Misinformation is everywhere. This “infodemic” (World Health Organisation, n.d.) has been especially apparent in the past few years with the advent of COvid19 and the impact of social media (World Health Organisation, n.d.) We have seen massive growth in “fake news” as popular culture and we already know that students are subjected daily to phenomenal amounts of information, however, we also see that many students’ ability to critique real from fake – especially on the internet is less than ideal (Coombs).

In 2011, The American centre for disease control and prevention prepared a document in response to the lack of society’s preparedness for emergencies. “ Preparedness 101; zombie pandemic” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.), Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response., 2011)  drew on the metaphor for conceptualising real-world disasters and how to prepare for them ( Collier, 2022). This campaign was inspired by the lack of people effectively prepared for disaster response and drew on the pop culture of “zombies” to make the topic more” Sexy” (Scientific American, 2011).

“ The whole idea was if you were prepared for a zombie apocalypse, you were prepared for anything” (Scientific American, 2011)

We are currently fighting our pandemic – and no, its not anything to do with infectious diseases –  The Misinformation “infodemic” has been cited as one of the greatest threats to mankind (Nuccitelli, 2017) and librarians, as information fluency experts are at the forefront. (Wall, 2018)  In my digital literature creation, I want to follow the same successful narrative at the CDC – using zombies as a pop culture metaphor to fight the “infodemic”

“ How to survive the zombie apocalypse”

Imagine you are watching the evening news and a story about a possible zombie outbreak comes to air… however, your social media feed is filled with posts about the “fake zombie apocalypse” – how will you navigate the world of misinformation to survive zombification? 

In my design, students will travel through a “choose your own adventure” style in which they will be presented with choices that will ultimately decide whether or not they survive the impending zombie outbreak. The process will be simple, students will read a narrative under the zombie apocalypse context. They will then learn, through the story how to spot “fake news” and then, via reading embedded articles and media, critically analyse what is false and what is true. Students who choose the truth pathway will ultimately end up surviving the zombie apocalypse – students who choose to believe the misinformation, however, will end up as zombies.

My rationale behind this is that we are currently in an infodemic. The NSW Information Fluency Framework  (2021) describes information fluency as “ Information fluency is the ability to critically think while engaging with, creating and utilising information and technology, regardless of the information platform or medium.” (NSW Dept of Education, 2021) and is an integral part of 21st-century learning. With the growing use of digital products for knowledge, the increased use of social media for information gathering and the “google generation” (Rowlands et al., 2008)  Students are exposed to more information than ever (McGrew 2016) and the role of the teacher librarian in mitigating this has become more and more important – especially since part of the role of TL’s is to be a mentor and leader in information literacy. (Foster, n.d.) The choose your adventure narrative will prove to be an engaging way for students to personalise their reading experience – an essential factor in creating successful digital literature (Furenes et al). 

The medium I will be using to create the content is google sites as it is something my students are very familiar with. I will also incorporate interactive elements such as hyperlinks, videos, and other digital products and embed them into my digital literature narrative. I have already completed something similar for a project for book week 2021 when students were learning from home. 

References

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.), Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response. (2011). Preparedness 101; zombie pandemic. CDC stacks. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/6023

Centres for Zombie Control and Prevention”. (2011, October 25). Skepticality Podcast. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from htthttps://www.skepticality.com/centers-zombie-control-prevention/p://www.skepticality.com/centers-zombie-control-prevention/

Collier, K. (2022, June 6). The CDC is no longer preparing for the zombie apocalypse…should we? Dalhousie’s blog platform. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://blogs.dal.ca/openthink/the-cdc-is-no-longer-preparing-for-the-zombie-apocalypse-should-we/

Foster, K. (n.d.). What is a Teacher Librarian? Australian School Library Association. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://asla.org.au/what-is-a-teacher-librarian

Furenes, M. I., Kucirkova, N., & Bus, A. G. (2021, March 8). A Comparison of Children’s Reading on Paper Versus Screen: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 91(4), 483-517. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654321998074

Good, C. (2011, May 20). Why Did the CDC Develop a Plan for a Zombie Apocalypse? The Atlantic. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/05/why-did-the-cdc-develop-a-plan-for-a-zombie-apocalypse/239246/

McGrew, S. (2016). Why Students Can’t Google Their Way to the Truth. Education Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/11/02/why-students-cant-google-their-way-to.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2-R

