Month: August 2021

INF533

Post-review reflection

kylie.obrien

The world of digital literature – a virtual ocean to wade through. Initially, I underestimated how much was out there, but my eyes have been pleasantly opened!

In simple terms, a good digital literature text is one that tells a story while engaging readers using multimodal features. Of course, it can be much more than that. Groth (2018) says that “there is no uniform approach to digital literature…this can be a strength (wow, digital literature can be almost anything) or a weakness (ugh, digital literature can be almost anything)” – I admit, at first, I was the latter. It overwhelmed me that there were minimal rules around defining digital literature (where are the rules?!); however, four weeks later I’d say I now sit firmly in the former “wow, digital literature can be almost anything!” camp.

Throughout researching and engaging with my chosen digital literature texts, I subconsciously created my own criteria – is it a form of good storytelling? Are students building empathy? Are they engaged with characters and their actions? Do they want to share the story with their friends or likeminded fans? Does it challenge and/or expand their reading skills? Does it even need to, or can it just be for pure entertainment? All these criteria can just as easily be applied when assessing a traditional book, which tells me that storytelling at its core is what readers want for themselves and teacher librarians want for their students – the format may even be irrelevant.

Digital literature texts serve the purpose of being a sign of the times. Whether we like it or not, the nature of reading is changing. If “reading is the process of constructing meaning from symbols” and “a book is a published collection of related pages or screens” (Lamb 2011), then digital literature is actually easier to define than I had thought. I think the word “digital” scares people, when really, we should be excited that our students want to engage in reading of any kind. The changing landscape of reading is upon us, and we as TLs need to keep up.

In comparison to print books, “pages aren’t just turned, they are clicked and pinched and swiped – movements that need to be learned” (Sadokierski, 2013). What this means for TLs is we need to make sure our students are digitally literate before they can engage effectively in digital literature. Even in the high school setting this is important – we assume teenagers are digital natives, but we know now that that it is entirely possible they are really just fluent in TikTok. They are not necessarily engaging with digital technologies in a meaningful way; with the introduction of multimedia and transmedia digital literature, we can change that. Then there are the students who are already a treasure-trove of digital literature recommendations, who are already one step ahead of us when it comes to the digital world and can show US where to find the “good stuff”.

Jabr (2103) asked if tactile experiences while reading matter more than we think? For me personally, yes. There’s nothing better than the smell of a new book, feeling pages turn in my fingers; I found the digital world lacked warmth I find in books. Yet none of us can discount the value of digital literature platforms in a digital age. If our job as TLs is to convince young people to read, then does it matter what platform they are reading on? If they are engaging with the beauty of stories, building empathy, embracing new vocabulary, and witnessing visually appealing content, then really we just need to assess digital literature on its merits the same way we do the content of a book.

I enjoyed exploring all three of my chosen digital literature. The Amnesty podcast was engaging, but difficult for me as I’ve never been particularly good at listening for long periods of time and their banter distracted me from the story. I could, however, see how this could be used in the classroom while looking at story structure/shared storytelling and could appreciate how it would interest some readers to feel involved in the story’s creating. I loved the fandom of the online comic Namesake and how readers engaged with each other (I only wish something like this had been around in Buffy’s hey day!). The one I enjoyed the most AND could see being easily incorporated into the classroom was The Boat – as a high school English teacher, I could immediately place this in a teaching situation across multiple subjects, even before I saw that bonus teacher resources were available. Interestingly, it was also very close to an actual book in style and structure – perhaps this is why I connected with it so much.

“The content is still the part of the reading experience that provides value for the learner” (Lamb, 2011) – this is what it comes down to. All three of the texts I reviewed have valuable content, in one way or another – how that content is used and appreciated is really up to the reader (or teacher) to decide.

 

REFERENCE LIST:

Groth, S. (2018, May 20). Still defining digital literature. The Writing Platform. http://thewritingplatform.com/2018/05/still-defining-digital-literature/

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

Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12 17. http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/ login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=67371172&site=ehost-live

Sadokierski, Z. (2013, November 12). What is a book in the digital age? The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/what-is-a-book-in-the-digital-age-19071

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Review #3 – THE BOAT (digital graphic novel)

kylie.obrien

The Boat, based on the story by Nam Le, illustrated by Vietnamese-Australian artist Matt Huynh and produced by SBS, is a digital graphic novel with interactive elements. It tells the story of 16 year old Vietnamese refugee Mai, her journey in a boat to get to Australia, and her encounters with a fellow refugee and her son. It is a compelling and relevant piece to share with students, particularly with the current climate and refugee crises across the world. The story itself is beautifully constructed, and the written text combined with the interactive elements makes this a fantastic resource to be used across multiple subject areas in the high school setting.

