Using Digital Media to Enhance Reflective Learning Teresa J. Carter, EdD Elizabeth Marlowe, MEd Virginia Commonwealth University 2010 Lilly Conference

School of Education Educator as Critically Reflective Practitioner

What strategies do you use to engage learners in reflective practice? Journal writing End-of-course reflective essays Blogs as reflective learning journals Blogs as reflective learning journals Digital storytelling Digital storytelling

What do we mean by reflective practice? Stephen Brookfields concept of critical reflection David Bouds ideas about reflective learning through writing Donald Schöns concepts Reflection-on- action Reflection-in- action

How do blogs (weblogs) work as reflective learning journals? Edublog ( Blogger ( ) VCU blog (behind university firewall) Each student establishes his/her own blog Share comments with each other Triads of blog buddies Five to seven posts Reflection throughout the semester End of semester essay Integrative assignments

Practices to Enhance Student Blogging Explain the WHY for engaging in reflective practice Explain the HOW of reflective practice with a blog Create some structure: Model the process with your own blog!

How do Digital Stories Contribute to Reflective Learning?

Steps in the Digital Storytelling Process First, write the story – aim for 300 words Share the story orally in a story circle with peers Continue to refine and reduce the story to its key elements; peer feedback helps Create a storyboard Remember, its an iterative process

Search free digital media sites for photos licensed under the Creative Commons for remixing and Attribution/ Share Alike Choose music to create tone and set the emotion of the story Download Microsoft Photostory 3 and begin to arrange photos, music, transitions, and narration to create the desired effect Photostory saves work as a movie file; can upload to YouTube Steps in the Digital Storytelling Process

What is the Creative Commons? A San Francisco non- profit organization founded in 2002 that has developed several copyright licenses that are free to the public, designed to expand the range of creative works for others to build upon

In Conclusion, Reflective Practice … Builds on substantial evidence from the literature Engages students in deeper-level learning from experience Can challenge taken-for-granted assumptions Requires time –to provide feedback, to create assignments, to model Generates social learning when carried out in a supportive community of student bloggers Can be more creative and emotionally expressive when learners are engaged in digital storytelling

References for this presentation Boud, D. (2001, Summer). Using journal writing to enhance reflective practice. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 90, Boud, D., Keogh, R., & Walker, D. (1985). (Eds.). Reflection: Turning experience into learning. New York: Kogan Page. Brookfield, S. D. (1987). Developing critical thinkers: Challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Brookfield, S. D. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Brookfield, S. D. (1997, Fall). Accessing critical thinking. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 74, Carter, T. J. (2010, in press). Blogging as reflective practice in the graduate classroom. In K. King & T. Cox (Eds.), Teaching with digital media: Best practices and innovations in higher education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publications. Hull, G. A., & Katz, M. (2006, August). Crafting an agentive self: Case studies of digital storytelling. Research in the Teaching of English, 41(1), McLellan, H. (2008, October). Digital storytelling: Expanding media possibilities for learning. Educational Technology, Robin, B. R. (2008). Digital storytelling: A powerful technology tool for the 21 st century classroom. Theory into Practice, 47, doi: / Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books. Schön, D. A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Wilson, A. L. (2009, Fall). Reflecting on reflecting on practice. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 123,

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