Scaffolding Digital Writing and Storytelling in Online-Only Teacher Education Courses

Abstract

Higher education is seeing increasing trends towards online education (Allen & Seaman, 2010). This chapter provides a framework for the inclusion of digital writing with online teacher education courses. As writing instruction and writing pedagogy moves from print-based literacy practices towards multimodal and paperless/digital writing practices (Mills, 2010), teacher educators must stay current and informed about methods that are best suited towards digital writing pedagogies. We provide four practical examples that showcase ways to support online learners with digital writing; these examples are shared through brief vignettes from four university faculty within a large teacher education program where online learning predominates. Specific support tools such as clear instructions, rubrics, procedural checklists, descriptions of digital writing assignments, and connections to theory and scholarship provide a starting place for those interested in including digital writing within teacher education courses, particularly online teacher education courses.

An investigation into the opinions of pre-service teachers toward uses of digital storytelling in literacy education

“…It was also found that they considered scenario, dubbing and suitability for the target population as important issues while designing digital stories. Semingson et al (2016) argued that there are is a wide range of software to design digital stories, but it is of importance to find a suitable one for the age and grade levels of the students bearing in mind the complexity of the software.…”

“…Cennamo et al (2010) list these steps as writing the script, developing a storyboard, locating images, creating a digital story and sharing it with others. Semingson, Owens, Hurlbut and Robertson (2016) note that the elements of a good story must be taken into consideration while using digital storytelling alongside technology. Robin (2006) focused on seven essential elements of a digital story issued by Centre for Digital Storytelling (2005); point of view, dramatic question, emotional content, the gift of your voice, the power of the soundtrack, economy and pacing.…”

“…Since digital storytelling process requires individuals to be active in such steps as writing the script, editing, and shaping, they are considered beneficial for writing skills (Çıralı Sarıca & Koçak Usluel, 2014). In fact, writing, one of the most fundamental language skills, is a significant part of the curriculum for students from primary to K-12 level (Semingson et al 2016). For this reason, determining the writing self-efficacies of Turkish pre-service teachers are crucial in terms of education of future students (Batar & Aydın, 2014).…”