Welcome to the International Story Sharing Forum: Our Digital Culture 
This forum is a space where we can explore the nature of multimedia stories, hyperfiction and collaborative writing in the education of young people and of adults. We are trying to explore the way that technology can support social interaction and learning. Our stories are who we are. If we can't express our stories we can't express who we are. So how can technology help us to express our stories? If we can answer this, we can consider if stories can help our younger generations catch the vision of the culture of those arround us, and learn to treasure all our identities. The fundamental framework and theoretical basis for OurDigitalCulture is that of critical pedagogy. This basis seeks to provide every participant with the sense of having an opportunity to be fullfilled and reach their potential. This implies an understanding of themselves as an individual within society, a clear and informed view of the world around them and the workings of society and communities (however disparate), and the reasons, resources and passions to reduce the oppression that prevents them from reaching their potential, and prevents society from providing opportunities for all. This is as much an education process and a practical programme as it is a political perspective.
The essential learning strategy promoted by OurDigitalCulture is that of story telling, and the process of creating and sharing stories. This is to be consider in an entirely cross curricular manner, where stories can be set within the story of mathematics or sciences as well as the stories of history, society or fiction.
Within this framework, there are a set of pedagogic issues that have been highlighted as being as yet poorly addressed in many situations where technology is being deployed in education. Addressing these issues is both the subject of the research topics and the motivation for the practical programmes covered by this activity. In practice, these are:
| Language | Media Literacy | Reflective Thinking | |
| Issue | Need to learn & use other languages | Need to learn how to create and to comprehend information in various media | Need to think about information, rather than blindly accept all information (found on the Internet) |
| Scope | To increase practical competence and confidence in the use of another language | To handle information in various media within stories includingPictures, Panoramas, Video, Audio, Text | To reflect on the value of information and the importance of sources, comparing and validating them |
| Activity | Active collaborative narrative building paired with a native user of the language. The students are encouraged to actively peer tutor to improve comprehension of meaning to extend vocabulary | Production of multimedia elements within topical narratives that build competencies, in an iterative cycle of activity and learning | To build stories using hypertext techniques, progressing from linear, through hierarchical, to multiple faceted narratives, that reinforce the principles of association of knowledge |
| Outcome | Greater fluency and confidence in the use of practical and contextually relevant language | (1) Competence in the process of creating and manipulating various media (2) Competence in comprehending the meaning of information in different media, in context | Greater competence in thinking about information and its relationship with a wide spectrum of ideas, and a critical attitude to information |
| Culture | Heterogeneous Learners | On-line Life | |
| Issue | Need to encounter, understand and respect other cultures in a global world | Need to be able to learn in ways that are appropriate for each individual learner | Need to know how to handle the various identities and modes of interaction on-line as well as face-to-face |
| Scope | To explore the various legitimate and real facets of various cultures | To explore and scope a curriculum that is relevant to the needs of the individual within society, build a community of learners, and learn in ways that are appropriate for the individuals/communities | To address the spectrum of issues that characterise synchronous and asynchronous communication at a distance when compared with face-to-face communication |
| Activity | Explore attributes of culture at various levels including:Heritage, Formal Culture, Popular Culture, National Culture, Local Culture, Personal Culture, through activities such as culture box/graffiti wall, festivals and seasonal activities, sports, heros etc. | Explore a range of approaches to teaching and learning, and spectrum of curriculum topics in order to ensure that the education for each student does not become impeded by process or contextually inappropriate content. | Encourage moderated social interaction with opportunities for private, individual and group reflection on the issues exposed |
| Outcome | (1) Increasing awareness of the existance of other cultures (2) Recognition of similarities between people in different cultures, and (as students mature) of differences (3) Respect for other cultures, acknowledging the heritage and subjectivites that promote them | Learning that is relevant to the learners and their learning styles and contexts | An awareness of the issues associated with on-line interpersonal interactions, including those of particular relevance whilst emotions and intellect are maturing, and developing and applying strategies for being safe and wise |
In order to learn more about OurDigitalCulture, please contact:
Nick Hine: nhine@computing.dundee.ac.uk
Carolina Rodrigues: cjcarolrb@gmail.com
Sandra Mitchell: sandra.mitchell@nbed.nb.ca