Digital Literacy Project: 13 Reasons Why Animoto Chapter Synthesis

Julianne M. Robinson and Kaylie L. Williams

ENED 6340, Dr. Emily Pendergrass

Vanderbilt University

Introduction

Imagine being able to create short yet professional movies quickly and easily. Animoto,
a web based tool, does just that. In essentially 3 easy steps, almost anyone can
generate eye catching photo or video stories that are professional quality. Users pick a
style and a song, add pictures, videos and text, then produce and share.

Students at Pearl Cohn High School will be using this tool to create a project based on
the book 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. During their advisory period, pairs of students
will work to brainstorm, plan, draft, create, and edit these short films to increase their
understanding of key themes, characters, moods, and lessons from the book. The
project will be segmented into sessions to ensure students are not only well-supported
by teachers, but also to provide a manageable timeline for completion. Before beginning
the project, students will be shown an example and provided with guidelines that outline
requirements and grading criteria. Additionally, students will be given ample time to
brainstorm, plan, and implement this project with scaffolded support along the way.

This paper begins by discussing the context of Pearl Cohn, with special attention given
to the learners and demographics. Next, we have included a timeline that details
sessions, key teaching points, and resources needed to plan and implement this
project. Following the timeline, the resources selected, purposes and rationale for this
project will be discussed, especially as they relate to technology. This discussion will
incorporate the importance of using students interests, culture of the school,
motivational tactics, use of routines, and best practices embedded in this digital literacy
project.

Part I: Learners

Demographic and Academic Data of Pearl-Cohn High School
This digital literacy project will be conducted with a small group of juniors, during their
advisory period at Pearl-Cohn High School. Pearl Cohn is an entertainment magnet
high school within the Metropolitan Nashville Public School District. Pearl-Cohn faculty
and staff believe in challenging students through a rigorous, integrated curriculum that
will prepare them to engage effectively in the global community. To do this, students
who attend PCHS will receive a unique education that is grounded in the development
of academic skills, as well as character, athletics, creative, and career-based talent.
(Mission, Vision and Beliefs , n.d.).

According to the Tennessee State State Report Card, the school houses 905 9th
through 12th graders, and about 91% of these students are deemed economically
disadvantaged. Demographic data at Pearl-Cohn reveal the makeup of the school as:
90.1% (815 students) Black or African American, 4.9% (44 students) White, and 4.5%
(41 students) Hispanic or Latino. Only 21 students, or 2.3% of the schools population
are English language learners. 20.4% of students (185 students) have a disability.

Pearl-Cohn students and teachers are making impressive gains in math, but literacy is
still a crucial academic concern. In literacy for the 2014-2015 school year, Pearl-Cohn
reached a level 1 least effective - on the TVAAS composite. The TVAAS composite
statistic is used to measure students academic progress on end-of-year TCAP
assessments from year-to-year. A level 1 rating shows teachers at Pearl-Cohn are
making substantially less progress with students on end-of-year TCAP assessments
than the standard for academic growth (State Report Card, n.d.)

Below is a description of PCHS achievement data on English I, English II and English III
state exams.

Achievement Level

English I

English II

English III

Advanced

0%

2.4%

0%

Proficient

36.1%

28.2%

2%

Basic

38.9%

48.1%

34%

Below Basic

25%

21.3%

64%

Though standardized testing data do not expose every detail of PCHS students as
learners, these statistics certainly reveal the need for particular instructional attention in
reading.

Description of Learners
Because Pearl-Cohn is an entertainment magnet school, many of the students we will
work with have strengths and interests in music, the arts and media. For this reason, we
want to incorporate music and visual arts by using a digital media source like Animoto.
The project allows students to produce a video synthesis that utilizes not only text, but
also elements such as music, video and images - all media sources they are familiar
with and interested in. We also believe having students share their completed media
projects during a premier party will provide increased motivation to create high quality
work.

When first introduced to students and Ms. K, we quickly noticed the connection they
have with one another. All students seemed to know the intricacies of each others lives
interests, family members, jobs, classes, friends, etc. For this reason, we believe
students engagement will increase if they are allowed to partner with a friend.

The teacher, too, was well-informed about each individual student. We often saw her
using this detailed personal knowledge as a way to spark conversation throughout the
period. For example, on our first day in the classroom, she asked a particular student
Are you still working at ____? To which the student answered, No Ms. K I just got a
new job at ___. This simple question, asked to one student, provided a springboard for
a lively discussion within and amongst all students centered on jobs.