NSW Dept of Education. (2021). Information Fluency Framework. NSW Department of Education. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/Information_fluency_framework.pdf

Nuccitelli, D. (2017, December 27). Fake news is a threat to humanity, but scientists may have a solution | Dana Nuccitelli. The Guardian. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/dec/27/fake-news-is-a-threat-to-humanity-but-scientists-may-have-a-solution

Rowlands, Ian & Nicholas, David & Williams, Peter & Huntington, Paul & Fieldhouse, Maggie & Gunter, Barrie & Withey, Richard & Jamali, Hamid R. & Dobrowolski, Tom & Tenopir, Carol. (2008). The Google generation: The information behaviour of the researcher of the future. Aslib Proceedings. 60. 290-310. 10.1108/00012530810887953. 

Scientific American. (2011, May 19). “Zombie Apocalypse’ Campaign Crashes CDC Website”. Scientific American. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=zombie-apocalypse-campaign-crash

Wall, J. (2018). Information + competency + literacy = fluency. A thought piece. Scan, 37(6). https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-37-2018/information-competency-literacy-fluency–a-thought-piece

World Health Organisation. (n.d.). Infodemic. WHO | World Health Organization. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/infodemic#tab=tab_1

“After a digital storytelling is shared, it should be remembered for its soul, not the bells and whistles of technology.”

—Bernajean Porter

Every day new technologies allow for greater access to engaging and valuable learning experiences (Lamb, 2011) with the innovation of portable devices and social media, digital tools have become more prevalent in our students’ lives (Sahlberg, 2021). Digital literature is not limited to just PDFs but is a vast variety of formats such as interactive e-books, browser-based media and new web-based multimodal experiences (Lamb, 2011), with this vast variety of new media at our doorstep, it is more important than ever to ensure that digital literature that we use in our classrooms, is relevant and evaluated against strong criteria that ensures its quality in the school environment (McGeehan et al., 2018).  Through my review of the previous texts, I have discovered that digital literature needs to meet a few criteria to ensure it can effectively support the user – Quality digital literature needs to be easy to navigate, easy to understand and uses technology that enhances and does not hinder the learner and ultimately is engaging in its content (Kucirkova, 2018).

For my analysis of my chosen digital texts, I used a mix of criteria from the UKLA Digital Literature Society (UK Literary Association, 2022), criteria developed by Kurcirkova in 2018 and evaluation criteria based on quality digital interfaces (Bozkurt & Bozkurt, 2015). Coming from a design background, it was easy for me to evaluate these texts from a technology perspective but more difficult to consider their literacy impacts, this is because digital literature differs greatly from its analogue form. Digital resources that have enhanced interactivity are far more engaging to the user – proving almost a third layer of interactivity to the reading experience (Yokota & Teale, 2014). These enhancements are used to create a stronger sense of meaning and understanding with the target audience (Kucirkova & Mackey, 2020) and from what I have viewed, is an essential element of quality digital texts (Walsh, 2010). An example of this is the strong human connection created in “The Boat” (2021) – something that without the digital animation and audio elements would not have been as emotionally effective in its physical format.

Digital texts also provide an element of equity and accessibility. The diverse 21st-century classroom means that digital texts have a place in creating collaborative experiences as well as features that make them more accessible than their analogue counterparts ( (Kucirkova, 2018).  This allows students to engage more effectively in the accessible content that provides a more individualised learning experience (Furenes et al., 2021). As Teacher librarians, is it our role to provide value to all texts? The advent of online digital learning has become a catalyst for the implementation of digital literature in teh classroom (Sahlberg, 2021) so it is more important than ever the teacher librarians are well informed in the evaluation of digital literature in our collections – ensuring the best possible resources for the classroom (O’connell et al., 2015).

I can remember buying my first Kindle. As a confessed “technology nerd” I have always looked to the digital realm for resources for my classroom.  I love the ability to have 24/7 anytime anywhere access to my entire library, I love the accessibility features that help my neurodivergent brain concentrate and most of all, I love the fact that I don’t have to wait to buy the next book in a series that I thoroughly enjoyed ( A kindle is also much quieter when putting a toddler to bed!) I will, however, always have a soft spot for the physical copy of a book (Myrberg & Wiberg, 2015). Through my exploration of digital literature, I have found new ways to appreciate the multimodal aspects available to me and my classroom, I have also, a deeper appreciation for creating a sound base in which to effectively evaluate my resources. 

