Upon entering the field of education and technology I soon discovered Scott McCloud’s book “Understanding Comics” recommended, not as a precursor to reading comics but to “better understand visual language” in the Department database. While I understand the watered down hesitancy for full out advocating comics in education, that seems to have evaporated with the newest onslaught of books and projects done to indeed promote comics and sequential graphics as enriching medium of choice. In fact, many of this current crop incorporates a contemporary learning practices for support. Reading With Pictures   , a project that has culled a multitude of experts including comics creators and educational instructors to promote and create guidelines of using comics as an effective teaching tool. Among some objectives, it strives to provide “Standards-correlated lesson plans customized to each story, research-based justifications for using comics in the classroom, a guide to establishing best classroom practices and a comprehensive listing of additional educational resources.” So in other words, beyond just promoting comics as a viable learning tool, it provides other instructors with theoretical as well as practical examples to likely support others in the field for utilizing the medium. Similarly the book Comics: For Film, Games and Animation by Tyler Weaver seeks to expand Transmedia and Comics or a  multiple application approach of which the comic industry when inclusive of large industries such as hollywood has made ample use, can also forward learning goals considering the emergence of contemporary practices incorporating connected learning and participatory practice as well. Both of these profess to cover both the benefits and critiques though with an obvious slant towards the former. However, both also predominantly aim towards a K-12 crowd. With revolutionary expansions of the concept of lifelong learning and that the general population first introduced to these emerging mediums now entering middle if not old age, the use of sequential art in transmedia form inclusive of it’s original print format  in both fiction and non-fiction subjects can potentially transform learning for a future complex audience intellect of all ages.

 Atlas Black, a college level comic on business training and Management

Recently Yum Cha Studios created this wacky kung-fu adventure application that works as a digital comics book as well medium for learning the Chinese language called Dim Sum Warriors.  The story pits clans against each other suitable for the K-12 set but with the ulterior value of adding a way to learn the chinese language. “With the iPad, readers can enjoy Dim Sum Warriors as a traditional comic, and also benefit from its extra educational functions,” says Dr. Woo, an Associate Professor at Long Island University’s College of Education and Information Sciences (prweb, 12′). This dual entertainment and educational application struck me as a no brainer as my own mother learned English from comics while growing up in Korea om the 50s’. Currently there are quite a few applications developing with electronic graphic or sequential art themes. While this blog remains within the vicinity of play and learning, the entries in the coming months will further explore the use of play, sequential graphics, and  transmedia in service of persuasive action, civic engagement & activism, and a challenges to invite participation the with the young at heart of all ages.

OWS Posters Tumbler

for a larger view on the Digital Hopscotch Tumbler for which it was reblogged:

Digital Hopscotch Tumblr

Zines produced and distributed by CUP

It’s notable to point out the expression of education, civic agency and the performative socially activist arts tend to utilize a variety of tactics usually edging towards the technologically emergent. Many of the strategies used, whether gaming, infomatics, performance, immersive storytelling or networked communities each serve similar goals albeit through the lens of aesthetics, urban civic action or pedagogical education. In an attempt to merge these similarities with a call for study on the intersection as well as a streamlined application of appropriate theories to better develop  of civic agency comes the International Journal of Learning and Media particularly with this article entitled Civic Tripod particularly focusing on ‘mobile’ and ‘games’  by the collaboration between three researcher Susana Ruiz, Benjamin Stokes, and Jeff Watson of USC.  Civic  Tripod curates, offers some interviews and wraps it up in the three distinct areas mentioned above with an invitation for cohesion:

” We ambitiously seek to curate a set of conceptually important mobile projects, and to connect them with a light weave of theory from three distinct traditions of practice. Specifically, this report outlines the emerging field of mobile and pervasive games along the dimensions of (1) civic learning, (2) performance/art, and (3) social change. Focusing on real projects from the field, we aim to reveal key opportunities and constraints on the mobile frontier for civic games…We argue that this three-legged “tripod” is increasingly necessary to articulate how mobile game projects are succeeding (and failing).”

While the Civic Tripod focuses specifically on gaming and activism, within recent years organizations such as Center for Urban Pedagogy in NY seek to facilitate collaborations with designers, media artists, and civic agencies in accessible formats.

“CUP projects are collaborations of art and design professionals, community-based advocates and policymakers, and our staff. Together we take on complex issues—from the juvenile justice system to zoning law to food access—and break them down into simple, accessible, visual explanations.”

Often this translates as multilingual poster/zines giving the concept of technology back to it’s traditional form both nationally and internationally, the printing press. However, CUP’s projects have recently ended with calls that branch out into the mediums of animation and interactive design and hopefully a potential for simplified mobile applications available on the feature phone entry level can become available in the future.

