title: Digital storytelling in an L2 context, and its impact on student communication, engagement, and motivation.

authors: Norton, Howard John

subjects: digital storytelling

abstract: The communicative second language (L2) classroom requires a dual focus. On the one hand, students must be motivated (willing) to communicate, and teachers need to create activities that promote and facilitate peer interaction. Allied to this, is a need for accuracy. However, some L2 learners communicate rarely, if at all, while others struggle to achieve accuracy due to the constraints of time and space, and a lack of teacher feedback in class. This study has adopted the visual (and conceptual) metaphor of Yin and Yang to symbolize the equilibrium needed within the ideal communicative L2 classroom. This study explores the behaviours and perspectives of a group of L2 learners creating culture-based digital stories on VoiceThread. It examines whether this digital storytelling project can have an impact on students’ communicative experience, both online and in the classroom, their motivation and engagement, and their levels of spoken output in class.

This interpretive study recognizes learner behaviours and perspectives as being unique to both the individual and the setting. A literature review presents an overview of digital storytelling, as well as research relevant to the pedagogical, affective, and technological aspects of this study. Data was collected through observation, interviews, and analysis of the digital stories. Findings indicate this digital storytelling project had a positive impact upon students’ communicative experience in different ways, which emphasizes the value of a subjectivist approach. The results also suggest high levels of motivation and communication.

This study suggests the constituent elements of this digital storytelling project can enhance the overall communicative experience, promote spoken communication in the classroom, and motivate students. This thesis concludes by offering a series of recommendations for educators, to facilitate meaningful interactivity, and place the student and their culture at the centre of the learning experience.

text: Digital storytelling in an L2 context, and its impact on student communication, engagement, and motivation. The communicative second language (L2) classroom requires a dual focus. On the one hand, students must be motivated (willing) to communicate, and teachers need to create activities that promote and facilitate peer interaction. Allied to this, is a need for accuracy. However, some L2 learners communicate rarely, if at all, while others struggle to achieve accuracy due to the constraints of time and space, and a lack of teacher feedback in class. This study has adopted the visual (and conceptual) metaphor of Yin and Yang to symbolize the equilibrium needed within the ideal communicative L2 classroom. This study explores the behaviours and perspectives of a group of L2 learners creating culture-based digital stories on VoiceThread. It examines whether this digital storytelling project can have an impact on students’ communicative experience, both online and in the classroom, their motivation and engagement, and their levels of spoken output in class.

This interpretive study recognizes learner behaviours and perspectives as being unique to both the individual and the setting. A literature review presents an overview of digital storytelling, as well as research relevant to the pedagogical, affective, and technological aspects of this study. Data was collected through observation, interviews, and analysis of the digital stories. Findings indicate this digital storytelling project had a positive impact upon students’ communicative experience in different ways, which emphasizes the value of a subjectivist approach. The results also suggest high levels of motivation and communication.

This study suggests the constituent elements of this digital storytelling project can enhance the overall communicative experience, promote spoken communication in the classroom, and motivate students. This thesis concludes by offering a series of recommendations for educators, to facilitate meaningful interactivity, and place the student and their culture at the centre of the learning experience.

year: 2014

title: 'Party Season': A screenplay-based inquiry into filming and judgment, with accompanying essay

authors: Shepherd, Barrett James

subjects: screenplay

abstract: Party Season is about sex and speech and employs some of the conventions of the porn film. Apparently inconsequential 'filler' scenes and dialogue link the pay-off scenes of vividly depicted sex. Except that, in Party Season, this relationship is gradually reversed - the scenes of excessive behaviour becoming 'filler' scenes linking the pay-off moments, the latter often embedded in deliberately extended 'unrealistic' dialogue. A key component of this as a piece of inquiry-based practice is the exploration of this altering balance and of how action and dialogue can function to produce such a reversal of conventionality. The intention with the accompanying essay is to sustain a progressive interweaving of reflective commentary and analytical vignettes. There is also an intended symmetry here - an 'excessive' essay (long, without conventional subheadings, breaks, etc.) will sit alongside the 'excessive' screenplay as its twin of sorts, a different style of invention. The essay is to speech what the screenplay is to sex.

text: 'Party Season': A screenplay-based inquiry into filming and judgment, with accompanying essay Party Season is about sex and speech and employs some of the conventions of the porn film. Apparently inconsequential 'filler' scenes and dialogue link the pay-off scenes of vividly depicted sex. Except that, in Party Season, this relationship is gradually reversed - the scenes of excessive behaviour becoming 'filler' scenes linking the pay-off moments, the latter often embedded in deliberately extended 'unrealistic' dialogue. A key component of this as a piece of inquiry-based practice is the exploration of this altering balance and of how action and dialogue can function to produce such a reversal of conventionality. The intention with the accompanying essay is to sustain a progressive interweaving of reflective commentary and analytical vignettes. There is also an intended symmetry here - an 'excessive' essay (long, without conventional subheadings, breaks, etc.) will sit alongside the 'excessive' screenplay as its twin of sorts, a different style of invention. The essay is to speech what the screenplay is to sex.

year: 2007

title: Te whakahuatanga i te reo Māori: Kua ahatia e tātou i roto i ngā tau 100 kua hipa nei? (The pronunciation of Māori: What have we done to it in the last 100 Years?)

authors: Harlow, Ray

subjects: Te reo Māori

abstract: In the words of the proverb: 'The land remains, but humankind vanishes.' One should perhaps extend this to read: 'The land remains, humankind vanishes, and language changes.' For languages are old, handed down from one generation to another, but no matter what, they change. Present-day English is not Shakespeare's or Chaucer's language. The pronunciation has changed, new words have entered the language, some words have been lost, the grammar is now different. Māori is like that as well. Over the last two centuries, many aspects of the language have become different. Many words have been borrowed from English, and become part of the language. Many new words have been created in recent years to accommodate the new topics now being spoken about in Māori. Many words have changed their meaning, e.g., 'pūtea' originally a type of basket, but now a 'fund', source of money. In the grammar, there are now constructions being used which were not correct in earlier centuries.So far as the pronunciation is concerned, how is one to observe its development? That is the substance of a research project which has only just now begun, and it is the purpose of this paper to explain the nature of that research and show some of the preliminary findings. Hence the title: The pronunciation of Māori: What have we done to it in the last 100 years? The project is supported by the Marsden Research Fund.

text: Te whakahuatanga i te reo Māori: Kua ahatia e tātou i roto i ngā tau 100 kua hipa nei? (The pronunciation of Māori: What have we done to it in the last 100 Years?) In the words of the proverb: 'The land remains, but humankind vanishes.' One should perhaps extend this to read: 'The land remains, humankind vanishes, and language changes.' For languages are old, handed down from one generation to another, but no matter what, they change. Present-day English is not Shakespeare's or Chaucer's language. The pronunciation has changed, new words have entered the language, some words have been lost, the grammar is now different. Māori is like that as well. Over the last two centuries, many aspects of the language have become different. Many words have been borrowed from English, and become part of the language. Many new words have been created in recent years to accommodate the new topics now being spoken about in Māori. Many words have changed their meaning, e.g., 'pūtea' originally a type of basket, but now a 'fund', source of money. In the grammar, there are now constructions being used which were not correct in earlier centuries.So far as the pronunciation is concerned, how is one to observe its development? That is the substance of a research project which has only just now begun, and it is the purpose of this paper to explain the nature of that research and show some of the preliminary findings. Hence the title: The pronunciation of Māori: What have we done to it in the last 100 years? The project is supported by the Marsden Research Fund.

year: 2005-05