This document discusses interactive digital stories (IDS) and their potential use in classrooms. IDS allow users to play a role in a digital narrative and make decisions that can impact the outcome. The document examines strategies for implementing IDS, including using pre-made software, having teachers or students create their own stories, and how IDS can benefit English language learners and engage students. It also describes an international program called PoliCultura that has students create multimedia narratives using authoring software. In general, the document advocates for making IDS software available to classrooms as they can increase engagement for students.

1. Myles
Wolfe/LIBR
501/Apr.
1,
2015
1
RE:
Delta
School
District
Technology
Department
Interactive
Digital
Stories
(IDS)
What
are
Interactive
Digital
Stories
(IDS)
Interactive
Digital
Stories
can
be
understood
as
a
narrative
that
exists
in
the
digital
realm
but
provides
opportunities
for
the
user
to
play
a
role
in
the
narrative.
In
some
cases,
the
user
might
even
have
the
ability
to
make
decisions
that
might
affect
the
outcome
of
the
narrative.
(Miller
3)
IDS
technology
will
create
an
environment
that
provides
“engagement
and
immersion…[for
the
user]…in
its
highest
forms”.
(Weif
and
Miller
324)
IDS
technology
might
also
add
another
level
of
engagement
and
immersion
in
allowing
for
the
user
to
author
their
own
stories.
This
potential
for
engagement
and
immersion
should
be
a
very
exciting
prospect
for
primary
and
secondary
schools.
Based
on
several
short
term
and
long-­‐term
studies
it
is
clear
that
Interactive
Digital
Storytelling
Software
should
be
made
available
for
utilization
in
classrooms
around
the
Delta
School
District.

2. Myles
Wolfe/LIBR
501/Apr.
1,
2015
2
Strategies
for
Implementing
Interactive
Digital
Storytelling
Pre-­made
Premade
education
is
a
common
form
of
IDS
software.
This
is
software
made
by
companies
for
commercial
reasons.
This
premade
software
might
be
easier
for
teachers
to
use
because
it
provides
a
pre-­‐made
lesson
plan
that
allows
for
easy
integration
into
a
classroom
environment.
The
problem
with
this
type
of
pre-­‐made
lesson
plan
is
that
it
cannot
be
altered
or
personalized
to
specific
classroom
environments.
The
solution
to
this
issue
is
making
the
usability
of
future
IDS
software
a
priority.
If
these
authoring
tools
were
made
easier
to
use
by
non-­‐experts
it
might
facilitate
the
expansion
and
wider
use
of
the
technology.
(Weif
and
Miller
327)
Teacher-­made
It
is
important
for
teachers
using
IDS
technology
to
have
a
proficient
understanding
of
how
to
use
the
pre-­‐
made
IDS
software.
However,
an
even
more
affective
way
to
utilize
IDS
software
would
be
for
teachers
to
use
IDS
authoring
tools
that
allow
the
customization
and
personalization
of
IDS
lesson/game/story
to
their
specific
classroom
environment.
“[E]ducators
and
teachers
need
to
be
enabled
to
express
their
ideas
of
interactive
learning
stories
and
game-­based
learning
contents.”
(Weif
and
Miller
327)
Student-­made
The
most
affective
use
of
IDS
software
in
classrooms
would
involve
authoring
tools
that
allow
students
to
become
authors
of
their
own
stories
and
games.
(Weiff
and
Miller
327)
IDS’s
authored
by
students
themselves
are
very
complimentary
to
the
Constructivist
pedagogie.
Allowing
students
the
opportunity
to
engage
with
the
IDS
software
gives
the
student
the
creative
agency
in
their
learning,
moving
the
teacher’s
role
to
that
of
a
“facilitator”
(Antonloll,
Blake
and
Sparks
98).
It
would
also
allow
for
collaboration
among
students
and
provide
an
opportunity
to
play
different
roles
and
reflect
on
multiple
perspectives.
(Weiff
and
Miller
327)
IDS
also
creates
an
environment
that
is
potentially
beneficial
for
students
who
do
not
find
success
in
the
traditional
classroom
environment.

