Digitising the wisdom of our elders: connectedness through digital storytelling

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 2714-2734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Hausknecht ◽  
Michelle Vanchu-Orosco ◽  
David Kaufman

AbstractDigital storytelling provides older adults with an opportunity to become digital producers, connect with others through story and explore their life history. The authors report on the results of a digital storytelling project for older adults. The study investigated the experiences and perceived benefits of older adults who created digital stories during a ten-week course and explored the reactions of story viewers to the digital stories they viewed during a special sharing event. Eighty-eight older adult participants in Metro Vancouver who attended one of 13 courses offered were included in the study. Most of the participants were female and over half were immigrants. Results from the focus group interviews demonstrated a rich array of reported social and emotional benefits experienced through the process of creating a digital story within the course. Three main themes emerged: social connectedness through shared experience and story, reminiscence and reflecting on life, and creating a legacy. Viewers who attended a ‘Sharing Our Stories’ event reported that the stories were meaningful, well constructed and invoked a range of emotions. The researchers conclude that digital storytelling may help digital storytellers increase connectedness to others and to self. Additionally, this connectedness may extend over time through the process of examining the past to create a digital story that can serve as a legacy to connect to future generations.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S453-S453
Author(s):  
Christine H Daum ◽  
Lili Liu ◽  
Kara Hollinda ◽  
David Kaufman ◽  
Arlene Astell

Abstract Digital storytelling combines storytelling and digital tools to create brief video clips in which narrative, images, and music are embedded, in order to share personal stories. Digital storytelling facilitators can be health and social care providers as well as care partners who collaborate with persons living with dementia to co-create their stories. These facilitators elicit people’s stories and use the technology to create the digital story. Despite their important role, there is a paucity of information on facilitators’ specific skills and strategies used in working with persons living with dementia. The purpose of this project was to examine skills and strategies used by facilitators who co-create digital stories with persons living with mild dementia. Audio recordings of 70 digital storytelling co-creation sessions conducted in three Canadian cities (Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto) were transcribed and subjected to qualitative content analysis. Regardless of their disciplinary background, facilitators acted as weavers, bringing together narrative threads to co-construct a digital story with participants. Essential communication skills and strategies included active listening, strategic questioning, being comfortable with silence, and therapeutic responding. Building relationships and collaboration were achieved through flexibility, empathy, and encouraging autonomy. To be an effective facilitator of the digital storytelling process with older adults living with dementia, facilitators must adapt their communication strategies and relational skills to the strengths and needs of the older adults with whom they are collaborating.


Author(s):  
Chantyclaire A. Tiba Publishing ◽  
Janet Condy ◽  
Agnes Chigona ◽  
Nyarai Tunjera

It has been shown that teachers are reluctant to use technology despite the South African (SA) government’s huge expenditure on technological equipment. This might  be the result of teachers being unable to select appropriate technology that will yield positive learning outcomes  as well as being ill-equipped to integrate  technology  into their pedagogy. To this end, pre-service teachers at a University were trained on how to integrate digital storytelling (DST) effectively into their teaching. The aim of this study is to  gain insight  into the  potential benefits of DST  for teaching and learning  and to determine factors that may prevent pre-service teachers’ uptake of DST during in-service practice. This is a qualitative study in which fifty pre-service teachers were divided into five groups for focus group interviews. Data were analysed, and the results show that pre-service teachers perceived DST to be beneficial in the classroom as it has the potential to (i) motivate and engage learners, (ii) promote  voice/self-expression, and  (iii) promote collaborative learning and  acquisition of multiple skills. Pre-service teachers are of the opinion that a lack of resources, self-confidence and time owing to restrictive curricula may prevent uptake of DST during in-service teaching. It was recommended that school stakeholders create a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic factors that will promote the adoption and integration of DST into teaching. Also,  the education institution concerned strives to balance all three strands of knowledge: technology, pedagogy and content.


