August 28

Does the E-Book fly? Digital Literature Review

xxolgaxx / Pixabay

INF533 Literature in Digital Environments

Assignment 2 – Part A

Peter Pan E-Book Digital Literature Review

Peter Pan is the classical narrative by J.M. Barrie. It is an engaging children’s fairy tale about a boy, who defies the inevitable reality that one must grow up, and his adventures with the Darling children, John, Wendy and Michael. Their escapades, mostly in Neverland, are in cahoots with a gang of Lost Boys and a fairy called Tinker Bell. They clash with the pirate, Captain Hook, and his men. Where will their adventures lead? Can they get home again?

Under the Project Gutenburg, Peter Pan, along with 60,090 books, is available digitally. Project Gutenburg is a free on-line library of books, mostly older works, available due US copyright expiration. This is a restrictive collection of books, many inappropriate or just not exciting for secondary school students. This e-book is a replica of the entire codex. But does it contain the same endearing qualities as a print text does? Cull believes that they orientation throughout the e-book suffers (2011, p. 4); and Jabr contends that the paper smell and the layout which creates more strain on the eyes are issues (2013, p. 7-9). It is clear that Project Gutenburg have taken this into account and tried to maintain these qualities. For example, in the EPUB download file orientation consists of a scroll bar showing the percentage of progression through the book. The story is presented in the typical layout of a print text – two pages with a click of the mouse to turn the page. Conversely, some features cannot be duplicated – some positive and others not.

It seems that not only has Project Gutenburg endeavoured to liken the e-books to codex texts but have also tried to cater for positive extras made possible by the digital qualities. For example, it is possible to change the colour of the text and background, the font size and style and they have provided the ability to make notes which could be beneficial for students with literacy issues or vision impairment. For ease of access to the e-book, a QR code is available to reach Project Gutenburg’s mobile site and it is also advantageous that the text can be translated into various languages additional to English including Portugese, Dutch and French. There are many benefits.

On the other hand, the multimodal features are limited with this type of e-book. There are several types of file downloads including an audiobook, or in the EPUB download there is the provision of the text to be read to the reader. However, the voice is robotic. There are no images even in the “EPUB (with images)” download.  The HTML version is more basic and more difficult to read with large slabs of text that keeps scrolling down the page – unmotivating for a struggling or a reluctant reader. Additionally, there is provision for downloading on a Kindle or iPad with images and the reader can save the book in Google Drive, Microsoft One Drive or Dropbox. Additionally, a device is needed to store and access the narrative on, so access by students from home cannot be relied on. In my current school, there are many from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Additionally, in class, access to a device will be needed for many lessons and, is not always available.

Basic technological skills are required by the user and the quality of the digital text is, by and large, dependent on quality of the literary source. Due to the lack of copyright restrictions, there is little limitation with copying or altering text which may be beneficial for close study of text. Almost every sub-category under the Literary element in the General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (2016) is directly applicable (except the visual knowledge) due to its literary features. The educational activities associated with this text, can be greatly varied including all levels of Blooms Taxonomy. Limited Information Communication and Technology elements are applicable due to the uncomplicated of technological features.

The focus of this e-book is mainly the content of the literature. There are very few added technological embellishments. Changing the mode that this text is presented in has not detracted from its charming fairy tale quality. For educational purposes, the e-book has many benefits and drawbacks which probably cancel each other out in the end. Does the e-book fly? If it does, not very high.

Reference List

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, (2016). Critical and Creative Thinking: General Capabilities. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/media/1072/general-capabilities-creative-and-critical-thinking-learning-continuum.pdf

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, (2016). Information Communication and Technology: General Capabilities. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/media/1074/general-capabilities-information-and-communication-ict-capability-learning-continuum.pdf

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, (2016). Literacy: General Capabilities. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/media/3596/general-capabilities-literacy-learning-continuum.pdf

Barrie, J.M., (2008). Peter Pan, Retrieved from: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16

Cull, B. W., (2011). Reading revolutions: online digital text and implications for reading in academe. First Monday, 16(6). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3340/2985

Diigo, Inc., 2019, Diigo. Retrieved from: https://www.diigo.com/index

Dropbox: Put your creative energy to work, with Dropbox, (n.d.). Dropbox. Retrieved from: https://www.dropbox.com/

Free e-books Project Gutenburg, 2019, Project Gutenburg. Retrieved from: https://www.gutenberg.org/

Google drive: a safe place for all your files, (n.d.). Google Drive. Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/drive/

Jabr, F. (2013, April 11). The reading brain in the digital age: The science of paper versus screens. Scientific American. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=reading-paper-screens

NSW Education Standards Authority, (2012). English K-10 Syllabus (2012). Retrieved from: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/english-year-10/english-k-10

Pixabay – the image used on this blog page is used pursuant to Creative Commons Licence

Save your files and photos to OneDrive and get them from any device, anywhere, 2019, Microsoft OneDrive. Retrieved from: https://onedrive.live.com/about/en-au/

 

 

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July 24

Fast-Paced Digital Buzz

Literature in Digital Environments has lit up my imagination like an electrically circuited Yellow Brick Road that zooms in, out and through Literature City (LeRoy, Cukor, Fleming, LeRoy, Taurog, Thorpe, & Vidor, 1939). Digital literature is capable of enhancing my everyday teaching practice. My professional background has been a fuddled metamorphosis (Kafka, 1946) where I scuttle between classrooms teaching a multitude of subjects for various Stages in secondary schools. Hopefully, I will transform into a teacher librarian.

