Bookr: A welcome addition to the L2 classroom

As my recent Bookr on air resistance will show, I have recently discovered this wonderful presentation medium. Easy to use and entirely web-based, this tool can prove to be a fun and engaging resource in the classroom. 

Users select images from a vast array of images licensed under Creative Commons. By the way, this is also a great opportunity to teach students about giving credit to photographers when credit is due. Students write a narrative on each slide and select a photo to accompany the text on each slide. Afterward, the student can publish and share his or her work!

In publishing a Bookr, students can present upon something that is meaningful to them. Presentations can be funny, they can be inspiring, or perhaps even serious. This activity can teach students that narratives carry a tremendous amount of power; a power that can bring about civic change, or raise awareness regarding civil issues. Educators are highly encouraged to furnish students with a broad array of academic resources with which to present material. We are training students to become a group of technologically-savvy, intelligent thinkers who use technology to effect positive change.

I would use this resource in my classroom to supplement a certain unit. We could be learning about physics (as shown in my Bookr) and this opportunity could be used to teach English through physics concepts. The art of storytelling is integral to cultural traditions, and incorporating this resource into the classroom allows students to tap into this mode of dialogue.

Digital Storytelling

Photographer: Eiler, Lyntha Scott, (1946 –     ). Motorist, Left, Listens to a City Employee Explain the Exhaust Emissions Test at an Auto Emission Inspection Station in Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio 09/1975  Use of this photo is unrestricted under Creative Commons.

A January 2007 article by the Educause Educational Initiative entitled 7 things you should know about Digital Storytelling sheds light upon the educational uses of this powerful narrative medium. The article defines digital storytelling as "the practice of combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video, to create a short movie, typically with a strong emotional component." Digital storytelling can be instructional; teachers can use linear or nonlinear storytelling formats to present educational material in a fun and engaging way. Perhaps even more profoundly, students can synthesize a story to recapitulate key concepts from a particular unit.

This format of content presentation can serve "instructional, persuasive, historical, or reflective" purposes, according to the article. We all know that the parable of The Emperor's New Clothes effectively teaches us the lesson of critical thinking and skepticism of mob mentality. The Boy Who Cried Wolf illustrates that we should seek to reduce the number of false alarms we give, lest we are ignored in an actual emergency. Digital storytelling will interest students, and will give them a creative outlet to articulate academic content.

With the advent of technology, storytelling can manifest in a variety of ways. Movie-making applications including Windows Movie Maker and iMovie are easy to use and can make story writing an endeavor that spans a single class period or an entire unit. The applications can be easily taught to students and possess user-friendly interfaces. Students can make movie trailers, easily edit audio, integrate live footage, add effects, among countless other features. These programs serve as a rich medium for showcasing student talent and encouraging students to reflect upon academic concepts.

The Center for Digital Storytelling points out that the art of listening is difficult. In fact, our society has seen a profusion of professionals specializing in this very field—social workers, therapists, and researchers are among a few of these professionals. However, anyone can listen deeply. The website indicates that when individuals learn to listen, they "create space for the storyteller to journey into the heart of the matter at hand." Digital storytelling is a map that illuminates possibilities. This medium works hand-in-hand with our natural inclination for sharing narratives; digital storytelling encourages artistic self-expression and has the power to influence individuals and communities. 

Ludwig: L2 Learning via Serious Gaming

 

Ludwig is an educational role-playing game developed by Austrian developer ovos. Users follow the fun-loving robot Ludwig through an interactive world to learn about physics topics such as Newtonian mechanics and renewable energy. Ludwig unlocks a series of tools to understand and analyze this strange new planet called "Earth." The order at which physics concepts are introduced run parallel to most conventional physics textbooks, and teachers can skip through the game to reach desired physical concepts. Gameplay can be saved and resumed regardless of whichever school computer was initially used to play.

While on this journey, students experiment with the effects different energy sources yield. Users explore a vast interactive environment that features customizable tools powered by wind, solar, and/or fossil fuels. Along the way, users compile the information they have learned into an intricate knowledge web. This allows students to gain practice in note-taking and organizing useful, pertinent information. Students can compare notes and collude with peers to formulate in-depth knowledge webs. Moreover, for an even more enriching language experience, L2 students can analyze what they have learned and write a reflection regarding the concepts at hand. This game is valuable in that it encourages language and science learning in an immensely enjoyable format.

Research indicates that serious games can influence motivation and knowledge transfer for the better. Osterweil (2007) indicates that students and teachers alike have partaken in serious gameplay and have noted strong engagement with the learning material and high levels of knowledge retention. Gamification can be used to improve learning capabilities in digital contexts, timeliness, and even to develop problem solving competencies. The use of games goes hand-in-hand with the students' natural hunger and curiosity to leverage competition and achievement in a fun environment (Osterweil, 2007).

References

Osterweil, L. J. (2007), What we learn from the study of ubiquitous processes. Softw. Process: Improve. Pract., 12: 399–414.