PART A: Digital Literature Reviews
1. eBook
Image 1: ‘Owl Babies’ screenshot. Retrieved from https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/have-some-fun/storybooks-and-games/owl-babies/
Title: Owl Babies
Published by Candlewick Press, 1992
Owl Babies written by Martin Waddell and Illustrated by Patrick Benson is a best-selling ‘modern classic’ children’s book in its 29th year of publication. This eBook is an example of a static, digitised version of a print book, but with a few added functionalities; including oral and sign language narration and page turning functions. This digital form of the narrative weaves the tale of three baby owls, Sarah, Percy and Bill, awaiting the return of their mother from her nightly flight. The owlets describe their emotions without their mother; feeling vulnerable and afraid – a storyline any child with separation anxiety can relate to. It is a tender tale, told to remind young children that although our parents and guardians may leave us, we trust they will return.
BookTrust’s digital eBook version of Owl Babies provides three experience options for the reader (or viewer) to select from prior to reading; including a simple ‘read along’ version, a ‘read along with top tips’ and a ‘read along with signing’. These options provide the viewer with choices to best suit their literary needs, particularly useful for those with young children of pre-reading age and children with additional learning needs, disabilities or visual impairments. The ‘read along with sign’ option provides a video and link to the British Sign Language version of Owl Babies, with the viewer able to watch the YouTube version without being redirected to another page. The ‘read along with top tips’ provides the viewer with teachable moments through the use of discussion ideas and suggestions to support comprehension and understanding of the text. Each ‘read along’ option is narrated in one voice with expressive and clear fluency and provides text that is highlighted when the word is spoken for easy following.
Owl Babies is a suitable text for Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 students. It aligns with the Australian Curriculum K-10 English Syllabus Outcome A (National Education Standards Australia [NESA], 2021), National Literacy Learning Progression (Speaking and Listening) (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2018, p. 8) and the Australian Curriculum General Capabilities learning area of Literacy through the navigation, reading and viewing of visual and digital texts (ACARA, n.d-a). Illustrations provide the reader with clear links to the story, enabling and enhancing comprehension and interpretation of the text, making it suitable for all literacy levels. Owl Babies presents discussable themes of family, relationships and well being; key outcomes for Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 within the K-10 PD/H/PE Syllabus (NESA, 2021a).
Whilst it is argued that using digital devices to access eBooks (such as Kobos, Kindles and smartphones) open the door for distraction during literary and learning experiences (Hamid & Holmes, 2013; Seemiller, 2017, p. 216), the experience of reading Owl Babies is one that is simple and non-distracting. It comes without the ‘bells and whistles’, such as games and quizzes that other interactive narratives may possess and cause disengagement and distraction from the text’s narrative. There is no option to change the size, style or colour of the font. The illustrations are not interactive, nor do they make noises or move about distractingly. However, the opportunity to switch the language to sign language provides children with the opportunity to become aware of other ‘spoken’ languages and develop their ability to learn phrases or words in an additional language; supporting the promotion of inclusivity and empathy of others. The reader is able to click arrows, indicating forwards and backwards in the story – quicker than you can achieve turning a physical page. Another beginning-reader tool included in Owl Babies, is the text highlighting function. When text is read by the narrator, the spoken word changes colour allowing the reader to maintain text placement. There are minimal distractions within this text, with the right number of functional affordances, allowing for the reader to become fully immersed in the narrative storyline.
Interactivity is simple and obvious to the user, this is of particular importance given the intended audience age and assumed literacy and digital ability level. The text is presented identical to the picture book version, including original text and illustrations with the viewpoint across both pages (like an open book). From an accessibility perspective this digital narrative can be accessed through any web browser or hand-held device (depending on the age and software specifications of device), however it requires internet access and cannot be played offline. Illustrations and audio are good quality, as you would expect from a narrated children’s picture book, and processing is quick for each page. The self-contained nature of the eBook only allows the reader to go forwards, backwards or back to the start, much like a physical book. It does not require interchanging between different digital formats, which may result in a loss of coherence between platform and contents. This process is also known as ‘weak narrative transportation’, which can be regarded as a negative attribute of digital and transmedia narratives (Derbaix, Bourgeon, Jarrier & Petr, 2017).
