10. Implications
10.1 Partial versus simplistic explanations
10.2 Decision making
10.3 Emphasis should remain on the learning process
10.4 Student engagement is essential for learning but should not be the focus of teaching
10.5 Students need variety
10.6 Paradoxically - more is less
10.7 1 to 1 teaching implications for integration aides
10.8 "Save as" is a practical example of archiving and creativity
10.1 Partial versus simplistic explanations
If a topic is too complicated for a full explanation, the author should use a partial rather than a simplistic explanation. “Having a partial, local, and historical knowledge is still knowing. In some ways, “knowing” is easier, however, because postmodernism recognizes the situational limitations of the knower.” (Richardson & St Pierre 2008:476)
A partial explanation can be extended with additional information but a simplistic explanation must eventually be replaced to obtain further learning. A simplistic explanation is therefore unsuitable as a permanent structure for conceptual consolidation. Einstein is widely quoted as saying “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
10.2 Decision making
Video editing in general and authoring explanatory animations in particular requires hundreds of decisions to be made. Trial and error is often the best way to actually see how an idea might work. Being in the digital domain, such trial and error adjustments are also reversible. Rather than devise a formula or guidelines for making a decision, I’ve encouraged the children to gain experience in actually making decisions. Reflections on these decisions are documented in the director’s commentaries.
10.3 Emphasis should remain on the learning process
As we have never had access to such an abundance of information, the ability to classify and prioritize information is becoming increasingly important for students. Teachers have always possessed these skills. The Storyboard methodology enables teachers to make such choices explicit as they model the thinking skills required to create an animation using logic and order. Drotner (2008:179) sees the teacher's role in this information era as more important than ever as our role is modified from information authorities into knowledge facilitators.
"The learning process itself needs to be emphasised rather than the use of a specific technology since technologies are rapidly changing and evolving." (Lynch & Fleming 2007:3) This is why I chose Storyboard as a thesis title as it is a pre-computer term which emphasises logic and order. The challenge is not for teachers to keep up with technology but rather to stay true to their primary role of helping students construct knowledge through the critical interpretation of ideas. Educators have long since realised the potential of technology to assist in this process. "The computer stands betwixt and between the world of formal systems and physical things; it has the ability to make the abstract concrete." (Turkle & Papert 1991:162)
10.4 Student engagement is essential for learning but should not be the focus of teaching
People like choices. Options create opportunities and promote engagement. "The term engagement usually refers to the extent to which a student is actively involved with the content of a learning activity, where active involvement suggests that the person acts to maintain or extend their contact with the object in order to increase their knowledge of it (Ainley, 2001 in Helme & Clarke 2001). The quality or level of this involvement is generally believed to have a profound effect on learning outcomes, in that students who "really put their minds to it" are much more likely to learn successfully than students whose engagement with the subject matter is low". (Helme & Clarke 2001:133)
I believe that engagment is so important that without it, the full learning potential is compromised. Engagement however, should not be the goal of a lesson as students could be engaged in unproductive or destructive pursuits. Engagement should be the status quo so anything less is inherently inefficient. Engagement is not simply absent or present in a lesson as some students can recall what has just been said by a teacher even if they haven't been listening. Engagement should therefore be the expectation for all teaching situations or the potential for learning is reduced.
10.5 Students need variety
Regardless of how effective or useful a teaching method or activity is found to be, student’s need variety and no single approach should ever become the only approach.
10.6 Paradoxically - more is less
Learning all about a topic or issue provides sufficient context to make deep learning easier than isolated tangents. E.g. If you received a role in a theatrical play, it is easier to learn whole sections of the script than just your lines as you will understand how the whole story fits together. More is less also applies to the skills and multitasking involved in the creation of digital artefacts as “...the child-producer who wants to design a lesson on the computer must learn about the content, become a tutor, a lesson designer, a pedagogical decision maker, an evaluator, a graphic artist, and so on.” (Harel and Papert 1991:78)
10.7 1 to 1 teaching implications for integration aides
The deep pedagogical discussions which occurred with each child while authoring explanatory animations are best facilitated though a small class size (i.e. 4 or fewer) to free-up the teacher for quality interactions. Integration aides do not have the same training or pedagogical experience of classroom teachers but they are perfectly capable of undertaking a project such as Storyboard as they have constant access to the classroom teacher when required.
Individual assistance from integration aide staff has great potential but is usually remedial in terms of classroom management strategies as integration aides are merely encouraged to help a student keep pace within their grade. Integration aides are in the privileged and unique position to participate in explanatory animation creation to engage their students and archive their progress.
10.8 "Save as" is a practical example of archiving and creativity
I have found that most children I have asked over the last 10 years don't understand the difference between "save" and "save as." “Save as” is a practical example of archiving and creativity. Although each student in the Storyboard project chose a single topic, they generated hundreds of files as each new turn was “saved as” a different stage of their journey.