Reflection 3 - Presentations
Digital
torytelling:
From the sage on the stage to meddler in the middle
A recent study by RMIT University (Gekara et al., 2020) predicts that 375 million jobs (14% of the global workforce) will be automated by 2030. While bleak, it highlights the need for new skills in the future including:
- Problem-solving,
- Digital literacy,
- Creativity,
- Presentation skills,
- Critical thinking,
- Teamwork and
- Communication skills
As discussed in earlier blog post Reflection 2, there are a number of modern skills that the QCAA (2019) has also highlighted which echo many of these. They include:
- Critical thinking,
- Creative thinking,
- Communication,
- Collaboration and teamwork,
- Personal and social skills and
- ICT skills.
Communication, creativity, criticality, problem solving, collaboration and digital literacy are the common denominators in most of these skills. So, it is no surprise that digital storytelling offers a way for these future-proof skills to be incorporated in teaching and learning, especially mathematics. Digital storytelling is where learning and teaching is presented in an integrated multimedia form. PowerPoint has been used extensively in this education and might be your first choice for this activity type however, there are numerous tools available; Sutori is one that works well for teachers (Driscoll, 2022).
Table 1:
ICT snapshot: Sutori
|
Price |
Click here for
the most up to date information |
|
Learning theory/ies |
Multiliteracies, Learning by design, Collectivist |
|
Functionality |
4/5  |
|
Usability |
5/5 |
|
Privacy |
5/5 |
|
Accessibility
|
4/5 |
|
Class size |
Unlimited |
|
Login |
Yes |
|
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards - Students |
Knowledge
Constructor, Creative Communicator, Global Collaborator |
|
Online privacy
policy |
Yes Click here for the most up to date information |
Sutori (su-to-ri), literally translated from Janglish (Japanese-English) phonetics as story, is a collaborative, interactive instruction and presentation tool for the classroom. It is similar to Blogger (discussed at length in Reflection 1) in that this ICT also works through the sequencing of multiple media to tell a story via a highly customisable application; this might be useful for reflection or revision (Roshan, 2018), especially as it has pre-defined templates to assist with the construction of these stories. It also offers interactivity with forums and comments that can enable peer and teacher discussion (Driscoll, 2022, 5:44).
One key difference to Blogger is that Sutori allows co-creation through the use of real-time technologies (Ketchell, 2016); this uses notifications to inform co-creators who are added to the story and instant updates when changes are made to the sequence. Another key difference is the ability to assess using quiz functionality (Sutori, 2020); although this option only comes with the freemium and paid versions as discussed in table 1 above. A link to one story I told, which took around 20 minutes to build, can be found by clicking here or going to this weblink https://www.sutori.com/en/story/real-world-math--sEuPK1vSUJYuLkWdzJTFGoVH; this might be viewed in the slide by slide mode in place of PowerPoint presentation.
As discussed in Reflection 1, through the embedding of recorded video, students can adopt the see one, do one, teach one model from St Andrews School for assessment using this technology to demonstrate learning (Killian, 2021; #StudentsTeachingStudents, 2022) and/or group work in the provision of feedback (Sadler, 2013, p. 61, para. 3), potentially enacting all of the 21st century skills. Likewise, the technology can be embedded in other web spaces to allow a links to relevant activities, whether collaboration, feedback or sharing.
Importantly, the technology promotes student-centric learning and allows teachers to be a more of a facilitator (Hattie, 2014) or a 'meddler in the middle' instead of just a 'sage on the stage' (McWilliam, 2009). Modern medelers want a greater part in their own learning as discussed in depth in the "KNOWING YOUR LEARNERS" section at the top of this blog. Rather than solely being lectured in a way that would have suited earlier generations of learners, current students value constructing or being authors of their own learning (Ratinecas, 2016). Given this, and our responsibility to include a range of teaching strategies for a range of learners (AITSL, 2011, APST 1.5 & 3.3), it is more important than ever for students to be the compass; guiding teachers planning, implantation, observation and reflection.
Utilising the SAMR model (Puentedura, 2013), discussed at length in the "SAMR Model" page located at the top of the blog, this might look like the substitution of writing of equation sheets with typing of text which is uploaded in the cloud for longevity and fine-tuning. This could be augmented through the use of digital media rather than standard written and highlighted text. Modification could occur through the use of assessment milestones such as quizzes, which provide feedback to the teachers on how students are going in the creation of formula content. Finally, at the highest level, teachers could redefine the task as a group one in which students record themselves teaching individual elements of the formula sheet so that others can review, comment and question in a forum. This constructivist process would be useful along the semester as students would be able to build a timeline documenting when the material was learnt, which could be referred back to in the period leading up to an exam.
Sutori is an easy to learn ICT with an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) that is relatively usable compared to similar ICTs. The site supports most screen readers, however it does utilise some GUI items that screen readers like Speechify (2022) struggle to read like icons and images. Privacy is not a concern as company revenue comes from subscriptions, not advertising and all the information is kept private and not shared with any third party as per an extensive privacy policy; this should be shared with families to ensure transparency and also to involve them in the creation process.
If you can provide additional ideas on how Sutori can be used to further enhance the educational journey of the 21st century classroom, please share in the comments below.
References:
#StudentsTeachingStudents. (2017). Distance Word Problems [Video]. St Andrew's School. YouTube.
AITSL. (2011). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate career stage. QCT.
Gekara, V., Snell, D., Molla, A., & Karanasios, S. (2020). A scan of approaches taken by Australia to
build the digital skills of the existing workforce in response to digital transformation of industry. RMIT University. Australian Industry Standards.
Driscoll, T. (2022). Educator's Guide to Sutori [Video]. YouTube. EdTechTeacher.
Hattie, J. (2014). Know thy impact: Visible Learning in theory and practice. Routledge.
Ketchell, T. (2016). Introducing real-time collaboration on HSTRY. Sutori.
Killian, S. (2021). The I Do WE Do YOU Do Model explained.
McWilliam, E. (2009). Teaching for creativity: From sage to guide to meddler. Asia Pacific Journal of
Education, 29(3). pp. 281-293. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/32389/1/c32389.pdf
Puentedura, R. (2013). SAMR: Moving from enhancement to transformation.
QCAA. (2019). 21st century skills.
Ratinecas, P. (2014). Meet Generation Z forget everything you learned about millennials
Roshan, S. (2018). Using Sutori for Math [Video]. YouTube. Sutori.
Sadler, D. (2013). Opening up feedback: Teaching learners to see. In S. Merry, M. Price, D. Carless, &
M. Taras, (Eds.), Reconceptualising feedback in Higher Education: developing dialogue with students (pp. 54-63). Rutledge.
Speechify. (2022). Listen to text with Speechify. https://app.speechify.com/
Sutori. (2020). Setting up assignments on Sutori [Video]. YouTube.
Hi Gareth,
ReplyDeleteThe very beginning of this post encapsulated my interest and it helped that I agree with your notion about the change in the workforce dynamic as a result of automation. The supporting evidence you have used goes further in strengthening the argument.
I like the way you have made connections between your three blog posts. The way you have given a succinct articulation of the way that students can benefit from the customisable web format. As a slight critique it might have been more long-lasting to go into further explanation of the see one, do one, teach one and perhaps a visual to represent this.
I think all in all it is a solid post with a clear and affirmed contention.
Danny.T.