The document discusses using digital storytelling to summarize research and evaluation work. It notes that stories are an effective way to encapsulate information, context, and emotions. Digital storytelling is described as a form of short narrative told in the first person using visuals and imagery. The document provides examples of using participatory action research and digital stories to share the experiences of refugees and showcase partnership with Māori communities.
Linguistics is often called "the science of language," the study of the human capacity to communicate and organize thought using different tools (the vocal tract for spoken languages, hands for sign languages, etc.) and involving different abstract and tactile components.
Synopsis Project: visualisation and storytelling with mapsKarl Donert
The SYNOPSIS project concerns Storytelling and Fundraising for Cultural Heritage professionals.
Cultural heritage covers a variety of activities, and a system of values, traditions, knowledge, and lifestyles that characterise society.
The heritage sector has to deal with new challenges and it is therefore necessary to develop new professionalism, able to promote and support cultural heritage as it improves not only the overall economic growth and employment, but also social cohesion and environmental sustainability.
Storytelling and fundraising skills assume a fundamental role in connecting the past to the future. Cultural Heritage storytelling is concerned with “communicating through stories”, creating narratives through which a cultural heritage enters into an emphatic relationship with people, managing to arouse public emotion. The purpose is to engage people to protect, exploit cultural heritage, and support it financially.
This presentation deals with visualisation and using maps in storytelling with maps as part o the training programme
The use of graphic novels in information literacy instruction for maltaRyan Scicluna
The use of comics in educational resources is not a new thing. In fact one can find multiple articles outlining how comics are used in fields of study such as English language (James, 2007), Mathematics and Social Sciences (Boerman-Cornell, 2013), Media (Doyle, 2008), etc... Comics are also being featured in University degree courses both as undergraduate or post-graduate studies. For example, the University of Florida in the US has a Comics studies credit where students and professionals study and teach comics; The University of Oregon, also in the US, has a whole faculty dedicated to Comics and Cartoon Studies; The University of Dundee, Scotland, offers a unique MLitt in Comics Studies and students can pursue their studies further after completion of the Master with a PhD in comics studies.
So how do comics and graphic novels teach readers to be information literate?
We live in a rapidly changing world … a world in which there seems to be a conspiracy by the proponents of globalization to use digital devices for the westernization of all other cultures. This is indeed a worrisome development! But more worrisome is the fact that in contemporary African society, our communication systems ( music, dance, drama, story-telling, masking etc.) are being gradually superimposed with movie-watching, computer-gaming, celebrity-following and other digitally-induced forms of communication that are counter-productive to Africans. Obviously, such digitally-induced forms of communication not only shape the understanding and dreams of the ordinary citizen wherever he/she may be; but also create mass market of Western culture at the expense of indigenous African culture. In the light of the above observation, this paper shall with particular prejudice to the non-verbal forms of communication in traditional African setting, examine the roles of the indigenous modes of communication vis-à-vis their Western counterparts in the message transfer process. The study shall adopt the textual analysis method of research to investigate the survivability of the indigenous modes of communication among the Igbo’s in South/East Nigeria in the face of palpable threat from the digital divide.
Linguistics is often called "the science of language," the study of the human capacity to communicate and organize thought using different tools (the vocal tract for spoken languages, hands for sign languages, etc.) and involving different abstract and tactile components.
Synopsis Project: visualisation and storytelling with mapsKarl Donert
The SYNOPSIS project concerns Storytelling and Fundraising for Cultural Heritage professionals.
Cultural heritage covers a variety of activities, and a system of values, traditions, knowledge, and lifestyles that characterise society.
The heritage sector has to deal with new challenges and it is therefore necessary to develop new professionalism, able to promote and support cultural heritage as it improves not only the overall economic growth and employment, but also social cohesion and environmental sustainability.
Storytelling and fundraising skills assume a fundamental role in connecting the past to the future. Cultural Heritage storytelling is concerned with “communicating through stories”, creating narratives through which a cultural heritage enters into an emphatic relationship with people, managing to arouse public emotion. The purpose is to engage people to protect, exploit cultural heritage, and support it financially.
