Digital Initiative Changes the Summer Experience for Students
Duke students showcase their research using DDI equipment
Monday, August 10, 2009
Durham, NC -- From the jungles of southern India to low-income neighborhoods in Santiago, Chile, Duke students and faculty immersed themselves in new worlds this summer and documented their experiences in video.
About 90 DukeEngage participants and dozens more working in independent study and programs such as Service Opportunities in Leadership (SOL) took Flip video cameras and other equipment to locations across the globe as part of the Duke Digital Initiative (DDI).
Some shared what they learned on blogs. Three DukeEngage students, for example, documented their eight-week independent-study project at the SAI Sanctuary nature preserve in southern India on their “Jungle Blog.” They produced a series of short films focused on environmental issues, including one about their work constructing a biogas plant, which turns cow dung into cooking fuel.
“Since many of the communities we were reaching out to didn’t have high literacy rates, we relied on engaging visuals and audio to make our arguments instead of text,” said Duke junior Sandeep Prasanna, who helped produce the blog. “With video, your audience can see exactly what you see and experience what you’re experiencing.”
Other students – such as the 10 undergraduates who participated in SOL summer research projects with community partners across the United States and as far away as London and Cape Town, South Africa – used the videos primarily in data collection and analysis.
“We use the cameras mainly as reflective tools, to help students see their experiences in a different way and to share that with their class,” said Andrea Marston, research service-learning coordinator for the Hart Leadership Program.
Video adds a new dimension to field research and student engagement, said David Morgan, a religion professor whose students used the Flips as a data collection tool last fall in a seminar on religion and nationhood.
“These cameras get students up close and personal to what they’re studying,” Morgan said. “This medium makes more sense to them, and it can help document events that elude traditional media. How do you get your hands around a parade? Filming in real time is one way.”
In the coming academic year, DDI will explore ways to collaborate using digital media, mobile devices and social networking tools, according to DDI’s coordinators in the Office of Information Technology and the Center for Instructional Technology
“We’re taking a closer look at how social media, combined with multimedia content production, can help bridge the distance between people in remote locations and how the tools people might already be using can make it easier to find content and connect people who share similar interests,” said Samantha Earp, OIT’s director of academic services.
The programs for 2009-10 will include:
· Exploring web-based virtual collaboration such as online office hours and virtual guest speakers;
· Investigating uses of Twitter to support teaching and other academic work;
· Learning about and using mobile devices students already have, in and outside the classroom;
· Creating new and flexible teaching spaces with micro-projectors small enough to fit in your pocket;
· Using the VoiceThread online media annotation tool to share and comment on digital media.
Since its inception in 2004, DDI has supported the application of a range of technologies, including iPods and tablet PCs, in teaching and learning. Funded by the Provost’s Office, the program provides training to help faculty and students use the tools effectively.
Undergraduate faculty interested in learning more or joining one of these explorations should visit the DDI Web site or contact cit@duke.edu.
Faculty and students interested in digital video can check out a variety of equipment – including high-definition Flip video cameras, video camera kits and web cameras – available for loan at the Link in Perkins Library.
To learn more about other DDI programs, visit the DDI site.
