Category: ETL533

ETL533 Assessment 4 Part A: Context for Digital Storytelling Project

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Image by sandid from Pixabay

Exploring: Ballad of the Totems by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

An enhanced poetry e-book

https://1drv.ms/p/s!AhVielyavm3UgTjQCZmq7v7aadiO?e=RLdmx6

The purpose of this enhanced poetry ebook is to support the updated Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 (ACv9), specifically the Years 5-6 English Learning area topic of poetry, while integrating the Digital Literacy general capability. The third purpose of this digital text is to celebrate and provide access to a literary work by a significant, Indigenous female author, while embedding the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority. Students and teachers of upper primary, particularly those in state Education Queensland (EQ) schools in and around Brisbane, are the intended audience. PowerPoint has been selected as a familiar, free to use tool which works across operating systems and devices, including iPads and laptops. EQ students and teachers are already familiar with Microsoft systems and PowerPoint, which is easily shared across school and home contexts, including for home learning situations if required.

The strand of Literature, from the ACv9 English Learning area, includes content descriptions that emphasize literary texts written by First Nations Australians (ACARA, 2022-a). Oodgeroo’s amusing and thought-provoking Ballad of the Totems (1970/2008) was selected for the enhanced ebook, as a poem with rich language and local relevance for South-East Queensland schools, and to address the lack of texts by Indigenous authors in primary school settings. With respect for Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights, (National Copyright Unit, n.d.), this enhanced ebook is awaiting permission to be shared for educational purposes. An advisory note regarding culturally sensitive material has been included on the homepage.

Oodgeroo’s ballad has the potential to support the Literature sub-strands, which involve examining, engaging with and responding to literature (ACARA, 2022-a). Exploring: Ballad of the Totems is designed for classroom and/or school library learning experiences, to be implemented across multiple lessons, including whole class, small group, buddy and individual reading tasks. The original poem has been enhanced with multimodal features, to create a digital text which supports minds-on active learning, student engagement, meaningful content, and a socially interactive experience. These components are described as the four pillars of learning and are considered key for digital texts to enhance educational outcomes (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015; Hassinger-Das et al., 2020).

Minds-on active learning

Exploring: Ballad of the Totems includes interactive features that foster user control, exploration and meaning making, such as navigational and discussion hotspot hyperlinks, and click to reveal sections. Hotspots on the poem pages reveal questions that align with one of four Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategies: Right There, Think and Search, Author and You, and On My Own (Fisher et al., 2017, p.111). This feature aims to promote dialogic reading – conversations about texts – which should be central to any shared reading experience (Hassinger-Das et al., 2020, p.74; Kucirkova, 2018, p.54). To support accessibility for diverse learners, including those with dyslexia, the poem has been sectioned into smaller parts (two stanzas per page), with a read-to-me audio option on each page.

Student engagement

Student engagement involves gaining and maintaining student interest and participation in a topic or text (Kucirkova, 2018, p.53). Multimodal features to enhance student engagement include colour photographs of animals featured in the poem, including the close-up of a carpet snake on the homepage, and a bright Slidesgo template with simple, earthy graphics, selected for visual appeal and to ‘hook’ students in. Interactive content is related to the text, to avoid the potential for distraction, and to increase comprehension (Furenes et al., 2021, p. 507; Hassinger-Das et al., 2020, p.76). For example, the ebook embeds discussion hotspots about the text, hyperlinks to define target words from the poem, text narration, and click to reveal features to encourage student participation. Hyperlinks to external websites occur on pages separate to the poem, to avoid distraction from the ballad.

Meaningful content

Content can be made meaningful by connecting information to prior knowledge, and by learning about new topics that are personally relevant (Fisher et al. 2017; Hassinger-Das et al. 2020; Kucirkova 2018). Exploring: Ballad of the Totems includes interactive features that enhance the poem’s meaning, with discussion hotspots designed for student exploration and reflection, as well as to prompt teachers to engage in the personalising process. The discussion hotspot on the homepage includes questions to activate students’ prior knowledge, and on pages about cultural information, students are asked about their personal experiences.

Socially interactive

Exploring: Ballad of the Totems supports the concept of social contingency, which is the importance of learning from and with others (Fisher et al., 2017; Hassinger-Das et al., 2020). A link to a discussion Padlet is included, which provides students with the opportunity to share their ideas while practising their online communication skills in a safe and monitored space. The Padlet includes the discussion questions from the ebook, and asks students to comment on a classmate’s post, and to create their own QAR question. Teachers could create a link to their own class Padlet, to embed aspects of the Digital Literacy general capability, specifically in relation to digital communication tools and formats (ACARA, 2022-b).

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2022-a). English. Australian Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/english/year-5_year-6?view=quick&detailed-content-descriptions=0&hide-ccp=0&hide-gc=0&side-by-side=1&strands-start-index=0&subjects-start-index=0

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2022-b). Digital Literacy. Australian Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/digital-literacy?element=2&sub-element=0

Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Hattie, J. (2017). Teaching literacy in the visible learning classroom, grades k-5. Corwin Press.

Furenes, M. I., Kucirkova, N., & Bus, A. G. (2021). 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

Hassinger-Das, B., Brennan, S., Dore, R.A., Golinkoff, R.M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2020). Children and Screens. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 2(1), 69-92.

Hirsh-Pasek, K., Zosh, J.M., Golinkoff, R.M., Gray, J.H., Robb, M.B., & Kaufman, J. (2015). Putting education in ‘educational’ apps: Lessons from the science of learning. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(1), 3–34.

