I come from a context of having explored many forms of digital literature without realising one would call it digital literature! Going into ETL533, I assumed that digital literature was based around e-books, Project Gutenberg texts, or similarly formatted works within a limited suite of creation tools. Instead, I’ve become aware that this is digitised literature (Bouchardon, 2019) – digital literature is entirely different.
With my developing knowledge of possible interactive elements I now realise that I’ve been engaging with digital literature since my family first connected to the internet in 1997, with the now defunct interactive story of You Rule The School. I can remember reading a hyperlinked ‘choose your own adventure’ style story in Year 8 in PDHPE. As the technology evolved, and online bulletin boards became more popular, I took part in several roleplaying scenarios set in the world of T.S. Elliot’s Jellicle cats, with aspiring writers around the world contributing chapters to multiple simultaneous storylines.
More recently, I became immersed in the world of Ingress, an augmented reality game with e-books, a YouTube channel, and social media accounts devoted to the creation of a back-story that aimed to contribute to the holistic experience of the game. In other genres, I love the Lizzie Bennet diaries, and I’ve started Green Gables Fables, but couldn’t quite get into it. The algorithm also regularly sends me digital literature that the ABC and SBS put out.
In my current professional context, I’ve worked with an author (Dimity Powell) who was awarded a grant by the Gold Coast council to put together a project for Story City, the interactive storytelling app. She has encouraged me to speak to Emily Craven, one of the founders, and together we have looked at the possibilities in terms of guiding students through the creation process.
The only stumbling block is, as usual, the provision of adequate one-to-one technology solutions for the actual build-out.
If I were a teacher librarian now, creation of digital literature would be a highly effective way to scaffold synthesis of information and form a meaningful final product to evidence learning from a unit of work. There are no limits as to what subject areas consumption and creation of digital literature could apply to, with many interactives available online now being cross-curricular (such as Snowfall, which would be usable in English and HASS).
It has also occurred to me that creating digital literature could be an effective way to encourage a school-wide culture of reading in terms of student engagement. Perhaps artefacts could be sought to engage students with niche reading interests that tend to be trend- or fad-based (thus difficult to justify spending on physical resources). It could be an alternative for those with a preference for experiencing literature on a device. It would also be advantageous if they could be encouraged to create their own for others with similar interests. It would also be a great way to share student interests and showcase their capabilities in the digital literacy sphere with the wider community.
References:
Bouchardon, S. (2019). Mind the Gap! 10 Gaps for Digital Literature. Electronic Book Review, 5th May, 2019. https://electronicbookreview.com/essay/mind-the-gap-10-gaps-for-digital-literature/
Hayles, N.K. (2007). Electronic Literature: What Is It? The Electronic Literature Organisation. (https://eliterature.org/pad/elp.html
Yadav, P. (2019). Emerging Digital Literature in New Media Impact On Modern Contemporary World. Impetus – St Xavier’s College Interdisciplinary Journal, 8(8), 54-58. https://sxcjpr.edu.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Emerging-Digital-Literature-In-New-Media-Impact-On-Modern-Contemporary-World-Parul-Yadav.pdf