Here is the link to my finished digital storytelling project, titled ‘Head to the Treehouse’, which is viewable as an interactive Google Slides presentation.
Assessment 4 Part A: Context for Digital Storytelling Project
Head to the Treehouse is a digital text created using Canva, Google Slides, and Google Forms. Unlike traditional print-based texts, digital texts can incorporate animation, images, video, sound effects, music, and audio narration (Lamb, 2011; Matthews, 2014; Reid, 2013). They can also embed navigational and interactive features, and connect readers to digital resources and other “external platforms” beyond the text (Serafini et al., 2015, p. 18).
This digital text is suited to middle grade readers aged approximately 8–13 years old, due to language complexity and puzzle-based content that requires students to navigate different online platforms to solve clues. Specifically, the target audience is Year 5 and 6 students at Kingswood College who are taking part in the College’s ‘Wide Reading and Responding’ program which runs in conjunction with Years 5 and 6 English. There are explicit links to Year 5 English curriculum (ACELT1610, ACELT1798, ACELY1704, ACELY1707) and Year 6 English curriculum (ACELT1618, ACELT1800, ACELY1714, ACELY1717) (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2015a).
The purpose of the incorporating digital texts into school library programs is twofold: so that students have access to multimodal texts and can try digital storytelling themselves. Digital storytelling is, put simply, the use of digital tools to share stories (Matthews, 2014; Towndrow & Kogut, 2020). Head to the Treehouse is designed to act as a springboard for students, as, after reading, they are asked to ‘finish the ending’ and design their own digital story which draws the narrative to a close.
Engaging students in digital storytelling projects supports their ICT skill development (Reid, 2013; Tackvic, 2012, p. 429). Accordingly, this activity links to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability of the Australian Curriculum. Some relevant organising elements include: “applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT”, “creating with ICT” and “communicating with ICT” (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2015b).
Head to the Treehouse and the associated digital storytelling activity are designed to meet the needs of Kingswood College students. The College is a small, co-educational, independent school in Box Hill South, Victoria. The Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage value is 1147 (ACARA, 2022). Students bring their own devices, utilise the College wireless internet, and regularly access digital learning content. There are many students who are neurodiverse and have specific learning needs. The College also has multilingual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and international students who are learning English.
Head to the Treehouse is influenced by interactive digital texts, such as the landmark, born digital narrative series Inanimate Alice (Boyd, 2013; McDonald, 2022, September 5). Many young readers now expect digital content to be interactive (Sargeant, 2015). This text is an opportunity involve readers in the narrative and connect them with elements beyond the story (Walsh, 2013). Like the linear narrative in the first episode of Inanimate Alice, the protagonist of Head to the Treehouse, Flo, is trying to find a missing relative and must solve a series of clues to find out where they are (Cowdy, 2016).
Unlike Inanimate Alice, this text features audio narration, and subtitles, to assist students who need help reading independently, particularly English language learners (Lamb, 2011). Head to the Treehouse uses hyperlinks to Google Forms quizzes, where readers must answer questions or find information using the internet to solve clues (Reid, 2013). There are also two parts of the story that allow for ‘choose your own adventure’ narrative options, where students can make a choice about what happens next (Walsh, 2013). These elements all aim to enhance engagement and involve students as they solve clues alongside the protagonist. Sound effects and background music are used to enrich the immersive reading experience (Walsh, 2013). There are also navigational elements, such as ‘back’ and ‘next’ buttons, which give readers control over the story’s pace and direction (Javorsky & Trainin, 2014). Ultimately, the goal is to expose students to a quality example of a digital text, so they will be inspired to join in and make their own.
Digital texts are relevant because young people are increasingly using devices to access literature (Sargeant, 2015). Quality digital literature supports differentiation in the classroom, as students can read at their own pace, and supports multiliteracy learning (Lamb, 2011; Sukovic, 2014; Yokota & Teale, 2014). For students who have learning needs, digital texts provide accessibility options such as different pathways, labels, audio narration and text highlighting (Kingsley, 2007; Lamb, 2011). It is imperative that students are exposed to a variety of different text formats, both print and digital resources, as school libraries ever-strive to equip students for the “new learning ecology of the twenty-first century” (O’Connell et al., 2015, p. 195; Yokota & Teale, 2014).
