Digital storytelling module
1. Collaboration and Teamwork
• How did you and your partner divide the work?
While we were writing the story proposal, we each suggested potential topics and discussed together to choose the most promising one. From there, my teammate Jenny was responsible for developing the story mountain and the storyboard. I gave her feedback, and then we submitted it to Professor Sherry.
After receiving feedback, I took responsibility for transferring the content from the Word file into Book Creator, along with the images that Jenny had generated using ChatGPT. We were unsure whether to include audio because our story was quite simple and easy to understand. However, we eventually decided to add it since most of our classmates had done so, and we didn't want to fall behind.
Besides the narration, we also added some sound effects, such as robot movements, ballet music, and applause, to make the story more engaging. After receiving peer feedback, we revised the content, and I took on the role of presenting our final product.
• What did you learn about collaboration from this experience?
I think collaboration is crucial, especially for this project. Book Creator was a completely new tool for me, and if I had done it alone, it might have taken forever because I needed a lot of time to get familiar with it. Fortunately, I had my teammate Jenny. I want to thank her—without her, I don't think I could have completed this project.
• What challenges did you face working as a pair, and how did you overcome them?
Each of us had our own schedules, so we weren't always available to meet in person. Therefore, we mainly communicated via the Line messaging app. During the project, we sometimes had different opinions, but instead of insisting on our own ideas, we listened to each other and chose the best solution for our project. To be honest, we worked well as a team.
2. Use of Digital Tools and Storytelling Techniques
• How did you use tools like ChatGPT, Canva, or Book Creator in your creative process?
We used ChatGPT throughout the project, especially for generating ideas for the storyboard and creating some of the images. Book Creator was the main tool we used to design and compile our digital book. It allowed us to organize the layout, add text, images, and sounds to bring our story to life.
• What creative elements (e.g., tone, pacing, characters, images, sound, layout) are you most proud of?
We are honestly proud of every element of our project. From the characters and storyline to the sound effects and overall layout, each detail was carefully thought out and contributed to a cohesive and engaging final product.
• What technical challenges did you encounter, and how did you resolve them?
One of the main challenges we faced was becoming familiar with Book Creator, as it was a new tool for both of us. It took time to understand how to use its features effectively, especially when adding audio and adjusting the layout. We overcame this by exploring the platform together, watching tutorials, and helping each other whenever one of us got stuck.
3. Personal Growth and Takeaways
• What was the most meaningful part of this project for you?
From my perspective, the entire project was meaningful. However, if I had to choose one part, I would say presenting the story to everyone. We felt very proud to showcase the results of our hard work to the class.
• How has this project influenced your thinking as a future language teacher?
As a future language teacher, I’ve realized that there are many ways to make lessons more engaging, and Book Creator is definitely one of them. Our Professor, Sherry, invited Professor Chen to share how Book Creator is used in real classroom settings. This strengthened our belief in the potential of this tool, especially for teaching young EFL learners.