Models of Multimodal Research: Digital Storytelling as a Case Example

Hayes, R., & Matusov, E. (2005): From "ownership" to dialogic addressivity: Defining successful digital storytelling projects. THEN: Journal of Technology, Humanities, Education and Narrative

The authors address two research questions:
With such a disparity of definitions and their implicit goals, how do we define success in such projects? How can the act of collaborative digital story authorship help to develop mutual curiosity and relationship-building among the participants?
This was explored within the context of three digital story telling projects at the LLAC. Interesting points:
The discussion of the initial view of ownership as the authors deemed appropriate to the evolution of addressitivity through Bakhtin's definitions of monologic and dialogic.
“We decided that, for our purposes, dialogicity was a key element of success, since all projects by design had at least two authors (at least one adult and at least one child). Further, internal dialogicity was an especially important criterion for success, since one important purpose of the projects (and in a broader sense, the class itself), was for the students develop a dialogic relation with the children, getting to know them as living, unpredictable, non-stereotyped people (aka unfinalized). This success criterion was overlooked by the simpler and individualistic notion of ownership that we initially proposed
( Hayes & Matusov,2005).

The authors state that while the digital media project (the activity) should be in line with the University student and the children getting to know each other(the broader goal). The authors conclude that the “successful” digital media project also fostered dialogic internal addressivity between the children and the University students. Furthermore, that digital media provided a format that “for adults and children to reverse the traditional roles of child novice and adult expert, and in breaking these traditional patterns of interaction (Hayes & Matuso, 2005).

Possible discussion questions:
Do you agree with the authors switch from “ownership” to “addressivity”?
How is it appropriate to deem a digital media project successful or not when it is ambiguous by its nature? Or in what ways is it appropriate to evaluate it?

Links to digital media projects in this paper.
(Fake) Crackheads (Windows Media) (Movie format), 5823 K.
Getting to Know LACC Staff (Windows Media) (Movie format), 3467 K.