Transmedia

What is Transmedia storytelling?

Transmedia storytelling is the telling of a story across multiple mediums and platforms using digital technologies.

Prior assumptions

I had never heard of transmedia before Miss Davis introduced the concept to us. She showed us the video embedded below. The video inspired me about the possibilities of transmedia but overwhelmed me. I loved the idea of taking one story/idea and adding on components that could enhance one’s experience. I wanted to better understand transmedia so that I could create my own. When Miss David announced that our final project required the creation of a transmedia experience I was worried because I felt that I didn’t even fully understand the concept.

Immersion in Transmedia

We spent a lesson exploring various forms of transmedia storytelling. I enjoyed exploring these forms of transmedia but I didn’t understand how to engage with some of them (For example- the Hunger Games one). I am glad that I encountered this difficulty because it informed the construction of my own transmedia. I have made sure that there are clear instructions regarding what to do with my transmedia. It is important that creators of technology don’t assume that users have prior knowledge.

To Catch A Star

My group chose the book “To Catch A Star” for our project. The book is about a little boy who loves stars and desires one of his own. He tries several times to get up high enough in the sky to retrieve a star but these attempts fail. In the end the boy finds his very own starfish washed up on the shore.

Our transmedia project is comprised of 5 different components:

  1. The boy exploring Hollywood to find a star
  2. The boy exploring an underground cave to find a star
  3. The boy exploring the desert to find a star
  4. The boy practising his star-catching skills
  5. The boy building a rocket ship to go into space

My Transmedia project

My transmedia project uses google tour creator. It is a 360 degree photo of the Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. I was stressed about the Transmedia project because all the possible mediums seemed extremely complicated (i.e. the AR/VR programs). I didn’t realize that transmedia could actually be simple. I often get overwhelmed and frustrated with technology that I haven’t used before, which leads to me avoiding it but I have enjoyed making my transmedia project because google tour creator is extremely user friendly.

Some of the features include:

  • Sound scape
  • Audio narration
  • Embedding images
  • Annotating key points

Link to my transmedia: 

https://poly.google.com/creator/tours/t/12xwLJM3OXFPXpX2npgSTAa8azGxbaXCmhbs01hSTNfksDjwIDw

Challenges

It was difficult to think of a call to action. A key component of Transmedia is to share ones experience with others. Google tour is not a social medium as you can’t interact with others through it. However, Miss Davis gave me a good idea about using padlet. After completing each of my group’s transmedia activities students will post their reflections and be able to see how their peers felt about the transmedia experience.

Link: sejb7lquts0i

Maintaining play

One of the criteria of the transmedia project is to maintain play, which involves a supervisor checking the account and providing students with feedback. Google forms makes this process quite easy as the students can answer questions that prompt them to reflect on what they have learned through the transmedia experience, which the teacher can access. Requiring participants to demonstrate what they have learned ensures that the transmedia experience has a longer lasting impact.

Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SqCfrScB5w-L7jZpbGq4OABZVXuc5JlftVB_sbCk6jY/edit

New perspectives & directions

Living in the digital age allows people to access diverse experiences across a range of devices. Young people in particular are used to being stimulated by multiple experiences at once. Reading a book does not engage young people the way that it once did. Educators must recognize this shift in the way their students consume information. Transmedia storytelling provides more engaging experiences whereby information is conveyed but students can also interact with the content rather than be passive observers. Content must be malleable so that it can be manipulated to suit different audiences and be presented across different mediums. In addition, content must be presented in a way that is digestible for audiences of different levels of development. My experience creating this transmedia project has been largely enjoyable. The most difficult part was collaborating with my group and figuring out how to link the transmedia experiences together in a cohesive fashion. I look forward to incorporating transmedia storytelling into my teaching of adolescents. I believe that this approach could be beneficial because it is a great way to take content and adapt it to suit individual needs and desires. I have been inspired to take one-dimensional content and transform it to facilitate in-depth and long-lasting learning. In order to utilize transmedia storytelling to the best of my ability I will need to master a wider variety of mediums (VR, AR, games etc). I shied away from using more complex programs for this project out of concern that I would not be successful. However, in future I will take on the challenge.