Each of the pieces of literature I have reviewed provides an engaging and valuable experience to the user (Serafini & Youngs, 2013)   each creates the opportunity for students to explore and develop both their digital comprehension and literacy skills (Coombes, 2016) My favourite, however,  is “ The Boat” by Nam le ( 2021) it is beautiful and its engaging illustrations are beautifully enhanced by animation and audio media to make it a very emotive piece that puts you in the shoes of the storyteller.  As a Teacher Librarian, I would use this as an example of a well create digital storytelling and encourage students to explore their own stories using similar authoring software such as Microsoft sway and google sites.

References

Bozkurt, A., & Bozkurt, M. (2015). Evaluation Criteria for Interactive E-Books For Open and Distance Learning. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 16(5), 58-73. IRRODL. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v16i5.2218

Coombes, B. (2016). Digital Literacy: A New Flavour of Literacy or Something Different? Synergy, 14(1), 1-10. 10.13140/RG.2.1.2609.8804

Furenes, M. I., Kucirkova, N., & Bus, A. G. (2021, March 8). A Comparison of Children’s Reading on Paper Versus Screen: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 91(4), 483-517. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654321998074

Kucirkova, N. (2018). How and Why to Read and Create Children’s Digital Books: A Guide for Primary Practitioners. UCL Press. https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/109473

Kucirkova, N., & Mackey, M. (2020, July 21). Digital literacies and children’s personalized books: Locating the ‘self’. London Review of Education, 18(4), 151-162. ResearchGate. DOI:10.14324/LRE.18.2.01

Lamb, A. (2011, Nov). Reading Redefined for a Transmedia Universe. International Society for Technology in Education, 39(3), 12-17. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ954320

McGeehan, C., Chambers, S., & Nowakowski, J. (2018). Just because It’s Digital, Doesnt Mean It’s Good: Evaluating Digital Picture books. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 34(2), 58-70. Routledge. 10.1080/21532974.2017.1399488

Myrberg, C., & Wiberg, N. (2015, July). Screen vs paper: what is the difference for reading and learning. Insights, 28(2), 49-50. http://dx.doi.org/10/1629/uksg.239

O’connell, J., Bales, J., & Mitchell, P. (2015, June). Literature in Digital Environments: changes and emerging trends in Australian school libraries. Conference: 44th Annual International Conference & 17th International Forum on Research in School Librarianship, International Association of School Librarianship. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281348633_Literature_in_Digital_Environments_changes_and_emerging_trends_in_Australian_school_libraries

Sahlberg, P. (2021). Does the Pandemic help make education more equitable? Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 20(11), 11-18. 10.1007/s10671-020-09284-4 

Serafini, F., & Youngs, S. (2013). Reading Workshop 2.0: Children’s literature in the Digital Age. The Reading Teacher, 66(5), 401-404. 10.1002/TRTR.1141

UK Literary Association. (2022). UKLA Digital Book Award. UKLA. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://ukla.org/awards/ukla-digital-book-award/

Yokota, J., & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture Books and the Digital World. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 577-585. 10.1002/trtr.1262

Digital literature review 3:  The Collapse

Category: Interactive Digital Novel

Title: The Collapse

Author: David M Henley

Publisher: Thought Empire

Cost: Free to use

Platform: Internet browser but better viewed on a touch screen device

Resource: https://davidmhenley.com/ 

Where can it be viewed:  Desktop but best viewed on portable devices such as mobiles or tablet computers

The art of digital storytelling is being looked upon as an art form rather than a form of digital literature or text and an experimental way to use multimedia to tell a story (Groth, 2018). Many awards have the intention to showcase “innovation and creativity” in storytelling for new and contemporary media for example the digital literature awards QUT, these contemporary examples, can tread a fine line between something that is easily absorbed and understood, to something that is distracting or hard to interpret for the user due to their non-linear content. (Lamb, 2011). In the 2021 winner of the Woolhara Digital Literary award for digital innovation, “ The Collapse, we see an example of contemporary digital literature that intends to use digital enhancements to extend the experience of the narrative (Woollahara Council, 2021). Good storytelling connects the humanity in all of us and the digital context can allow others to connect emotionally through experiences they have not yet felt – but only through the right digital enhancements (Tse et al., 2021).

