ETL533 – Connect the dots

ETL533: A Reflection on Learning

October 3, 2023 Amanda Wilson Comments 0 Comment

Literature in Digital Environments (ETL355) has introduced me to new forms of literature that I had not experienced before and has helped me in reclassifying literature that I had engaged with in the past. Reflecting back on my initial understandings at the commencement of this unit, I had already been using digital literature sporadically within my classroom teaching, I just did not realise at the time. In my initial blog post, I mused as to whether the app Scratch Jr (DevTech Research Group & Scratch Foundation), which I had used with my students in the past, was a form of digital literature (Wilson, 2023-a, para. 3). With the information that I have now learned from this unit, I now recognise that the app itself is not digital literature, but it can be used as a platform to create digital literature. Although the primary focus of my lessons was technology and coding, I was inadvertently encouraging my students to create their own pieces of digital literature.

In Module 4.1, I shared my concerns around the use of social media as a platform to create digital literature (Wilson, 2023-d, para. 2). Research has shown that users engage with social media on a shallow level, with many sharing articles they have never read or voting in polls attached to articles they have not clicked on (Glenski et al., 2020, p. 40). Personally, I have witnessed this myself on Facebook with news articles containing deceptive headlines and when reading the attached comments, it is clear that many people did not actually read the article. Whilst an author creating a piece of Twitter fiction does not have the intention of spreading false information, users that come across these tweets may not have the engagement level needed to comprehend that what they are reading is fiction and therefore I still hold these concerns at the conclusion of the unit.

Creating my own digital story has been an educational and personally meaningful experience. I challenged myself by selecting a platform I had never used before to create my digital story. Through this process I have enhanced my digital technical skills by learning how to embed video, create hotspots within pictures and use programs, such as JuxtaposeJS (Knight Lab, n.d.) to enhance and engage readers with the story. The digital literature piece that I created is not only a valuable piece for use within the classroom, but it has also become a personally meaningful piece of digital literature for my family, serving to preserve our family history and will be treasured for many years to come.

The feedback that I received on my digital storytelling proposal encouraged me to think beyond the digital story itself to how I could use my digital story within the classroom. Two pieces of feedback suggested using my digital story as a proforma for students to create their own texts on their grandparents (Forfar, 2023; rachelerinives, 2023). The inclusion of prompts encouraging text-to-self connections throughout the story would give guidance on the kinds of interview questions students could ask an older person who is significant to them. Another piece of feedback encouraged me to consider the reading levels of the students accessing the text (lizfrench77, 2023). This feedback was acted upon through the inclusion of narration to support early-readers in accessing the text. The many different perspectives provided through the feedback on how the digital text could be used in the classroom was encouraging and demonstrates the versatility of the digital story that I have created.

As a current classroom teacher, my takeaway from this unit is that digital literature, when embedded authentically, has the power to enhance and support the student learning experience (Sukovic, 2014, p. 206). In Module 2.3 I identified that I could begin to adapt my current pedagogy by embedding quality digital literature in to my guided reading lessons (Wilson, 2023-c, para 1). This small but meaningful step will just be a starting point from which I can further embed digital literature in authentic ways to develop my students’ digital literacy skills and enhance curriculum content.

As a future teacher librarian, I hope to cultivate a digital literature collection that goes beyond eBooks. In Module 1.2, I identified three main points when it comes to selecting quality digital literature for a school library (Wilson-b, 2023, para. 1-4). This knowledge, coupled with the experience of critically evaluating three pieces of digital literature in the first assessment, has equipped me to be able to critically evaluate digital literature for the inclusion in my future school library.

References

DevTech Research Group & Scratch Foundation. (n.d.) Scratch Jr. https://www.scratchjr.org/

Forfar, L. (2023, September 17). Hello Amanda [Comment on blog post “Digital Storytelling Topic Proposal”]. Connect the Dots. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/amandawilson/2023/08/27/digital-storytelling-topic-proposal/#comment-15

Glenski, M., Volkova, S., & Kumar, S. (2020). User Engagement with Digital Deception. In Shu, K., Wang, S., Lee, D., & Liu, H. (Eds.). Disinformation, Misinformation, and Fake News in Social Media Emerging Research Challenges and Opportunities (1st ed., pp. 39-62). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42699-6

Knight Lab. (n.d.). JuxtaposeJS. https://juxtapose.knightlab.com/?_gl=1*1c6rflz*_ga*MTAxNTYwNDE2MC4xNjk0NjA3MTQ5*_ga_8F4WPDMPL5*MTY5NDYwNzE0OC4xLjAuMTY5NDYwNzE0OC4wLjAuMA..