The digital graphic novel is “one of the fastest-growing multimodal formats that today’s visually literate youth” are engaging with (Moorefield-Lang & Gavigan, 2012). Viewing the story in this format is a perfect example of why. The sound effects of the storm, the busy city, the crash of the boat as it hits something – all are very effective at providing a multi-sensory experience for the reader. Add to this the language and music of the Vietnamese culture in the background during certain chapters, as well as visual effects such as the text rolling from side to side to mimic the movements of a boat, and what is presented is a completely immersive experience for the reader. The term “trans-sensory storytelling”, coined by Cowdy (2018), is one which describes engagement with touch and sound combined with visuals. Cowdy argues that this format actually enhances the opportunity for readers to develop empathy rather than the theory that digital literature diminishes it. The Boat is a perfect example of a text where students can easily empathise with characters by feeling like they are in the story themselves.

Like the previous two reviewed texts, this is free to access for anyone with a computer. For teachers and students in disadvantaged schools, free accessibility is paramount to engaging with digital literature, particularly if a text is to be studied in the classroom setting. Intelligently designed, students can scroll through the story at their own pace or turn on the automatic scroll function if manual scrolling is distracting, and skip backwards and forwards to different chapters, much like the pages of a book. This could help contribute to the “mapping of the book” that Jabr (2013) discusses in his article “The reading brain in the digital age”; however, as readers can’t literally turn a page or see the text in its entirety, it may affect how they comprehend what they are reading (Jabr, 2013) , which may negatively impact some learning abilities.

Further control over the text has readers being able choose to turn the sound off, or place it in “full screen” mode to limit distractions. This power over how they choose to watch/read the narrative is very appealing, particularly for classes with varying levels of ability and engagement. One critique is that it would have been beneficial if the narrative had a read-aloud function available to further enhance its usability for differentiation purposes.

For teachers, teaching resources, both creative and analytical, are available through the SBS website to support student learning of the text. Supporting material suggests the resource is designed for the English/Arts curriculum; however, this could easily be used in the Humanities and even Digital Tech subject areas, or cross-curricular work. Videos of real footage of refugees at the end of the book prompts students to connect the story with real people, and the rich descriptive language and vocabulary means there is enough literary scope to analyse language and story structure itself, making it a truly great classroom resource.

Digital fiction can be seen as ‘unruly’ in that it doesn’t conform to the conventions of traditional texts; yet they can be considered literature if they “tell a story, use literary devices and intertextual references” and if readers “make meaning from this interaction” (Allan, 2017, p. 22). If this is the definition of acceptable digital literature, then The Boat is most definitely literature. Use of this source in the classroom will allow students to engage in a world mostly unfamiliar from their own and to live in the experience of others, to interpret and analyse as well as create meaning.

Some learning theorists believe that digital storytelling can be applied to any subject as a pedagogical technique (EDUCASE Learning Initiative, 2007). The Boat is a digital text which forms a bridge of sorts for teaching and learning – one which takes the traditional narrative and presents it in an interesting and interactive multi-modal form, yet at the same time is not so foreign that those holding onto traditions of reading actual books cannot see its value and utilise its storytelling power in the classroom.

 

REFERENCE LIST:

Allan, C. (2017). Digital fiction: ‘Unruly object’ or literary artefact? English in Australia, 52(2), 21-27. https://search-informit-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/doi/10.3316/INFORMIT.904312437834156

Cowdy, C. (2018). Grammars of new media: Interactive trans-sensory storytelling and empathic reading praxis in Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral’s Chopsticks. Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature, 56(1), 20-27. https://doi.org/10.1353/bkb.2018.0003

EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. (2007). 7 things you should know about… digital storytelling. Educase. http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com/uploads/4/1/6/4/41640463/digital_storytelling_1.pdf

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

Moorefield-Lang, H., & Gavigan, K. (2012). These aren’t your father’s funny papers: The new world of digital graphic novels. Knowledge Quest, 40(3), 30-35.  http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=82563984&site=ehost-live

INF533

Review #2 – THE ADVENTURE ZONE: AMNESTY (comedy podcast)

kylie.obrien

The Adventure Zone: Amnesty is a comedy podcast available through regular podcast mediums, such as Spotify, Apple etc, but even better, this is available on a free to access website. This really appealed to me as someone who has taught in less privileged schools where access to paid subscriptions was not possible for a lot of students; the ability to access this for free means any student with a laptop (even one that stays at school) could access this text.