Further, it is beneficial for teachers to create their own digital texts as they are tailor-made for their students and learning contexts (Reid, 2013). Modelling ethical digital technology use in the classroom also supports student learning (Kingsley, 2007; Serafini et al., 2015; Weigel & Gardner, 2009).
Supporting students to create their own digital texts empowers students to share their ideas and understandings, “speak their own language” as digital natives, and engage in active, independent learning (Malita & Martin, 2010; Ohler, 2016, p. 11, Rubino et al., 2018; Sukovic, 2014). Research indicates that digital storytelling nurtures student learning engagement, motivation, and creativity (Towndrow & Kogut, 2020). Digital text creations are also evidence of learning that can be shared with the school community and families (Botturi et al., 2012; Reid, 2013). Neurodiverse students who experience communication challenges may find digital storytelling, particularly the use of audio-visual material, helps them to express their ideas (Botturi et al., 2012). All students can benefit from reading and responding to digital texts.
Reference List
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015a). English content descriptions (Version 8.4). https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/english/
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015b). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability (Version 8.4). https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/information-and-communication-technology-ict-capability/
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2022). School profile. My School. https://www.myschool.edu.au/school/46202
Botturi, L., Bramani, C., & Corbino, S. (2012). Finding your voice through digital storytelling. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 56(3), 10-11.
Cowdy, C. (2016). Pedagogical encounters with Inanimate Alice: Digital mobility, transmedia storytelling, and transnational experiences. Jeunesse, Young People, Texts & Cultures, 8(1), 154-179.
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
Kingsley, K. V. (2007). Empower diverse learners with educational technology and digital media. Intervention in School & Clinic, 43(1), 52-56.
Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12-17.
Malita, L., & Martin, C. (2010). Digital storytelling as web passport to success in the 21st century. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 3060-3064.
Matthews, J. (2014). Voices from the heart: the use of digital storytelling in education. The Journal of the Health Visitors’ Association: Community Practitioner, 87(1), 28-30.
O’Connell, J., Bales, J., & Mitchell, P. (2015). [R]Evolution in reading cultures: 2020 vision for school libraries. The Australian Library Journal, 64(3), 194-208.
Ohler, J. (2016). Digital storytelling in the classroom: new media pathways to literacy, learning, and creativity (2nd ed.). Corwin.
Reid, K. (2013). Creating e-books in the classroom. In J. Bales (Ed.), E-books in learning – a beginner’s guide (pp. 37-43). Australian School Library Association.
Rubino, I., Barberis, C., & Malnati, G. (2018). Exploring the values of writing collaboratively through a digital storytelling platform: A mixed-methods analysis of users’ participation, perspectives and practices. Interactive Learning Environments, 26(7), 882-894.
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.
Sukovic, S. (2014). iTell: Transliteracy and digital storytelling. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 45(3), 205-229.
Tackvic, C. (2012). Digital storytelling: Using technology to spark creativity. The Educational Forum, 76(4), 426-429.
Towndrow, P. A., & Kogut, G. (2020). Digital storytelling for educative purposes: Providing an evidence-base for classroom practice (1st ed.). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8727-6
Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers (pp. 181-194). Primary English Teaching Association Australia.
Weigel, M., & Gardner, H. (2009). The best of both literacies. Educational Leadership, 66(6), 38-41.
Yokota, J. & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: educators making informed choices. The Reading Teacher, 34(6), 577-585.
Understanding the SAMR Model
The Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition (SAMR) model, developed by Dr Ruben Puentedura, supports teachers with the integration of technology in their classrooms. In his model, Puentedura emphasises the importance of not just substituting technologies for the sake of using some fancy digital tool but, instead, creating learning tasks that previously would have been impossible without the use of technology (Terada, 2020).
Here’s a video in which Dr Puentedura explains his SAMR model:
One criticism of this model is that it “dismisses the complexity of teaching with technology in predefined ways” (Hamilton et al., 2016, p. 436). Nevertheless, if teachers who plan to use new technologies in their classrooms know their students and how they learn, they will be able to select technologies that are appropriate and will act as a gateway to a deeper level of learning.
