Digital technology advancements have had an extraordinary impact on storytelling possibilities and transformed traditional concepts of ‘books’ and ‘reading’ (Dobler, 2013). Many young readers now use mobile and electronic devices to access digital stories which vary widely in content, format, and quality (Sargeant, 2015; Valenza & Stephens, 2012). Up until now, I have been quite naïve about the huge variety of digital texts available!
Defining digital literature is challenging due to its ambiguous and contested nature (Rowland, 2021). Theorist Allan claims that it is near-impossible to conclusively define digital literature due the “ever-changing nature of the field” (2017, p. 21). Common definitions suggest that digital literature takes advantage of digital technologies in its design, creation, and delivery of stories (Groth, 2018; Rowland, 2021). Digital literature can feature multimodal elements and interactive features, which can blur distinctions between literature and games (Sargeant, 2015; Serafini et al., 2015).
Regardless, digital literature texts have value because they offer readers opportunities for engagement, enjoyment, and interaction that are unprecedented (McGeehan et al., 2017; Javorsky & Trainin, 2014). Compared with paper-based texts, digital literature can support multimodal comprehension, language acquisition, visual literacy skill development and personalised reading experiences (Yokota & Teale, 2014, p. 584). Digital texts also support students to develop sophisticated literacy skills as they navigate and derive meaning from layered, media-rich texts (Simpson & Walsh, 2015). Like all literature, quality can vary between digital texts, but evaluative criteria can assist in this assessment (McGeehan et al., 2017; Yokota & Teale, 2014).
As educators, we need to embrace digital literature so that we can teach students how to understand and make meaning from diverse texts (Simpson & Walsh, 2015; Allan, 2017). Some of these skills include navigating nonlinear texts, re-reading for comprehension and persisting when digital texts evolve in unexpected ways (Javorsky & Trainin, 2014). Reading digital texts is a complex undertaking because “entire information structures” need to be considered, not just typed text on a page (Hovious, 2020, p. 218). However, this is not to ignore the value of paper-based texts! Reading programs should, in fact, support encounters with a wide variety of diverse book types and formats (Dobler, 2013). To this end, Australian curriculum revisions for the subject of English are placing more emphasis on incorporating digital texts in classrooms (Simpson & Walsh, 2015).
Reading digital texts compared with print-based texts
Through my three recent blog reviews, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the value of digital literature and draw comparisons to print-based texts. Personally, I found that reading Pop Out! The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Loud Crow Interactive Inc., 2017) was not too dissimilar from reading a hardback copy of Beatrix Potter’s original text, perhaps with pull tags for pop out features. I didn’t feel like the technology enhanced my understanding of the story or added much more than the paper-based text could offer.
Comparatively, accessing the other two texts was a completely different reading experience! If I imagine reading Woonyoomboo the Night Heron (Milgin & Watson, 2018) as a paper-based text, I don’t think I would understand the story as deeply. For example, it would be difficult for me to hold a map of the Songline in my head and I couldn’t navigate between aerial photographs and listen to Songlines being sung by community elders.
Reading Inanimate Alice (Pullinger et al., 2005) was also exciting because it felt like a game, even if the interface was a little out-dated. I enjoyed piecing together the clues and the feast of visual information. At times, I did feel some sensory overload – particularly trying to read text with frenetic background sounds and music. If I imagine it as a paper-based text, Inanimate Alice would be a very short story and a lot of inferential details would be lost.
Incorporating digital texts into the English classroom
Of all three texts, Woonyoomboo the Night Heron was the most enjoyable because I learnt so much through experiencing the text. I found the multimodal features to be both immersive and instructive, bolstering my understanding of the narrative and stimulating my auditory and visual senses. I felt like I could engage with the story more fully than if it was a paper-based text, especially through watching parts of the narrative as animated videos. I also felt like I was learning the story through social interaction with Nyikina community members, whose speech and gestures have been recorded, and who have generously shared this important Dreaming story with everyone.
Woonyoomboo the Night Heron would be a wonderful text for use in the Year 7 or 8 English classroom. It could be used as a piece of literature to unpack and analyse, through exploration of character, themes, narrative structure, plot, and setting. It could also be used to provide insight in Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander voices, perspectives, and histories. Alternatively, it could be used to support the development of literacy skills associated with multimodal texts or used as a mentor text to inspire students as they create their own digital texts.
Looking forward
I am now eager to learn more about newly published digital texts, particularly those at the forefront of technological innovation. From non-linear texts to those with virtual reality components, and others that encourage participation and reader-to-reader interaction within textual worlds and beyond, there are just so many possibilities (Cowdy, 2016; Hovious, 2020; Serafini et al., 2015). It is certainly an exciting time to be an educator and a reader.
Reference List:
Allan, C. (2017). Digital fiction: ‘Unruly object’ or literary artefact? English in Australia, 52(2), 21-27.
Cowdy, C. (2016). Pedagogical encounters with Inanimate Alice: Digital mobility, transmedia storytelling, and transnational experiences. Jeunesse, Young People, Texts & Cultures, 8(1), 154-179.
Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.
Groth, S. (2018, May 20). Still defining digital literature. The Writing Platform. http://thewritingplatform.com/2018/05/still-defining-digital-literature/
Hovious, A., Shinas, V. H., & Harper, I. (2020). The compelling nature of transmedia storytelling: Empowering twenty first century readers and writers through multimodality. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 26(1), 215-229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09437-7
Javorsky, K., & Trainin, G. (2014). Teaching young readers to navigate a digital story when rules keep changing. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 606-618. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1259
Loud Crow Interactive Inc. (2017). Pop Out! The tale of Peter Rabbit (Version 1.8) [Mobile app]. App Store. https://apps.apple.com/au/app/popout-the-tale-of-peter-rabbit-potter/id397864713
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
Milgin, A. N., & Watson, D. (2018). Woonyoomboo: The Night Heron. Sharing Stories Foundation. https://books.sharingstoriesfoundation.org/nyikina/
Pullinger, K., Joseph, C., & Harper, I. (2005). Inanimate Alice: Episode 1 [Computer software]. The Bradfield Company Ltd.
Rowland, R. (2021, July 8). What is digital literature? Understanding the genre. Book Riot. https://bookriot.com/digital-literature/
Sargeant, B. (2015). What is an ebook? What is a book app? And why should we care? An analysis of contemporary digital picture books. Children’s Literature in Education, 46(4), 454-466.
Serafini, F., Kachorsky, D., & Aguilera, E. (2015). Picture books 2.0: Transmedial features across narrative platforms. Journal of Children’s Literature, 41(2), 16-24.
Simpson. A., & Walsh, M. (2015), Children’s literature in the digital world: How does multimodality support affective, aesthetic and critical response to narrative? English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 14(1), 28-43.
Valenza, J. K., & Stephens, W. (2012). Reading remixed. Educational Leadership, 69(6), 75-78.
Yokota, J., & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: educators making informed choices. The Reading Teacher, 34(6), 577-585.
Header Image Source: Visual art by 0fjd125gk87 from Pixabay.
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