Content and Ease of Use:

The Collapse (2021) is a digital novel based on a first-hand witness account of “Tom” as he experiences the collapse of society. The story follows Tom through the initial broadcasts of new articles and advertisements (presented as breakout moving images and animations) through to the ultimate sense of the human race a the hand of “Killbots”. The story is helped with the use of a countdown timer, with each page counting down closer and closer to the end – adding to the chaotic and fast-paced nature of the text. Scattered throughout the narrative are images and animated enhancements that also add to the chaotic nature of the text. Alternatively, there are also options for the user to toggle the audio elements, although it is recommended by the author to add to the reading experience.

Although an award-winning piece, I felt that the multimedia elements in The Collapse created elements of distraction for the viewer rather than aide the telling of the story. There is so much going on in this text and although I understand the chaotic and fast-paced context of the story, the chaos of the embedded sound, graphics and animations made it difficult to concentrate on what I was reading. This can make it difficult for the reader to engage effectively with the content (Yokota & Teale, 2014). There is a sense of urgency created by the countdown timer, but this element disappears as the user scrolls through teh story so it becomes seems redundant. Kucirkova explains that cannot simply add digital elements simply because they are available, they must add to the narrative or enhance the story in some form (Kucirkova, 2018,) and although the enhancements in David Henley’s The collapse do support the telling of the story, they do detract from the user experience making the story hard to read and confusing (Bozkurt & Bozkurt, 2015)

Interactivity and Adapatability

David Henley describes the collapse as an “experiment combing video, animations and sound to push the reading experience (Henley, 2021). The Collapse takes the viewer through a web-based narrative using a familiar scrolling element that helps the user to focus on teh content rather than learn how to make the content work (Kucirkova, 2018,) the interface itself is designed in a way that is easily navigated by the user, with the ability to jump to times on the countdown clock via a sidebar menu.  This aspect is both a positive and a negative feature as one becomes tempted to move quickly through the work due to the overall chaotic nature of the text itself – missing integral components of the story in the process. (McGeehan et al., 2018)  this is of particular importance to those of a digital native mindset as they are easily distractable and have a tendency to skim read (Coombes, 2016) design in digital literature should help and not hinder the visual literacy elements of a text and the ability for students to decode written text via visual elements is an important part of developing digital literacy (Lurgi, 2019) – anecdotally, as a literate adult, I found the story hard to navigate with and struggled with all the added media enhancements. 

Classroom application

Overall, this text would be best suited to an English-based curriculum as an example of digital and multimodal text.  I would recommend that it be used in stage 5 to 6 curriculum as some aspects of this text can have some adult themes. Although the user has the opportunity to replay chapters and pages, the nature of this text would need advanced literacy skills to engage effectively with it due to its chaotic nature and use of multimodal elements. (Walsh, 2010)

References

Bozkurt, A., & Bozkurt, M. (2015). Evaluation Criteria for Interactive E-Books For Open and Distance Learning. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 16(5), 58-73. IRRODL. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v16i5.2218

Coombes, B. (2016). Digital Literacy: A New Flavour of Literacy or Something Different? Synergy, 14(1), 1-10. 10.13140/RG.2.1.2609.8804

Groth, S. (2018, May 20). Still Defining Digital Literature. The Writing Platform. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://thewritingplatform.com/2018/05/still-defining-digital-literature/

Henley, D. M. (2021). The Collapse. David Henley | Thought Empire. Retrieved August 21, 2022, from https://davidmhenley.com/

Lamb, A. (2011, Nov). Reading Redefined for a Transmedia Universe. International Society for Technology in Education, 39(3), 12-17. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ954320 

Lurgi. (2019, May 25). Why Comics? ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/p/comics-and-literacy.html 

McGeehan, C., Chambers, S., & Nowakowski, J. (2018). Just because It’s Digital, Doesnt Mean It’s Good: Evaluating Digital Picture books. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 34(2), 58-70. Routledge. 10.1080/21532974.2017.1399488

Tse, J. K., Chen, S. W.Y., & Chu, S. K.W. (2021). Quality Assessment for Digital Stories by Young Authors. Sciendo: Data and Information Management, 5(1), 174-183. Sciendo.