References
Common Sense Education. (2016, April 4). How to Apply the SAMR Model with Ruben Puentedura [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQTx2UQQvbU
Hamilton, E. R., Rosenberg, J. M., & Akcaoglu, M. (2016). Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition (SAMR) Model: A critical review and suggestions for its use. Association for Educational Communications & Technology. 60(5). 436-441.
Terada, Y. (2020, May 4). A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/powerful-model-understanding-good-tech-integration
Image Source: Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash
Digital Storytelling and Digital Tools
This week we have been learning about digital storytelling, and the ways in which we can harness new media technologies to do what humans have always done – tell stories. As defined by Matthews, digital storytelling “presents personal narratives, images and music to create a unique and sometimes emotional snapshot into another person’s experience” (2014, p. 28).
I found this video explainer, created by the University of Guelph in Canada, helpful in clarifying my understanding of digital storytelling:
I also noticed that this YouTube video is itself a form of digital storytelling as the University of Guelph librarians have used the platform Powtoon to create a video that incorporates audio narration, background music, moving images, text, and animation.
When thinking about digital storytelling and how it is used in the classroom, I have a few burgeoning thoughts! I think it can be such a powerful way to teach content using multimodal methods and is likely more appealing to a wider student group than reading printed written texts. Digital stories can also be published and shared widely in learning communities.
I imagine that students with different learning preferences and needs may find it particularly helpful – such as providing definitions, translations, audio narration and so on (Walsh, 2013). However, it is important that multimodal elements enhance understanding, not distract from the text and its content (Dobler, 2013).
Some questions that I have:
- How do we best support students, when creating their own digital stories, to source audio-visual content ethically and legally?
- How can teachers be best supported to develop their own digital storytelling resources for classroom use? (e.g., through staff professional development activities)
- How can we encourage other staff to incorporate digital stories in their classrooms, when their might be some (understandable) apprehension!
Digital storytelling tools
I think it is important for students to be able to create and share their own stories using digital tools. As Tackvic comments, when she reflects on her students using digital storytelling tools, she is delighted that they are “not only becoming more confident writers, they are also learning how to use 21st century skills” (2012, p. 429).
Some fantastic digital tools that I have found so far:
It’s important to incorporate digital literature and digital storytelling into classrooms, not to take the place of print texts, but as an important part of comprehensive programs. Students need to experience a variety of texts, genres and formats to, as Dobler states, “prepare them for the wide variety of reading experiences they will encounter in their future” (2013, p. 21).
References
Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.
Matthews, J. (2014). Voices from the heart: the use of digital storytelling in education. The Journal of the Health Visitors’ Association: Community Practitioner, 87(1), 28-30.
Tackvic, C. (2012) Digital Storytelling: Using Technology to Spark Creativity. The Educational Forum, 76(4), 426-429.
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).
Image Credit: Visual Art by Çiğdem Onur from Pixabay
Assessment 2: Critical Reflection on Digital Literature
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.
Digital Literature Review 3: Inanimate Alice Episode 1
Inanimate Alice is a landmark, born digital narrative series, of which seven episodes have been released (Boyd, 2013). A born digital narrative is a multi-modal text that has been designed in, and for, digital environments (Allan, 2017; Walsh, 2013). Despite previously being freely accessible via the internet, a bundle of the first five Inanimate Alice episodes can be downloaded for $9.99 USD from the text’s website (Bradfield Narrative Designs Inc., 2022).
Inanimate Alice can also be categorised as “game-based storytelling” and is an early, significant example of a transmedia text (Cowdy, 2016; Walsh, 2013). Transmedia stories are often nonlinear and use multiple media platforms while combining features such as audio-visual content, text, graphics, and games (Fleming, 2013; Hamilton, 2019). These text types actively encourage reader participation so that readers can be co-constructors of digital narratives (Hovious et al., 2020).
Even though Inanimate Alice, particularly the first episode, is not a recent text, it is worthy of review due to its wide-reaching, global impact. Episode one has been used by teachers in over 100 countries, it has stirred much academic interest, and the series has been recommended as part of the Australian national curriculum for English (Hovious et al., 2020). Moreover, a research group has been established to recommend Inanimate Alice as a high-quality exemplar text of digital literature (Hovious et al., 2020).
