Format: Multimodal digital story, using voice-activation.
Joshua, A. (2016). My grandmother’s lingo. (J. Duczynski, Illus. & K. Kennedy, Sound). SBS.
My Grandmother’s Lingo (2019) is an award-winning interactive digital story that immerses readers in the mission to help save the dying Aboriginal language of Marra. Narrated by Aboriginal woman Angelina Joshua, the story actively engages its readers by inviting them to repeat Marra words into their microphones, which unlocks the next chapter.
Literary Merit
Angelina’s heartfelt narrative is compelling and honest, centring on identity, family, and language as she explains how she is “on my feet, every morning, to work” to save her grandmother’s lingo. Beyond inviting us into Angelina’s plight, the story offers a rich cultural context that supports reflection and discussion on First Nations’ connection to language and culture. This allows the story to function as both a high-quality literary and cultural resource (Dobler, 2013; Yokota & Teale, 2014). While it is filled with animation, sound effects, and interactivity, the story and its purpose remain at the heart of the experience.
Multimodal Integration
My Grandmother’s Lingo demonstrates highly effective multimodal design, seamlessly combining visual artistry, typography, animation, and audio narration. All these modes work together, reinforcing understanding and engagement (Walsh, 2013).
Image: Joshua, A. (2016). My grandmother’s lingo. (J. Duczynski, Illus. & K. Kennedy, Sound). SBS.
For example, the reader learns the Marra word ‘wanggarnanggin’ (black crow), hearing it repeated by Angelina. They then repeat it three times into the microphone and their voice affects the animation and triggers the transition to the following animation and narration. Meanwhile, a black crow caws in the background, creating a fully immersive experience.
Tapping words to hear their pronunciation in Marra integrates auditory learning with visual text and the reader’s participation by echoing back the exact words, eventually triggering the end of the chapter and unlocking the next one.
Such digital affordances immerse the reader in Angelina’s world and her people’s culture, showing how thoughtful design can make complex concepts and stories fully immersive and sensory experiences.
Interactivity With Purpose
This digital story exemplifies purposeful interactivity. While linear in its narrative progression, readers have autonomy on when to hear words, when to speak, and when to move the story forward. Interactive features, such as tapping words and affecting animations, connect readers to the First Nations cultural context and story, while promoting multiliteracy and digital literacy development (Unsworth, 2006; McGeehan et al., 2018; Ferrer & Ángel-Torres, 2025; Lamb, 2011). Interactivity is not a superficial gimmick; it enables students to actively participate in language preservation actively, fostering collaboration and engagement with readers across Australia.
Image: Joshua, A. (2016). My grandmother’s lingo. (J. Duczynski, Illus. & K. Kennedy, Sound). SBS.
The final interaction is to pin where you are on the map (see image above) so that readers can see themselves as part of a collective contributor to the story and where in the country they helped keep the language alive.
Usability and Accessibility
My Grandmother’s Lingo uses audio narration, visual cues, and voice-activated navigation to support comprehension for students with additional learning needs or for EAL/D learners. The audio–visual pairing reinforces vocabulary and cultural understanding (Walsh, 2013; Henderson & Honan, 2008) while allowing the reader to control the pace of the story and their interactions. These accessible features align with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles that promote multiple means of representation and engagement (CAST, 2018).
While accessibility could be strengthened through adjustable font size, captions, or translation into other languages, the current design already facilitates many features to support learners of all abilities. Overall, the text demonstrates how thoughtful multimedia design can enable differentiated, inclusive learning experiences across varied ages and abilities.
Educational and Cultural Value
Any single page of My Grandmother’s Lingo covers multiple educational and cultural goals for a piece of literature. For instance, at one point in the story, Angelina Joshua tells of her connection to the nearby waterhole while asking the reader to speak with her in her language. This promotes intercultural understanding, First Nations culture and history, while practising the spoken word, improving pronunciation, plus simultaneously tapping on the interactive animation. This single page supports literacy, digital literacy, cultural understanding and empathy (ACARA, n.d.). A unique and powerful impact made possible with digital literature.
Limitations
In the school context, while My Grandmother’s Lingo is free to access through SBS online, some limitations include reliance on internet access, which may create inequities across different reader contexts. Digital literature such as this can mean students without access to devices, reliable internet, or poor digital literacy may not be able to access these valuable resources, which can widen the learning gap between schools and students in lower socio-economic regions (Selwyn, 2017).
Conclusion
My Grandmother’s Lingo is an exemplar of digital literature that demonstrates how digital stories can intrinsically connect the reader to the story and its purpose. The narrative, interactivity, multimodal design, and cultural significance in Australia combine to create an immersive, accessible, and meaningful experience. My Grandmother’s Lingo singlehandedly highlights: the power of storytelling; the emotional and cultural significance of language; and the evolution of storytelling in a digital world.
Link to My Grandmother’s Lingo.
References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Australian curriculum: Cross-curriculum priorities. (Version 9), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.
https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-cultures?organising-idea=A_TSICP%2CA_TSIC%2CA_TSIP
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Australian curriculum: Cross-curriculum priorities. (Version 9), Digital literacy. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/digital-literacy?element=3&sub-element=DLMOA
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Australian curriculum: Cross-curriculum priorities. (Version 9), Literacy. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/literacy?element=0&sub-element=LSLiS
CAST. (2018). Universal design for learning guidelines version 2.2. http://udlguidelines.cast.org
Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20–21.
Ferrer, R., & Ángel-Torres, A. (2025). Digital literacies in educational contexts. Journal of Literacy and Technology, 28(2), 180–192.
Joshua, A. (2016). My grandmother’s lingo. (J. Duczynski, Illus. & K. Kennedy, Sound). SBS.
Lamb, A. (2011). Multiliteracies and digital texts in schools. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 19(3), 18–27.
McGeehan, M., Chambers, S., & Nowakowski, J. (2018). Just because it’s digital doesn’t mean it’s good: Evaluating digital picture books. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 34(2), 58–70.
Selwyn, N. (2017). Education and technology: key issues and debates (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Academic.
Unsworth, L. (2006). Teaching multiliteracies across the curriculum: Changing contexts of text and image in classroom practice. Open University Press.
Walsh, M. (2010). Multimodal Literacy: What Does It Mean for Classroom Practice? The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 33(3), 211–239. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03651836
Yokota, J., & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: Educators making informed choices. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 577–585.
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