This presentation deals with visualisation and using maps in storytelling with maps as part o the training programme
The use of graphic novels in information literacy instruction for maltaRyan Scicluna
The use of comics in educational resources is not a new thing. In fact one can find multiple articles outlining how comics are used in fields of study such as English language (James, 2007), Mathematics and Social Sciences (Boerman-Cornell, 2013), Media (Doyle, 2008), etc... Comics are also being featured in University degree courses both as undergraduate or post-graduate studies. For example, the University of Florida in the US has a Comics studies credit where students and professionals study and teach comics; The University of Oregon, also in the US, has a whole faculty dedicated to Comics and Cartoon Studies; The University of Dundee, Scotland, offers a unique MLitt in Comics Studies and students can pursue their studies further after completion of the Master with a PhD in comics studies.
So how do comics and graphic novels teach readers to be information literate?
We live in a rapidly changing world … a world in which there seems to be a conspiracy by the proponents of globalization to use digital devices for the westernization of all other cultures. This is indeed a worrisome development! But more worrisome is the fact that in contemporary African society, our communication systems ( music, dance, drama, story-telling, masking etc.) are being gradually superimposed with movie-watching, computer-gaming, celebrity-following and other digitally-induced forms of communication that are counter-productive to Africans. Obviously, such digitally-induced forms of communication not only shape the understanding and dreams of the ordinary citizen wherever he/she may be; but also create mass market of Western culture at the expense of indigenous African culture. In the light of the above observation, this paper shall with particular prejudice to the non-verbal forms of communication in traditional African setting, examine the roles of the indigenous modes of communication vis-à-vis their Western counterparts in the message transfer process. The study shall adopt the textual analysis method of research to investigate the survivability of the indigenous modes of communication among the Igbo’s in South/East Nigeria in the face of palpable threat from the digital divide.
3. The story
• ‘Stories are a marvellous means of summarising
experiences, of capturing an event and the
surrounding context that seems essential.
Stories are important cognitive events, for they
encapsulate into one compact package,
information, knowledge, context and emotion.’
(Norman, 1993)
• ‘There is substantial evidence demonstrating the
importance of stories as a tool for learning.’
(McLennan, 2006)
Department of Internal Affairs
5. Fit with Kaupapa Māori
• Kaupapa Māori is the “conceptualisation of Māori
knowledge” that has been developed through oral
tradition. It is the process by which Māori mind
receives, internalises, differentiates, and formulates
ideas and knowledge exclusively through te reo
Māori. Kaupapa Māori is esoteric and tuturu Māori. It
is knowledge that validates a Māori world view and is
not only Māori owned but also Māori controlled.
• For detailed information:
http://www.kaupapamaori.com/
Department of Internal Affairs
6. How stories fit within research and
evaluation
Department of Internal Affairs
7. What are digital stories?
• Digital storytelling is
understood as a form of
short narrative told in
the first person and
enhanced by visual text
and symbolic imagery . .
. Considered an
extension of oral
storytelling by Aboriginal
peoples (Cherubini,
2008)
Department of Internal Affairs
8. Important stuff
• Owning your emotions and insights
• Working with others – the story circle
• Using emotions
• Telling a story
• Connecting to the audience
Department of Internal Affairs
9. Telling the story of
refugees through
Participatory Action
Research
Department of Internal Affairs
10. The diversity of experience of the
refugee researchers
Department of Internal Affairs
11. Telling a story of change in
public service
First Māori staff hui at Maraeroa Marae, Waitangirua, 1988
Department of Internal Affairs
12. “DIA was really taking an active
role to promote the voice of
young people, of
disadvantaged people, or
marginalised people, they were
really at the cutting edge of a
lot of the issues of the time.
There was a lot of political
support, then really trying to
acknowledge that these are
marginalised groups that really
need to have a voice, need to
be included, so that was very
much the role of DIA.”