The first episode, released in 2005, is set in remote Northern China where the protagonist Alice is eight years old and being home-schooled by her mother Ming (Pullinger et al., 2005). Subsequent episodes follow Alice as she travels with her parents to different countries around the world (Allan, 2017). The structure of episode one’s narrative is simple; readers learn that Alice’s dad, who works in the oil industry, has been missing for two days. The episode is told from Alice’s first-person perspective whereby Alice and her mother set out in their car to look for him.
Evaluative criteria
| Criterion Description | Evaluation notes | |
| 1 | The text is appropriately presented in digital format | As a born-digital text, episode one integrates multimodal features, such as: printed text, visuals, moving images, sound, and interactive games. These are integral to the story because they are used by the reader to make inferences about narrative gaps regarding character and plotlines (Walsh, 2013).
The predominant mood of the text is uneasiness and escalating anxiety about Alice’s dad’s safety. This feeling is amplified by soundscapes of white noise and electronic sounds, blurry footage of cars, split screens, and Alice’s comment: “I am frightened too” (Pullinger et al., 2005). |
| 2 | The text takes advantage of features the digital world allows, beyond what is possible in print | Technology is authentically embedded throughout the story, and it enhances the core narrative (Fleming, 2013).
An example of this is Alice’s handheld gaming device, which she calls her ‘ba-xi’ (Pullinger et al., 2005). Readers interact with the device to take photos of wildflowers that Alice wants to email to her dad, view illustrations of her virtual friend Brad and type notes about things she wants to be doing, rather than searching for her father. These game and messaging elements are appealing to digitally savvy readers (Walsh, 2013). |
| 3 | Supplementary features align with the text | There are connected resources within the first episode of Inanimate Alice such as embedded documents, text and emails on Alice’s ba-xi, photographs of everyday life in China, maps, and floor plans of ‘base camp’ (Lamb, 2011). On the last screen, there is a hyperlink to the Inanimate Alice website and episodes for purchase (Bradfield Narrative Designs Inc., 2022). |
| 4 | Interactive features maintain the integrity of the main story | Readers must interact with the text by clicking on arrows or other visual elements, watching footage, and playing Alice’s ba-xi to progress with the narrative (Hamilton, 2019). This is outlined to readers on the opening page. Readers are also informed that they can view the navigational panel on the right-hand side to return to earlier scenes, but they cannot skip forward. The interactive graphics serve to further immerse readers in the story, rather than distract them (Javorsky & Trainin, 2014). |
| 5 | Digital features support readers’ acquisition of words or comprehension | The white printed text is striking against the black background (Yokota & Teale, 2014). Unfortunately, there are no options for the text to be read aloud. There are a few words spoken by Alice’s ba-xi, in a Chinese dialect, but these are without translation or subtitles. This adds to the enigmatic atmosphere of the narrative but does not support language learning. |
| 6 | The story within the digital text has literary merit | The Inanimate Alice series’ popularity is unrivalled, and it has been translated into at least seven languages other than English (Allan, 2017). It was the first digital story to feature as part of Australian national English curriculum (Boyd, 2013). |
Reference List
Allan, C. (2017). Digital fiction: ‘Unruly object’ or literary artefact? English in Australia, 52(2), 21-27.
Boyd, B. (2013). Learning objectives: Meeting the needs of young people and the curriculum. Inanimate Alice Australia. https://www.inanimatealice.com/australia/resources/assets/
photostory1/education/bill_boyd.pdf
Bradfield Narrative Designs Inc. (2022). Inanimate Alice. https://inanimatealice.com/
Cowdy, C. (2016). Pedagogical encounters with Inanimate Alice: Digital mobility, transmedia storytelling, and transnational experiences. Jeunesse, Young People, Texts & Cultures, 8(1), 154-179.
Fleming, L. (2013). Expanding learning opportunities with transmedia practices: Inanimate Alice as an exemplar. Journal of media literacy education, 5(2), 370-377.
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
Hamilton, L. (2019). Inanimate Alice. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 27(1), 71-74.
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
Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12-17.
Pullinger, K., Joseph, C., & Harper, I. (2005). Inanimate Alice: Episode 1 [Computer software]. The Bradfield Company Ltd.
Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers (pp. 181-194). Primary English Teaching Association Australia.
Header Image Source: Figure 1. Screenshot from the digital text (Pullinger et al., 2005).
