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The trend of purchasing and viewing books through an online environment has had a profound effect on school libraries and their collections, changing both the nature of the catalogue of materials held and the user of the libraries themselves. School libraries, like all businesses involved in the production and sale of books, are corks “floating on a digital stream”, and as the digital world changes libraries adapt to the environment (Shatzkin, 2015, para. 6).
The school library catalogue was once the font of all knowledge, just as book stores were the primary place of purchase for printed media. Today, students can complete their assessment tasks without stepping foot inside the physical building of the library. We are facing the same challenge that books stores today face, where our quality resources are ignored for the simplicity of a google search (Shatzkin, 2016, para. 13). Our customers, students, want ease of access to quality resources. We need to be able to provide them with electronic resources, such as databases and online journals that meet their needs, and at the same time teach them to how to evaluate the information they find for ‘free’ and remind them of the value of printed books.
The way we purchase for our collections is having a profound effect on the reading environment of our society. Once you could find a bookstore anyway. Now you have to hunt for one, as they slip into the state of becoming endangered species. We have to admit that when we opt to purchase our books through online companies, such as Book Depository or Amazon, we are squeezing the physical presence of the little bookshop down the road out, even though that may be the very place that we were promoted the book before purchasing online (Shatzkin, 2016, para. 21). When these stores go, so does the passionate individual who has possibly encouraged many of our students to become readers in the first place by recommending the “magic book”, as Mem Fox terms it, to the parent of a reluctant reader that sets their children on a life long journey of the joys of reading.
References
Shatzkin, M. (2015, November 17). Big focus at DBW 2016 on the tech companies that are shaping the world the book business has to live in [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.idealog.com/blog/big-focus-at-dbw-2016-on-the-tech-companies-that-are-shaping-the-world-the-book-business-has-to-live-in/
Shatzkin, M. (2016, January 10). Book publishing lives in an environment shaped by larger forces and always has [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.idealog.com/blog/book-publishing-lives-in-an-environment-shaped-by-larger-forces-and-always-has/
Digital Literature is a term that is as broad as the digital environment it is part of. It refuses to be contained and evolves at the same pace as the technologies used to create, share and view it. I have come to realise through the subject of “Literature in the Digital Environment” not only the breadth of this term, but its importance to educators of students in the 21st Century (Fitzgerald, 2017). To be digitally literate in today’s digital information overloaded world students need to be engaged with digital texts embedded into the curriculum in meaningful ways in both the consumption and production aspects of acquiring knowledge.
The use of the term ‘literature’ confused me at the beginning of this subject as I equated it with ‘fiction’ only. Through completing the second assignment for this subject I discovered that digital literature, electronic literature, and e-literature are broad concept terms encompassing both fiction and non-fiction works, that make use of the digital world affordances which allow for manipulation, encouraging participation with the texts themselves, intertwining genres, media and platforms (Crowley, 2017). This blurring of genres, media and platforms are mirrored in the blurring of the line between consumers and producers of digital literature, as the trend for participation in the production, through interactions, create a continual cycle where some digital literature forms continually evolve and adapt as viewers/users/players engage with the material.
In the discussion forum for trends in digital literature I asked “Where can I find digital literature” only to find out that it is everywhere! Our students are familiar with many forms of digital literature, whether they recognise it or not. They have produced digital stories, and participated in them through their access to social media forums. Ask any teenager with a smartphone to show you their snapchat or Instagram story? Walsh (2010) believes teachers who match students learning activities to the “digital communication practices used outside school” will help engage students to be active in the learning process (p. 226). Walsh also believed that good digital literature displays a synergy between the technology and the quality of the literature (Walsh M. , 2013). Incorporating digital literacy into the curriculum in ways that are meaningful and engage students is the challenge of education in the 21st century (Walker, Jameson, & Ryan, 2010, p. 221). How can we utilise the communication practices students use outside school when many schools restrict access to social media and many other sites? I am lucky enough to work in a school that employs a BYOD program with specific guidelines as to the capabilities of the device, many schools have no such guidelines or in many cases no devices used systematically across the school. To implement digital literature into our school programs in meaningful ways that enhance student engagement requires time of professionals that are already time poor, a topic that was raised in the discussion forum for this subject (Fraser, 2017). I believe that we need to find the time and harness the benefits of using digital literature, especially digital storytelling in our educational practice.