Woollahara Council. (2021). Woollahra Digital Literary Award | Woollahra. Woollahra Municipal Council. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from https://www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/library/whats_on/digital_literary_award 

Walsh, M. (2010). Multimodal Literacy: What does it mean for classroom practice. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 33(3), 211-239.

Yokota, J., & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture Books and the Digital World. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 577-585. 10.1002/trtr.1262

Digital literature review 2: The Boat

Category: Interactive Graphic Novel

Title: The Boat

Author: Nam Le – Adaptation by Matt Huynh

Publisher: SBS

Cost: Free to use

Platform: Internet browser but better viewed on a touch screen device

Resource:https://www.sbs.com.au/theboat/ 

Learning resources: https://www.sbs.com.au/learn/resources/a-refugee-story-the-boat 

Where can it be viewed:  Any device connected with an internet browser

Digital literature has the opportunity to be engaging and inventive ( Groth, 2018). This contemporary medium uses transmedia to hook its users in and bring to life storytelling in a digital form (Serafini & Youngs, 2013). In the SBS visual story “The Boat” we see a haunting adaption of the tale of a young refugee as she travels from Vietnam to escape persecution. The content addresses issues regarding asylum seekers, refugees, conflict and human rights (Miles, 2021) n a visually arresting digital graphic novel.

Graphic novels are an important part of developing visual literacy. The multimodal nature of comics forces the reader to connect visual images and cues from the text, helping in higher order information retention (Iurgi, 2019) and lending themselves well to digital adaptations as they are already multifaceted. There has been a rising trend toward the use of digital technologies in viewing comics (Pulfer, 2020) so it only seems natural that authors take advantage of their newfound popularity. 

Content and Ease of use

Adapted from the novel by Nam le, The boat starts with an animated screen that provides instructions for the best user experience as well as sound warnings, allowing the opportunity to adjust their experience of the content. Already, the ability for the user to individualise their experience is a key feature in engaging digital literature (Furenes et al., 2021). The boat is described as an interactive graphic novel (Miles, 2021) that takes the viewer through the experience of a young refugee girl using sound, animation and graphics to provoke an emotive experience for the user. Each “chapter” of the novel is defined by a different set of audio creating context for the story and allowing the user to immerse themselves into the world of the boat.  

The use of multimodal digital features in the boat helps to create an engaging user experience and provides a more sophisticated and enhanced form of storytelling – one that is both present in physical and digital graphic novels (Kucirkova & Mackey, 2020). The use of digital enhancements in the boat provides more layers to what is already a poignant and sad story and creates an almost 3D user experience, this, mixed with the traditional use of eastern watercolours as its theme helps bring the content of the boat to life and bring a human connection to something most people will not experience in their lifetime. This is important as the ability for students to process multimodal texts is essential to the 21st-century experience (Yokota & Teale, 2014) and as more and more of these digital texts grow in popularity, the more likely students are going to be able to need to interpret them.

Overall the Interface of this work is user-friendly and is designed to be viewed on both desktops and portable devices. The ability for the user to use a familiar “swipe” motion is an important aspect in creating engaging and meaningful interaction with digital interfaces (Kucirkova, 2018) as they reduce confusion and distraction due to functionality issues (Coombes, 2016).  

Interactivity and Adaptability:

According to the UKLA book awards, interactivity creates effective engagement and is key in the development of successful digital storytelling as the user is more likely to absorb the information presented and be engaged (UK Literary Association, 2022).  The boat itself is designed with several meaningful ways in which the viewer and interact with its story, the scrolling action allows the viewer to actively work through the content as if scrolling through a familiar webcomic- however, the difference with this particular digital text is that the embedded media, for example, the use of Vietnamese lullaby in chapter 2, and animation to create movement makes the experience much more real as you are placed in the shoes of the main character (Kucirkova, 2018). Meaningful interaction allows for a higher quality digital experience – an important factor when creating successful digital stories (Groth, 2018). Both the animations and sound media elements do not distract from the content of The Boat but instead are used to transport the viewer into the desperate world of a refugee child. 