Lizfrench77. (2023, September 16). Amanda, your proposal sounds fascinating and has the potential to be a memorable and meaningful learning experience. [Comment on blog post “Digital Storytelling Topic Proposal”]. Connect the Dots.

Rachelerinives. (2023, September 3). This is such a great idea on a way in which to present a history topic and engage students. [Comment on blog post “Digital Storytelling Topic Proposal”]. Connect the Dots. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/amandawilson/2023/08/27/digital-storytelling-topic-proposal/#comment-12

Sukovic, S. (2014). iTell: Transliteracy and Digital Storytelling. Australian Academic and Research Libraries, 45(3), 205–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048623.2014.951114

Wilson, A. (2023-a, July 9). Prior Knowledge and Pigeons: My Preliminary Understanding of Digital Literature. Connect the Dots. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/amandawilson/2023/07/09/prior-knowledge-and-pigeons-my-preliminary-understanding-of-digital-literature/

Wilson, A. (2023-b, July 18). Evaluating digital narratives [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_68469_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_140370_1&forum_id=_321155_1&message_id=_4517189_1

Wilson, A. (2023-c, August 6). One small change in my classroom practice [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_68469_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_140370_1&forum_id=_322389_1&message_id=_4547401_1

Wilson, A. (2023-d, September 8). Concerns around using social media platforms for digital storytelling [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_68469_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_140370_1&forum_id=_323703_1&message_id=_4579869_1

Cover of digital story, Growing Up in the 1960s

Context for Digital Story Telling Project

October 3, 2023 Amanda Wilson Comments 0 Comment

Growing Up in the 1960s (Wilson, 2023) is a non-fiction digital narrative that centres around a young boy named Frank. Using a first-person perspective to tell the story, Frank shares facts, photos and videos of what life is like for him growing up in the Victorian town of Yarrawonga. Reading about Frank’s family, home, school, and the fun he has, students can gain a glimpse into what life was like for Frank as a child in the 1960s. After interacting with the text, students are then able make connections between Frank’s life and their own life, identifying similarities and differences to their own experience of growing up in the 2020s.

This digital story is primarily designed to be utilised by Year One students, aligning with the Year One History content descriptors of AC9HS1K01 (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], n.d.-b) and AC9HS1K02 (ACARA, n.d.-a). The intended purpose of this digital story is to provide students with a window into life in the past, bringing Frank’s story to life through the combination of text, video, photographs, and audio. Primarily, it is envisioned that this story would be read by Year One students independently or in small groups. After reading the text, students could represent their thinking on a Venn Diagram to identify similarities and differences between themselves and the main character Frank (Fehring, 2019, p. 88).

As the intended audience for this digital story is junior primary, digital enhancements have been included to support early readers in accessing the text. An optional “read to me” function is embedded wherever there is text to support early readers in accessing the story. The text can also be read without the narration, giving the reader the option to read at their own pace and not compete with the narration coming from the device (Hoel & Jernes, 2023, p. 11). The narration takes “appropriate advantage of what the digital world allows” (Yokota & Teale, 2014, p. 581) through the use of a text-to-speech generator to create a young boy’s voice telling the story. This gives authenticity to the narration, making it appear as though Frank himself is telling the story directly to the reader.

Throughout the story, students are encouraged to make text-to-self connections between their own personal experiences of growing up and Frank’s experience in the 1960s. A yellow tab appears in the bottom left-hand corner which provides questions that prompt the reader to reflect upon the story being told and make connections to their own lives. Using hotspots for questioning is recommended as an effective way to engage students with the text without detracting from the story itself (Xu, et. al., 2021, p. 222). These text-to-self prompts assist students to understand and interpret the information that is being presented to them within the digital narrative (Ewing, 2022, p. 184). Not only does this meet the Year One History outcomes as mentioned previously, but it also simultaneously meets the Year One English outcome of AC9E1LE02 (ACARA, n.d.-c).