2. Digital Interactive Documentary
Image 2: ‘The Last Generation’ screenshot. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/interactive/the-last-generation/
Title: The Last Generation: Climate Change and the Marshall Islands
Produced by FRONTLINE and The GroundTruth Project
The Last Generation is an example of a digital interactive documentary: a novel form of documentary which applies to it a full set of multimedia tools to increase the user functions and interactivity. The Last Generation offers an up-close view of climate change and is a digital born narrative; designed by, and for, digital media and viewership (Bouchardon, 2019, Introduction section, para. 3). This three-part, interactive documentary explores the lives of three children living on the Marshall Islands: a coastal nation of coral isles in the centre of the Pacific Ocean, which is currently being threatened by rising seas levels. As the viewer engages with the resource, information on global warming and the associated effects on the Marshall Islands is described through video, audio, written text, images and information graphics.
Image 3: The Marshall Islands location. Retrieved from https://www.whereig.com/au-oceania/where-is-marshall-islands.htmlhttps://theconversation.com/the-marshall-islands-could-be-wiped-out-by-climate-change-and-their-colonial-history-limits-their-ability-to-save-themselves-145994
The Last Generation provides the viewer with an interactive, digital experience of documentary style journalism and would be most suitable on a device with a large screen, such as an iPad or a laptop/computer. Through the use of melancholic and hauntingly innocent music, empathy evoking video interviews and simple information graphics, the viewer is immersed into life with Izerman, Julia and Wilmer. Each ‘character’ of the narrative is also described as ‘The Present’, ‘The Past’ or ‘The Future’ of life on shore the Islands. Easily navigable, the viewer can select to engage with each of the three stories; which includes interviews retelling the horrifying experience of rising sea levels engulfing the homes of the children. These personal interviews are well edited, with subtitles and a pause button function enabled, allowing the user to work through the story at their own pace. The narrative is additionally interspersed with scientific facts and information about the islands and its inhabitants, giving an authorised and factually correct impression to the narrative.
Specifically created for informative and educational experiences, The Last Generation supports a number of learning areas and literacies, including digital, visual, information, media literacy (National Association for Media Literacy Education [NAMLE], 2021) and scientific literacy (Victoria State Government Education and Training, 2021). It specifically supports the Australian Curriculum key learning area of Science by posing and answering important questions about the biological and physical world whilst expanding student curiosity and knowledge about the world they live in (ACARA, n.d-b). Through using this resource, student’s Intercultural Understanding is developed, allowing for learners to have a greater awareness and understanding of the lives of others, promoting positive intercultural behaviours (ACARA, n.d). Through the narrative style documentary of the three children, this allows for a merger between traditional storytelling and the use of multimedia technology to enhance message conveyance to the target audience and increase learning outcomes (Smeda, Dakich & Sharda, 2014, p. 2).
Music, video footage of environmental damage and weather events and informative graphics accompany the video interviews of the characters. The story progression is reliant upon user interaction; a sweep of the finger or a click of the mouse in order to advance the storyline. The Last Generation provides mostly high-quality definition images and footage, with engaging illustrated infographics to deepen and extend the reading experience. These elements cleverly combined enhance the story and the large amount of information provided, without becoming distracting or overwhelming to the viewer (Roskos, Burstein, Shang & Gray, 2014).
Professional footage is cleverly juxtaposed with personal footage captured during alarming and adverse weather events on the Marshall Islands, thus creating an immersive and deeply moving piece of journalism. Through effective and simple affordances and user interactions with the narrative, the juxtaposition of the three-part narrative combined with scientific facts and images, allows the user to be able to make sense of a complex and large amount of information within the interactive documentary (Reeder, 2020, p. 2).