Kucirkova, N. (2018). How and Why to Read and Create Children’s Digital Books: A Guide for Primary Practitioners. UCL Press.

National Copyright Unit. (n.d.). Copyright basics. SmartCopying. https://smartcopying.edu.au/guidelines/copyright-basics/indigenous-cultural-and-intellectual-property-rights/

Oodgeroo, N. (2008). My People (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. (Original work published 1970)

ETL533 Assessment 4 Part D: Critical Reflection

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Image by Joe from Pixabay

Living within the digital woods…

My first blog post for ETL533 used the subheading: Into the digital woods (Kimball, 2022, July 25), to refer to the current digital landscape with its hidden treasures and traps. My views, knowledge and understanding of digital environments and texts have certainly expanded throughout this subject. I’ve consolidated my view that the plethora of technological tools in our educational settings today have created a paradoxical scenario; where teaching and learning can be ‘easier’, yet also more complicated (Kimball, 2022, August 10). Consequently, my perspective that educators and teacher-librarians (TLs) have vital roles to play, as selectors and mediators of digital literature, has also been strengthened.

Quality and content of digital texts is paramount, regardless of format, given the fluidity and rapidly evolving nature of digital media (Groth, 2018). Educators must apply our own critical literacy skills; by using relevant criteria to select appropriate, quality resources for school contexts (Kimball, 2022, July 24). Yokota & Teale’s (2014) selection criteria was a useful springboard for considering digital literature for students. For Assessment 2, I decided on eight criteria: literary merit, aesthetic quality, representation, digital enhancements and extras, access, navigation, security and advertising, and authorship (Kimball, 2022, August 22). Adapted from Kluver (as cited in Kucirkova, 2018), the University of Stavanger (2019), and Walsh (2013), I applied these to my own digital text for our final assessment.

Throughout ETL533, I have re-worked my definition of digital literature.  After engaging with a variety of innovative texts for Assessment 2, I questioned the suitability of non-linear texts for younger students, as well as the novelty factor of others, which can be engaging yet distracting from storylines. Recent research emphasizes that quality digital texts embed multimedia aligned to the story, rather than novel features that distract from meaning-making (Furenes et al., 2021, p. 507; McGeehan et al., 2018, p.64). Content is clearly key to the quality of a digital text. Thus, my shifting definition of digital literature now includes print-born texts such as enhanced ebooks, which include rich language and supportive interactive content (Kimball, 2022, August 22).

The creation of my own enhanced ebook enabled me to apply digital literacy skills, and my professional views on digital literature for students. It was fun to dabble in a range of tools, as I experimented with Canva, Microsoft Sway and Google systems, as recommended by students in comments posted on the Assessment 3 Padlet. I ended up working with PowerPoint and Google Slides, and while I had to abandon my initial choice of Canva, due to limitations with audio, I was quite pleased with the final product. However, I was unable to create truly synchronised text and audio – text highlighted as the poem is narrated – an enhancement known to support readers with developing literacy skills (Kucirkova, 2018, p.19; Roskos et al., 2014, p.5).

Feedback on Assessment 3 – from Louise, Jacob and Rebecca – included positive comments about incorporating Indigenous perspectives and poetry into a digital resource. Unfortunately, I ran into a barrier with regards to Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights (ICIPR). I understood that I could use Oodgeroo’s Ballad of the Totems (1970/2008), her drawing of a carpet snake, and a photograph of Oodgeroo, if appropriately attributed and for educational purposes, under Fair Dealing (National Copyright Unit, n.d.-a) and the Statutory Text and Artistic Works Licence s 113P (National Copyright Unit, n.d.-b.). However, consultation with relevant First Nations groups is the ethical approach for incorporating Indigenous content, even though there is no specific legislation in Australia that recognises ICIPR (National Copyright Unit, n.d.-c). I’m still waiting to hear from Oodgeroo’s family, as to whether I have their permission to use her work and image.

Prompted by Louise’s feedback for my project (2022, September 8), I intended to use Canva classes to share my ebook, while I was still working with Canva. While PowerPoint may not be as sophisticated as other tools, it is easy to share within my Education Queensland context. It was also the medium through which my school shared learning from home resources during the COVID-19 lockdowns, as not all classes have BYO devices. I decided to use a Padlet Wall to encourage social interaction, after feedback from Krystal, as a new communication format for my students to try, in a supported and safe online context.

Quality digital literature has the potential to support and extend children’s digital and traditional literacy skills. Implementing new digital mediums, however, requires significant support for educators, given the various associated challenges. Financial and physical support from governments – digital infrastructure and human resources – are essential to address the substantial investment of time and money required for educators and TLs to properly embed innovative tools and learning. We are already living and working within the ‘digital woods’; by strengthening advocacy for state school and library settings, and increasing collaboration with educational professionals, educators and TLs can continue to source treasures, reveal traps, and provide directions on how to make meaning from new digital texts.

References

Furenes, M. I., Kucirkova, N., & Bus, A. G. (2021). 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). Still defining digital literature. The Writing Platform. https://thewritingplatform.com/2018/05/still-defining-digital-literature/

Kucirkova, N. (2018). How and Why to Read and Create Children’s Digital Books: A Guide for Primary Practitioners. UCL Press.