By partnering students with one other person, we hope to spark dialogue and
discussion about the project. In all sessions, students will be brainstorming ideas about
how to compose their project: chapter selection, video style, text/video/photo input, and
song choice. For this reason, students must be able to articulate their thoughts clear
enough for another person to understand, and then be willing to compromise or argue
their position respectfully. These skills - clarity in communication, respectful debate,
compromise - were purposefully included in this assignment as a way to ...prepare
[students] to engage effectively in the global community (Mission, Vision and Beliefs ,
n.d.).

Part II: Design and Implementation of the Project

After students have finished reading 13 Reasons Why, we will begin the Digital Literacy
Project (DLP): an Animoto Chapter Synthesis. Below is a brief description of each
sessions focus, due dates, a list of materials used, and a reflection of successes and
limitations we faced during implementation.

Annotated Timeline of Project Roll-Out
Session
Number

Focus

Materials
Successes
(technology and
other)

Limitations

1: Project
Introduction

- Project
description
- Example
project
- Review
guidelines
- Chapter
selection

- Project
description
handout
(Paper
copy for
students,
Google
Drive for
teachers)
- Examplar
Project via
Animoto
- Computer
and
Projector
- 13
Reasons
Why

Goals of
describing
the project
were met.
Students
viewed an
example and
answered
basic
questions
about what
they noticed

Motivation/
Resistance
toward
working on
a project

2:
Brainstorm

DUE:
Chapter
Selection

- Intro to
graphic
organizer
- Use text to
guide
planning
by finding
key words,
themes,

- 13
Reasons
Why
- Graphic
organizer
for chapter
synthesis
- Computer
and

Students
wanted
things read
aloud to them
and we
werent
initially
prepared to
do this. To be

Strategies
for re-
reading and
comprehend
ing in
addition to
time. As
soon as we
started

ideas and
projector
mood of
- Popplet.co
chapter
m
- Intro to
- Project
Popplet for
guideline


brainstorm
and
organizatio
n in future
sessions

responsive,
we each
ended up
working with
individual
partner
groups which
was
successful.

working
(after all the
students
shared their
highs and
lows for the
day), the
bell rung.
Additionally,
to the actual
length of the
class period,
only being
there once a
week was a
limitation.
Ms. K said
that she
could work
with them to
complete
the graphic
organizer
completed
before our
next
session,
however
when we
returned the
following
week it was
basically still
empty.

3: Popplet
Storyboard
1

- Organizati
on of ideas
via Popplet

- 13
Reasons
Why

Due to time constraints, this

portion of the project was
eliminated so we could

as a linear
storyboard

- Computers focus on inputting

- Popplet.co information into Animoto

m
- Graphic
organizer
- Project
guidelines

4: Popplet
Storyboard
2

- Work
session to
finish
Popplet
storyboard
- Intro to
Animoto

- 13
Reasons
Why
- Computers
- Popplet.co
m
- Animoto.co
m
- Graphic
organizer
- Project
Guidelines
- Exit ticket
sticky note

Due to time constraints, this

portion of the project was
eliminated so we could
focus on inputting
information into Animoto

5: Animoto
Work
Session 1

DUE:
Completed
Storyboard

- Animoto
Work
Session

- Computers Students
- Animoto.co were fully
m
engaged with
- Graphic
Animoto.
organizer They had
- Text: 13
technology
Reasons
skills that
Why
allowed them
- Project
to work fairly
Guidelines independentl
y and
navigate the
site with
ease.

Slow
internet
connection.
Some
students
were not
able to hear
sound from
the
speakers.
Also, some
students
needed to
be reminded
that their
theme/song
should

complement
the mood of
the chapter
they
selected.

Also, about
half the
class was
absent.
6: Animoto
Work
Session 2

DUE: Style
and
Song(s) to
be used in
project

- Animoto
work
session

- 13
Reasons
Why
- Computers
- Animoto
- Graphic
organizer
- Project
Guidelines

7: Animoto
Work
Session 3

DUE: 2
minutes +
of Animoto
Complete

- Animoto
work
session

- Computers This part of the project will

- Animoto
be completed by the teacher
- Graphic
because we are no longer
organizer returning to PCHS.
- 13
Reasons
Why
- Project
guidelines
- Exit ticket
sticky note

8: Final
Animoto
Work
Session and
Editing

- Final
Animoto
work
session
- Intro to
peer
editing

- Computers This part of the project will

- Animoto
be completed by the teacher
- Graphic
because we are no longer
organizer returning to PCHS.

- 13
Reasons
Why

This part of the project will

be completed by the teacher
because we are no longer
returning to PCHS.

