Digital storytelling can enhance the learning process: this student-centered activity engages learners in social interaction, collaboration, and cooperation and it builds their awareness of language use, which becomes especially important in foreign language acquisition. This presentation introduces the workshop “Digital Storytelling: An Effective Mechanism in Foreign Language Acquisition”. During the workshop, the participants will learn what is needed for integrating the digital narration into curriculum in order to improve students’ speaking proficiency.

1. Digital Storytelling: An Effective Mechanism in Foreign Language Acquisition Professional Development Workshop Project Natalia Bukharova Brandman University College

2. Goals and Measurable Objectives Digital storytelling mechanism will improve student speaking proficiency The school academic results for 2010 in Oral Proficiency Tests (OPI) were: 95 % - level 1+ The school goal for 2013: 100 % - level 2 Skills and conditions needed to close the gap: Effective use of technology tools by teachers and students Continuous professional development Increase of speaking sessions per week

3. Goals and Measurable Objectives (cont.) This training will improve teacher effectiveness Teachers will help students progress in the speaking skill Since the digital storytelling mechanism is implemented, the OPI results will have risen This training will increase teacher awareness about the necessity of technology application

4. Speaking Proficiency: Mapping the Route to Success 2013 Level 2 100% Today 1+ 95%

5. Needs Assessment Determine gaps in student performance Compare the OPI results of the team/department with the results of other teams/departments Compare the OPI results of the team with the DLI goal for 2013 (100 % - level 2) Determine gaps in teacher performance Conduct the “Foreign Language Teacher Survey: Use of Technology in Practicing the Speaking Skill” http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8QTPHBM

6. Preview of Learning Activities In order to enhance speaking lessons and improve students’ performance at OPI, the team needs: to integrate digital storytelling on the daily basis in class and outside class using the Sakai Learning Environment or other cloud computing tools to organize workshops and/or tutoring on digital storytelling tools to organize team meetings and conferences in order to monitor the implementation of the digital storytelling mechanism to conduct demo classes and activities for sharing the best practices

7. Research and Resources Useful resources for creating digital stories: Storybird. Home page: http://storybird.com/ The Center for Digital Storytelling. Home page: http://www.storycenter.org/index1.html The Digital Storytelling Association. Home page: http://www.storycenter.org/index1.html University of Huston. The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. Home page: http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/

8. Research and Resources (cont.) Research articles on digital storytelling: Sadik, A. (2008). Digital storytelling: a meaningful technology-integrated approach for engaged student learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 56, 487-506. doi: 10.1007/s11423-008-9091-8 Varona A. Digital storytelling. Retrieved from http://beyondwebct.wetpaint.com/page/Digital+Storytelling Fascinating examples of digital stories can be found at http://www.storycenter.org/stories/

9. Evaluation Plan Compare the OPI scores before the training (2010-2011) with the scores after implementation of the digital storytelling mechanism into the curriculum (2012-2013) Conduct frequent team-level peer and and self-evaluation using student results at monthly oral exams Study periodic (twice a year) student evaluation of teachers Conduct annual “needs assessment survey”

10. Thank You!