McGeehan, C., Chambers, S., & Nowakowski, J. (2018). Just because it’s digital, doesn’t mean it’s good: Evaluating digital picture books.  Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 34(2), 58-70.

National Copyright Unit. (n.d.-a). Copyright basics. SmartCopying. https://smartcopying.edu.au/guidelines/copyright-basics/copyright-exceptions/

National Copyright Unit. (n.d.-b). Educational licences. SmartCopying. https://smartcopying.edu.au/educational-licences/

National Copyright Unit. (n.d.-c). Copyright basics. SmartCopying. https://smartcopying.edu.au/guidelines/copyright-basics/indigenous-cultural-and-intellectual-property-rights/

Oodgeroo, N. (2008). My People (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. (Original work published 1970)

Roskos, K., Burstein, K., Shang, Y., & Gray, E. (2014). Young children’s engagement with e-books at school: Does device matter? SAGE Open.

University of Stavanger. (2019). Best practice design. Children’s Digital Books. https://www.childrensdigitalbooks.com/design/

Walsh, M. (2013).  Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald, A literature companion for teachers (pp. 181-185). Primary English Teaching Association.

Yokota, J. & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: educators making informed choices.  The Reading Teacher, 34(6).

Assessment item 3: Digital Storytelling Topic Proposal

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Drawing of the Kabool by Oodgeroo Noonuccal, from Historic North Stradbroke Island (1994, p11).

Topic: Exploring Ballad of the Totems by Oodgeroo Noonuccal; an enhanced poetry e-book

Ballad of the Totems

Platform: CANVA

Rationale: The intended purpose of this task is to create an enhanced poetry e-book, to support the Years 5-6 English curriculum topic of Poetry, while also embedding the cross-curriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures. While Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s humorous poem isn’t currently included as an example of poetry to be explored in curriculum documents, I hope that educators and schools could be persuaded to share  this great example of a local ballad. The latest version of the English curriculum (v9), emphasizes texts written by First Nations Australians, and literature which explores characters and concepts in ballads from different times, by a variety of Australian authors (ACARA, 2022).

I intend to create an enhanced poetry e-book, which would include an audio recording of the poem (narrated alongside the text), information about the text structure of ballads, poetry analysis, and hyperlinks to information about Oodgeroo and her Quandamooka culture and country (Minjerribah/Stradbroke Island). I’d like to include Jandai language, as well as information/links about Indigenous Australian totems – specifically the carpet snake/Kabool. The use of hyperlinks for poetry analysis, definitions and vocab building, would be embedded on pages separate to the poem, so as not to interfere with the comprehension of the ballad, nor overload students’ cognitive resources (Furenes et al., 2021, p.507). The Quandamooka region (Stradbroke & Moreton Islands) is a familiar holiday location for many Brisbane families, so Oodgeroo’s work, life, and culture has local relevance for my school community.

Canva is free for educators, is user friendly, and has a range of relevant features for multimodal presentations. As well as quality images and graphics, multiple audio tracks can now be inserted into one presentation. I’d like to include a comments tab to encourage online student discussion about the poem, but I’m not sure if this is something I can do with Canva.

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2022). English. Australian Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/english/year-5_year-6?view=quick&detailed-content-descriptions=0&hide-ccp=0&hide-gc=0&side-by-side=1&strands-start-index=0&subjects-start-index=0

Furenes, M. I., Kucirkova, N., & Bus, A. G. (2021). 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

Carter, P., Durbidge, E., Cooke-Bramley, J.  (Eds.). (1994). Historic North Stradbroke Island. North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum Association Inc.

Assessment 2 Part B Critical reflection

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Digital literature experiences

Having read and reviewed a variety of digital texts in various formats for primary school students, I’ve re-worked and shifted my definition of what makes a good digital text. Digital literature, as opposed to digitized literature, should be text based, created with computer software, and intended to be read on a device (Heckman & O’Sullivan 2018; Bouchardon, 2016). I’ve now broadened this definition, when considering the purpose and audience of digital texts.

While different formats serve different purposes, essentially, the purpose of digital literature is as a platform for communicating content, and making connections and meaning. Connecting readers with their world and interests can be for leisure or learning. As Lamb (2011, p.17) emphasizes, the content of any text is still the core part of the reading experience that provides value for the individual. Therefore, I’ve included texts that are digitized literature, or print-born, if they also embed enhanced digital features, which provide a multimedia text experience, and maintain the integrity of the story. The enhanced app, War Horse (2012) is an example of such a text. Texts which are digital-born, but which also exist as printed forms, are also included in my expanded definition, if the digital version has components which enable the reader to interact with digital enhancements to make meaning or connections, such as hyperlinks and participatory reader culture, as in The Tea Dragon Society (2016).

Another feature of digital literature I’ve grappled with, is in relation to the concept of digital text being algorithmic. Heckman and O’Sullivan (2018, p.3) stated that digital literature should include text that changes as the reader engages with it. While this is an innovative and exciting feature of digital literature, it is not always suitable for primary school aged children, who are still consolidating their foundational literacy skills, and who may become disorientated by non-linear text structures (Lamb, 2011, p.15).  Consequently, I now consider that quality digital literature includes texts which employ effective literary devices and themes, supported by technical features and smooth digital functioning which enhance the text. Walsh (2013, p.187) refers to this integration of features as an “aesthetic synergy”, and is necessary when educators are recommending digital texts to engage students.

