From e-Books to Immersive Story Worlds:
the digitization of children's literature and reading
TPL Training Day: April 15, 2011
Sara M. Grimes, PhD | Faculty of Information
University of Toronto
Produced by: Oceanhouse Media Inc.
Reception:
Winner of the 2010 Parent's Choice Silver Honour for Mobile Apps.
Editor's Choice - Children's Technology Review

Functionality:
individual words are read aloud upon touch, or
touch a picture, and the associated word is highlighted and read aloud

"Alice in Wonderland" for iPad (2010)
Produced by: Atomic Antelope
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Some examples
OLIVIA Paints (iOS)
“Young children’s earliest encounters with print narrative are based in a multimodality that includes orality, visual literacy, performance, and interactivity, and embrace a range of experiences that are socially constructed.” (Madej, 2008)
Scholastic study conducted (USA) last Fall:
About 25% of kids aged 9 to 17 years had read a "book" on a "digital device" in the past
57% said that they would be interested in doing so in the future
Only 6% of parents surveyed owned an e-reader
16% said they "planned to buy one in the next year"
83% of parents would "allow or encourage their children to use the e-readers"
Resources
Joan Ganz Cooney Centre Reports: http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/Reports.html
Krystina Madej's website: http://www.narrativeswork.com/
Henry Jenkins: http://www.henryjenkins.org/
James Paul Gee: http://www.jamespaulgee.com/
Sara M. Grimes: http://gamineexpedition.blogspot.com/
Common Sense Media (reviews): http://www.commonsensemedia.org/
Moms with Apps: http://momswithapps.com/
Agenda
Trends and usage studies
Some examples
Opportunities
Challenges
Questions
Kress (2003): Language (spoken and verbal) = linearity, time, order has meaning, requires we supply images 
Kress (2003): Images = sptial and simultaneous, positioning has meaning, requires we decide on the order we read them
The Harry Potter Alliance
OLIVIA
Storybird - build your own picture books
Toontastic - from puppet show to animated short
"Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor" (2004) Produced by Her Interactive
"Ico" (2001), directed by Fumito Ueda
The "Club Penguin" Theatre
Lego Universe as a Platform for Making Movies
Opportunities: Multiple Literacies
storyworld
character(s)
emotion
narrative interface
micro-narratives
Jim Bizzocchi’s "modest framework” for uncovering the “narrative parameters” of digital games:
e.g. Narrative in Games
Challenges
Children's literacies and skills are emergent and uneven (different ages; not all "cyberkids")
Digital Locks and hidden fees
Curation and other resources are still lacking
Opportunities mentioned are assumed to operate in conjunction with other activities (e.g. traditional forms of reading)
Works Cited:
Bizzocchi, Jim (2007). Games and narrative: An analytical framework. Loading… Journal of the Canadian Gaming Studies Organization 1(1). URL: http://journals.sfu.ca/loading/index.php/loading/article/view/1/1
Gee, J.P. (2008). Cats and portals: Video games, learning, and play. American Journal of Play 1(2): 229- 243. URL: http://www.jamespaulgee.com/sites/default/files/pub/CatsAndPortals.pdf
Kress, G. (2003). Literacy in the Media Age. London: Routledge.
Madej, K. (2007). Characteristics of Early Narrative Experience: Connecting Print and Digital Game. Unpublished PhD dissertation, Simon Fraser University: http://www.siat.sfu.ca/grad/theses/kmadej/
Nilsson, M. (2010). Developing voice in digital storytelling through creativity, narrative and multimodality. Seminar.net - International journal of media, technology and lifelong learning, 6(2), 148-60.
Questions?
Games as Learning Machines
Good games enable players to engage in “forms of play involving not just the game proper but also reading, writing, drawing, arguing, and dialoguing as well, on the Internet and off it in the real world. Here young people—in regard to language, literacy, and complex problem solving, not to mention collaboration—practice in play very real skills crucial for success in school and the world” (Gee, 2008, p.240)
In a recent study conducted by the Joan Ganz Cooney Centre/Sesame Workshop, researchers found their group of child participants (aged 3 to 7 years) faced the following common challenges in using an iPod Touch:
turning the iPod on
swipping
tapping icons
exiting
hearing instructions
iPod Usability/Learning Study
Today's Presentation Slides: http://prezi.com/ptmeku1o95fo/from-e-books-to-immersive-story-worlds/