OCR Output

132 | Digital Media and Storytelling in Higher Education

for the students’ knowledge construction. There is also a continuous exchange
of opinions between the group members. One of the main functions of such
social interaction is that feedback is used to test the adaptability of concepts
since knowledge must be relevant not only in a pedagogical context but also
in real-life situations. Students may encounter different interpretations of a
topic, different approaches to a problem in the digital stories of the group,
and a convention of interpretation of a topic may emerge if the interpretations
are linked to each other.

Two concepts arise in the context of constructivist learning theory:
constructivism and constructionism: “/...] while constructivism sees the
construction of knowledge as a personal process within the individual mind, for
constructionism this process takes place in the ‘social cognitive space’, i.e. in the
context of cooperation and interaction between people, in the framework of group
processes.” (Nahalka, 2002, p. 70) Digital narrative construction lies somewhere
at the intersection of the two concepts. The creation of a narrative is seen as
an individual construction process according to the concept of constructivism
since narratives are related to one’s prior knowledge. On the other hand,
the construction of digital narratives is the result of research findings and
experiences that lead to a unique configuration of knowledge. In addition,
the author, based on individual taste, selects the elements (verbal, visual, or
dramaturgical) within its own adaptive system. However, constructionism can
be seen in the fact that digital narrative creation is a complex process that is
reflected not only in the system of tools and objectives, but also in the way in
which learning organization and activities are embodied in diverse social forms.

The constructivist pedagogy of collaborative learning through social
relations is embodied in Siemens’ (2005) connectivist theory of learning.
The key concept of this model is learning in a networked form, which is
not necessarily linked to the school. The concept of networked learning is
linked to the notion of a learning environment that has changed as a result
of the information revolution. The Internet not only houses information
in a networked form but also provides a space for collaborative learning.
A summary of the connectivism approach is:

Connectivisms view of learning describes learning as informal, networked,
technologically supported, continuous, lifelong, self-organized, embedded in
other (non-learning) activities. The basic learning activity is the use of technology
and the creation of connections, and the learner's task is to recognize patterns.
Learning is a networking activity and the basic skill is to explore the connections
between different domains. (Virag, 2014, p. 65)

In order for connectivism to be realized, students and teachers involved in
the organization of the learning process must be aware of the possibilities
offered by the World Wide Web and the functions that can be put at the
service of learning. At the time of Web 1.0, only hyperlinked databases were