Reading digital texts requires another skill set to traditional literacy skills (Leu et al., 2015). While I enjoyed delving into some excellent examples of digital literature for older readers, such as Device 6 and Nine Billion Branches, which are thought-provoking and perplexing, I also find the twisting, non-linear reading experience fatiguing and at times frustrating. A greater cognitive load is certainly required when engaging with innovative forms of digital literature, even when we have competent, well-developed literacy skills. Researchers have found that an overload of information can interfere with our ability to make meaning, given our information processing systems have a limited capacity (Furenes et al., 2021). For young readers, as well as applying developing literacy skills, such as decoding words and understanding literal and inferred meaning in a text, students must also learn how to navigate these new text structures, such as hypertext fiction, multiple storylines and non-linear narratives (Serafini & Youngs, 2013, p.401-402).

Solid traditional literacy skills must come before students can be expected to engage with any form of digital text (Combes, 2016, para 3). This raises the valid concern of some parents and educators, about the purpose of digital literature in primary school contexts, given the “mismatch often found between the goals of content developers and child development researchers” in new digital media (Hassinger-Das et al., 2020). Two recent studies have found that for those with conventional reading skills, and for children with emergent reading skills, reading performance (including story comprehension), is greater with print-based formats (Clinton, 2019; Furenes et al., 2021). So, what to do?  While students are in primary school settings, it is clear that in order for digital literature to be used effectively for learning, and to be fully appreciated when reading for pleasure, educators and parents must be involved in scaffolding and modelling the necessary skills for meaning making, and social interactivity, with digital literature.

As referred to in my review of the War Horse app, the four, interconnected pillars of learning – cognitively active, engaged, meaningful, and socially interactive (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015), are the conditions through which learning most effectively happens. Digital literature has the potential to support these pillars, if educators and/or parents are also involved in bolstering the student interaction with digital texts. The War Horse enhanced app could be successfully used in middle and upper-primary classrooms, as a quality resource when engaging with the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) and English curriculums. The app could support the investigation of key concepts for developing historical understanding: significance; continuity and change; cause and effect; place and space; interconnections; roles, rights and responsibilities; and perspectives and action (ACARA 2010-present). Through class or library literature circles, in small groups of mixed ability levels facilitated by a teacher, teacher librarian or teacher aide, students could be supported to make meaningful connections with the literary text and historical information, through dialogic reading and social interaction with peers. Educators could also facilitate a participatory literary community involving students, such as a literary class blog, to create a safe and monitored online social space.  In this way, digital literature can serve its purpose of communicating content and making meaningful connections.

 

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010 to present). Learning areas. Australian Curriculum. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/

Bouchardon, S. (2016). Towards a Tension-Based Definition of Digital Literature. Journal of Creative Writing Studies, 2(1).

Clinton, V. (2019). Reading from paper compared to screens: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Research in Reading, 42(2), 288–325. https://doi .org/10.1111/1467-9817.12269

Combes, B. (2016). Digital literacy: A new flavour of literacy of something different? Synergy, 14(1). 

Furenes, M.I., Kucirkova, N., Bus, A.G. (2021). A comparison of children’s reading on paper versus screen: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 91(4), 483-517.

Hassinger-Das, B., Brennan, S., Dore, R.A., Golinkoff, R.M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2020). Children and Screens. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 2(1), 69-92.

Heckman, D., & O’Sullivan, J. (2018) Electronic literature: Contexts and poetics. In K. M. Price & R. Siemens (Eds.) Literary Studies in a Digital Age, Modern Language Association. http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6K649S3G

Hirsh-Pasek, K., Zosh, J.M., Golinkoff, R.M., Gray, J.H., Robb, M.B., & Kaufman, J. (2015). Putting education in ‘educational’ apps: Lessons from the science of learning. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(1), 3–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615569721

Kucirkova, N. (2018) How and Why to Read and Create Children’s Digital Books: A Guide for Primary Practitioners. UCL Press.

Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning & Leading with Technology, (39)3, 13-17.

Leu, D. J., Forzani, E., Timbrell, N., & Maykel, C. (2015). Seeing the forest, not the trees: Essential technologies for literacy in the primary-grade and upper elementary-grade classroom. The Reading Teacher, 69(2), 139-145.

Serafini, F. & Youngs, S. (2013). Reading workshop 2.0: Children’s literature in the digital age. The Reading Teacher, 66(5), 401-404.

Walsh, M. (2013).  Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald, A literature companion for teachers (pp. 181-185). Primary English Teaching Association.

 

Assessment 2 Part A Digital Literature Review 3: War Horse enhanced app

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Morpurgo, M. (2012). War Horse. The Red Green & Blue Co Ltd. (Original work published 1982).

Morpurgo’s enhanced e-book, War Horse (2012), developed by The Red Green & Blue Co Ltd., is historical fiction set in and around World War 1. The text is told from the perspective of a horse named Joey, who travels from rural England to the battlefields of France, experiencing both sides of the war. First published in print in 1982, this text isn’t digital-born, but with interactive features that enhance the original narrative, it is also more than digitized literature.  I’ll expand the definition of digital literature to encompass literature that is print-born, but reworked with multimodal elements that deepen the reader’s understanding of a story. War Horse includes themes of friendship through adversity, courage, and the power and horrors of war. The digital text would be ideal to support the HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) curriculum in Years 4-6.  Eight selection criteria will be applied for this review, adapted from Kluver (as cited in Kucirkova, 2018), the University of Stavanger (2019), and Walsh (2013). The criteria: literary merit, aesthetic quality, representation, digital enhancements and extras, access, navigation, security and advertising, and authorship, relate to digital literature for primary school children. As this text is evaluated as a resource to support learning, the four pillars of learning – cognitively active, engaged, meaningful, and socially interactive (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015) – will also be considered.