- Peer
editing

- Project
guidelines
- Peer
editing
sticky note

9: Viewing
Party

DUE: Final
Project

- Present
Projects
- Peer
Feedback
- Celebratio
n with
treats!

- Computer
and
projector
- Digital
Project
- Feedback
form

This part of the project will

be completed by the teacher
because we are no longer
returning to PCHS.

10: Project
Reflection

- Project
Discussion

- Discussion
Questions
- Google
forms
survey

This part of the project will

be completed by the teacher
because we are no longer
returning to PCHS.

Purpose
The purpose of this digital literacy project is to deepen students understanding of
themes, ideas, and the overall mood within one chapter of Thirteen Reasons Why. To
do this, we designed a project that asks students to synthesize information, or unite
elements of the text together to form new insight. Rather than a simple summary, a
synthesis will require students to read, re-read, and pay close attention to certain
aspects of the text. A synthesis will also require students to make inferences about
information not explicitly stated within the text. In the end, to display their synthesized
knowledge of the text, students will plan and design an Animoto video. This
video will yet again require students to take existing understandings of the text, and pair
them with new media sources like songs, video clips and images.

To support our learners in composing this synthesis, we broke the project up into mini-
deadlines. This will allow students to better manage their time and effort, because they
know they are just working on one part at a time. Additionally, as facilitators we can
provide more targeted and specific feedback when students turn in one small portion of
the project at a time. The progression of due dates is as follows: Chapter selection,
completed Popplet storyboard, Animoto song and style selection, 2 min. of Animoto,
final Animoto project.

We purposefully integrated technology into our project for several reasons. First, we
understand that technology is an integral part of everyday life for our students. Daily,
they are using technology to compose and share messages. This project will be a sort
of message students are carefully and strategically composing. But they will be asked
to step outside the familiar when composing this message because the digital platforms
Popplet and Animoto are likely unfamiliar. Also, rather than using technology to simply
communicate for connection or pleasure, students will be using technology to
communicate an academic message. This academic technology integration is a skill
many students may have little experience with, and we as facilitators must purpose our
teaching towards building this skill in students.

Another important reason for technology integration involves motivation and

engagement. Pitcher et. al. (2007), suggest that teachers must become more aware of
students personal uses of literacy and what is important to them. Only when we
capitalize on this, can we create literacy tasks that have purpose and thus engage our
learners. In considering this, we have planned an activity that allows students to work
with a familiar partner, choose their own chapter to synthesize, hand select the
audio/visual media, and display this for an audience of peers and future readers.
Overall, we believe we have chosen a task that is both relevant and important to the
students we will work with.

Our students at Pearl-Cohn meet for advisory in a classroom that has desks as well as
approximately 20 computers. This space is a great advantage for the type of multimedia
project we have planned. We will mostly preserve the classroom arrangement of
computers, but would like students to work in a desk pod (2 students per pod) for the
traditional print portion of the project. At their desks, students will pull out key ideas,
using a teacher-provided graphic organizer. This organizer will help students plan the
academic pieces of their project, and ensure all important elements of the chapter are
included. Before they are ready to migrate to digital media, they will be required to
check in with a teacher who can give feedback and ask questions. Once students have
checked in with a teacher, they will easily switch from paper and pencil at a desk, and
text/media construction on the computers in the back of the room.

Because our presence in the classroom has been limited up to this point, clear routines
for daily project work have yet to be established. We will be better able to establish
these routines as we have more opportunities to plan and consult with the classroom
teacher.

Rationale
In the book Connected Reading, Turner and Hicks discuss at length the importance of
both digital and traditional text, noting that 21st century students must be competent in

both (2015). Being digitally literate, however, does not just mean reading text using a
digital platform such as a Kindle or iPad. Digital literacy encompasses skills ranging
from evaluating sources to understanding citations to accessing resources such as
songs or videos to curating an assortment of digital articles or quotes to adding our own
ideas to the ever-growing world wide web. While students today have been immersed in
technology since they were born, we as teachers can not assume that they know how to
use technology appropriately and academically (Turner and Hicks, 2015). Instead, we
must be intentional about embedding authentic lessons concerning using technology
academically into our classrooms. This Digital Literacy Project project aims to do just
that.

Through the use of both digital and traditional text, we will incorporate instruction and
guided practice concerning some of the key skills mentioned above. We combine a
traditional print text, 13 Reasons Why, with a digital project that requires students to use
multiple technology platforms (Animoto and Popplet) as well as traditional graphic
organizers to synthesize key themes in the book. Students will need to switch back and
forth between traditional and digital print and/or platforms seamlessly, which research
shows this generation does effortlessly (OBrien 2006).

