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Producing Multimedia Stories with ESL Children: A Partnership Approach
Article

, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan ; , , University of Missouri-Columbia, United States

Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia Volume 15, Number 3, ISSN 1055-8896 Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), Waynesville, NC USA

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Abstract

This article describes the development of multimedia stories produced by ESL children using a children-as-designers approach. The rationale for the project was based on the use of technology to help second-language learning children express their culturally-diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Stories were produced by ten foreign-born international children from six countries working with nine educational technology graduate students from the USA and three other countries. Qualitative methods were used throughout the semester-long project to observe children, take field notes to document the process, capture design artifacts, conduct formative evaluation and final interviews, and write process reflections. The multimedia stories that emerged were rich expressions of children's culturally-diverse perspectives related to their folklore, family beliefs, and adjustments to a new country. The children successfully participated as design partners by writing and illustrating their stories and by sharing decisions about multimedia features in the stories. Although challenged by the one-semester timeline to learn high-level multimedia software and complete the stories, graduate students were positive about their experience working with children in an authentic design project. The results support the effectiveness of technology as an intercultural, collaborative bridge to support multicultural education and student-centered learning for children as well as developers.

Citation

Peng, H., Fitzgerald, G. & Park, M. (2006). Producing Multimedia Stories with ESL Children: A Partnership Approach. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 15(3), 261-284. Waynesville, NC USA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved March 29, 2023 from .

© 2006 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)

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References

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