To manually interact with the narrative, the user is provided the option to either use key functions of a keyboard, scroll using a mouse or slide finger down screen to interact with the narrative. As this narrative is told from the perspective of three children, it makes the content easily accessible and relatable to young viewers and students. The interactive documentary provides the user with agency and the ability to physically do something and interact with the content, rather than simply consuming the narrative through a traditional visual documentary experience. Reeder (2020) suggests that narrative coherence is at the core of traditional documentary storytelling; however, this is not a concept lost on interactive documentaries, such as The Last Generation, due to the linear story progression and nuanced character development. The story line is easy to follow and you do not get a lost or misdirected feeling as you progress through the documentary, making it accessible and suitable to viewers from Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) and up.
3. Enhanced eBook
Image 3: ‘Cozmo’s Day Off’ screenshot. Retrieved from https://apps.apple.com/au/app/cozmos-day-off-storybook/id409177911
Title: Cozmo’s Day Off
Developed by Ayars Animation Inc.
The digital book Cozmo’s Day Off developed by Ayars Animation (2009) is the story of an intergalactic alien who runs into a series of unfortunate obstacles on his way to work. However, it’s only once getting there, he learns he actually has the day off. Interactive elements within the story include animations, games, voices, sound effects and exciting self-narration features. Cozmo’s Day Off is an interactive or enhanced eBook that can be downloaded on Apple devices, such as iPhones, however it is best viewed on a larger screened iPad. Since its release in 2010, the app continues its success as a family favourite digital narrative, first proving its popularity as a finalist for the 2010 DBW Publishing Innovation Awards and remaining on the top-selling app list for many months. It contains over 100 interactive and audio elements, features that define it as an ‘Enhanced eBook’ (SunTec, 2016). This story holds appeal to readers of all ages. However, with a user recommendation age of 4+, this app may arguably be better characterized as a game for younger children, not as an enhanced or interactive storybook, due to all the bells and whistles it contains which may give predilection to the narrative itself.
The story is additionally written in style not intended for young audiences as recommended, unless supported by a more capable reader. Each page contains four lines of rhyming verse, with some simple, but often complex language features. To its credit for educational purpose, it does contain rich imagery, metaphorical devices and similes, such as “…as it swept aside stars like an orbital broom” (Ayars Animation, 2009, p. 4). Understanding and applying language forms and features, such as these, to writing is an expected learning outcome for Stage 3 students within the K-10 English Syllabus (NESA, 2019, p. 105). However, the use of literary devices employed by the creators (or writers) would benefit audiences of students from Stage 1 upwards through engaging with this unique, fictional narrative.
Meyers, Zaminpaima & Frederico (2014) perceive digital literature as a designed whole multimedia experience, and not simply just a designed narrative. Cozmo’s Day Off delivers both of these experiences to the viewer; requiring engagement from the reader in order to interact with narrative features, such as page turning, automatic narration and the ability to record one’s own voice reading and playback as the story progresses. It also contains the feature of being able to remove the text from screen, in order to see the entire illustration and engage with image animation ‘hot spots’ on every page.
Image 4: Cozmo’s Day Off enhanced eBook interactive ‘hot-spots’ on a page. Retrieved from https://xgmedia.medium.com/interactive-ebook-apps-8898aa674a73
A number of features can additionally be accessed from the settings menu on the introduction page. It allows the user to enable various multimodal features that can be switched on or off, including audio narration and ‘display read along’ box. Auto play can be switched off, allowing the reader to self-pace reading of the narrative. The audio of the book can be enhanced or muted, and sound effects and musical underscore volumes can be manually controlled. This is beneficial for readers who are easily distracted with additional and sometimes overwhelming sensory enhancements. Cozmo’s Day Off is written and produced for English language speakers, providing no option for additional language narration or subtext. Each of the 10 pages can be easily selected and navigated through the settings feature, and can be additionally accessed on each page by clicking the golden lightning bolt image in the top right-hand corner of the screen. This is a useful feature for readers engaging with multimodal texts who may need to reread a previous page in order to maintain story linage and cohesion, allowing for greater comprehension of the text (Victoria State Government Education and Training, 2020).