Digital Literature Review 2: Woonyoomboo the Night Heron
Woonyoomboo the Night Heron is an enhanced eBook published by Sharing Stories Foundation. It features a Dreaming story shared by Nyikina Mangala elders Annie Nayina Milgin and Darraga Watson, that has been passed down from Annie’s father Darby Nangkiriny (Sharing Stories Foundation, 2022b). The eBook is freely available for download from Apple Books, and there are two versions: one in English and the other in Nyikina language (Milgin & Watson, 2018). The enhanced eBook was created in partnership with the students of Nyikina Mangala Community School and other community members.
Dreaming stories, like Woonyoomboo’s, explain the spiritual world and the creation of the physical world, and are the foundation of Aboriginal lore, culture, and beliefs (Aboriginal Contemporary, 2022; Deadly Story, 2022a). Woonyoomboo is the main creation ancestor of the Nyikina people, the traditional custodians of the Kimberley region in Western Australia (Sharing Stories Foundation, 2022a). Storytelling is an ancient practice which enables knowledge transfer and relationship-building in Indigenous cultures (Iseke, 2013).
Woonyoomboo the Night Heron can be classified as an enhanced or ‘amplified’ eBook because it contains supplementary media such as maps, navigational features, illustrations, audio-visual content, and links to resources outside of the text such as community member stories (Allan, 2017; James & de Kock, 2013; Serafini et al., 2015). The text benefits from the emerging influence of drone technology, incorporating aerial photography and video footage of vast landscapes which reveal the physical geography of creation stories.
The eBook’s narrative tracks the Songline that Woonyoomboo left for the Nyikina people, which holds instructions for how to live and how to care for Country (Milgin & Watson, 2018; Sharing Stories Foundation, 2022b). Songlines are physical paths, often tied with ancestral stories, that link sacred sites and are a “singing celebration of Country” (Deadly Story, 2022b). The Songline in Woonyoomboo the Night Heron is used to guide the narrative and is depicted as an illustrated, interactive map with sacred landmarks along the way.
Evaluative criteria
| Criterion Description | Evaluation notes | |
| 1 | The text is appropriately presented in digital format | The enhanced audiobook features multimodal elements, such as audio narration and videos. This is appropriate for this Dreaming story as oral traditions are a key feature of Aboriginal culture. The spoken word has been the primary means of passing on stories between generations for millennia (Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority, 2018).
The eBook has community approval and is culturally safe (Sharing Stories Foundation, 2022a). For example, it features a warning at the start about images and references to people have died (Milgin & Watson, 2018). |
| 2 | The text takes advantage of features the digital world allows, beyond what is possible in print | Multimodal, digital features serve to deepen reader understanding of Woonyoomboo’s story (Dobler, 2013). In addition to the illustrations on each page, there are embedded animated videos which incorporate original artwork by Nyikina Mangala Community School students and rich soundscapes, which bring moments of the story to life. Some students also act in the videos!
The Songline map can be viewed while reading the text, by touching the map icon at the bottom-left of each page. This shows not only the illustrated map, but incredible drone photography highlighting aerial views of the physical landscape. On some pages there is a clapsticks symbol. Readers can touch the icon to hear someone performing a song with clapsticks. It is powerful to read so experientially; to see the land geography, interact with the illustrated map, and hear recorded songs which are tethered to this creation narrative. |
| 3 | Supplementary features align with the text | At the end of the story there is section titled ‘Our Community Voices’ which features links to audio clips, video files and written text about locals. |
| 4 | Interactive features maintain the integrity of the main story | There is “aesthetic synergy” between the digital design, the text itself and the culturally significant Dreaming story captured within (Walsh, 2013, p. 187). Digital elements, such as the animated videos, illustrate parts of Woonyoomboo’s story, such as when he uses a majala bark to collect fish in the water that later becomes the Fitzroy River (Milgin & Watson, 2018).
These elements are instrumental to the reading experience and are inherently purposeful as they support narrative comprehension (Lamb, 2011). |
| 5 | Digital features support readers’ acquisition of words or comprehension | There is an explanation of icons and symbols that appear in the story on page 9. For example, there are two audio narration buttons: ‘ENG’ is for English and ‘NYK’ is for Nyikina language. These options support bilingual language learning.