An example of the questions included to promote text-to-self connections (Wilson, 2023)

Further digital enhancements are utilised through the embedding of hotspots into a couple of the pictures to give further context to the photos that are included. For example, a historical arial map of Yarrawonga has been included. On its own, this map may not be of any significance to a student. However, the map is embedded with hotspots that pinpoint places of significance to Frank. These hotspots are aligned with the story to ensure that they support comprehension and engagement (Hoel & Jernes, 2023, p. 12). From developing a more comprehensive understanding of the places significant to Frank, students can then make inferences about his life in Yarrawonga and how he may have moved about the town.

An example of how hotspots were embedded to add context and meaning (Wilson, 2023)

Genially (Genially, n.d.) was selected as the platform for this digital story as it provided the functionalities needed to create a non-linear story, giving students control in how they navigate the story. Exploring digital literature in a non-linear format is beneficial to younger students, as it aligns with how they access information within today’s hyper-connected world (Manresa, 2015, p. 117). Growing Up in the 1960s can be read in any order without it impacting on the story line.

Contents page (Wilson, 2023)

This digital story has many applications within the classroom and across year levels. It could also be used as a launch pad for students to create their own on piece of literature on an older person who is significant to them. It’s uses also extend beyond the Year One classroom, as it can be used across all year levels as an example of digital literature or as a proforma for creating biographies.

Click here to read the digital story Growing Up in the 1960s (Wilson, 2023)

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.-a). Continuity and change between aspects of their daily lives and their parents’ and grandparents’ childhoods (AC9HS1K02). Australian Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/hass-f-6/year-1/content-description?subject-identifier=HASHASY1&content-description-code=AC9HS1K02&detailed-content-descriptions=0&hide-ccp=0&hide-gc=0&side-by-side=1&strands-start-index=0&subjects-start-index=0&view=quick

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.-b). Differences in family structures and roles today, and how these have changed or remained the same over time (AC9HS1K01). Australian Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/hass-f-6/year-1/content-description?subject-identifier=HASHASY1&content-description-code=AC9HS1K01&detailed-content-descriptions=0&hide-ccp=0&hide-gc=0&side-by-side=1&strands-start-index=0&subjects-start-index=0&view=quick

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.-c). Discuss literary texts and share responses by making connections with students’ own experiences (AC9E1LE02). Australian Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum.html/learning-areas/english/year-1/content-description?subject-identifier=ENGENGY1&content-description-code=AC9E1LE02&detailed-content-descriptions=0&hide-ccp=0&hide-gc=0&side-by-side=1&strands-start-index=0&subjects-start-index=0&view=quick

Ewing, R. (2022). English and literacies : learning how to make meaning in primary classrooms. Cambridge University Press.

Fehring, H. (2019). Literacies Assessment: Theory and Practice. In Henderson, R. (Ed.), Teaching Literacies: pedagogies and diversity (2^nd ed., pp. 70-98). Oxford University Press.

Genially. (n.d.). Genially. https://genial.ly

Hoel, T., & Jernes, M. (2023). Quality in children’s digital picture books: seven key strands for educational reflections for shared dialogue-based reading in early childhood settings. Early Years. https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2023.2172552

Manresa, M. (2015). Traditional Readers and Electronic Literature: An Exploration of Perceptions and Readings of Digital Works. In M. Manresa & N. Real Mercadal (Eds.), Digital Literature for Children: Texts, Readers and Educational Practices. P.I.E. Peter Lang.

Wilson, A. (2023). Growing Up in the 1960s. https://view.genial.ly/64f46e5725668e00136d4c70/presentation-growing-up-in-the-1960s

Xu, Y., Yau, J. C., & Reich, S. M. (2021). Press, swipe and read: Do interactive features facilitate engagement and learning with e‐Books? Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 37(1), 212–225. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12480

Yokota, J., & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture Books and The Digital World: Educators Making Informed Choices. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 577–585. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1262

Digital Storytelling Topic Proposal

August 27, 2023 Amanda Wilson Comments 4 comments

For my digital story, I am creating a non-fiction narrative of the life of a child in the 1960s. The story will centre around a seven-year-old girl and share stories and artefacts about what life was like for her during this time. Digital artefacts, such as videos and photographs containing hotspots, will be created using artefacts and stories from my mother’s childhood. This digital story is inspired from an interview that my 2018 Year 1/2 class conducted with my grandmother on what life was like when she was a child. Using the information gathered from the interview the children then identify similarities and differences between her life as a child and their lives today.

My Grandmother being interviewed by my Year 1/2 class. — *My grandmother being interviewed by my Year 1/2 class.*

The main character in the story is seven years old, making it relatable to a junior primary cohort. It aligns with the Australian Curriculum learning area of Humanities and Social Sciences, in particular the Year One History content descriptors of AC9HS1K01 and AC9HS1K02 (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, n.d.).