Department of Internal Affairs
16. “We came out of the meeting house and there was this bloody
tent set up on the lawn and I thought, Christ, this is like the
signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and when I said this to Chris
(CE at time), he had exactly the same bloody feeling, it was
amazing.” Former Senior Māori Manager
Department of Internal Affairs
This is an opportunity to reflect on a practice in our workplace we have adopted to share the results of our research and evaluation. Though still in its infancy, we are using digital stories to report back projects with rich results. All the projects discussed here have been completed by groups and I hope I adequately represent them in this presentation.
I first became interested in using digital stories to tell the story of my thesis, a study of women and their cultural connections to food. I wanted to be able to convey the emotions that they had shared with me about the importance of keeping their cultures alive through cooking the foods of their homelands. I also saw how this could work with a number of the cross-cultural research and evaluation projects I had undertaken in both my study and workplace. I was lucky enough to do a workshop with Joe Lambert, one of the people who started up the concept of Digital Stories in 1993. Since doing the workshop and making a few more stories, I have been captured by the power of this medium in projects I have completed.
But firstly to the story part . . . . Many evaluation paradigms include elements of the narrative as part them, including narrative inquiry, most significant change and appreciative inquiry. Norman’s quote above illustrates the key points about how stories can encapsulate experiences in one compact package. Those in educational settings talk about how stories help with learning. For myself, I am attracted to the narrative element or stories because of their ability to transcend diverse settings: personal, organisational, cultural, familial, organisational and the fact that we all identify with them. And because we all have stories to tell.
Indeed, stories are part of the changing dialogue around the need for involvement of all stakeholders in research and evaluation. From my perspective, stories as a methodology help me as an evaluator to understand what is important about a service, or any aspect of government provision for someone in the context of their lives. For example, many of the former refugees I got to know shared stories of their lives prior to becoming refugees as well as after their resettlement. What emerged was the diversity of experience and how they did not want the term ‘refugee’ to be a defining one in their lives, they were parents, sisters, children, brothers, educated, skilled, religious and cultural people. Each experience was something that had added to who they were and none could be dismissed.
For me, a key value of stories is the fit I see with transformational methodologies such as kaupapa Māori paradigm which has developed through the oral tradition of Māori. For many of us working in government agencies, it is important for us to have an understanding of this methodology as people who use our services are Māori and it important to tell their stories about us. Using a methodology that allows the inclusion of story-based elements where I can engage with Māori meaningfully and validate the world view from which they come from. I consider this to be the concept of walking alongside them in a post-critical theory world.
Stories as a key part of research and evaluation practice and part of the new tools for the future. Evaluation has moved from a positivist paradigm to one in which people are part of the process. Constructivist and transformational paradigms allow us to explore the experiences of those our governments have impact on. One of the key aspects of these types of evaluations is about engaging with and hearing the stories of people’s involvement in programmes, policies, strategies. We are able to hear the diversity of experience that comes of the evaluation. Many of these people are from different communities – the use of stories as methodology allows for differences to be acknowledged and, in fact, explored. Moreover, by using stories and other narrative techniques, we are gathering rich data about the experiences of people who participate in our evaluations. This data can can be presented in innovative ways, such as digital storytelling, and this is what I am going to focus on next.
Digital stories are basically the use of a narrative structure interlaced with digital media to tell stories and make sense of our world. They are very much a collaborative enterprise often across cultures, gender and different points of views. They work extremely well in cross-cultural and bi-cultural settings and for some, are seen as an extension of oral traditions of many ethnic groups. They are used in many settings as a technique to give voice for many cultures, those who are often not part of the mainstream media – youth, refugees, women and children who experience violence, recent migrants, unemployed, those experiencing mental health issues i.e. those who we in government agencies target with our interventions.