Readers can touch any word that is in dark red to hear the pronunciation aloud, which is helpful for language learning and bilingual word recognition (Lamb, 2011; Yokota & Teale, 2014). English subtitles are included for videos which feature Nyikina language, such as the welcome video by Annie at the start of the eBook. Unfortunately, there is no text highlighting (Segal-Drori et al., 2010). It would also be helpful to have a glossary of terms at the end of the text, with definitions or even opportunities to match illustrations with vocabulary (Yokota & Teale, 2014). |
| 6 | The story within the digital text has literary merit | This is an ancient Dreaming story, that has been passed down orally through generations of Nyikina families. It is an extraordinary gift that this story has been shared with the public, through the generosity of Nyikina community elders. |
Reference List:
Aboriginal Contemporary. (2022). What is the dreamtime and dreaming? https://www.aboriginalcontemporary.com.au/pages/what-is-the-dreamtime-and-dreaming
Deadly Story. (2022a). Dreaming. https://www.deadlystory.com/page/culture/Life_Lore/Dreaming
Deadly Story. (2022b). Songlines. https://www.deadlystory.com/page/culture/Life_Lore/Songlines
Iseke, J. (2013). Indigenous storytelling as research. International Review of Qualitative Research, 6(4), 559-577. https://doi.org/10.1525/irqr.2013.6.4.559
James, R., & de Kock, L. (2013). The digital David and the Gutenberg Goliath: The rise of the enhanced e-book. English Academy Review: Southern African Journal of English Studies, 30(1), 107-123.
Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12-17.
Milgin, A. N., & Watson, D. (2018). Woonyoomboo: The Night Heron. Sharing Stories Foundation. https://books.sharingstoriesfoundation.org/nyikina/
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority. (2018, July 25). Storytelling in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/about/k-12-policies/aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-perspectives/resources/storytelling
Segal-Drori, O., Korat, O., Shamir, A., & Klein, P. (2010). Reading electronic and printed books with and without adult instruction: effects on emergent reading. Read Writ 23(8), 913-930.
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.
Sharing Stories Foundation. (2022a). Nyikina community. https://sharingstoriesfoundation.org/
community/nyikina/
Sharing Stories Foundation. (2022b). Woonyoomboo: the night heron. https://sharingstories
foundation.org/resource/woonyoomboo-the-night-heron/
Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers (pp. 181-194). Primary English Teaching Association Australia.
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: Figure 1. Screenshot from the eBook (Milgin & Watson, 2018).
Introduction and Digital Literature Review 1: Pop Out! The Tale of Peter Rabbit
The blog posts that follow will contain reviews of three different examples of digital literature, along with a concluding critical reflection on my experiences. The three digital literature examples that I have reviewed align with the three most popular formats of digital literature for children and young people, as identified by Allan: eBooks, apps and “born digital narratives” (2017, p. 22).
It is important for educators to have criteria to evaluate the quality of digital literature (Walsh, 2013; Dobler, 2013). The evaluative criteria that I will be using is drawn from criteria established by both Yokota & Teale (2014) and McGeehan et al. (2017), which I have rephrased as statements:
- Criterion 1: The text is appropriately presented in digital format (Yokota & Teale, 2014).
- Criterion 2: The text takes advantage of features the digital world allows, beyond what is possible in print (Yokota & Teale, 2014).
- Criterion 3: Supplementary features align with the text (McGeehan et al., 2017)
- Criterion 4: Interactive features maintain the integrity of the main story (Yokota & Teale, 2014).
- Criterion 5: Digital features support readers’ acquisition of words or comprehension (McGeehan et al., 2017).
I have added one additional criterion to this list, suggested by Dobler (2013):
- Criterion 6: The story within the digital text has literary merit.
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Pop Out! The Tale of Peter Rabbit, designed by Loud Crow Interactive Inc. (2017), is an award-winning eBook that is available as an app for mobile and tablet devices. It costs $5.99 AUD and is aimed at readers aged four and older. The eBook is a digital reconstruction of the beloved tale by Beatrix Potter and the story is unchanged (Walsh, 2013). It is one of several digital adaptations of classic Western children’s literature (Allan, 2017).
