Seton Hall University
South Orange, New Jersey
Journeying Through Digital Storytelling
(Co-presented with Mary Zedeck, Mary Balkun and Marian Glenn)
March 13, 2009
College of Saint Elizabeth
Convent Station, New Jersey
Presentation
Abstract:
Presentation Abstract: Digital storytelling can be a powerful tool for improving teaching and learning regardless of the subject
matter or discipline. While providing students with a forum in which to tell their stories whether these are about personal struggles
and achievements, a specific text or concept, or a combination of these digital storytelling also enables students to make the
abstract concrete, to make the complex more readily understood, and to do so while enhancing their skills in rhetoric, literacy, and
critical thinking. This presentation will provide an overview of two projects that are part of Seton Hall Universitys digital
storytelling initiative. Both projects highlight the ways digital stories can be used to help students enter into conversations with
and understand complex texts and ideas. Examples of digital stories created by students from both projects will be shared, and an
overview of the processes involved will be provided.
A New Tool for the Shed: Google Sketchup
(Co-presented with Matt Hale)
Presentation
March 13, 2009
College of St. Elizabeth
Convent Station, New Jersey
Abstract:
Using a combination of technology and situated learning, students can develop skills, knowledge and ways of
thinking necessary for becoming effective leaders in organizations and communities. Strategic Management and Governance is a graduate
course in the Masters of Public Administration (MPA) program at Seton Hall University that stresses the development of managerial and
analytical skills as well as the ethical and professional values necessary to take on leadership roles in our civil society. One goal
of this course is to show how different social actors within a political system approach problems differently based on the needs of
their organization and the complex social processes in the community. After attending training sessions in Google Sketchup, student
teams were given a case study involving a vacant and unused parcel of land along with a description of the organization they were
representing. Working in teams, students created a detailed development plan that represented not only the needs and interests of the
role they were playing, but community concerns as well. Students presented their final proposals, substantiating their arguments and
designs with actual facts and data gained from research. This session will cover the design, assessment and support strategies used to
ensure the resulting successful learning outcomes.