Being able to create a web page that has a high level of interactivity is essential to the vision I have for this project which aims to combine historical fact and narrative fiction in an electronic format that appeals to the children of the 21st century. According to Zhang-Kennedy, Abdelaziz & Chiasson, 2017, 96.6% of all Canadian children ages six months to 4 years use mobile devices everyday, so learning how to create interactive narratives in digital form is an important skill for emerging writers to obtain (10). Children and youth are exposed to varied forms of reading experiences on a daily basis that are both print and digital. While print requires linear reading skills, digital literature taps into both linear and tabular reading skills, and can therefore enhance not only the reader’s learning, but their pleasure as well (Durant, 2017). Electronic platforms have the potential to weave layers of complexity into a narrative fiction that can guide readers to a richer experience than available in print alone. However, it is important for a digital narrative to provide interaction that is consistent with the story, otherwise, the reader may become too distracted by the inserted hypermedia and lose track of the narrative (Kao, Tsai, Liu, Chen-Han, 2015, Sargeant, 2015, ZhangKennedy, et al, 2017). Producing fiction for children using electronic platforms is an effective way to improve reader engagement with the text (Kao, Tsai, et al, 2015, Sargeant, 2015, Zhang-Kennedy, et al, 2017). The interactive nature of digital literature provides children with a “rich sensory experience” that cannot be replicated in static e-books or print texts (Sargeant, 457). Furthermore, not only has highly interactive electronic literature been shown to “support … knowledge acquisition, retention, and transfer”, it also increases the enthusiasm with children approach reading; important considerations when designing a story for children using interactive digital technologies (Zhang-Kennedy, et al, 17). As well, the researchers assert that creating a story that is designed to impart knowledge in a pleasurable way enhances the overall experience of the reader; and to design a story using interactive electronic platforms has been shown to attract the reader’s attention, improve reading comprehension, and increase reader motivation to engage with the text (Kao, Tsai, et al, 2015, Sargeant, 2017, ZhangKennedy, et al, 2017). Zhang-Kennedy, et al. contend that this is because interactive literature can “decrease the cognitive overload, burden of decoding words or grammar, and usage of working memory” (57), making this kind of fiction exceedingly attractive to weaker readers who struggle with those issues. This insertion of hypermedia into the fictional text can do the work of reading that some people find difficult so that reader comprehension and pleasure are enhanced by using electronic platforms to write fictional texts. However, research also indicates that overdoing the hypermedia and interactivity in the digital text can distract the reader from the narrative which then may interfere with any learning that might occur. It is important to make any of the hypermedia have a high level of correspondence to the text or the links will only be distracting and not enhance the work (Kao, et al., 2015, Sargeant 2017, ZhangKennedy et al., 2017). To avoid having hyperlinks that only distract the reader and not enhance the narrative is to design the digital text to include high interactivity “coupled with reflection, feedback and guidance” (Kao, et al., 2015, 58). Zhang-Kennedy et al., note that their interactive e-book, Cyberheroes, “fostered child-parent discussion”, promoting adult guidance in children’s learning, congruent with the child development theories of Lev Vygotsky that I learned about in Psychology 204 – Child Development. Vygotsky recognized the importance of the child-adult interaction, and Kao, et al., Sargeant and Zhang-Kennedy, et al., all found that children who consume interactive electronic books that offer reflection and feedback in their design, but also include adult guidance, are the most effective in promoting reading comprehension and pleasure.
Works Cited
Durant, David. “Reading in a Digital Age”, (2017). Charleston Briefings, Michingan Publishing. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/mpub.9944117
Kao, G., Tsai, C., Liu, C., & Chen-Hang, Y. (2015). “The Effects of High/Low Interactive Electronic Storybooks on Elementary School Students’ Reading Motivation, Story Comprehension and Chromatics Concepts.” Computers & Education, 100, 56–70. EBSCOhost. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2016.04.013.
Sargeant, B. (2015). “What Is an Ebook? What Is a Book App? And Why Should We Care? An Analysis of Contemporary Digital Picture Books.” Children’s Literature in Education, 46: 4, 454–
- EBSCOhost. doi:10.1007/s10583-015-9243-5.
Zhang-Kennedy, L., Abdelaziz, Y., & Chiasson, S. (2107). “Cyberheroes: The design and evaluation of an interactive ebook to educate children about online privacy.” International Journal of ChildComputer Interaction. EBSCOhost. doi:10.1016/j.ijcci.2017.05.001.