Another important aspect that we took into account when planning this project is that it
includes two authentic audiences; students peers as well as people who may or may
not have read the book. These audiences will be addressed in two primary ways. First,
in regards to the students most visible audience (the other students in their advisory
period) each pair of students will share their Animoto videos during one of their advisory
periods (tentatively, session 9). To generate interest and excitement, we will frame this
time of sharing as a premier party in which we will provide some movie snacks for the
students. We anticipate and hope that this first audience in particular will motivate
students to create a product that they have worked hard on and are proud of.
Adolescent students in particular, care a great deal what their peers think of them, and
we plan to use this to our advantage in this project.

The other audience, people students may or may not personally know via the internet,
allows this project to extend far past the walls of PCHS. Through digital sharing (via
social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or Vimeo), students
can post a link to their published video to share with the world, depending on how public
or private they choose to make it. Again, we are anticipating this factor will be motivation
for the students to produce quality and meaningful work.

When thinking about what digital platforms to use for this project, we first considered the
limited time we have to implement this project. Of course, the issue of time is a
reoccurring issue for all teachers regardless of snow days, assemblies and everyday

distractions and changes in scheduling. However, because the intended schedule for
this project was altered so much, we knew we were even more restricted in our time
with this particular group of students. Consequently, we chose to use platforms that are
easy to use and in which we would not have to spend large amounts of instructional
time teaching students to use the platform itself. Animoto and Popplet have interfaces
that students could probably figure out themselves, however with as little as a 5 minute
tutorial, we expect that students will quickly learn the ins and outs of these tools. In
addition, we know that students (especially at PCHS) are particularly adept at using
technology and media to create products. As mentioned in the learners section of our
paper, Pearl Cohn places a heavy focus on entertainment, so students will probably be
familiar with the idea of using music and images to generate certain moods in a viewer,
though they may not have ever used the actual platform of Animoto. Finally, through
Animotos step by step interface, the platform itself acts as a scaffold to students
production of their final product.

In regards to Popplet, many of the same principles can be said of this digital platform
though the purposes are different from Animoto. Students will simply be using Popplet
to brainstorm and organize their ideas. Again, we are assuming that students have
created a web/thinking map before, so they will just be transferring these skills to a
digital space. In addition, these two tools are free yet high quality which is always an
important factor in education due to limited resources. Finally, we wanted to allow our
students to experience success and perhaps even a bit of fun while creating this project,
so we purposefully chose these platforms with these factors in mind. This idea brings up
the important issue for teachers (and students) of thinking critically about digital
platforms, purposes, and implementation in order to create assignments that go as
smoothly as possible.

Part III: Liaison to the Classroom Teacher

Despite the challenges we faced in scheduling time to work with students, we tried to
stay in contact via email with the classroom teacher. However, responses to these
emails were limited, to say the least. These emails were used to ask for information
concerning pacing (where they were in the book, how much they read per week, etc.),
suggestions about ways to motivate the learners, logistical details for roll out, and ways
she can continue to implement the project even on days when we were not present in
the classroom. Because our coordinating teacher only responded to one of these e-
mails, they ended up being more of a debriefing tool or a way to send reminders. In
addition, this lack of feedback left us free to plan the project how we saw fit; which was
liberating at times and frustrating at others. We would have not only appreciated
feedback, but also benefitted because Ms. K knew these students much better than we
did.

In this same vein, meetings with Ms. K always felt rushed. These meetings were often
at the beginning or end of the class period, as students were filing in and out of the
room. While Ms. K was always very enthusiastic and supportive of our project, in
hindsight it was almost as if she was just trying to please us. While she did mention that
these students were not very motivated, she really didnt fully address the reality of the
situation. We arent sure if this was because she knew we had to complete this for
school (and hence, it would be a graded assignment) and therefore glazed over the fact
that what we planned wasnt actually realistic, or perhaps she truly did have high hopes
for the project, for our support, and for the students.

In addition, we also think it is important to keep in mind that Ms. K was a first year
teacher, in a pretty tough school. Having been first year teachers fairly recently
ourselves, we understand how difficult it is to respond to every email, be in constant
reflection, and to let go of ideals. This was certainly one of the most prominent ways
that we benefitted from working with Ms.K. Through our own self reflection of this
process, we were able to empathize with her. It was a good reminder, as future literacy
coaches, that the communications like we described above will happen again. Meetings
will be rushed, emails will go unresponded to, and things will not go as planned. In
those situations, we need to remember to extend grace and just do the best you can
with what you have.