The word eBook, a contraction of ‘electronic books’, describes paper-based literature that has been digitised (Dobler, 2013; Sargeant, 2015). eBooks range in interactivity from traditional “paper-under-glass” texts, also known as direct digital replicas, to more recent digital texts that offer far more reader interaction (Allan, 2017, p. 22). This current trend is made possible by tablets and mobile devices with touch-screen technology. Pop Out! The Tale of Peter Rabbit is an example of an innovative eBook as it integrates digital elements such as navigational options, animated visuals, and interactive features (Sargeant, 2015; Serafini et al., 2015). The text is an immersive experience for young readers, incorporating sound effects (such as giggling bunnies and rustling cabbage leaves), audio narration of the text, animated illustrations, and classical piano background music (Lamb, 2011). These elements contribute to the cheerful mood of the story (Roskos et al., 2014). Pop Out! The Tale of Peter Rabbit retains the charm and whimsical nature of Potter’s original illustrated story with added digital features for a modern audience.
Evaluative criteria
| Criterion Description | Evaluation notes | |
| 1 | The text is appropriately presented in digital format | The opening scene looks like the top of a writer’s desk (imitating Beatrix Potter’s), with a fountain pen, ink pot, writing samples, a sepia-toned photograph of a rabbit and a hard copy of the original story.
The text is clearly laid out on each of the pages of the story, mimicking the format of the traditional storybook. For each double page spread, one side has text, and the other side has an illustration. |
| 2 | The text takes advantage of features the digital world allows, beyond what is possible in print | Many of the interactive elements, both on the opening page and within the pages of the book, are indicated with a tag which has a pointing finger. This is a digital version of a pull tab in a pop out storybook.
A lot of the interactive elements are intuitive and not indicated with labels that have textual instructions. For example, if you drag the bookmark vertically down the screen, you open a navigation panel so that readers can skip to any page. These interactive features support children exploring functionality through touch-screen technology. This is playful and encourages textual discovery. Some of the icons are hard to see, however, such as a small icon that is transparent and takes readers back to the start of the page. |
| 3 | Supplementary features align with the text | The only supplementary feature is a link to the Loud Crow Interactive Inc. (2017) website. |
| 4 | Interactive features maintain the integrity of the main story | Readers can interact with the illustrations by dragging pull tabs or tapping on visual elements to animate the scenes. Examples include when readers can tap on gooseberries that swell in size or leaves that start tumbling down the screen.
While visually appealing, this “eye candy” clutters the page and may distract from the story (Lamb, 2011, p.17). Young readers could have their attention diverted by the “play-based features” which interrupts their comprehension of the narrative (Sargeant, 2015). This is also a criticism noted by Yokota & Teale (2014), particularly when blackberries splash on the screen, which is not pertinent to the story. |
| 5 | Digital features support readers’ acquisition of words or comprehension | There are numerous features that would help young readers, such as the audio narration. Before starting the story, children can select to “read myself” or “read to me” which launches an audio narration by a female, English narrator with a soft voice (Loud Crow Interactive Inc., 2017).
Text highlighting occurs as each word is read by the narrator (Segal-Drori et al., 2010). Even if the audio narration is disabled, by selecting “read myself”, readers can tap on individual words to hear them read aloud by the narrator (Walsh, 2013). This is helpful to “model oral fluency”, recognise words, and for vocabulary development (Dobler, 2013, p. 20; Yokota & Teale, 2014). Research suggests that these features may also assist readers who find reading independently challenging (Lamb, 2011). Unfortunately, there are no built-in word definitions, and the eBook is only available in English (Dobler, 2013). |
| 6 | The story within the digital text has literary merit | Beatrix Potter’s stories are part of the Western canon of renowned, high-quality children’s literature (Allan, 2017). |
Reference List:
Allan, C. (2017). Digital fiction: ‘Unruly object’ or literary artefact? English in Australia, 52(2), 21-27.
Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.
Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12-17.
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
Roskos, K., Burstein, K., Shang, Y., & Gray, E. (2014). Young children’s engagement with e-books at school: Does device matter? SAGE Open, 4(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013517244
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.
Segal-Drori, O., Korat, O., Shamir, A., & Klein, P. (2010). Reading electronic and printed books with and without adult instruction: effects on emergent reading. Read Writ 23(8), 913-930.
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.
Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers (pp. 181-194). Primary English Teaching Association Australia.
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: Figure 1. Screenshot from the eBook (Loud Crow Interactive Inc., 2017).
