Learning with Digital Narratives & Social Media Tools

Discussed Digital Narratives are the product of an action research that started at the beginning of the second semester of the academic year 2011-2012. The aim of the research was to create learning opportunities that effectively addresses some of today's educational trends, like:

• Equip today's students with skills required for the future job market
  Wagner (2010) suggested seven skills as required to survive in the future job market. He emphasizes the importance of discontinuing teaching practices that prepares students with skills for jobs that won't exist anymore upon their graduation. Discussed Digital Narratives Assignment, was an attempt to create learning opportunities that would make students acquire four out of the 7 skills that Wagner identified:
  1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
  2. Effective Oral and Written Communication
  3. Accessing and Analyzing Information
  4. Curiosity and Imagination
  
   
• Empower students to take ownership of their learning, through structured Independent Learning and peer tutoring 
  Mitra (2007) concluded from long years of research, that learning can become a self-organized process given the right pedagogical structure. He highlights the power of the group of learners in sharing knowledge is a self-organized manner. Discussed Digital Narratives Assignment, provided students with both opportunities: Independent Learning and Peer Tutoring in authentic learning environment.
  
   
• Encourage students to learn with, rather than from technology
  Jonassen, Howland, Marra, & Crismond (2008) argued that the lack of effective use of educational technology when merely utilized for the purpose of storing information for later retrieval. This makes technology no different from books and libraries. According to Jonassen et al., effectiveness in the use of educational technology is achieved when learners use it to create and construct knowledge. The process of developing objects with technology fosters deeper thinking and learning. Discussed Digital Narratives Assignment, demanded the construction of Digital Narrative for a real world business scenario, as a result of field investigation and information analysis.
  
   
• Increase students engagement by employing Social Media tools in the learning process 

In their book, "What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media", McLeod & Lehmann (2012) stated that:

"There is near-universal agreement that schools must find ways to transform older teaching practices in order to harness the tools that students have at their disposal today".

Discussed Digital Narratives Assignment, defined YouTube as a sharing platform for produced Digital Narratives, and YouTube comments as the media for the online discussion.

• Explore ways for the next ubiquitous technology to be used in the curriculum
  
  
  Robin & Pierson (n.d.) identified Digital Imaging as the next ubiquitous technology and stressed the need to innovate ways to use it in delivering curriculum. Robin et al. employed Digital storytelling model (Center of Digital Storytelling, 2004), to introduce a rich technology-integrated pedagogy for undergraduate teacher education students.
  
  
  Discussed Digital Narratives Assignment concept is inspired by the research findings of Jonassen et al. and Robin et al. as highlighted in the third educational trend above, Jonassen et al. emphasized the need to learn "with" rather than "from" technology. Robin et al., on the other hand, emphasized the effectiveness of using Digital Storytelling in the curriculum. Discussed Digital Narratives Assignment created a learning opportunity for students to:
  
  
  
  1. independently review literature and select a specific subject
  2. independently investigate a real world case study in the UAE business context
  3. creatively put their findings in a digital story
  4. publish their stories using Social Media tool
  5. utilize peer tutoring and online discussions to teach each other the details of their selected subject
  
   
• Transform teacher's role from instruction to mentoring and facilitating
  
  
  Many researchers have strongly recommended the need to redefine teachers' role, to take more of a facilitation and mentoring shape. ESTEVE (2000), described the expectations from teachers today, and facilitating group work came at the beginning of the list. Discussed Digital Narratives Assignment, contributed another practical model as to how this recommendation can be realized in classrooms. 

The Concept

To put the above educational trends in action, the Discussed Digital Narratives Assignment got introduced as part of the BMGN-N340 "Management Information Systems" course plan. The Assignment Outlines described the expected development of a real world case study, which describes the business case behind an Enterprise Application investment. The students were asked to put their findings in a creative Digital Narrative to be shared and discussed using Social Media tools.


Learning Objectives

Using Bloom's Taxonomy, the learning objectives of this MIS assignment can be defined as follows:

1. Evaluate how enterprise systems help businesses achieve operational excellence.
2. Describe how supply chain management systems coordinate planning, production, and logistics with suppliers.
3. Explain how customers' relationship management systems help firms achieve customer intimacy.
4. Identify the organizational challenges posed by enterprise applications.
5. Describe how enterprise applications provide platforms for new cross-functional services.
    

Pedagogy

The pedagogical approach of the assignment was fully learner-centered in nature. This is due to the employment of many active learning opportunities:

1. Starting from the Independent Learning approach to better understand the nature of the three categories of Enterprise Applications as described in Chapter 9 of the course textbook.
2. The full involvement of students in designing the research to understand the circumstances surrounded a real-world scenario of a real organization while investing in such system.
3. The development of Digital Narratives by the students to present their understanding and findings as a creative digital story.
4. The peer tutoring through sharing of the Digital Narratives using YouTube and asking students to view other teams products.
5. And finally, students discussed the shared Digital Narratives in a semi-controlled online discussion, following the rules outlined in the "Discussion" component of this Marking Scheme.

HCT Graduate Outcomes

The developed pedagogical approach of the Discussed Digital Narratives Assignment, meets the HCT graduate outcomes, except for Mathematical literacy (GO8):

1. Communication and information literacy (GO1)
2. Critical and creative thinking (GO2)
3. Global awareness and citizenship (GO3)
4. Technological literacy (GO4)
5. Self-management and independent learning (GO5)
6. Teamwork and leadership (GO6)
7. Vocational competencies (GO7)

Sharability, Replication and Sustainability

The outcomes of this experience were constantly published using the teacher's blog baraayousuf.blogspot.com with colleagues across the system. In addition, Google Hangout video conferencing service got also utilized to digitally meet keen colleagues and answer their questions. The feedback received was very positive, and it is expected to see some of the participants trying the assignment in their own courses.

The influence of using Digital Narratives as part of the Higher Colleges of Technology business programs on improving students' readiness for the 21st century job market; is the topic of an empirical research project that the teacher is planning. The success of conducting this research would help in understanding the effectiveness of the method in the HCT context, and as a result produce a sustainable model.


REFERENCES

Center of Digital Storytelling, C. D. S. (2004). Seven elements for digital storytelling. Retrieved February 2012, from Http://www.storycenter.org/memvoice/pages/tutorial_1.html

ESTEVE, J. M. (2000). The Transformation of the Teachers' Role at the End of the Twentieth Century. Educational Review, 52(2). Retrieved from http://oppimateriaalit.jamk.fi/edusociety/files/2010/06/Thetransformationofteachersroleartikkeli.pdf

Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R. M., & Crismond, D. (2008). Excerpt from Meaningful Learning With Technology. Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall (pp. 5-10). Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/how-does-technology-facilitate-learning/?page=3

McLeod, S., & Lehmann, C. (2012). What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media. John Wiley and Sons.

Mitra, S. (2007). Hole in the wall. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves.html

Robin, B. R., & Pierson, M. E. (n.d.). A Multilevel Approach to Using Digital Storytelling in the Classroom Design of an IT Graduate Course in Digital Photography An Emerging Focus on Digital Storytelling. Technology.

Wagner, T. (Harvard E. S. (2010). The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need--and What We Can Do About It (First Trad.). Basic Books.