Collaboration and Digital Storytelling

Collaboration
Collaboration is a natural part of life and should be included in the curriculum. The ways and means of educating the next generation of nurses must clearly be on the agenda at all nursing schools. Nurse educators must be able to step away from "what has been" to envision "what can be" (Boland, 2012, p. 134). Tools and content that can be incorporated by faculty into their teaching are available. There are variety of collaboration tools that can be used to most effectively support specific teaching and learning goals such as Google docs, Wikispaces, PBworks, and Twitter. Educators are finding tons of innovative ways to use collaborative tools for connecting with people around the world and creating great learning experiences. I have discovered and explored a new collaboration tool called Huddle. It is an online collaboration and project management tool that allows students or employees to easily exchange information and work together on projects in real time, despite distance (Warren, 2014). Huddle offers a free account for those who only need its basic functionality. However, a variety of accounts with advanced features are offered and range from $8 to $200 per month. Here is a link which provides the pros and cons of this online tool: Huddle. Here is also a YouTube video which explains and demonstrate how to use Huddle: 

Digital Storytelling

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you"- Maya Angelou

Everyone enjoys a good story. Traditional stories have been known to inspire and teach lessons. They are now available in more exciting forms. Digital storytelling gives a vivid dimension and makes a story come alive to convey a message or tell a story. It is recognized as a means to accelerate students' oral, visual, and written communication skills by using exercises to express what they know and understand to others (Prairienet, 2011). Digital storytelling can enhance students' learning by allowing them to construct their own learning, create engagement, encourage reflection, and foster project-based learning (Prairienet, 2011). 

Nursing students are individuals with diverse backgrounds and an abundance of life experiences. Utilizing teaching strategies such as storytelling allows students to creatively integrate their experiences into their future nursing practice which may be valuable in facilitating authentic and meaningful connections with patients. Storytelling as a teaching strategy can be a unique method in assisting the personal growth of students by helping them connect to the content of their nursing courses. Encouraging students to express or write about their experiences also helps them develop their own voice in contemplating the many challenges inherent in nursing practice (Pairienet, 2011). 

I have found a useful web-based tool called Digital Storyteller where it guides and helps you create digital stories. It offers instructors and students access to digital images and material that enable them to construct compelling personal narratives. Educators would find this site to be beneficial: Digital Storyteller

Here'a a neat digital story of a student's perspective on storytelling:

I took the pleasure of creating my own digital story by way of Animoto. Animoto enables us to use a combination of photo, text, music, and video to promote and produce the work of students in a unique, creative way. It was fun and user friendly to create and share my video. I would definitely recommend and use Animoto for future projects, teaching, or simply for my personal enjoyment. Here is my video: I Adore the Beach

References
Boland, D.L.(2012). Curriculum design. In Billings, D. & Halstead, J. (Eds) Teaching in Nursing: A 
              Guide for Faculty, p. 119-135, St. Lousi, MO: Elsevier 

Prairienet. (2011). Community connection through technology tools. Retrieved from

              http://www.prairienet.org/op/stories/managing-a-digital-storytelling-project/establishing-the-goal-
              of-the-project/education/

Warren, G. (2014). Huddle review: Online collaboration and project management tool. Retrieved

              from: http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/conferencing-and-collaboration/fr/review-of-huddle-online-

              collaboration-and-project-management.htm.