Assessment 3: Digital Storytelling Proposal
For Assessment 3, I am creating an original “born digital” story that will incorporate text, sound, audio, and video features (Allan, 2017, p. 21). The story’s working title is ‘Head to the Treehouse’ and it will be aimed at middle grade readers aged 8-12.
Storyline
My original story is inspired by Inanimate Alice Episode 1 where the protagonist, 8-year-old Alice, finds out that her father is missing, and she tries to locate him.
In my story, the protagonist Flo awakens to find that her older sister Juniper is missing. Juniper has left her a series of clues that Flo must decode to, ultimately, reunite with her and find out why she has gone into hiding. It is not as eerie as Inanimate Alice, it is more adventurous and light-hearted, and the journey takes Flo to settings such as the local library, botanic gardens, and the zoo.
Digital Platform
I will be using the online digital platform Canva to create my story and have been playing around with some features already to learn what’s possible. I have launched a month-long free trial of Canva Premium so that I can access premium features, such as audio sounds and the expanded visual content libraries.
If I was a technical wizard, I would love for the story to be ‘choose your own adventure’ style and more like an interactive game, with different clickable options… but I think that I will end up exporting the linear story as a video file, and I will add my narration of the typed text as the final layer.
Rationale
I am excited to make this story as a work of digital literature, as I hope to enhance the experience of Flo’s journey of puzzle-decoding through technology. For example, I want to bring the settings to life – so that as Flo is wandering through the library, readers can hear background chatter and search for visual clues with her. I am wary of digital stories where technology distracts the reader, so want to make a conscious effort to use technology to complement the narrative (Javorsky, 2014).
Reference List
Allan, C. (2017). Digital fiction: ‘Unruly object’ or literary artefact? English in Australia, 52(2), 21-27.
Canva. (2022). https://www.canva.com/
Javorsky, K., & Trainin, G. (2014). Teaching Young Readers to Navigate a Digital Story When Rules Keep Changing. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 606–618.
Pullinger, K., Joseph, C., & Harper, I. (2005). Inanimate Alice (Episode 1) [Computer software]. The BradField Company.
Image Source: Original design created by the author using Canva.
Changing Times: Technology and Literature in Classrooms
This is only my sixth-year teaching, so technology use has been embedded in my practice right from the start. During my Master of Teaching, I remember sitting in a tutorial and a friend said, “Let’s use Google Docs to collaborate” and my mind was blown that each group member could access the document individually and make changes in real-time! Technology is seamlessly (most of the time) integrated into our daily lives at school – from learning management systems and emails to student and staff devices. In addition, many staff incorporate digital tools to support classroom teaching and learning activities to foster participation, collaboration, and engagement (e.g. Canva, Prezi, YouTube, iMovie, ACMI Storyboard Generator and so on).
As an English teacher, I haven’t seen much digital literature in use for classroom study and eBooks are not promoted at our school library. There was some discussion a few years ago about bringing Inanimate Alice onto a Year 7 text list, but there was some anxiety amongst staff about how to approach teaching a multimodal text (as opposed to a book or film text). I don’t think it’s just a matter of ‘changing tools’ as there are different pedagogical practices associated with embedding digital technology (and digital literature!) into the classroom. Instead, we need to be adapting our curriculum, upskilling, and expanding our pedagogical practices accordingly.
This discussion reminds me of the SAMR model, developed by Dr Ruben Puendetara, which is a hierarchical framework for the integration of digital technology in the classroom. The four levels are: substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition (Hilton, 2016). The lowest level, substitution, is where teachers replace tools using technology, but without any functional change. The highest level, redefinition, is the best-case scenario – where digital technology is used to expand possibilities that were not viable without technology. As education theorist Kirkland states, “the key to using the SAMR model is not to think of it as a progression to work through. Really using technology effectively means creating the kind of rich tasks that redesign traditional ways of learning” (2014, p. 16). I personally think this is exciting, but I know that it must be scary for some educators!
Reference List:
Hilton, J. T. (2016). A Case Study of the Application of SAMR and TPACK for Reflection on Technology Integration into Two Social Studies Classrooms. Social Studies, 107(2), 68–73.
Kirkland, A. B. (2014). Models for Technology Integration in the Learning Commons. School Libraries in Canada, 32(1), 14–18.
Image Credit: Photo by Wokandapix from Pixabay