It’s taken an evolution forwarded by both the emergence of mobile technology and mass networking as well as the rejection of universal efficacy and utopianism of these applications that have brewed these current organizations of civic outreach.

]]> http://digitalhopscotch.com/?feed=rss2&p=545 0 http://digitalhopscotch.com/?p=541 http://digitalhopscotch.com/?p=541#comments Sat, 09 Jun 2012 23:28:12 +0000 kyf http://digitalhopscotch.com/?p=541 Enclosed is an exerpt of a survey I conducted in class about transmedia games. I will be attending the 9th Annual Games for Change, hope to meet you there!

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Transmedia narrative appropriate to a Henry Jenkins definition includes interplay, cooperation and deliberation within a narrative, the additional transference across multiple technological channels in unique ways, and the potential to influence the outcome beyond the original narration. The following three games InAnimate Alice, Urgent Evoke, and Reality Ends Here display a directed learning approach to media tactics formerly reserved for the entertainment industry.

(Example 7, Inanimate Alice)

An interactive novel called Inanimate Alice (http://www.inanimatealice.com/ ) (See Example 7), describes the adventures of a young girl transitioning from living China to moving to the United States all the way into her development a computer game designer. The narrative is immersive enough to be flexible through multiple educational levels and includes games, puzzles and tools which emulate real world stages of making a game. As the interactive novel, it’s modules and enhancements have grown over the last couple years, so has the audience influenced it’s evolving outcome. “Already, while waiting for Episode 5 to appear, we have seen many student-created “next episodes” in anticipation of the arrival of the “official” version: http://aliceandfriends.wikispaces.com/” (Harper, 2010).  Laura Fleming, the creator, explains educational transmedia in particular should leverage new technologies to entice the learners into deeper participation and production within the narrative. She advocates, “Even just the notion of creating transmedia experiences for specific groups or demographics is something we need to consider carefully. Learners themselves should be immersed in the creative process to ensure that they are not mere consumers of the experience.” (Jenkins, 2012). By filling in the informational gaps between the different mediums they play with and producing alternative storylines, the learners develop that sweet spot in transmedia and within educational pedagogy where the experience has been delivered and guided but also engaged, synthesized and produced.

(Example 8, Urgent Evoke)

A second transmedia learning type begins to add a geography related scavenger hunt into it’s gaming mechanics. Urgent Evoke (http://www.urgentevoke.com/) (See Example 8), uses a classical comic book narrative entry available on both low broadband and high speed internet version to young adult participants in Africa who are then urged to complete the “mission” of the narrative. This leads the players onto missions, which revolved around articulating and researching values, identity, and resources to solve the quests such as environmental protection or assistance to girls and women. Proof was posted by way of creative projects given feedback by chosen mentors of the design teams necessary to be given approval to participate on the next level. Eventually top participants became mentors themselves. This emerging Alternate Reality Game (ARG) tactic has created a genre– where that “Magic Circle” equally straddles the online virtuality and the physical worlds. “Players, a few hundred of whom are in Africa, earn points and power-ups by completing real-world tasks like volunteering, making business contacts or researching an issue, then submitting evidence of their work online.” (Sutter, 2010). The opening narrative for this game, the static digital format of the comic and hyperlinks emphasis research, reflection, and collaborative projects create a transmedia world without the affordances of complex digital layout, lowering the entry level of the digital native to include those with minimal internet access. Many participants of whom have already been introduced to the basic literacy of print based comics use this familiarity to cross into digital literacy on a multi-modal level. The Urgent Evoke game then brilliantly takes it a step further by creating community, research skills revolving around real life organizations and develop solutions or creative media expressions to problem solving goal with practical transferability to their social world.

Finally, Reality Ends Here (REH) provides a foray into the real world discovery games of a scavenger hunt and more. Reality Ends Here (http://reality.usc.edu/about/) (See Example 9), produced by students at University of Souther California to integrate, socialize and encourage networking with creative production with it’s incoming freshman class created waves with it’s inception last year. Keeping with the trend to keep the digital complexity simple, the school handed out playing cards “portable enough to facilitate the face-to-face interactions “ (Anderson and Thomas, 2011).  Curious students following clues with no direct links to rewards were invited to play until the game eventually became viral.. It is a non-digitally centered ARG (Alternate Reality Game) based in the daily lives of the players real work but with it’s basic premise as of rules played out and specified on a set of alternating playing cards handed out to students upon request. As Simon has described, the core interaction here involves players trading, sharing, and combining collectible playing cards in order to generate creative prompts known as “Deals”. Responding to these prompts by submitting completed artifacts results in advancement on the game’s various leaderboards, unlocking special game content as rewards (Jenkins, 2012). The rewards centered around the concept of business contacts, lectures or internships valueble to the student media production population it targeted. A concept called “Levels of Engagement” developed where anyone involved could add to the game, but competition for more inclusive and complex artifacts earned the learners access to the greater awards.

