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: Tailoring the Greenstone ‘Librarian’ for seniors: Eliciting metadata and browsing structures

authors: Cunningham, Sally Jo

subjects: computer science

abstract: This paper describes a ‘cultural probe’ study underpinning a user-centered re-design of the Greenstone digital library system's collection creation sub-system (the Greenstone ‘Librarian’), with a focus on assisting seniors in developing Greenstone collections representing their personal history. The results of this investigation include a customized metadata set for these users' collections, and a ‘personal timeline’ browsing structure.

text: Tailoring the Greenstone ‘Librarian’ for seniors: Eliciting metadata and browsing structures This paper describes a ‘cultural probe’ study underpinning a user-centered re-design of the Greenstone digital library system's collection creation sub-system (the Greenstone ‘Librarian’), with a focus on assisting seniors in developing Greenstone collections representing their personal history. The results of this investigation include a customized metadata set for these users' collections, and a ‘personal timeline’ browsing structure.

year: 2011

title: Toi tu te whenua, toi tu te tangata: A holistic Māori approach to flood management in Pawarenga

authors: Proctor, Elizabeth-Mary

subjects: flood management

abstract: This thesis is a study of how tikanga Māori principles could be used in practice in the management of natural hazards and in particular flooding in a rural area, Pawarenga. The aim was to investigate and document Te Uri O Tai Hapū preferred strategies for reducing flood risk in Pawarenga and to consider opportunities to use tikanga Māori principles and values in emergency response. The identification of key concepts and principles of tikanga Māori customs and their connections to whānau and hapū of Te Uri O Tai is key to this study. I used kaupapa Māori research methodologies as a guiding framework since researching in my own community required me to manage accountability both to its members and to the university. In particular it was important to obtain permission from the community before beginning, to ensure my research processes were acceptable, and to return my findings to the community. Qualitative data was gathered from a series of hui and interviews with local community members. Data was analysed inductively and organised into thematic networks. Two major organising themes were identified: resilience and vulnerability. Participants described a broad range of strengths inherent in the community that enabled them to respond to crises such as flood events. A number of cultural, social, physical, economic and political vulnerabilities were also identified; most of these were fundamental aspects of people‘s daily lives and did not prevent them from responding positively when floods occurred, but may have limited the scope of their responses. Tikanga was not a subject that participants felt comfortable talking about, but from the descriptions of how people actually responded during floods I was able to see examples of how tikanga was used. The resilience of the Pawarenga community is taken for granted by residents. When disasters such as floods occur, their resiliencies and strengths are brought into play to ensure the safety of all in the community. Tikanga Māori is an inherent part of this resiliency, and marae structures and protocols already in place provide a vital framework for flood response. I conclude that tikanga already has enormous value in flood response, and for Māori communities is an obvious choice as a foundation for a flood emergency management strategy. Furthermore, the value of tikanga as a flood emergency management strategy should be more explicitly recognised and supported by all authorities involved in disaster response and management. It was also clear that multiple dimensions of vulnerability (physical, cultural, social, economic and political) affect the Pawarenga community, and to some extent limit their capacity to respond. In particular political processes that exclude them from participating in decision-making and planning around environmental management generally have left people feeling marginalised, since they are unable to fulfil their kaitiaki role. With civil defence emergency management policies explicitly focused around resilience, participation of Te Uri O Tai Hapū in planning for emergency management should allow for their existing resilience, which stems from the upholding of tikanga, to be recognised and strengthened. However, this will only happen if relationships with the various authorities involved in emergency and natural hazard response are fostered, full participation in decision-making and in responding to natural hazard events is facilitated, and resources are available to support the community with their endeavours.

text: Toi tu te whenua, toi tu te tangata: A holistic Māori approach to flood management in Pawarenga This thesis is a study of how tikanga Māori principles could be used in practice in the management of natural hazards and in particular flooding in a rural area, Pawarenga. The aim was to investigate and document Te Uri O Tai Hapū preferred strategies for reducing flood risk in Pawarenga and to consider opportunities to use tikanga Māori principles and values in emergency response. The identification of key concepts and principles of tikanga Māori customs and their connections to whānau and hapū of Te Uri O Tai is key to this study. I used kaupapa Māori research methodologies as a guiding framework since researching in my own community required me to manage accountability both to its members and to the university. In particular it was important to obtain permission from the community before beginning, to ensure my research processes were acceptable, and to return my findings to the community. Qualitative data was gathered from a series of hui and interviews with local community members. Data was analysed inductively and organised into thematic networks. Two major organising themes were identified: resilience and vulnerability. Participants described a broad range of strengths inherent in the community that enabled them to respond to crises such as flood events. A number of cultural, social, physical, economic and political vulnerabilities were also identified; most of these were fundamental aspects of people‘s daily lives and did not prevent them from responding positively when floods occurred, but may have limited the scope of their responses. Tikanga was not a subject that participants felt comfortable talking about, but from the descriptions of how people actually responded during floods I was able to see examples of how tikanga was used. The resilience of the Pawarenga community is taken for granted by residents. When disasters such as floods occur, their resiliencies and strengths are brought into play to ensure the safety of all in the community. Tikanga Māori is an inherent part of this resiliency, and marae structures and protocols already in place provide a vital framework for flood response. I conclude that tikanga already has enormous value in flood response, and for Māori communities is an obvious choice as a foundation for a flood emergency management strategy. Furthermore, the value of tikanga as a flood emergency management strategy should be more explicitly recognised and supported by all authorities involved in disaster response and management. It was also clear that multiple dimensions of vulnerability (physical, cultural, social, economic and political) affect the Pawarenga community, and to some extent limit their capacity to respond. In particular political processes that exclude them from participating in decision-making and planning around environmental management generally have left people feeling marginalised, since they are unable to fulfil their kaitiaki role. With civil defence emergency management policies explicitly focused around resilience, participation of Te Uri O Tai Hapū in planning for emergency management should allow for their existing resilience, which stems from the upholding of tikanga, to be recognised and strengthened. However, this will only happen if relationships with the various authorities involved in emergency and natural hazard response are fostered, full participation in decision-making and in responding to natural hazard events is facilitated, and resources are available to support the community with their endeavours.

year: 2010