The podcast is run by three brothers and their father (The McElroys). It is very much a “choose your own adventure” style of storytelling, with the brothers speaking in second person to each other throughout (eg. “You are working an overnight shift when…”). They banter back and forth, putting each other in situations they must figure out along the way as the narrative develops. Each episode is one hour in length and would be better suited to older grades (perhaps year 10-12) due to some inappropriate language.

The podcast breaks down each “chapter” of the story, and the authors provide a full PDF transcript to download, which I found useful and could imagine being used to analyse story structure in an English lesson. Each episode follows a “monster of the week” format, which they discuss in their set-up episode. While the site itself is quite sophisticated, the website is very easy to navigate, particularly for digitally literate adolescents. Listeners also have the opportunity to become paid members to access hours of bonus material. Each chapter is told with all original music and sound effects, which would appeal to auditory learners.

While a different platform to the previously reviewed text, it once again falls into the fantasy genre. Namesake allows new readers to engage easily from the start; The Adventure Zone feels very niche and new listeners would be quite confused to begin with. It has a very Dungeons and Dragons vibe to it that some students would respond well to, while others may struggle to get used to the “choose your own adventure” narrative style and the banter between the storytellers, which can be quite distracting at times as they veer away from the story itself.

What I find fascinating about this kind of reading is that it isn’t really reading at all; audio books (and by their very nature, storytelling podcasts) have nothing to do with reading and hail back to a time when “ancient cultures started from stories and story telling and the spoken word” (Better Reading, 2015). This text has the same feel as sitting around a fire sharing a story, except each person gets the opportunity to decide where the story is going. I can see this appealing to all kinds of students, but perhaps particularly the boys I have taught in the past who struggled to read would see the value in a different form of storytelling altogether. This text also has the extra benefit of music and sound effects, adding to the impact overall. Levy (2009) stated that “accepted understandings of what is meant by the terms ‘reading’ and ‘being a reader’ have become challenged” in this current digital literacy age. While Levy was referring more to the act of decoding online texts, this could also apply to ‘listening’ as a form of ‘reading’; or more accurately, changing the way students engage with storytelling and traditional narratives. In this way, The Adventure Zone feels very traditional, yet far removed from the traditional book, and thus may prove more engaging for many students.

Similar to Namesake, this platform also encourages the same expansion of worlds, with the podcast even having its own fandom wiki for readers to engage with. Readers can read up on interviews with the creators, as well as connect with other fans through social media, Reddit groups, newsletters etc. This concept of social reading and all that implies is further evidence that readers are not just interested in the story itself but what happens before, during and after a reading activity (ACM, 2021). Even the fact that the creators have a “set up” episode beforehand shows they know their audience and their desire to connect with their stories on a much deeper level than just reading a book may provide.

As for use in the secondary classroom, this could be great in an English class, examining narrative structure and transmedia storytelling. I’d love to see how students would go creating their own “choose your own adventure” narratives via this medium, creating “interactive and dynamic reading experiences that go beyond the printed page” (Hovious et al., 2021, p. 217).

 

REFERENCE LIST:

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). (2021, March 2). I’ve got all my readers with me: A model of reading as a social activity [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/vFvoduu8KrY

Better Reading. (2015). The power of audio books: A different way to ‘read’. http://www.betterreading.com.au/news/the-power-of-audio-books-a-different-way-to-read/

Hovious, A., Shinas, V. H., & Harper, I. (2021). The compelling nature of transmedia storytelling: Empowering twenty first-century readers and writers through multimodality. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 26, 215-229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09437-7

Levy, R. (2009). ‘You have to understand the words…but not read them’: young children becoming readers in a digital age. Journal of Research in Reading, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9817.01382.x

 

INF533

Review #1 – NAMESAKE (online comic)

kylie.obrien

The first of my three reviews will focus on the online comic, Namesake. Recommended to me by a Year 12 student, this comic tells the story of Emma Crewe, a non-reader who lands in a literary world after a fire in a library. She quickly discovers she is the next in a long line of “Dorothys” and must save Oz. Mixing multiple classic storylines and characters together as Emma travels through worlds and portals, Namesake will surely appeal to lovers of fantasy as well as traditional literature classics. Written by Megan Lavey-Heaton and illustrated by Isabelle Melancon, the very fact this is a free and easily accessible text means it already has ‘pull’ for many students in the high school age group.