Author(s):  
Monica E. Nilsson

The aim of this chapter is to discuss digital storytelling in the context of education. Two questions guide the study: What is a digital story? What is the motivation for making a digital story? I have examined short multimodal personally-told digital stories published on the Internet. As a theoretical framework for the discussion I have compared digital storytelling with storytelling traditions in the oral and the written culture. The result implies that the definition of a digital story depends on what is considered a narrative. By transcending what has traditionally been considered narrative and by defining narrative in a broader sense, digital storytelling is an innovative tool and serves as a promising activity facilitating learning and development in the post modern society.


Author(s):  
Jodi Pilgrim ◽  
J. Michael Pilgrim

Technology tools continue to contribute to the digital story formats, and in today's world, multiple modes of communication are used to deliver narratives. Digital storytelling engages an audience by means of computer-based tools to share a message. Through the use of digital technologies like virtual reality (VR), digital stories have evolved to include the concept of immersive storytelling. VR utilizes interactive 360-degree images designed to immerse the user in a virtual environment. Immersive stories provide the storyteller's audience with a sense of being present at the scene. This chapter presents a background on the rationale for the use of VR technologies in storytelling as well as classroom applications for immersive storytelling across all academic disciplines. The technologies and processes for creating an immersive story are presented along with clear steps and recommended websites. In addition, examples of immersive stories are shared.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 160940691988727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Adler ◽  
Sanna Salanterä ◽  
Maya Zumstein-Shaha

Focus groups are becoming increasingly popular in research, especially in parent and child research. Focus group interviews allow participants to tell their own stories, express their opinions, and even draw pictures without having to adhere to a strict sequence of questions. This method is very suitable for collecting data from children, youths, and parents. However, focus group interviews must be carefully planned and conducted. The literature on focus group interviews with adult participants is extensive, but there are no current summaries of the most important issues to consider when conducting focus group interviews with children, youths, or parents. This article outlines the use of focus groups in child, youth, and parent research and the important factors to be considered when planning, conducting, and analyzing focus groups with children, youths, or parents.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tessa Morgan ◽  
Janine Wiles ◽  
Hong-Jae Park ◽  
Tess Moeke-Maxwell ◽  
Ofa Dewes ◽  
...  

Abstract While social connectedness is heralded as a key enabler of positive health and social outcomes for older people, rarely have they themselves had the opportunity to express their views about the concept. Working with a diverse group of Pacific, Māori, Asian and New Zealand European older adults, this paper explores what matters to older people when discussing social connectedness? We draw from individual, in-depth interviews with 44 older adults, and three group interviews comprising 32 older adults. Data were analysed using thematic and narrative analyses. The three themes identified were: getting out of the house, ability to connect and feelings of burden. Fundamental to social connectedness was participants’ desire to be recognised as resourceful agents able to foster relationships on the basis of mutual respect. Social connectedness was conceptualised as multi-levelled: relating to interpersonal relationships as much as neighbourhoods and wider society. Alongside these similarities we also discuss important differences. Participants preferred to socialise with people from similar cultural backgrounds where they shared taken-for-granted social customs and knowledges. This is in the context where racism, poverty and inequalities clearly impeded already minoritised participants’ sense of social connection. Key structural ways to improve social connectedness should focus on factors that enable cohesion between levels of connection, including stable neighbourhoods serviced with accessible public transport, liveable pensions and inclusivity of cultural diversity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S871-S872
Author(s):  
Eun hae Kim ◽  
Kyong Hee Chee ◽  
Clay DeStefano ◽  
Anna Broome

Abstract Structured social support may enhance the benefits of an exercise class for participants. This study examined the effects of an intergenerational exercise buddy program on participant well-being. A convenience sampling was used to recruit participants from Central Texas (N = 51): 34 were community-dwelling adults aged 65 and above, and 17 were university students aged 18-25 years. The study used a pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design and focus group interviews. Randomly selected 18 older-adult participants were paired with young-adult participants as an exercise buddy for each other to attend 8 weekly Tai Chi or Chair Yoga classes at a community center. Meanwhile, 16 older-adult participants formed a control group attending different exercise classes without young-adult buddies. The survey results show that, compared to the control group, the intervention group (n = 35) had significantly greater satisfaction with life (p < .09 ) and a more positive attitude towards aging (p < .01) after attending exercise classes with their buddies. In focus group interviews, the participants most frequently mentioned that commitment to their buddies as a key factor for class attendance. The participants typically perceived that their buddies were pleasant and did not judge or treat them based on their age. They stressed the positive effects of building relationships with all involved in the program, including the exercise instructors. Meanwhile, control-group participants wished that they, too, had buddies. Although the study should be replicated with a larger sample, its findings suggest that an intergenerational exercise program offers added benefits for participants.