Genially logo (Genially, n.d.).

I have chosen Genially (Genially, n.d.) as my creative platform. Genially allows presentations to be presented in an interactive and non-linear way, making it possible for younger students to take control of the story, explore topics of interest and revise content as needed. Supporting digital elements, such as embedded narration, are available within Genially to support early readers in accessing the content. Genially also comes with a vast array of graphics to make it visually appealing to a younger audience.

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). The Australian Curriculum. https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Genially. (n.d.). Genially. https://genial.ly

Digital Literature Review: Space Frog!

August 27, 2023 Amanda Wilson Comments 0 Comment

Space Frog! (npckc, n.d.) is a piece of hypertext fiction that embodies a Choose Your Own Adventure style of reading. The story is about a frog called Space Frog, who is on a quest to find a star. The simplicity of the story line and the use of anthropomorphic animals makes it a suitable option to use as an introduction to hypertext fiction for a younger audience.

The first Choose Your Own Adventure book was published in 1979, with the concept becoming popular in the eighties, and to this day, is the fourth best-selling book series of all time (Jamison, 2022). In the books, readers would be presented with choices to make at crucial points within the story. The reader would then be guided to a different page within the book to continue the story. The hyper-connectedness of the internet streamlines this literary style by removing the need for flicking through pages. This is suitably demonstrated in Space Frog!, where the reader is in control of how the story evolves through the use of hyperlinks. At points throughout the story, the reader is prompted to make decisions about which direction the story should go by clicking on the hyperlink that corresponds with how they would like the story to progress.

*Choices are made using hyperlinks (npckc, n.d.).*

The story contains simple, computerised graphics that align with the content of the text on each screen. With many other children’s digital narratives, the story remains fixed while the illustrations contain interactive digital elements. For Space Frog!, the opposite is happening; the graphics are static and contain no interactive elements, while it is the story itself that readers can manipulate and change. The use of static graphics takes away the element of distractibility that illustrations containing hotspots can possess (Hoel & Jernes, 2023, p. 12). On the other hand, it is a missed opportunity to utilise the full abilities of digital media to create graphics that enhance a young readers comprehension of the story.

While the content is appropriate for a younger audience, it does not contain any digital supports that would allow an early reader to read the text independently. Accessibility features, such as narration or text-to-speech, would assist an early reader to access this piece of digital literature independently. Instead, early readers may require an adult to read with them in order for them to access the text.

On pages where there is no decision that needs to be made, the reader progresses the story by clicking on forward arrows to move the text forward, or backward arrows to go back to the last page. In linear digital story books, research has shown that students in upper primary don’t often adhere to the “codex convention of reading” and will move forwards and backwards, subsequently affecting their comprehension and recall of the text (Trushell et al., 2001, p. 399). Given that hypertext narratives possess the added complexity of not being as linear as a traditional text, if these behaviours are exhibited when reading Space Frog!, it could greatly impact a child’s comprehension of the story. This is another reason why the text would need to be read in the company of an adult.

*Arrows are used to move the story forwards and backwards (npckc, n.d.).*

Space Frog! exists within a niche in the hypertext fiction world as there doesn’t appear to be many hypertext fiction pieces suitable for younger children. When searching for hypertext fiction on websites such as the Interactive Fiction Database and itch.io, the majority of their titles appear to be aimed at a much older demographic as they contain mature themes. Also, much of the hypertext fiction that exists on the internet is self-published, therefore teachers would need to be critical of their quality. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and appropriate themes would need to be evaluated before sharing a selected piece with the students (Dobler, 2013, p. 21). From reading Space Frog! multiple times and using alternate scenarios and endings, there does not appear to be any grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors, therefore would be suitable to use within the classroom.

In a classroom context, Space Frog! could be used to model hypertext fiction or the concept of Choose Your Own Adventure to the class. It could be used in independent reading by proficient readers, but due to the lack of accessibility features, it would require scaffolding and support for early readers.

Space Frog!’s simplicity is its strength as well as its weakness. Its content is suitable for a younger audience and its simple design and graphics make it not as distracting as other digital literature aimed at children. However, it’s lack of accessibility features, such as narration and text highlighting, means it would require adult support for a child to read it.