One of the key aspects for the development of a digital story is about owning your insights and emotions. This is about finding and clarifying what the story is really about and what the data is telling your group. This means the story will relate to the wider context of its environment. Working with others is key to the development of a digital story. In digital story parlance, this is the story circle and is about people sitting around and sharing what they think the story is about and how it should be portrayed. Having an awareness of the contrasting and complex nature of a stories emotional context will not only help us get in touch with the core of the story’s meanings, the use of emotions will also help the audience understand the story. When we reflect on the emotions within our stories, we realise they can be complex and we discover the deeper layers of the story. The key is to tell the story, this is not the report or a powerpoint presentation. The documentation is there to sit beside the story. The story is just that, a story and you need a good storyteller or narrator. Only the key points should to be conveyed. Finally, the most important part – connecting to the audience. If all the above points are taken into account, this will happen
Refugee voices was a 2 year participatory action research with refugee communities. We employed and trained former refugees and migrants to help us tell the story of refugees resettling in New Zealand. We also had former refugees and NGOs representing refugees as part of our reference group. Making the digital story was key to sharing the results with a diverse range of stakeholders: Former refugees, for many of them, English is a second language Govenrment agencies and NGOs World refugee day Refugee forums Other researchers and evaluators
The aim of the digital story was to tell the whole refugee experience. We did not want it to focus not only on the barriers (as media reports highlighted i.e. unemployment) but also on the things that were working and keeping refugees strong and what was important to them and their communities. Working alongside the refugees we had employed allowed us to focus ourselves on the key themes and get feedback from them.
The next project looked at the role of Māori networks in the Department of Internal Affairs and had an accompanying report. We used narrative inquiry to look at the change that took place in the public sector from the perspective of our Māori staff members. This was the story of Māori forming networks and becoming stronger in the institutional setting of a government agency and some of the challenges that they faced. For me, this story was about how elements of te ao Māori could be incorporated into a government agency. Many of them talked about whakawhanaungatanga and kanohi-ki-te-kanohi and why these were important to them as Māori staff members. The project had an important corporate contribution as well, we used archival material, old photos and journals talked to many former staff members who had been around when things were changing in the public sector.
The story was broken down into two parts – and the use of whakatauki and waiata (both traditional and contemporary added to the richness of the story). For example, we started the story with a powhiri welcoming everyone to the story and then provided a whakatauki about the importance of reflecting back . . . Titiro whakamuri hei arahi i nga uaratanga kei te kimihia. Look to the past for guidance and seek out what is needed We were then able to use the images and songs of the 1970s and 1980s to speak to the changes that had taken place that led to an acceptance of a Māori world view in the government – the following chip shows this section.
So we come to the next story which, I admit is still in process. We think this is a story of partnership using a partnership approach to the project. The Research and Evaluation team have built a partnership with Te Atamira Taiwhenua and the Pou Ārahi team to recount the growth of Te Atamira and provide information (and concrete examples) about how they work alongside the Department. As part of this project, we will also report back on any issues that might help make the relationship stronger. We have used an Appreciative Inquiry framework, as it was important to have understanding of these kaumātua as being taonga for many of the Māori staff in the Department and of their importance in wider Māori society. Again, we are using digital stories as it allows us to bring in a range of media to represent the strong Māori element. An example is the karanga which is organised specifically with the project in mind, with a karakia to respond. The karanga will acknowledge Te Atamira members who have gone before and those who have served on the council but are still alive. We knew it was important to acknowledge all members of Te Atamira Taiwhenua in line with Māori tikanga (philosophy. In some way, the interchange which will take place ensures that the story is a partnership. The following excerpt illustrates some of the conversations about partnership . . . .
Along with a report, the digital story will be something that the kaumātua in Te Atamira will be able to take away with them, it includes images of them and former members, along with images from their marae so there is an element of providing a taonga for them to keep. It is also a taonga for the Department, we will have had the opportunity to hear their stories about the beginning and what does work well in the relationship. For me, this project has been an opportunity to work in partnership with Māori staff and Te Atamira which is respectful to both sides.
I want to thank you for sharing you valuable time with me, do you have any questions