1999 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia S. Teel ◽  
Paula Carson ◽  
Janet Hamburg ◽  
Alicia Ann Clair

The authors developed a program for older adults to improve spatial awareness and sense of balance while promoting person-environment interaction. Motivating Moves, a 20-min program of 14 movement sequences set to original music, was offered to 4 groups of older adults (N = 66, mean age = 80.97, SD = 7.34) during 6 weekly 1-hr sessions. Participants learned new movements during the First 5 weeks, and all movements were reviewed in the 6th week. Program evaluation was based on attendance-pattern data, self-report measures of program satisfaction, and focus-group interviews. Approximately 64% of enrollees (n = 42) completed the program, and attendance rates were high (>89%) for these individuals. Participants reported benefits of Motivating Moves’, such as enhanced posture awareness, improved sense of balance, and increased social interaction. Issues related to developing and offering a movement program with music are reviewed, with attention to potential difficulties and suggestions for program implementation.


JMIR Aging ◽  
10.2196/17299 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e17299
Author(s):  
Caleb Ferguson ◽  
Sally C Inglis ◽  
Paul P Breen ◽  
Gaetano D Gargiulo ◽  
Victoria Byiers ◽  
...  

Background New wearable devices (for example, AliveCor or Zio patch) offer promise in detecting arrhythmia and monitoring cardiac health status, among other clinically useful parameters in older adults. However, the clinical utility and usability from the perspectives of clinicians is largely unexplored. Objective This study aimed to explore clinician perspectives on the use of wearable cardiac monitoring technology for older adults. Methods A descriptive qualitative study was conducted using semistructured focus group interviews. Clinicians were recruited through purposive sampling of physicians, nurses, and allied health staff working in 3 tertiary-level hospitals. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis to identify themes. Results Clinicians representing physicians, nurses, and allied health staff working in 3 tertiary-level hospitals completed 4 focus group interviews between May 2019 and July 2019. There were 50 participants (28 men and 22 women), including cardiologists, geriatricians, nurses, and allied health staff. The focus groups generated the following 3 overarching, interrelated themes: (1) the current state of play, understanding the perceived challenges of patient cardiac monitoring in hospitals, (2) priorities in cardiac monitoring, what parameters new technologies should measure, and (3) cardiac monitoring of the future, “the ideal device.” Conclusions There remain pitfalls related to the design of wearable cardiac technology for older adults that present clinical challenges. These pitfalls and challenges likely negatively impact the uptake of wearable cardiac monitoring in routine clinical care. Partnering with clinicians and patients in the co-design of new wearable cardiac monitoring technologies is critical to optimize the use of these devices and their uptake in clinical care.


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 793-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine J. Briant ◽  
Amy Halter ◽  
Nathan Marchello ◽  
Monica Escareño ◽  
Beti Thompson

Digital storytelling is an emergent method in health promotion. It addresses health inequities by combining technology with the voices of members of vulnerable, often underrepresented populations. The overall goal of this pilot project was to explore if digital storytelling could be a culturally relevant health promotion tool for Hispanics/Latinos to share their experiences with cancer, or other diseases. Promotores participated in a train-the-trainer workshop. Community members worked with trained promotores to create digital stories through community workshops. We conducted one-on-one interviews with digital story creators to elicit perspectives and assess their experience. One overarching theme among storytellers was the power of storytelling. Supporting subthemes that emerged in the interviews were (1) connection and communication, (2) lack of opportunities and barriers to telling stories, and (3) potential for disease prevention awareness and education. This study found digital storytelling to be culturally relevant for Hispanics/Latinos of Mexican origin. For these storytellers it was a uniquely valuable tool for sharing personal stories of overcoming or managing health issues. Participants found the digital story experience to be positive and beneficial. It provided a healing outlet to reflect on a difficult experience and find support within one’s own community.


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