The curriculum is being pushed towards embracing inquiry learning and collaborative learning and digital literature facilitates this through embracing digital storytelling (Crowley L. , 2017). Digital storytelling blends media with the written word to enhance it. Using narrative and storytelling techniques digitally, we are seeing a return to the spoken and visual components of storytelling. Neuroscientist have proven the benefits of engaging with narratives to increase involvement, memory and empathy, which is why advertising companies use them to such success (Schwertly, 2014). We remember the advertisements. We feel strongly about advertisements. This is the power of storytelling – why wouldn’t we use it to help students remember, be involved and feel empathy about what they are learning in class?
Digital literature and digital storytelling empower the full array of diverse learners in our classrooms. They can choose how involved they become with the material, to which depth they want to follow or even at what level they want to read. They can choose the best way to access the material, manipulating the content to suit their needs.
The ease at which content can be added or used digitally makes fair use and copyright issues at the forefront of all digital literature producers’ minds. Through engaging students academically in digital literature and digital storytelling we are ensuring that they are aware of not only their rights but the rights of all producers of material sourced electronically. Knowing that the story you produce will be shared with the worldwide community ensures that you follow the copyright rules, such as seeking permission if an item is under copyright. In compiling my digital story for this subject I had to do just that with the National Film and Sound Archive.
Humans are social beings, and literature allows us to socialise with people not only in our immediate circle. Digital literature allows for instantaneous interactions to be occurring across the globe. Personally, I have been exposed to some amazing digital literature through this course and now feel confident in helping others find all the benefits that digital literature has to offer. After all, “literature deserves its prestige for one reason above all others: because it’s a tool to help us live and die with a little more wisdom, goodness and sanity” (The School of Life, 2014).
(The School of Life, 2014)
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References
Crowley, L. (2017, September 13). Digital storytelling is our future. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/lenacrowley/2017/09/13/digital-storytelling-is-our-future/
Crowley, L. (2017, August 27). INF533 assignment 2 part b: Critical reflection of digital literature experience. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/lenacrowley/2017/08/27/inf533-assignment-2-part-b-critical-reflection-of-digital-literature-experiences/
Fitzgerald, L. (2017). INF533 – Literature in Digital Environment. Wagga Wagga: Charles Sturt University. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/execute/displayLearningUnit?course_id=_26925_1&content_id=_1546313_1
Fraser, J. (2017, August 6). The importance of time. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_26925_1&conf_id=_45305_1&forum_id=_95356_1&message_id=_1412607_1&nav=discussion_board_entry
Hall, T. (2012). Digital renaissance: The creative potential of narrative technology in education. Creative Education, 3(1), 96-100. Retrieved from http://file.scirp.org/Html/17301.html
Schwertly, S. (2014, October 22). The neuroscience of storytelling. Retrieved from https://www.ethos3.com/2014/10/the-neuroscience-of-storytelling/
The School of Life. (2014, September 18). What is literature for? Retrieved from https://youtu.be/4RCFLobfqcw cited in Fitzgerald, L. (2017). INF533 – Literature in Digital Environment. Wagga Wagga: Charles Sturt University. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/execute/displayLearningUnit?course_id=_26925_1&content_id=_1546313_1
Walker, S., Jameson, J., & Ryan, M. (2010). Skills and strategies for E-learning in a participatory culture. In R. Sharpe, H. Beetham, & F. S. De, Rethinking learning for a digital age: How learners are shaping their own experiences. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Walsh, M. (2010). Multimodal literacy: What does it mean for classroom practice? Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 33(3), 211-239. Retrieved from https://www.alea.edu.au/documents/item/63
Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers (pp. 181-194). Marrickville, NSW: Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETTA).
