K’gari (SBS, n.d.) is a digital documentary that challenges Eliza Fraser’s account of events from when she became shipwrecked on the island of K’gari (previously known as Fraser Island) in 1836. This review will apply the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (Mayer, 2021, p. 34) to analyse the effectiveness of the digital elements used within this digital documentary.

 

The cognitive theory of multimedia learning outlines that learners actively process incoming information through multimedia when it engages both the visual and auditory senses concurrently through focused and thoughtfully laid out content (Mayer, 2021, p. 34). The theory is based on three assumptions: “dual channels”, “limited capacity” and “active processing” (Mayer, 2021, p. 34). These three assumptions will be elaborated on and applied to K’gari to analyse the effectiveness of the digital elements used for learning the Butchulla’s side of the story.

 

The first of these assumptions is that humans acquire information through “dual channels”, being the visual and aural channels (Mayer, 2021, p. 34). In K’gari, Eliza Fraser’s recount is presented through written word on the screen while concurrently being narrated by Miranda Otto, hence simultaneously engaging both the visual channel with written word and aural channel with narration. The Butchulla’s side of the story engages the aural channel by orally recounting their history of events and engages the visual channel through animations that support what is being said.

 

K’gari builds upon this first assumption by adding in a third sense, touch. The powerful digital effects mean the reader doesn’t just question Eliza Fraser’s account of events but is actively encouraged to physically destroy the words with powerful digital effects, like triggering lightning to strike at the words, physically washing away the text with the waves of the ocean and blowing paragraphs away with the wind.

The second assumption is that each channel has a “limited capacity” in the amount of information that it can process at one time (Mayer, 2021, p. 36). K’gari chunks the information by presenting the reader with one paragraph of Eliza Fraser’s recount at a time, then presents the Butchulla’s rebuttal to what has just been said. This back-and-forth continues throughout, with the documentary only progressing when the reader clicks their mouse. This allows the reader to set the pace in which they absorb the information presented.

 

The third assumption is “active processing”, where humans actively make sense of the information being presented to them by paying attention to the incoming information, integrating it with their prior knowledge, and cognitively organising this new information (Mayer, 2021, p. 37). The juxtaposition of these two recounts side-by-side provides scaffolding for the user to actively compare and contrast both accounts simultaneously. This is not something that can be as easily replicated in print form as the history of First Nations Australians is primarily an oral history, spanning 60,000 years (Koori Heritage Trust, n.d.), whereas history in England, where Eliza Fraser originated from, has primarily taken the form of written records (English Heritage, n.d.). This digital documentary provides the perfect platform upon which these two differing mediums of history telling can be juxtaposed side-by-side, comparing the Butchulla peoples’ oral retelling of events against Eliza Fraser’s written words.

 

By analysing K’gari against the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, it is evident that K’gari’s digital construction makes it a highly effective piece of digital literature for learning. It has applications within the classroom across the Australian Curriculum, as this digital documentary aligns well with the learning areas of English and History and Social Sciences (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, n.d.). It is also an authentic way to embed the ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures’ cross-curriculum priority into units of work.

 

Digital documentaries are a powerful medium upon which the oral histories of First Nations Australians can be preserved. It is estimated that around 90 percent of First Nations Australian languages are critically endangered (Johnson, 2016, para. 24). The significance of the K’gari digital documentary is three-fold; it corrects Australian history, preserves the oral history of the Butchulla people, and educates readers on the purpose of correcting the name of ‘Fraser Island’ back to ‘K’gari’.

 

From analysing K’gari through the lens of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, one can see how the digital elements employed are a powerful way for the Butchulla people to reclaim their history from the falsehoods perpetuated by Eliza Fraser. The juxtaposition of oral history with written history through the use of engaging visual, aural and tactile digital elements creates a crucial learning experience for readers.

 

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). The Australian Curriculum.

English Heritage. (n.d.). Story of England. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/

Johnson, L. (2016, October 6). What is language extinction and why should we care?. SBS. https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/what-is-language-extinction-and-why-should-we-care/3zxux82rm

Koori Heritage Trust. (n.d.). Oral and Visual Recordings. https://koorieheritagetrust.com.au/visit-us/collections/oral-visual-recordings/

Mayer, R. E. (2021). Multimedia learning (Third edition.). Cambridge University Press.

SBS. (n.d.). K’gari Interactive Documentary. https://www.sbs.com.au/kgari/