3. Myles
Wolfe/LIBR
501/Apr.
1,
2015
3
Interactive
Digital
Technology
In
the
Classroom
Helpful
for
ESL
Students
Interactive
Digital
Storytelling
has
been
shown
to
also
help
ESL
students
learning
English.
Although
the
study
being
referenced
here
was
conducted
specifically
on
a
strictly
refugee
population,
the
benefits
learning
English
with
the
help
of
IDS
technology
can
still
be
directly
applied
to
the
general
ESL
student.
As
stated
in
Emert,
“the
emphasis
on
visual
language
in
the
form
of
structured
sequential
images
offers
speakers
learning
English
a
mode
for
sharing
personal
narratives
that
feels
engaging
and
‘taps
skills
and
talents’”
that
previously
might
have
been
under-­‐
developed
or
unknown
to
the
student.
(Emert
402)
IDS
also
creates
advantages
for
students
which
include,
“engagement
with
academic
projects,
thoughtful
self-­‐expression,
increased
creativity,
awareness
of
audience,
meaning
making,
and
technological
competence.”
(Emert
404)
Educational
activities
like
IDS
could
also
potentially
be
helpful
to
“the
disenfranchised”
because
it
provided
the
opportunity
for
“students
to
become
heros
of
their
own
learning
adventures.”
(Emert
404)
It
personalizes
the
learning
activity
and
places
the
students
own
ideas
experiences
as
paramount
importance
to
the
success
of
the
activity.
The
PoliCultura
Project
Started
in
2006,
the
PoliCultura
Project
has
become
quite
a
massive
international
competition.
As
of
this
year
1400
classrooms
of
all
levels
from
around
the
world
have
participated
in
this
program.
The
program
requires
participating
classes
to
submit
a
“’multimedia
narrative’
of
different
subjects
either
proposed
by
organizers
or
freely
selected
by
participants.”
(Blas
15)
The
program
uses
an
authoring
software
called
“1001[voices]”.
(Blas
15)
A
three
year
study
conducted
during
the
PoliCultura
Project
found
that:
-­‐The
motivation
and
engagement
of
students
in
the
activity
was
greater
when
working
collaboratively
in
a
large
group.
(Blas
17)
-­‐The
best
kind
of
“storytelling
tool”
is
both
“easy
to
use”
but
does
“not
hinder
the
[students]
creativity.”
(Blas
18)
-­‐The
overall
educational
impact
of
the
project
on
students
was
evaluated
to
be
“optimal”
by
77.6%
of
participant
teachers
and
“good”
by
22.2%.
(Blas
21)
-­‐77.6%
of
participant
teachers
believed
that
participation
in
the
PoliCultura
Project
engaged
their
students
“significantly
more
then
normal
school
activities”.
(Blas
21)
-­‐Collaborative
class
activities
helped
to
involve
students
with
mental
and
physical
disabilities
and
those
who
tended
to
be
“isolated”.
(Blas
21)

4. Myles
Wolfe/LIBR
501/Apr.
1,
2015
4
Common
Problems
Faced
When
Using
IDS
Software
in
the
Classroom
Interactive
Digital
Storytelling
Software
Façade
–
Pre-­‐made.
http://www.interactivestory.net/#facade
Looking
Glass
–
Student/Teacher
made.
http://lookingglass.wustl.edu/
Scenejo
–
Pre/Student/Teacher
made.
http://scenejo.interactivestorytelling.de/index.html
Story
Tec
–
Student/Teacher
made.
http://www.storytec.de/index.php?id=2&L=1
1001voices
–
Student/Teacher
made.
http://www.storiesforlearning.eu/?page_id=39&lang=en.
Weif
and
Miller’s
Five
Principles
of
Interactive
Digital
Stories
(324)
1.
“Characters
and
Story
World”
2.
“Hook”
3.
“Agency”
4.
“Dramatic
Arcs”
5.
“Usability”
Balancing
Learning
and
Gaming
A
major
problem
with
current
IDS
technology
is
that
most
of
the
“commercial
learning
games”
cannot
effectively
find
a
middle
ground
where
the
learning
aspects
and
the
gaming
aspects
are
equally
balanced.
They
tend
“to
fall
into
two
classes:
those
stressing
leaning,
and
those
putting
the
focus
on
the
game
idea.”
(Weif
and
Miller
323)
More
learning
focused
IDS
software
tends
to
place
more
emphasis
on
the
quality
of
the
“simulation”,
presenting
the
user
with
“real
‘choices’”,
the
outcomes
of
which,
can
be
easily
observed
by
the
user,
“thus…develop[ing]
other
levels
of
understanding.”
(Weif
and
Miller
323)
Teacher’s
Level
of
Knowledge
and
Commitment
Another
major
problem
is
related
to
teachers.
Teachers
are
crucial
to
the
success
of
integrating
IDS
software
into
the
classroom
environment.
It
is
important
for
teachers
to
be
well
versed
to
any
IDS
software
they
have
decided
to
use.
They
must
also
be
committed
to
the
project
and
organize
it
affectively
to
fit
in
with
regular
curriculum.
(Blas
17)
One
of
the
main
reasons
for
classes
dropping
out
of
the
PoliCultura
Project
was
the
teacher’s
“underestimation”
of
the
work
and
time
required
to
integrate
IDS
activities.
(Blas
17)

5. Myles
Wolfe/LIBR
501/Apr.
1,
2015
5
Reference
Sources
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Misty,
Blake,
Corinne,
and
Sparks,
Kelly.
“Augmented
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40.2
(2002)
96-­‐107.
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24,
2015.
Blas, Nicoletta, [et al.]. “Digital Storytelling as a Whole-Class Learning Activity: Lessons from a
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Emert, Toby. “Interactive Digital Storytelling with Refugee Children.” Language Arts 91.6
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