2013 Summit Programme - The Centre for Excellence in Media ...

PARALLEL SESSION 2: Thursday 19th 14.45 - 15.25
MERJ CONVERSATIONS:
Examining Digital Ethnography as a Pedagogic Tool
Peter Westman
Cantor
9131
Ethnography involves a process of creating and representing knowledge which is based
on the ethnographer’s own experience (Pink 2007). As contemporary digital technologies
enable new ways of thinking about and engaging with identity, for media educators looking
to facilitate critically reflective learning in their classes, adopting a digital ethnographic
pedagogy which incorporates the use of video might offer students (as researchers)
routes to better communicate and reflect upon their own and other’s experiences and
emplaced knowing (Pink 2009). During the presenter’s previous research with adult ESOL
programmes in a West Midlands FE setting, learners were asked to plan, produce, and
present short videos made using flip camcorders in response to weekly thematic prompts
such as ‘What does it mean to be British” The technology chosen for this project was
deliberately ‘low-tech’ in order to maximize access and engagement. Prior to the summit,
participants will be asked to view a selection of these student videos and of interactions
recorded during their in-class screenings. During the discussion, participants will be encouraged
to discuss and debate the pedagogic value of a digital ethnographic approach and
its potential to be transferred and adapted to different learners across target groups and in
both formal and informal learning contexts.
Keywords: ethnography, storyboarding, documentary, multimodality, identity.
Peter Westman is a PhD candidate in the School for Education Futures at the University
of Wolverhampton. He previously conducted ethnographic research on the Taking the
Field digital storytelling project as a member of the UCL digital anthropology programme.
22 Media Education Summit 2013