Exploring the values of writing collaboratively through a digital storytelling platform: a mixed-methods analysis of users' participation, perspectives and practices. Issue 7 (3rd October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rubino, Irene; Barberis, Claudia; Malnati, Giovanni
• Is Part Of: Interactive learning environments. Volume 26:Issue 7(2018)
• Page Start: 882
• Page End: 894
• Publication Date: 2018-10-03
• Subjects: Digital storytelling -- active learning -- role-play -- collaborative work -- data visualisation -- mobile learning; Educational technology -- United States -- Periodicals; 371.33
• DOI: 10.1080/10494820.2017.1419499
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1049-4820

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Digital technologies allow teachers and students to experience new pedagogical approaches leveraging on interactivity and collaboration. Among the available techniques, digital storytelling (DST) has been usually regarded as an activity that can both enrich the teaching practices and foster students' active behaviour. This paper aims at analysing to what extent a DST platform proposing the collaborative writing of a fictional story and leveraging on an active learning technique such as role-play can affect a variety of dimensions, namely students' performance, commitment, creativity and social skills. Combining the analysis of the data-log automatically collected by the system with the evaluations given by teachers before and after the activity, this article shows that the use of a DST tool in the teaching practice can have positive effects on students, including the ones that usually manifest moderate scores for the previously mentioned dimensions. Additionally, semi-structured interviews and direct observations provide an insight on how the benefits stemming from the use of a DST tool in the classroom can especially lie on the collaborative process that is activated.