The enhanced app of War Horse performs well in terms of security and advertising, and authorship. Morpurgo, former Children’s Laureate, and all producers and contributors to the app are clearly attributed. The e-book is safe and appropriate for children, and free from advertising and in-app purchases; the developer, The Red Green & Blue Co Ltd, does not collect any user data from the app. Unfortunately, access is limited to users of iOS, requiring iPadOS 12.0 or later, and costs $7.99. Consequently, even though many primary schools recommend Apple devices for their BYO device programs, a negative aspect of the enhanced app is in relation to the access criteria, due to the exclusive platform and expense. On a positive note regarding access, the audio-visual enhancements enable the text to be read by a variety of ability levels. The app includes a synchronised and highlighted narration feature, which supports readers with developing literacy skills (Kucirkova, 2018, p.19).

War Horse performs exceptionally well with regards to literary merit, representation, and aesthetic quality. Morpurgo’s narrative is an example of quality literature, with extended vocabulary specific to the historical context, skilfully written in the first person. With regards to representation, the narrative depicts characters from various cultural backgrounds, including German and Welsh, without negative stereotypes or caricatures. War Horse involves an engaging plot filled with action and tension, and character development that promotes empathy for animals. The content of the story is upsetting, with violence, war, and death central themes, which requires parents and educators to engage in dialogic reading with their children. Dialogic reading – a conversation about content during shared reading – is a core component of the four pillars of learning, and is necessary when reading print and digital texts (Hassinger-Das et al., 2020).

The narrative is enriched by the accurate historical information, supported by multimodal visuals, enabled through the app. The original watercolour illustrations by François Place, skilfully support the text. The overall aesthetics and layout of the enhanced app are visually appealing and well designed, demonstrating how older literary texts for children can be successfully renewed for contemporary audiences, immersed in a digital and visual culture. Visually rich narratives are a continuing trend in publishing for children, reflecting this visual culture (Short, 2018, p.289). These enhanced aesthetics contribute to the engagement and active ‘minds-on’ pillars of optimal learning environments.

The War Horse enhanced app successfully utilises digital enhancements and extras in a sophisticated and seamless way. This digital functioning is further supported by a smooth and intuitive navigation and interface. Separate chapters are easily accessed through scrolling across the homepage, with numbered illustrations from each chapter the hyperlinked pathway to the text. The multimodal app extras – a musical performance, interactive timeline, and videos of interviews with historical experts – are all easily located from the homepage. As discussed earlier, the app includes an audiobook, with synchronised sentence-by-sentence highlighting, with narration by the author. This audio-visual synchrony is an enhancement which supports, rather than distracts young readers’ attention, and thus promotes story comprehension (Kucirkova, 2018, p.19; Roskos et al., 2014, p.5). This is a key requirement of digital enhancements in digital literature for children.

An example of quality digital literature for children, the War Horse enhanced e-book successfully integrates story content, technical, and artistic aspects to enhance the reading experience. The multimodal extras add detailed depth to the historical context, supporting students to be engaged, to have active ‘minds-on’ learning, and to make meaningful connections with their existing knowledge and experiences. These are three of the pillars for learning (Hassinger-Das et al., 2020; Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015). Importantly, the fourth pillar – being socially interactive – will require educators to tie everything together; engaging with the students and the digital text.

References

Hassinger-Das, B., Brennan, S., Dore, R.A., Golinkoff, R.M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2020). Children and Screens. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 2(1), 69-92.

Hirsh-Pasek, K., Zosh, J.M., Golinkoff, R.M., Gray, J.H., Robb, M.B., & Kaufman, J. (2015). Putting education in ‘educational’ apps: Lessons from the science of learning. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(1), 3–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615569721

Kucirkova, N. (2018) How and Why to Read and Create Children’s Digital Books: A Guide for Primary Practitioners. UCL Press.

Roskos, K., Burstein, K., Shang, Y., & Gray, E. (2014). Young children’s engagement with e-books at school: Does device matter? SAGE Open, Jan-Mar, 1-9.

Short, K. (2018). What’s trending in children’s literature and why it matters. Language Arts, 95(5), 287-298.

Walsh, M. (2013).  Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald, A literature companion for teachers (pp. 181-185). Primary English Teaching Association.

 

Assessment 2 Part A Digital Literature Review 2: The Tea Dragon Society

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O’Neill, K. (2016). The Tea Dragon Society. Onipress. https://teadragonsociety.com/

The Tea Dragon Society is a gentle, all-ages fantasy webcomic, by New Zealand author and artist Katie O’Neill.  Readers are introduced to a world of tea dragons, named after the tea leaves and flowers that grow from their bodies. The protagonist is young goblin Greta, an apprentice blacksmith – her mother is the master blacksmith – who finds a lost tea dragon. Greta learns the ancient and dying art of tea dragon care-taking, while forging new friendships.  Themes include friendship, community and traditions, patience, identity, and caring for other living things. This world-building webcomic was originally published with weekly instalments online; a new page uploaded and open for comments on Sunday evenings during 2016-2017. This ‘update schedule’, is a temporal feature specific to the webcomic format, which has been a publishing trend using Web 2.0 technologies since the 1990s (Grifka, 2015; Moorefield-Lang & Gavigan, 2012). Eight selection criteria are used for this review, adapted from Kluver (as cited in Kucirkova, 2018), the University of Stavanger (2019), and Walsh (2013). The criteria: literary merit, aesthetic quality, representation, digital enhancements and extras, access, navigation, security and advertising, and authorship, relate to digital literature for children aged 8-12 years.

