This chapter focuses on using augmented reality (AR) and digital storytelling (DST) in language teaching and learning. It aims to indicate how AR and DST can be used together in language teaching and learning by integrating both technology and media in a suggested lesson plan. For this aim, the chapter is designed as a literature review study; it first presents a critical review of the studies related to the use of AR and DST in education and language teaching separately. Then, it demonstrates how AR and DST can be integrated through a lesson plan. The lesson plan presents how AR-based DST activities like the one developed for the present study can be used in language classrooms.
TopIntroduction
Augmented reality (AR) as a medium and digital storytelling (DST) as a method are two emerging concepts used in language teaching. They contribute to it positively as AR (Hsu, 2017) and DST (Brenner, 2014) enhance students’ language learning. Therefore, it is essential to know what AR and DST are.
AR is a technology that simultaneously aligns real and computer-generated three-dimensional virtual objects with each other and integrates them into real-life (Azuma, 1997; Azuma et al., 2001). This technology creates a mixed reality in the same physical environment, allowing its users to observe virtual objects presented with real-world entities (Wei et al., 2015). These objects include 3D images, graphics, audio and/or GPS (Ramya & Madhumathi, 2017). To view and interact with AR content, including touching, moving, and interacting objects with each other with virtual buttons, a user gets aid from a handheld computer, computer monitor or a head-mounted display device. Furthermore, this simple and interactive technology can be easily used even by students without computer skills (Lu & Liu, 2015). AR content is user friendly and easily accessible through an application. As a result, all these features can enable AR to be used as a privileged and attractive high-tech instructional material with students, especially Generation Z students, called “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001) and have grown up within the era of technology.
DST is a method that combines the use of technology and traditional storytelling (Signes, 2010) and can be defined as writing and telling a story with computer-based programs (Robin, 2006; Stanley, 2018), including multimedia such as audio, text, video, and music (Moradi & Chen, 2019). The success of DST as a teaching method depends on the key elements of effective digital stories and the phases of preparing digital stories. According to the Center of Digital Storytelling (as cited in Robin, 2006, 2008), effective digital stories include seven key elements: (1) a point of view (showing the main points of a digital story and its perspective to the audience), (2) a dramatic question (a key question that catches the attention of the audience and engages them in the story), (3) emotional content (concentrating on the issues that connect the story to the audience in a powerful and personal way), (4) the gift of your voice (recording a digital story with one’s voice to help the audience understand the context of the story), (5) the power of soundtrack (being integrated with audio materials such as music), (6) economy (not overloading the audience by using too much information), and (7) pacing (being related to the rate of how the digital story progresses). In addition, Moradi and Chen (2019) stated that an effective digital story is prepared in four phases: (1) pre-production (students’ deciding their topics for their digital stories after their research, writing their scripts, telling their stories traditionally, and preparing their storyboards), (2) production (students’ preparing digital multimedia contents related to the topics of their stories and then recording their stories by using their voices), (3) post-production (students’ arranging the contents of their stories and make their stories digital), and (4) distribution (students’ sharing their digital stories with other people).
The explanations about AR and DST have indicated that the nature of AR and DST can increase and promote the use of technology in education, including language teaching, which can stem in a positive effect on students’ language learning (Brenner, 2014; Hsu, 2017). In addition, the effects of Covid-19 have showed that distance/online education can continue to be an essential part of education, including language teaching and that the use of emerging concepts such as AR and DST can be used commonly in the distance/online education even in the post-pandemic era. Thus, it becomes significant to know and understand the uses of AR and DST in language teaching, which also includes knowing and understanding their uses in education.
Knowing and understanding the uses of AR and DST in education and language teaching can help understand how AR and DST can be integrated and used to teach a language. Therefore, the present study aimed to answer the following research questions:
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How can augmented reality be used in education?
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How can augmented reality be used in language teaching?
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How can digital storytelling be used in education?
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How can digital storytelling be used in language teaching?
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How can augmented reality and digital storytelling be used together in language teaching?