Application to the classroom

Because of the boat’s familiar swiping functionality, there is little need for a teacher to explicitly teach how to view the content, meaning time using the work is addressed solely to the content and the stunning visual imagery of this graphic novel (Yokota & Teale, 2014,).  The SBS learn website suggests that this resource would fit soundly in the English and arts syllabus (Miles, 2021) focusing on both stages 5 and 6 due to some of the infrequent course language in the novel. There are opportunities for creative activities but also a focus on national curriculum directives such as personal and social capability, Ethical understanding and intercultural understanding (ACARA, n.d.). 

References

ACARA. (n.d.). General capabilities (Version 8.4) | The Australian Curriculum (Version 8.4). Australian Curriculum. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/

Coombes, B. (2016). Digital Literacy: A New Flavour of Literacy or Something Different? Synergy, 14(1), 1-10. 10.13140/RG.2.1.2609.8804

Furenes, M. I., Kucirkova, N., & Bus, A. G. (2021, March 8). A Comparison of Children’s Reading on Paper Versus Screen: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 91(4), 483-517. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654321998074

Groth, S. (2018, May 20). Still Defining Digital Literature. The Writing Platform. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://thewritingplatform.com/2018/05/still-defining-digital-literature/

Kucirkova, N., & Mackey, M. (2020, July 21). Digital literacies and children’s personalized books: Locating the ‘self’. London Review of Education, 18(4), 151-162. ResearchGate. DOI:10.14324/LRE.18.2.01

Kucirkova, N. (2018). How and Why to Read and Create Children’s Digital Books: A Guide for Primary Practitioners. UCL Press. https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/109473

Lurgi. (2019, May 25). Why Comics? ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from https://aliagraphic.blogspot.com/p/comics-and-literacy.html

Miles, P. (2021). A refugee story: The Boat. SBS. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from https://www.sbs.com.au/learn/resources/a-refugee-story-the-boat

Serafini, F., & Youngs, S. (2013). Reading Workshop 2.0: Children’s literature in the Digital Age. The Reading Teacher, 66(5), 401-404. 10.1002/TRTR.1141

Pulfer, R. (2020, April 23). How Do Digital Comic Book Sales Compare to Physical Copies? Screen Rant. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from https://screenrant.com/digital-comic-books-sales-vs-print/

Yokota, J., & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture Books and the Digital World. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 577-585. 10.1002/trtr.1262

UK Literary Association. (2022). UKLA Digital Book Award. UKLA. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://ukla.org/awards/ukla-digital-book-award/

Category: Interactive e-book

Title: Design and Technology Stage 6

Author: Arna Wesley, Romaine Rocca, Sandra Mcgee, Micheal Mclean

Publisher: Pearson Education ( Cambridge University Press)

Cost: $ 74.99 for the physical copy ( must be purchased initially to have access to the digital copy)  Digital copy licence $59.95

Platform: Cambridge GO – Password Protected

Where can it be used : viewed on any device with a web browser

Textbooks are an important educational tool and the development of portable devices and the incorporation of internet technologies into classroom practice has meant that publishers have had to look at alternative formats to incorporate these changes (Myrberg & Wiberg, 2015). The development of E-books of digital versions of their textbook counterparts has meant that students can now access multimodal versions of information (Myrberg & Wiberg, 2015,) which is important in incorporating 21st-century technologies and literacies for future-focused learning. (ACARA, 2011). An E-book is a form of digitised text and is read online using output devices ( (Lamb, 2011). The move to digital literature ins schools has been catalysed by the impact of online learning environments and the demand from students to have access to enhanced digital learning resources ( McGeehan et al., 2018).

Content and Ease of use: 

Design and Technology Stage 6 is an interactive e-textbook that is available through the purchase of the physical version of the textbook. There is an option to purchase the digital version, but the cost is very similar, making it almost redundant for most users ( 74.99 vs 59.95). This digital version of the entire textbook is organised into easily accessible chapters through hyperlinked headings and a navigational table of contents (figure a). This textbook has been developed in conjunction with the stage 6 Design and Technologies Curriculum (ACARA 2015) so the content is published for an older student audience. Students can easily navigate the textbook using hyperlinks and a sidebar menu, they also can modify content and use enhanced nom destructive digital features such as bookmarking and notetaking to help gain better access to knowledge (McGeehan et al., 2018). The ability for students to individualise their learning is a key feature of online digital literature (Furenes et al., 2021) that makes an e-textbook like this stand out from analogue modes of learning. Students can also access other features such as embedded links to terminology definitions ( figure b) and access to videos that provide a better understanding to visual learners (McGeehan et al., 2018), interactive activities which test student knowledge ( figure c)  and links to outside content which extends the information experience better than the physical textbook.