References

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

Jamison, L. (2022, September 12). The Enduring Allure Of Choose Your Own Adventure Books. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/09/19/the-enduring-allure-of-choose-your-own-adventure-books

npckc. (n.d.). Space Frog!. https://npckc.itch.io/space-frog

Trushell, J., Burrell, C., & Maitland, A. (2001). Year 5 pupils reading an Interactive Storybook on CD-ROM: losing the plot?. British Journal of Educational Technology, 32(4), 389–401. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8535.00209

K'gari: The Real Story of a True Fake (SBS, n.d.).

Digital Literature Review: K’gari

August 27, 2023 Amanda Wilson Comments 0 Comment

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 reader clicks the screen to trigger lightning to destroy Eliza Fraser’s words (SBS, n.d.).*

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/

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy iPad app cover (Kiwa Digital, n.d.).

Digital Literature Review: Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy

August 27, 2023 Amanda Wilson Comments 0 Comment

The popular children’s book Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy by Lynley Dodd (2005) has been digitally reproduced into an interactive iPad app, with digital elements included that support early readers to read the story independently.

The digital version of Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy mimics the layout of the print books, with pictures on the left-hand side of the screen and matching text on the right. This makes the format familiar to children who have experienced reading the print version of the story. The digital reproduction of this book effectively uses digital features to scaffold the story so early readers can read the story independently. As the narrator is reading the story aloud, the words change from red to black and bounce off the page, assisting the reader to visually track text and promote left-to-right directionality. Words can be tapped individually and read aloud by the narrator. Children can also swipe their fingers over the text, and the narrator will read the section that the child’s finger has passed over.

*An example of text movement (Kiwa Digital, n.d.).*

The illustrations within the app are identical to those within the original book, but small movements have been added, such as the blinking of eyes, or the nodding of a head. There are hotspots located within the illustrations, but these are limited to the bark of the dog or the meow of a cat. The subtlety of these additions minimises distractions from the storyline.

It is through the playful use of language, like the rhyme and alliteration found in the Hairy Maclary series of stories, that children develop their language abilities. Children’s stories that contain these fundamental elements usually need to be read aloud by an adult for pre- and early readers to access the language contained within the story. Research has shown that digital texts have an advantage over their printed counterparts when it comes to comprehension and vocabulary development when children are reading independently (Takacs, Swart & Bus, 2014, p. 10). The inclusion of a narrator means children are not reliant on an adult to access the story and enables them to independently access the rich language contained within (Hoel & Jernes, 2023, p. 10). In this context, the digital reproduction of Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy gives greater opportunities for a child to independently enhance their language abilities when compared to reading the same text in printed form. In a school context, the Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy app is a suitable choice for implementing within literacy rotations or as independent reading, as a teacher does not need to be working one-on-one with the child for them to read the story.

Readers who are deaf are supported through the inclusion of a signing narrator, telling the story using Australian Sign Language (AUSLAN), New Zealand sign language or American sign language. Multimodal texts that tie together the text, oral narration and sign are advantageous for children who are deaf, as they can pause, replay, and revisit elements of the text which in turn improves their comprehension of the text (Walker-Gleaves & Waugh, 2018, p. 113).

*Sign language narration is included (Kiwa Digital, n.d.).*

The app also has a colouring-in function, where the illustrations change to greyscale and the child can colour them by running their fingers over the illustrations. This function is hidden behind the Puffin logo and is not distracting while you are reading the story. However, this digital enhancement does not “deepen conceptual knowledge” of the story or its characters (McGeehan et. al., 2018, p. 63), making this feature superfluous to the story itself.

*Colouring-in the illustrations is an additional feature (Kiwa Digital, n.d.).*

While the suite of digital features discussed so far are advantageous to early readers, it could be argued that the creators have not taken full advantage of the digital features available to them. Junko Yokota and William H. Teale state that digital books that employ a similar suite of features, such as the “Living Books” adaptation of Just Me and My Mum, employ “minimal digital affordances that could enhance the reading experience” (2014, p. 581). The Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy app could have added digital enhancements that align with the text, such hotspots within the illustrations where the reader opens the gate on each page to let the dog out. Such interactive elements would align with the story and support comprehension (Hoel & Jernes, 2023, p. 12).

While the addition of more interactive features would enhance this app even further, the Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy app in its current form provides more opportunities for children to access literature independently than they could with the book alone. The scaffolded reading cues, narration, subtle digital enhancements of the illustrations, and sign language in this digital reproduction gives the reader an experience that cannot be replicated in the print version of the text.