New media affordances found within Cozmo’s Day Off, such as the user’s physical relationship and manipulation of objects, allow for different literacies to be explored and developed; including digital, visual, computational and even ‘game literacy’ (Pietila, 2017), which has been discussed as advantageous to student development of fine-motor skills, navigation abilities and problem-solving strategies (Loewus, 2016).
References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2018). National literacy learning progression. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/media/3673/national-literacy-learning-progression.pdf
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (n.d). The Australian curriculum: Intercultural understanding. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/intercultural-understanding/
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (n.d-a). The Australian curriculum: Literacy. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/literacy/
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (n.d-b). The Australian curriculum: Science. https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/science/
Ayars Animation. (2009). Cozmo’s Day Off (Version 1.4.0) [Mobile app]. Apple Store. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cozmos-day-off-storybook/id409177911
Bouchardon, S. (2019). Mind the gap! 10 gaps for digital literature? Electronic Book Review. https://doi.org/10.7273/j3w2-h969
Derbaix, M., Bourgeon, D., Jarrier, E. & Petr, C. (2017). Transmedia experience and narrative transportation. Journal of Marketing Trends 4(2), 39-48.
FRONTLINE & The GroundTruth Project. (Producers). (2018). The last generation: climate change and the Marshall Islands [Film; online video]. PBS, Public
Broadcasting Service.
Hamid, M. & Holmes, A. (2013). How do E-Books change the reading experience? New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/books/review/how-
do-e-books-change-the-reading-experience.html
Loewus, L. (2016, August 10). Social media use linked to low Math, Reading, Science performance. EducationWeek. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/social-
media-use-linked-to-low-math-reading-science-performance/2016/08
Meyers, E.M., Zaminpaima, E., & Frederico, A. (2014). The future of children’s texts: Evaluating book apps as multimodal reading experiences. In iConference
2014 Proceedings (pp. 916-920). https://doi:10.9776/14312
National Association for Media Literacy Education [NAMLE]. (2021). Media literacy defined. https://namle.net/resources/media-literacy-defined/
National Education Standards Australia [NESA]. (2019). English K-10 Syllabus. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/1c3d7c13-87c1-
402a-a43e-897a4b7dd74c/english-k10-syllabus.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=
National Education Standards Australia [NESA]. (2021). English K-10: outcomes. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/english-year-10/english-k-10/outcomes
National Education Standards Australia [NESA]. (2021a). PDHPE K-10: outcomes. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/pdhpe/pdhpe-k-10-2018/outcomes
Pietila, N. (2017, March). The top 10 literacies in education today. Advancing K12. https://www.skyward.com/discover/blog/skyward-blogs/skyward-executive-blog/march-2017/the-top-10-literacies-in-education-today
Smeda, N., Dakich, E. & Sharda, N. (2014). The effectiveness of digital storytelling in the classrooms: a comprehensive study. Smart Learning Environments, 1(6). 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-014-0006-3
SunTec. (2016, March 26). eBooks, enhanced eBooks, and apps – understand which is best for you. The SunTec India Blog. https://www.suntecindia.com/blog/difference-between-ebooks-enhanced-ebooks-apps/
Victoria State Government Education and Training. (2020). Teaching Comprehension. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/readingviewing/Pages/litfocuscomprehensionteach.aspx
Victoria State Government Education and Training. (2021). Introduction to literacy in Science. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/Pages/introduction_to_literacy_in_science.aspx
Waddell, M. & Benson, P. (1992). Owl Babies [eBook]. Walker Books. https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/have-some-fun/storybooks-and-games/owl-babies/