Image Attribution: Design and Technology Stage 6 , Cambridge Press

The text and content are visually appealing and easy to read, it is important to note that due to the digital format of this book, usability features such as text enlargement, note taking and search functions are employed, all important features that enhance the accessibility and ensure that students can engage with the text effectively (Serafini & Youngs, 2013). The interactive elements used such as the embedded hyperlinks and video help to further engage students and create different modes of understanding – however, these could also distract students as they are too close to other forms of online media such as youtube (Aubron, 2018).

Interactivity and Adaptability:

According to Serafini (2013), the ability for students to be able to “decode” written language is essential for students to be able to navigate digital texts. In this instance, the Design and Technology workbook provides many opportunities for students to access the content. The video and resources provide students who are visual learners as well as extend those who might fall under the gifted and talented criteria with breakout activities (Figure b). This is essential to designing an engaging digital text (UK Literary Association, 2022) as creative engagement helps students adapt the text to their personal needs (Lee et al., 2018). 

As for adaptability, it is unfortunate that this is a licenced service, unlike the physical version, the client must pay for the additional features and as this licence costs nearly as much as the physical copy, this would discourage teachers from using it in the classroom – especially since each copy is single user, ruling out for use in other year groups (Mendoza, 2018). This being said, the digital text being web browser-based, can be viewed on all platforms and devices – but only with a sound internet connection – this could present an equity issue amongst lower socioeconomic schools with limited resources (Sahlberg, 2021).

Application in the Classroom:

Although overall a good resource, it is limited to only those studying the current Design and Technology Stage 6 course. That being said, it is comprehensive in its content but one has to wonder if those fortunate enough to have access to the digital version are going to be better off than those who do not (Lee et al., 2018). The e-textbook does, however, provide learning that easily complements design and technology outcomes and allows for a self-paced, portable learning guide. Online textbooks are “never out of stock” (Aubron, 2018) when students need them, provide easy-to-find information and supplement the content with the click of a simple hyperlink (Aubron, 2018).

Reference List

ACARA. (n.d.). General capabilities (Version 8.4) | The Australian Curriculum (Version 8.4). Australian Curriculum. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/

ACARA. (2011). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability (Version 8.4) | The Australian Curriculum (Version 8.4). Australian Curriculum. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/information-and-communication-technology-ict-capability/ 

Aubron, X. (2018, August 21). Pros And Cons Of Digital Texts (1). GT | The Blog. Retrieved August 19, 2022, from https://blog.gutenberg-technology.com/en/pros-and-cons-of-digital-texts

Furenes, M. I., Kucirkova, N., & Bus, A. G. (2021, March 8). A Comparison of Children’s Reading on Paper Versus Screen: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 91(4), 483-517. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654321998074 

McGeehan, C., Chambers, S., & Nowakowski, J. (2018). Just because It’s Digital, Doesnt Mean It’s Good: Evaluating Digital Picture books. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 34(2), 58-70. Routledge. 10.1080/21532974.2017.1399488   

Mendoza, J. (2018, August 30). Should Schools Use Digital Or Physical Textbooks? LearnSafe. Retrieved August 19, 2022, from https://learnsafe.com/should-schools-use-digital-or-physical-textbooks/

Myrberg, C., & Wiberg, N. (2015, July). Screen vs paper: what is the difference for reading and learning. Insights, 28(2), 49-50. http://dx.doi.org/10/1629/uksg.239

Lee, S., Ho-Lee, J., & Jeong, Y. (2018, Nov). The Effects of Digital Textbooks on Students’ Academic Performance, Academic Interest, and Learning Skills. SSRN. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3305481

Sahlberg, P. (2021). Does the Pandemic help make education more equitable? Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 20(11), 11-18. 10.1007/s10671-020-09284-4 

Serafini, F., & Youngs, S. (2013). Reading Workshop 2.0: Children’s literature in the Digital Age. The Reading Teacher, 66(5), 401-404. 10.1002/TRTR.1141

UK Literary Association. (2022). UKLA Digital Book Award. UKLA. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://ukla.org/awards/ukla-digital-book-award/