References

Dodd, L. (2005). Hairy Maclary From Donaldson’s Dairy. Puffin Books.

Kiwa Digital. (n.d.). Hairy Maclary from Donaldson Dairy. https://www.kiwadigital.com/showcase/hairy-maclary-from-donaldsons-dairy/

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. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2017.1399488

Takacs, Z. K., Swart, E. K., & Bus, A. G. (2014). Can the computer replace the adult for storybook reading? A meta-analysis on the effects of multimedia stories as compared to sharing print stories with an adult. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, Article 1366. https://doi.org/10. 3389/fpsyg.2014.01366

Walker-Gleaves, C. & Waugh, D. (2018). Looking After Literacy: A Whole Child Approach to Effective Literacy Interventions. SAGE Publications.

Yokota, J., & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture Books and The Digital World: Educators Making Informed Choices. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 577–585. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1262

Prior Knowledge and Pigeons: My Preliminary Understanding of Digital Literature

July 9, 2023 Amanda Wilson Comments 4 comments

Within the introductory module of ETL533 Literature in Digital Environments, my preconceptions of digital literature have already been challenged. Prior to the commencement of this unit, I would have classed eBooks or PDF books as a part of digital literature, but as explained by Giovanna Di Rosario in her TEDx Talk, Pixelated Words: Literature Facing the Digital World (TEDx Talks, 2018), it pertains to literary works that are created for and on digital devices. From the examples shown within the video, it is clear that digital literature is not just replacing paper for a screen. It involves a level of interactivity and manipulation from the user.

The starter list of various digital narratives was all very new to me. However, there was one stand out that I have used extensively during my time as a classroom teacher. Don’t let the Pigeon Run this App! (Disney, 2017) was a staple in my teacher toolkit. Mo Willem’s had already perfected the art of creating physical books where readers could interact with the main protagonist, the persistent Pigeon, as he tries to persuade the reader that they should let him do un-pigeon-like things, such as drive a bus, stay up late, or get a puppy. Don’t let the Pigeon Run this App! (2017) takes it to the next level, allowing children (and adults, alike!) to create their own Pigeon story using the same story structure as the series of books. It always had a magical ability to engage the whole class, with students eager to create their own version of the Pigeon stories and share them with their classmates. Students would challenge themselves to come up with funny responses to the prompts given by the Bus Driver to make their classmates laugh.

Dont Let The Pigeon Run This App! (Disney, 2017) — The pigeon is told “NO!”, he cannot have what he is asking for. From the app: *Don’t Let The Pigeon Run This App!* (Disney, 2017)

I have had other experiences with combining digital technology and literature, but at this early stage of my learning I am unsure if this would be classed as digital literature. As a junior primary teacher for my whole career, apps such as Reading Eggs (3P Learning, n.d.) have been an integral part of the reading programs of both schools that I been a part of. I have also utilised the coding app Scratch Jr (DevTech Research Group & Scratch Foundation, n.d.) for students to create their own mini stories. I will reassess where these apps fit within the digital literature landscape once I have developed a better understanding of what digital literature is.

Reflecting upon my limited experience of digital literature, I can see how it could be a powerful tool to engage students in the reading process; particularly those who are reluctant, find reading difficult due to a disability, or English not being their first language. I am really keen to learn more about this aspect of teacher librarianship and how I can adapt my future library to take advantage of the vast array of digital literacy platforms.

References:

3P Learning. (n.d.). Reading Eggs. https://readingeggs.com.au/

Disney. (2017). Don’t Let The Pigeon Run This App!. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dont-let-pigeon-run-this-app/id459749670

DevTech Research Group & Scratch Foundation. (n.d.) Scratch Jr. https://www.scratchjr.org/

TEDx Talks. (2018, July). Are pixels the future of literature ? | Giovanna Di Rosario | TEDxUCLouvain [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CAaoWcknvM

Connect the dots

Thoughts and reflections from a Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) student

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Tag: ETL533

ETL533: A Reflection on Learning

October 3, 2023 Amanda Wilson Comments 0 Comment

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Digital Literature Review: Space Frog!

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Digital Literature Review: Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy

August 27, 2023 Amanda Wilson Comments 0 Comment

Prior Knowledge and Pigeons: My Preliminary Understanding of Digital Literature

July 9, 2023 Amanda Wilson Comments 4 comments