DRAFT

Plain Language Statement

Storyboard – A collaborative digital curriculum

One way in which multimedia can enable children

to construct, present and assess their own learning.

You are invited to participate in the above research project, which is being conducted by Dr Tony Jones (supervisor) and Mr Brendan Jacobs (PhD student) of the Graduate School of Education at The University of Melbourne. This project will form part of Mr Jacob’s PhD thesis, and has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD).

Overview from Brendan Jacobs

Dear parents,

All children at Elwood Primary School have already commenced “Multimedia Workbooks” which are simply multimedia files kept together in a single folder and linked together using HTML. This reflects our commitment to best practice in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) through a process known as Digital Integration. This work is most closely aligned to digital portfolios. With multimedia workbooks,the children work this way routinely to construct their own learning using text, diagrams, music, video, photos and animations.

This research project is called “Storyboard” to reflect my own conviction that although technology has made massive advances in the last 20 years, the bigger innovation is the screen itself. When Walt Disney coined this term in 1930s he was articulating a basic premise about logic and order inherent in the design process. Now that computers have given everyone access to these capabilities, education can really benefit from using these same principles using language that even preliterate children can understand using pictures in order.

The consent form you’ve received with this plain language statement is not about your child using multimedia workbooks, but whether I have your permission to include their work in my thesis to demonstrate what children are capable of.

This research project involves working with the whole school from Prep to Grade 6. By the end of this year I will have enough examples of children work to complete my thesis. Your child will, however, continue to work on their multimedia workbooks throughout their primary education. Most paper-based class work ends up in the bin but digital creations have an increased life span as they can be reconfigured into any new technology that comes along.

Most research projects involve an interview of some sort. This will not be required as we already know that children enjoy working with multimedia. What is more interesting are the choices that the children make during the process of designing and refining their work. For this reason, the children will be encouraged to create audio commentaries for their films and animations just like you find in the special features section on a DVD.

Children at ElwoodPrimary Schoolwill all be doing the same work whether or not they are part of this project. Because your child’s work is primarily their own learning they will use their own first name and grade level only (e.g. Emma, Grade 3). We will protect the anonymity and confidentiality of your children to the fullest possible extent, within the limits of the law.

It is customary to keep research data in a secure place and then destroy it after a period of 5 years. This research project is different as the children will continue working on their multimedia workbooks after I have finished collecting data. The data will also be on the ElwoodPrimary School network and the children are also encouraged to take work home if they chose to work on it at home. Asthere is nothing inherently confidential about the data, I see no reason to destroy it at any time.

Procedures/risks

The primary focus of this research project is how children link together their ideas and articulate their objectives as part of the design process. Working in a digital medium is an efficient way to achieve these objectives as work can be modified without having the start again. Everyday processes like copying and pasting information allow children to show different versions of their work to others for comparison and immediate feedback. In many ways this type of work is most closely aligned with TV advertising as children consider screen education in terms of target audience and overall efficiency of communication.

It is hard to imagine how working in this manner could cause discomfort or inconvenience to any childas they refine their designs and plans. The teacher immediately responsible for your child’s progress is their usual classroom teacherso, as always, the focus will be on their wellbeing and educational development. This is an exciting development in education as the children’s work will have a wider audience than usual without any need to publish items on the Internet. The HTML language that the children are using in the same platform on which the Internet runs, but there is no need for this work to be published online as the focus in on the work itself.

Right to withdraw

Please be advised that your participation in this study is completely voluntary. Should you wish to withdraw at any stage, or to withdraw any unprocessed data you have supplied, you are free to do so without prejudice.

Consent form

This plain language statement is for you to keep.

If you would like to participate, please indicate that you have read and understood this information by signing the accompanying consent form and returning it in through your child’s teacher.

Should you require any further information, or have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact either of the researchers; Brendan Jacobs (W): 9531 2762, Tony Jones (W): 8344 8524. If you have any concerns regarding the conduct of the project, which you do not wish to discuss with the research team, you can contact:

The Executive Officer, Human Research Ethics, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010. Tel: (03) 8344 2073.