To see the resources that we provided Ms. K, see the Google Drive Link below. This
link contains the project description handout, graphic organizer, and sample Animoto
exemplar project. Google Drive Link

Part IV: Personal Learning

Over the course of project implementation, our overall understanding of motivation and
its impact on student learning has changed. At the start of the project, we did not yet
know our students or the challenges they face at Pearl Cohn. We attempted to design a
project that built on student knowledge and skill in technology. We had read plenty of
research on the influence motivation can have on learning and how todays students
can typically be more engaged when working with technology. But when we became
more involved with students at PCHS, we quickly learned that motivation wasnt one
thing to consider when designing a project for students, but it was really the most
essential consideration we should have had. Though we recognized a general need to
consider motivation and engagement, as we came to know more about our students, we
learned it is the key component to effective teaching and learning.

As we reflect, we ask ourselves: what could we have done on day one to learn more
about students and what motivates them? If, for example, we were to have given
students a simple Google Survey on our first day at Pearl Cohn, we may have been
able to bypass some of our instructional mistakes. We could have asked questions
about our students, then designed a project that would capitalize on their interests,
learning styles, and motivations. Some questions we would like to have asked are:
1. How do you like to read? (Online, traditional print, audiobook, read aloud)
a. We now know students like hear books read aloud (read aloud or
audiobooks)
2. What do you do when you dont understand what you read?
3. What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
4. What type of project would you enjoy completing?
5. If you do not like to read, why is that?

It took us several sessions to really begin to understand our students as readers. As we

learned more, we quickly realized these students were not being challenged in any way.
They needed to be given opportunities to grapple with complex text, while also being
provided with developmentally appropriate scaffolds. Therefore, another question we
ask ourselves is: How could we have best supported the classroom teacher in providing
students with more challenging tasks, and an appropriate level of support?

Perhaps the classroom teacher believed 13 Reasons would be an easy and engaging
text. Maybe she thought we would not need to support them in comprehending the text
as much as a more typical high school text. But when we began to ask students
questions about what they were reading, it was clear a lot of them were not
understanding what they read. One way we could have attempted to help the teacher in
providing comprehension support is to model pre, during, and post reading strategies.

These students comprehension breakdown was further solidified in our minds when we
asked them to complete the graphic organizer. The organizer was created as a scaffold,
to support the class in pulling out information that would eventually be used when they
created the Animoto. The organizer asked them to understand three different kinds of
elements from their selected chapter: events, information about the character, and
feelings expressed (whether explicitly or implicitly). Though we communicated to the
students that they would probably have to reread their chapter in order to be able to
complete the organizer, we werent prepared for how difficult that would actually be for
these students. In hindsight, an additional question we ask ourselves is: How could we
better support comprehension and completion of the graphic organizer?

We could have modeled the process of close reading and inferring better, perhaps
through a step by step read aloud/think aloud. This would have allowed the students to
see how to break the chapter up into manageable chunks and made visible how we
pulled out the ideas, themes, and images that we later used to create the mentor video.

Finally, in our very last session with students, we saw a visible increase in motivation
and engagement when students were offered the opportunity to use Animoto. This
digital platform harnessed students prior digital literacy knowledge, and this allowed
them to fluently navigate the site with little assistance. They were interested in designing
this project, and it showed in their conversations with one another and with teachers.
Though students have not yet completed their final projects, we plan on staying in
contact with Ms. K to hear how they are progressing. When students have finished their
projects, we look forward to viewing them at the premiere party.

References

Mission, Vision and Beliefs . (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2016, from Pearl-Cohn
Entertainment Magnet High School:
http://pearlcohnhs.mnps.org/pages/Pearl_Cohn_Magnet_High_School/About_Ou
r_School/Out_Mission/Mission__Vision_and_Beliefs

OBrien, D. (2006). Struggling adolescents engagement in multimediating: Countering
the institutional construction of incompetence. Reconceptualizing the literacies in
adolescents lives, 2, 29-46.

Pitcher, S. M., Albright, L. K., DeLaney, C. J., Walker, N. T., Seunarinesingh, K.,
Mogge, S., ... & Dunston, P. J. (2007). Assessing adolescents' motivation to
read. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(5), 378-396.

Turner, K.H., & Hicks, T. (2015). Connected Reading: Teaching Adolescent Readers in
a Digital World. National Council of Teachers of English ISBN-13:
978-0814108376 ISBN-10: 0814108377

State Report Card. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2016, from
http://www.tn.gov/education/topic/report-card