Reading the comic is straightforward – initial loading of the page takes the reader straight to the latest chapter, which is great for long-time fans (the most current issues are dated August 2021).  For new readers, a banner at the top allows them to access archives of the series, right back to 2010, the first year of the comic’s inception. This immediately negates the need to assess the longevity of the text – clearly it has legs if it is still going strong 11 years later. Readers can also access handbooks and “interviews” with the characters, as well as enjoy specials such as Christmas editions and extra illustrations. Additionally, readers can also head to the store and purchase hard copies of some editions and merchandise. The comic clearly caters to its long-time fans as well as new readers, which is fantastic if a teacher were to introduce this text in the classroom, or a librarian were to recommend this to students who enjoy graphic novels of the fantasy persuasion. Updates are added every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, giving it that “serial” feel of old-school television series. It is easy to navigate and available through any device which provides internet access.

Teenagers will enjoy the obvious world-building that has gone into the series (especially 11 years worth!). It will also appeal to students of the LGBTQ+ community, as one of the main characters is bisexual and another is asexual. The creators have even produced a one-off page where they break down the sexual orientations of specific characters. Multiple studies show that “giving young adult and teenage readers access to stories that reflect their own identities is crucial” (Fuller, 2021). The content itself, however, is innocent enough for TLs to be able recommend the text to young readers without the worry of complaints from school admin and/or parents.

Initially, the text doesn’t appear to enhance the traditional reading experience. It is very much set up like a traditional book, with arrows to change the ‘page’; however, scrolling down was necessary as the whole page didn’t fit on the screen (upon reading it on my phone I found it easier to navigate, although I still had to zoom in for each new page). I found this distracting, along with the constant pop ads interrupting the reading process (of course, a by-product of free access); however, this may not bother today’s adolescents who were “born digital” (Hovious et al., 2020, p. 217) and are likely used to navigating around and through distracting pop-ups. What I did discover is the use of ‘hovertext’ over each page/image, where little titbits of information or hidden details were revealed. This was interesting as it added to the interactive element where previously I hadn’t thought there was any, as well as giving fans further insights into the world of Namesake.

Other than the hovertext feature, the text itself is not particularly interactive and is essentially an e-book without the need for an app or particular device; however, what does set it apart is the online community that can be built through interactions with other readers. Readers can engage with the author and illustrator through their respective social media pages, and the comments section below each chapter allows readers to engage with both each other and the author/illustrator. The comments section is a lively and engaged discussion around the merit of the chapter, what they liked/enjoyed, recommendations to other editions, backstories etc. This engagement with other readers shows that young readers are not simply happy to love a book; they want to “actively celebrate what they read” (Kennedy, as cited in Valenza and Stephens, 2012, p. 78). I noted before that this text is based in the fantasy genre, and “online novel communities are more frequently based on fantasy titles than on any other genre” – perhaps because these fans enjoy interacting the fantasy world beyond the end of the novel’s (or in this case, the comic’s) story long after reading (Skaines, 2010).

Overall, a great text to kickstart my own foray into the world of digital literature, and one I will be recommending to students who love both comics and the fantasy genre.

REFERENCE LIST:

Fuller, W. (2021, February 5). Pop Cultured: The Importance of LGBTQ+ Narratives in YA Literature. The Daily Utah Chronicle. https://dailyutahchronicle.com/2021/02/05/pop-cultured-the-importance-of-lgbtq-narratives-in-ya-literature/

Hovious, A., Shinas, V. H., & Harper, I. (2021). The compelling nature of transmedia storytelling: Empowering twenty first-century readers and writers through multimodality. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 26, 215-229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09437-7

Lavey-Heaton, M. & Melancon, I. (2010 – present). Namesake. https://www.namesakecomic.com/

Skaines, R. L. (2010). The shifting author-reader dynamic: Online novel communities as a bridge from print to digital literature. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 16(1), 95–111. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856509347713

Valenza, J. K., & Stephens, W. (2012). Reading remixed. Educational Leadership, 69(6), 75-78. http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=73183267&site=ehost-live