My knowledge and understanding of concepts and practices in digital literature is developing. I have used such digital narratives as the Dust Echoes videos, a YouTube of [Shakespeare: The Animated Tales] Macbeth, and Storyline Online. Each has a purpose. As pointed out in Learning 2030: From Books to Screen, the novelty of gadgets and busy work soon wears off. In History, the Dust Echoes – Moon Man online video was viewed through the electronic whiteboard and some of the activities were obtained from the online study guide. The [Shakespeare: The Animated Tales] Macbeth was used as a visual synopsis to support student understanding of the play. At a more “primitive” level, I have used video to teach film and advertising. Extra features on the DVDs such as with Finding Nemo (Walters, Stanton, & Unkrich, 2003)and The Corpse Bride (Abbate, Auerbach, Frey, Ranft, Shaw, Burton & Johnson, 2005) explore the process of making the animations have been learnt from. Adapted texts have been compared such as 10 Things I Hate about You (Chernov, Hedien, Jaret, & Lazar, Silverman, & Junger, 1999) with The Taming of the Shrew (McWhorter, Taylor & Zeffirelli, 1967).  Now streaming resources are also used: Netflix, Stan and ABC iview. I aspire to use interactive and transmedia texts.

The progress of digital literature has proliferated. Issues have arisen. For instance, the quality of these resources can vary as anyone can publish on the internet. The implications for effective teaching and learning involves the discriminating use of texts possessing quality literary and digital features – questioning the need for varied ways of evaluating digital texts. The purpose for using these texts should comply with the scope and sequence and the relevant syllabus. The literary and digital features need to be presented educationally, appropriately and well – not with inappropriate distractions (Yokota and Teale, p. 581) (Walsh, 2013, p. 181-186).

Transmedia narratives are an exciting development. When stories are more than paper: Transmedia trends in Young Adult Literature tells of narratives such as Patrick Carman’s Skeleton Creek that can be read, viewed and listened to. The multimodal presentation of the text can be beneficial for a range of learning needs. It is important to study the effects these developments have on learners. In a case study conducted by Simpson and Walsh (2015), it was revealed that when a codex text was teamed with a digital version of the text, the young readers’ critical awareness was expanded due to engagement of their sense of empathy and aesthetic responses. The use of digital literature needs to be further investigated.

Literature in the digital environment offers many possibilities. However, educators need to evaluate every text, learning situation and be aware that the information age is racing ahead. This subject provides the opportunity to extend learning, acquire a number of versatile, engaging resources for a diverse audience and may broaden my professional scope.

References

Chernov, J, Hedien, J., Jaret, S., & Lazar, A., (Producers) & Silverman, G. (Associate Producer) & Junger, G., (Director), (1999), 10 Things I Hate About You, United Stated: TouchstoneAbbate, A., Auerbach, J., Burton, T., Frey, D., Ranft, J., & Shaw, T., (Producers) & Burton, T., & Johnson, M., (2005), The Corpse Bride, United States: Warner Home Video

Kafka, F. (1946), Metamorphosis, New York The Vanguard press Inc.

LeRoy, M. (Producer), & Cukor, G., Fleming, V., LeRoy, M, Taurog, N., Thorpe, R., & Vidor, K., (Directors), (1939), Wizard of Oz [Movie], United States: Warner Bros. Pictures.

McWhorter, R, Taylor, E., (Producers), & Zeffirelli, F., (Director), (1967), The Taming of the Shrew, United States: Columbia Pictures

Pexels Video – Video used on this blog page is used pursuant to Creative Commons Licence, https://www.pexels.com/video/bonfire-in-timelapse-mode-1998132/

Simpson, A., and Walsh, M.,(2015), Children’s literature in the digital world: How does multimodality support affective, aesthetic and critical response to narrative?, https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1108/ETPC-12-2014-0005, 14(1), p.28-43

Walters, G., (Producer), Stanton, A., &  Unkrich, L., (Directors), (2003) Finding Nemo, United Stated: Pixar

The Corpse Bride

Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment (Ch. 13). In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. Marrickville, NSW: Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA)

Yokota, J. & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: educators making informed choices. The Reading Teacher, 34(6). Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/3886534/Picture_Books_and_the_Digital_World_Educators_ Making_Informed_Choices

Category: INF533, Technology | 1 Comment on Fast-Paced Digital Buzz