Throughout this subject, I have felt extremely challenged regarding my beliefs around traditional storytelling. I have mentioned multiple times that I am a traditional reader (O’Brien, 2020). At first this was all very overwhelming, and I would be lying if I did not mention it continues to be so. A book is a beautifully simple piece of technology (Sadokierski, 2013) – I know what to expect and how to use it. The world of digital literature feels complex, and I still flounder as I wade my way through it. However, I think the concept which stands out the most for me is the value of storytelling regardless of the format it is presented in. It makes my teacher-librarian heart happy that young people are still engaging in the art of stories and all that encompasses – complex plots, rich character development, extensive vocabulary, and the beauty of new worlds and ideas.
The structure of the course allowed me to progress with this plethora of information – firstly defining what it means to be a book and to read in the digital age and the “technology of storytelling”, as discussed in Joe Sabia’s TED Talk. This talk was probably the turning point for me in appreciating rather than rejecting the idea of digital storytelling and transmedia. I connected with Sabia’s call to celebrate the changes that have occurred in the 6000 years humans have been telling stories (TED, 2011). Lamb (2011) also changed my mind when she discussed the need to redefine reading and gave it the revised definition of reading being “the process of constructing meaning from symbols.” Even more helpful was the further redefinition of the ‘book’: “a published collection of related pages or screens” (Lamb, 2011). Suddenly my definition of reading itself shifted, and thus opened my mind to different possibilities in the world of reading, and in particular how this applies in my current role as a long-time English teacher and a new teacher librarian.
To further examine how to use this new information, I looked past the reading of digital storytelling and its benefits and onto how it can be used for students in the 21st century, particularly when it comes to three of the six Cs – creating, communicating and collaborating (ACARA, 2014). Morra (2013) stated that “digital stories push students to become creators of content, rather than just consumers.” This was incredibly interesting to me, as one of my biggest concerns around this current generation and how they interact with media of all kinds is how passive it seems to be; the idea that creating digital stories of their own challenges this is very appealing. I suddenly began thinking of all the ways I could teach reading and writing skills with a new angle that may appeal to the so-called digital generation. I thoroughly enjoyed engaging in creating content with my own digital book and was surprised how much I engaged more with the poem. What I also found just as important was that research has shown that when students went online, they applied traditional reading comprehension strategies, even going so far as to say that these skills were considered “compulsory” in online reading (Goodwin, 2013, p. 79). This highlighted the importance of traditional reading skills being combined with the creation of digital literature in order for students to be successful in this new era of reading and storytelling.
Goodwin (2013, p. 79) brings up that while these skills are easily transferrable for already highly-skilled readers, there continued to be concerns around weaker readers struggling with digital stories. These concerns contrast with Cahill and McGill-Franzen (2013, p. 32), who claim that digital books can be useful tools for struggling readers, as it “enables the integration of an ‘easy’ medium with a ‘tough’ literacy task”, which facilitated development and decoding skills for those struggling students. Digital technology and transmedia storytelling could easily support students for whom pen and paper is daunting, and I immediately thought of current students whom I believe would thrive in the transmedia environment, particularly when it came to creating their own stories in the classroom.
Sabia (2013) said that the book used to be king; digital developers say that good content is now king when it comes to young people and storytelling (Barack, 2012). If a core element of doing our job well is to engage young people in reading and books, then it is our job as both teachers and teacher librarians to do this via the platform which is current, relevant, and engaging for our clientele. It must become our job to engage ourselves in digital storytelling and transmedia; to know that traditional books have their place, but to understand the importance of students engaging in rich, quality stories and content via a modern medium. If we continue to resist this changing platform of literature – much as I did at the start of the subject – then we are sadly failing to move with our students into a new era.
REFERENCES
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2014). Foundation to year 10 curriculum: English. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/english/?layout=1#cdcode=ACELA1428&level=F
Barack, L. (2012). Apps, shmapps. It’s about story. School Library Journal, 58(2), 12. http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=71417800&site=ehost-live
Cahill, M., & McGill-Franzen, A. (2013). Selecting “app” ealing and “app” ropriate book apps for beginning readers. Reading Teacher, 67(1), 30–39. https://doi.org/10.1002/TRTR.1190
Goodwin, B. (2013). The reading skills digital brains need. Educational Leadership, 71(3), 78-79. http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=91736083&site=ehost-live
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
Morra, S. (2013, May 30). Eight steps to great storytelling. EdTechTeacher. http://edtechteacher.org/8-steps-to-great-digital-storytelling-from-samantha-on-edudemic/
O’Brien, K. [kylie.obrien] (2021, July 25). Assessment #1. That New Library Lady. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kylieobrien/2021/07/25/64/
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
TED. (2011, November 24). Joe Sabia: The technology of storytelling [Video]. http://www.ted.com/talks/joe_sabia_the_technology_of_storytelling.html