Remix Culture and the English Language Learner: The Expression of Voice and Identity Through Digital Composition

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 33
  In Roundtable Session: Researching Literacy Engagement Among English Learners

Abstract

This study explores the perceptions and experiences of middle school English language learners who used digital storytelling to shape their identities and to reflect on their experiences in a year-end capstone project. The project followed experiential learning principles, connecting hands-on experiences to reflect on those experiences during the project. Based on a qualitative research method and digital story analysis, the findings indicate that English language learners considered the capstone project a positive learning experience, helping to connect what they learned during the semester to real life experiences, and that they composed digital stories successfully to reflect upon their learning, their home cultures, and their identities. We attend particularly to how they remixed various resources to accomplish these ends.

Authors

• Stanton E F Wortham, Boston College

• Deoksoon Kim, Boston College

• Alisha Nguyen, Boston College

• Yoonmi Kang, Boston College

• Zhongyu Cheng, Boston College

• Yue Liu, Boston College