The Tea Dragon Society performs well with regards to access, navigation, and security and advertising. It is free to read online, across multiple platforms, including Microsoft, Android and Apple operating systems. The website has a refreshingly calm tone and is free from advertising and pop-ups. However, parents and educators should be aware that from the Links page, readers can easily access webcomics which are very different to The Tea Dragon Society, rated for 13+ years. The comments section, a valuable feature for participatory reader interaction, may pose some online safety issues if not monitored by parents or educators. Navigation of the webcomic is smooth, with readers able to click on illustrations to move to the next page, or to use the hyperlinked arrows to travel to various and specific points in the text.

The aesthetic quality of The Tea Dragon Society is excellent. O’Neill’s artwork conveys influences of manga and anime styles, and the imaginative setting is depicted with whimsical landscapes and village settings, framed with delicate, botanical illustrations. The text/font is somewhat feint and small, however, they are easily enlarged on iOS and Android devices. Attractive artwork in warm yet soft colours is supported by a clean and uncluttered layout and interface. The University of Stavanger (2019) emphasizes the importance of quality illustrations in digital literature for children, which depict diverse characters, including their emotions, movement and actions. O’Neill skilfully portrays these elements with characters who are diverse in their physical features (e.g. horns, hair, antlers, tails etc.), skin tones, ages, body types, abilities/disabilities, and family structures. The Tea Dragon Society is a gold standard exemplar for the representation criteria, in the way that it normalises diversity in children’s literature.

The Tea Dragon Society has excellent literary merit. With a complex plot based on the character development of a diverse cast of characters, who aren’t constrained by gender stereotypes, O’Neill’s language and dialogue is well-written. Grammatically correct and using accurate capitalisation and punctuation, the narrative is thoughtfully organised into seasonal chapters. O’Neill’s email address is provided on her ‘About’ page, as are links to her social media accounts. While this demonstrates the capability of digital platforms to expand and strengthen author-reader relationships (Skains, 2010), it isn’t a suitable platform for primary school readers and contexts.

The digital enhancements and extras of The Tea Dragon Society webcomic are minimal and subtle. So much so, that it could be argued that this text isn’t actually ‘digital literature’, as it isn’t algorithmic, as defined by Heckman, D. and O’Sullivan, J. (2018) . The webcomic has successfully been published as a printed graphic novel. I would argue, however, that if we broadened the definition of digital literature to be an umbrella term for a wider range of literary digital texts, we can ensure we’re catering for the diverse readers in our primary schools. For example, not all children would enjoy and/or benefit from reading fragmented, non-linear digital texts (Lamb, 2011).  It is important that we recommend and provide a range of quality digital literature, for student learning and their reading pleasure.

The Tea Dragon Society has no audio features or narration functions, being pleasantly quiet. Hyperlinks to extras include an ‘Almanac’ and ‘Cast’ pages, which provide readers with details about the fantasy world and its characters, such as the particular diets, behaviour and habits of tea dragons. This world-building component, particularly of fantasy and science fiction texts, is an online, literary trend which has been expanding over the last 20 years. Skains (2010) discussed “online novel communities” as providing a space for discourse between the author and reader. The Tea Dragon Society includes a comments function, mainly used when the new pages were uploaded, with the author responding with thoughtful detail about specific characters.  Readers are still able to post comments.

Overall, The Tea Dragon Society is a delightful webcomic for all ages. Refreshingly calm and simple, it may be an effective hook into digital realms, for those not usually inclined to engage with online reading environments. Perhaps one day, O’Neill’s tea dragons will return to the digital space, accompanied by augmented or virtual reality enhancements, complete with aromatic scents of herbal tea.

References

Grifka, M. (2015). Webcomic. The Chicago School of Media Theory. https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/mediatheory/keywords/webcomic/

Heckman, D., & O’Sullivan, J. (2018). Electronic literature: Contexts and poetics. In K. M. Price & R. Siemens (Eds.) Literary Studies in a Digital Age, Modern Language Association.

Kucirkova, N. (2018). How and Why to Read and Create Children’s Digital Books: A Guide for Primary Practitioners. UCL Press.

Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning & Leading with Technology, (39)3, 13-17.

Moorefield-Lang, H. & Gavigan, K. (2012). These aren’t your father’s: The new world of digital graphic novels. Knowledge Quest, 40(3), 30-35.

Skains, R.L. (2010). The shifting author-reader dynamic: Online novel communities as a bridge from print to digital literature. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 16(1), 95-111.

University of Stavanger. (2019). Best practice design. Children’s Digital Books. https://www.childrensdigitalbooks.com/design/

Walsh, M. (2013).  Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald, A literature companion for teachers (pp. 181-185). Primary English Teaching Association.

