creation and collaboration in math learning. The study also examined how engaged the students were in DST lessons and what teachers’ perceptions of DST were as a learning method. DST was implemented in four Chinese and two Finnish classes with 10- and 11-year-old students. Data were collected quantitatively and qualitatively. The students assessed their learning experiences with structured questionnaires during and after the study. Students’ behavior was also observed, and the teachers were interviewed. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a linear regression analysis, and the qualitative data were analyzed using a content analysis. The study showed that the DST method guided students toward active collaborative learning; the students learned how to work in groups to produce new ideas, and they learned not only about math but also about how math relates to everyday life. The students were highly engaged throughout the study. Similarly, the teachers reported that the students displayed active knowledge creation and increased motivation and engagement. Results indicate that DST encourages students to apply new technology in their learning and supports students’ development in math literacy and twenty-first-century competencies.
Keywords: Digital storytelling, Twenty-first-century-competencies, Math literacy
Research Article
Emanuel Fokides
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp. 190-205
ABSTRACT
When coming to school for the first time, children might face a number of adjustment problems. The study presents the results of a project which used digital storytelling for helping first-grade primary school students during this transitional period. It was examined whether, through the development of the digital stories, students could understand how the school functions and whether this process helped them to change their attitudes and behaviors, thus achieving a smoother adaptation to the school environment. Students’ active participation and behavioral modeling to enhance positive behaviors provided the theoretical basis. Due to the students' young age, their teachers functioned as their "hands", executing their instructions when developing the stories. At the same time, however, they indirectly guided them to certain key-points that had to be highlighted, without openly lecturing them. Observations and interviews with the classes' teachers and with the students that presented significant adaptation problems were used for data collection purposes. The results are considered satisfactory. Adaptation issues ceased to pose a significant problem and the overall classes' climate was improved. Finally, due to the project's short duration, it can be applied relatively easily, without altering the school’s timetable.
Keywords: Digital storytelling, School readiness, School adjustment, Modeling, Constructivism