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/