Assessment 2 Part A Digital Literature Review 1: Switcheroo

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Marino Family. (2015). Mrs Wobbles and the Tangerine House: Book 3: Switcheroo  https://elmcip.net/node/9049

Switcheroo (2015) is the third story in a series of interactive fiction – Mrs Wobbles and the Tangerine House – for readers aged 7-11 years. Created by Mark C. Marino, in collaboration with his two children, with artwork by Brian Gallagher, the series is set in a magical foster home, where amusing, fantasy adventures take place. The reader is introduced to the Book of the Lost; a living, magical book and keeper of the tales of Mrs Wobbles, which is inclined to misbehave. This is a playful hook for young readers, and a nod to the academic discussions around digital fiction as “unruly objects” (Allan, 2017). Eight criteria will be applied to this evaluation, adapted from Kluver (as cited in Kucirkova, 2018), the University of Stavanger (2019), and Walsh (2013). The criteria – literary merit, aesthetic quality, representation, digital enhancements and extras, access, navigation, security and advertising, and authorship – relate to digital literature for children in primary schools.

Switcheroo performs well with regards to access, and security and advertising. Online safety is a key consideration for educators, when evaluating digital literature for children (Kucirkova, 2018, p.39). Switcheroo does not require readers to submit any personal information when reading the text (other than a name, which personalises the interaction), the privacy policy is transparent, and there are no distracting or inappropriate ads or pop-ups. There are some links to other websites, for example the author’s blog, however, content on these sites is also suitable for all ages. Marino’s digital fiction is free to access and read on various web browsers, across multiple platforms including Microsoft, Android and iOS.

In terms of aesthetic quality and navigation, Switcheroo has an uncluttered layout and easy to read text. Visually, Switcheroo is quite understated, a book-like interface which appears to mimic a children’s novel, with black font on a cream coloured background, which may support young readers to focus on the story (University of Stavanger, 2019). The text can easily be enlarged on Android or iOS devices. The minimal black and white illustrations support the story, are skilfully drawn and effectively depict the emotion of the protagonist.

Switcheroo involves a relatively complex plot, character development which supports the reader to empathise with diverse characters, humour, and new vocabulary. These are all key features of quality children’s literature (University of Stavanger, 2019; Walsh, 2013). Consequently, the text performs fairly well in regards to literary merit and representation. Switcheroo explores themes of identity, adoption, ability/disability, and gender stereotypes, in an age-appropriate way, without being moralistic or laboured. The reader is situated as the protagonist, Derik, a foster boy who wakes up to find he has the body of a girl; mysteriously, he also no longer needs to use his wheelchair. Derik then identifies as Denise, and is adopted under false pretences. At the conclusion of the story, the reader has to make a significant decision, which requires the young reader to engage with the character dilemma. This is a strength of the narrative, enhanced by the interactive format that enables reader choice.

Developed using Undum and HTML format, the platform of Switcheroo enables branching and reader interactivity. Hypertext fiction, or interactive fiction, has been a technological trend in publishing for more than 30 years, pre-dating the internet (Walsh, 2018). While this trend in literature empowers readers to have control over elements of the story, some young readers/players may become disorientated in non-linear narratives of the genre (Lamb, 2011, p.15).  Switcheroo is fairly linear, which is appropriate for the target audience. An example of effective literary and technological synergy in Switcheroo, occurs when the reader chooses what Derik/Denise should do with their adoptive parents. Each choice results in the reader/protagonist learning something about one of the adults which challenges gender stereotypes.

There are also some shortcomings with regards to the hyperlinked narrative structure of Switcheroo, which interferes with the literary and technical integration. Most of the hyperlinks function as a ‘click to continue’ feature, and the actual choices the reader makes are quite limited. Many of the choices in Switcheroo contribute to the ‘Character chart’; a gaming component connected to the narrative, which may promote sustained engagement (Hassinger-Das et al., 2020). This also includes a scoreboard for ‘Page points’ and ‘Poem powers’. The ‘Character chart’ is a changeable summary of who the reader/player is acting like. This adds a playful layer of intertextuality, referencing popular children’s book characters, such as Hermione Granger or Percy Jackson. This is a fun literary feature which provides readers with immediate feedback, which also supports motivation (Hirsch-Pasek et al. 2015). However, this component of the text isn’t followed through in the narrative. The subsequent text and actions of Derik/Denise are not actually altered by the readers choice.  Other hyperlinks allow the reader to unlock a hidden poem, or find extra sections of text, which contributes to their ‘Page points’ or ‘Poem powers’. Unfortunately, these points and powers are arbitrary, as they don’t enable the player to do anything extra with the text.

Overall, Switcheroo is a sound example of interactive fiction appropriate for middle-upper primary school students, without being overly fragmented and disorientating. While some of the text’s digital enhancements and extras aren’t always integrated and executed as fluently as they could be, these are points for discussion within classrooms and libraries. A suitable text for reading for pleasure, the text could also be used in school contexts for literature circles, reading groups and book clubs, to engage with the themes identified. It would be great to see an audio option of Switcheroo, to support readers with developing literacy skills.

References

Allan, C. (2017). Digital fiction: ‘Unruly object’ or literary artefact? English in Australia, 52(3), 21-27.

Hassinger-Das, B., Brennan, S., Dore, R.A., Golinkoff, R.M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2020). Children and Screens. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 2(1), 69-92.

Hirsh-Pasek, K., Zosh, J.M., Golinkoff, R.M., Gray, J.H., Robb, M.B., & Kaufman, J. (2015). Putting education in ‘educational’ apps: Lessons from the science of learning. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(1), 3–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615569721

Kucirkova, N. (2018). How and Why to Read and Create Children’s Digital Books: A Guide for Primary Practitioners. UCL Press.

Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(3), 13-17.

University of Stavanger. (2019). Best practice design. Children’s Digital Books. https://www.childrensdigitalbooks.com/design/

Walsh, K. (2018). Interactive fiction: A fun approach to gamifying learning. EmergingEdTeach.   https://www.emergingedtech.com/2018/12/interactive-fiction-a-fun-approach-to-gamifying-learning/

Walsh, M. (2013).  Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald, A Literature Companion for Teachers (pp. 181-185). Primary English Teaching Association.

ETL533 Assessment 1: Reflective Journal Blog Task

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Using your readings and interaction with the subject to date, develop a statement about your current knowledge and understanding of concepts and practices in digital literature environments, tools and uses, within the context of your work or professional circumstances.

Into the Digital Woods…

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Image by Povilas Petkevicius from Pixabay

I’m hoping for and expecting some meandering learning curves from ETL533: Literature in digital environments. An environment of unstable, and constantly morphing literary boundaries and aesthetics.  While the title of this subject appears fairly self-explanatory, the term digital literature is itself a little slippery. Before engaging with the literature for ETL533, my perception of digital literature was that of multimodal, electronic literary texts that blend language, visual, audio and structural features. I also thought it could include literary works and picture books which have been digitized to be read on an e-reader or iPad. As digital literature can mean different things to different people, I was relieved to find some consistency in definitions from Module 1 articles, as well as readings from previous subjects.

Academics and practitioners in the field of electronic literature define the term as being literary works that have been created by harnessing computer technology (Heckman & O’Sullivan, 2018; Rettberg, 2012; Rowberry, 2018). Essentially, it is an umbrella term for literary objects that are created on a computer, designed to be read on a computer, and which are distinct from digitized literature (Hackman & O’Sullivan, 2018). Thus, reading Jane Austen as an e-book doesn’t count as digital literature. As Rowberry (2018) discusses and challenges, e-books are not considered innovative enough to be classified as digital literature (p.320). Perhaps the term digi lit could encompass both digitized and digital literature?

In our recent online class, we discussed possible examples of digital literature. Some wondered if animated quest games or TikTok videos could be included in the classification of digital literature, considering their use of engaging narrative structures, which resonate with their students. However, a narrative is not inherently literature. A film, for example, is a narrative text, yet it is not referred to as literature. Viewing and reading are complementary, yet distinct skills.  Encyclopedia Britannica defines literature as written, imaginative works (Rexroth, 2020). Therefore, digital literature should theoretically be fiction, embed written words, and be generated with the use of an operating system.

At the core of my practice as a primary school teacher, is helping students to be literate and numerate individuals, assisting them to interact appropriately and fairly with others, and to support them to engage with the world around them. Digital ‘literature’ resources in the classroom and school library certainly provide opportunities and challenges around these themes, which I’m yet to fully exploit. My current school context is a BYO device classroom, with all  Year 5 and 6 students using iPads to support their learning. We’re learning together, and I love it when our digital tools do two things; firstly, work without glitches, and secondly, when they enhance the learning.

Many of the readings from Module 1.2 focus on the importance of digital literature environments enhancing rather than hindering the learning experience. One of the main shadows currently in my thoughts around digital literature, is that for primary school students particularly, technology-based reading has the potential to distract students’ focus. While interactive features can strengthen a reader’s understanding and engagement with a text, they can also divert attention and impact negatively on their comprehension of a text (Dobler, 2013; Lamb 2011). The need for educators to seek quality digital books, and to apply criteria for the selection of these texts in school settings, is emphasized by McGeehan et al. (2018), and Yokota and Teale (2014), who provide five criteria for evaluating digital picture books. As I mentioned in the discussion forum, it is essential that educators model critical literacy skills when selecting and using all text types.

Leu et al. (2015) play with the proverb, ‘cannot see the forest for the tress’, in naming their article, Seeing the forest, not the trees, to discuss new technologies for learning and reading. They argued that the internet and its information landscape is the ‘forest’, and the new, limitless number of digital tools and literacies we can select from are the ‘trees’. This resonates with me, as we must see both; the new and old trees, in order to successfully understand and meander through the digital forest, with all its hidden wonders, hyperlinked paths, and scheming trolls.

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Image by Patricio González from Pixabay

References

Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books.  Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.

Heckman, D., & O’Sullivan, J. (2018) Electronic literature: Contexts and poetics. In K. M. Price & R. Siemens (Eds.) Literary Studies in a Digital Age, Modern Language Association. http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6K649S3G

Lamb, (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12-17.

Leu, D. J., Forzani, E., Timbrell, N., & Maykel, C. (2015). Seeing the forest, not the trees: Essential technologies for literacy in the primary-grade and upper elementary-grade classroom. The Reading Teacher, 69(2), 139-145.

McGeehan, C., Chambers, S., & Nowakowski, J. (2018). Just because it’s digital, doesn’t mean it’s good: Evaluating digital picture books.  Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 34(2), 58-70.

Rettberg, J.W. (2012) Electronic literature seen from a distance: The beginnings of a field. www.dichtung-digital.org/2012/41/walker-rettberg.htm

Rexroth, K. (2020, October 30). literature. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/literature

Rowberry, S. P. (2018). Continuous, not discrete: The mutual influence of digital and physical literature. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 26(2), 319–332.

Yokota, J. & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: educators making informed choices.  The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 577-585.