Ourselves/Our Students: Cellphilming as Participatory Pedagogy in a Digital Age

• In Event: What Is a Cellphilm? Integrating Mobile Phone Technology Into Participatory Arts–Based Research and Activism

Abstract

The future of educational technology is hard to forecast due to its dynamic nature. However, a small exploratory study with fourteen rural South African teachers and their production of cellphilms in the classroom may provide a glimpse into the pedagogical potential of mobile devices. In a research study carried out in two provinces of South Africa, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, teachers produced cellphilms, and considered some of the ways in which they could integrate celphilming methodology and technology into their classroom.

Of interest here is our examination of the theoretical framework of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge—better known as TPACK. Mishra and Koehler (2006; Koehler & Mishra, 2009) developed this framework in response to several concerns, which included: a) the tendency to look at technology and instruction separately b) teachers' knowledge requirements to incorporate technology into their instruction and c) educational technology lacked robust theoretical roots. Their framework suggests key traits teachers require to purposely blend technology into their instructional design. These traits develop in response to the complex and situated knowledge taken into consideration by TPACK. Teaching relies on access to complex knowledge systems, such as “knowledge of student thinking and learning, and knowledge of subject matter” (Mishra & Koehler, 2006, p. 1020).

With this in mind, we consider how cellphones have become central to the lives of many adolescents because it provides access to social media sites to individuals who might otherwise have limited mobility (DeMartini & Mitchell, 2015). Teachers who understand the value of cellphones in knowledge production and as tools in the lives of adolescents are well-positioned to enhance and deepen student learning. TPACK provides an opportunity to explore cellphilm production as an exercise in the authentic integration of technology in education via mobile devices.

This qualitative study focuses on how teachers used cellphones to produce cellphilms on topics relevant to their curriculum. Based on an analysis of fourteen video interviews with teachers, a selection of cellphilms and teachers conversations, we explore the potential of TPACK to enrich teachers’ practice and students’ learning.

Overall these teachers, working in under-resourced contexts, responded positively to the production of cellphilms. They noted how deeply engaged students became when approaching their projects, and commented about the potential to enrich their teaching in such areas as Mathematics, Life Orientation and Science. We reflect upon how this intersection between TPACK and cellphilm production can provide innovative avenues for teachers to use content to teach about technology and vice versa. While cellphilms have been studied as a participatory visual research tool, to date there has been a limited focus on the use of cellphilms as a pedagogical tool. TPACK offers a promising framework for future work in this area.

Authors

• Ashley DeMartini, McGill University

• Claudia Mitchell, McGill University