(Example 9, Reality Ends Here)

A bulk of the game was not reliant on the generation of narrative by the designers but became a perpetual re-mixing and creation of the players themselves with facilitated guidance. This self generation of play, targeted a particular audience of motivated media students anxious to prove themselves. “The player experience in such games unfolds around a kind of scavenger hunt activity wherein game runners moderate and manage player communities as they plow through a sequence of puzzles, curated action prompts, and side-quests.” (Jenkins, 2012).  This mechanic promoted creative ambition, allegiances and competition. So, to counter the beginning of this essay, the narrative was not the opening engagement, the mechanics were what keeps the narrative in motion. Watson, the designer advised, ”Design your ARG experiences so that they function procedurally — that is, create an actual game that drives participation and play among your audience such that the play itself generates the experience,”  (Anderson and Thomas, 2011)

These games relied less on virtual reality than on traditional and easily accessible narratives as the novel, comics and card games, to create a dynamic alternate reality (ARG) which through research, peer collaborate and creative production the audience could alter and regenerate.

References

Anderson,  M. and Thomas, R. , (2011), USC Film Students Practice Through Games,  Alternate Reality Gaming Network. Retrieved from: http://www.argn.com/2011/12/reality_transforming_usc_film_students_freshman_year_into_an_addictive_game/

Harper, Ian (2010), Alice Born Digital: How Transmedia Storytelling Becomes a Billion Dollar Business, Publishing Perspective, Retrieved from: http://publishingperspectives.com/2010/04/alice-born-digital-how-transmedia-storytelling-becomes-a-billion-dollar-business/

Jenkins, Henry (2012), A Virtual Bullpen?: How the USC Cinema School Has Embraced ARGs To Shape The Experience of Entering Students (Part One), Confessions of a Acca-Fan, Retrieved from: http://henryjenkins.org/2011/10/a_virtual_bullpen_how_the_usc.html

Sutter, John (2010), Online Game Seeks to Empower Africa, CNN Tech: Online Games. Retrieved From: http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-01/tech/evoke.game.africa.poverty_1_south-africa-online-game-alternate-reality-gaming?_s=PM:TECH

Example 1, OperationAjaxComic Ipad Application

The international use of comics beyond that of entertainment incorporates the teachings of the Vedic gods in India, to learning literacy in Africa and can now include the recent contemporary ipad application of Cognito Comics whose production Operation Ajax, a comic book adaption to a Stephen Kinzer’s All The Shah’s Men recounts the coup of Iran’s first democratically elected Prime Minister. Operation Ajax presents an example of rich media in which something previously mostly analog, the pictorial sequence of a printed comic book has been adapted specifically for the tablet technology including touch sensitive page forwarding and the ability to hyperlink to further elements, such as a video, a photograph, a timeline within the story. (Slayton, 2012) . While not exactly a self sufficient learning module, Operation Ajax, takes advantage of the opportunity to lend the flexibility of rich media to the narrative adding documentary components for a curriculum intent on giving specified historical view (Kharrazian and Monshizadeh-Azar, 2012).

Daniel Burwen, the founder of Cognito Comics (Example 1), talks on his personal journal of his inspiration to develop this medium based application in the direction of the classic Choose-Your-Own-Adventures games originating from the 1980s. However, for the digital formats, Burwen writes, “CYOA storytelling carries a fair amount of risk that makes it prohibitive in mediums like Comics and Games.  Most notably, the extra asset load that branching story can create, and the unlikelyhood of players seeing this expensive additional content because they usually only play through a story once or twice.”  (Burwen, 2012).  Of course, choice offered in the branching of don’t necessarily offer the complete transmedia experience. “Giving people a say in the story isn’t as simplistic as letting them decide what happens next–A, B, or C,” Frank Rose advocated in an Interview with Jenkins (Jenkins, 2011) Having choice doesn’t equal the collectivist leanings of participation, creation and ultimate influence.

Example 2, Shiga’s Meanwhile – Print Version

Even without participatory creative control, however, the Choose-Your-Own Adventure format does allow for audience centered agency to create a diverse storyline potential. Jason Shiga, trained mathematician and a comic artist, created his puzzle like choose your own adventure comic Meanwhile to explore such potential. (See Example 2). Shiga creates a mystery and expects the reader to solve problems that often involve analytical skills prompting a branching off into countless storylines many of the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure explorers become so weary about. He  mapped out both print and ipad version of Meanwhile added different elements of interactivity afforded to each unique medium. A puzzle is a labyrinth lead by a the readers finger in print, or a digital link on a tablet. Shiga explains, “The way you solved the mysteries is by using the inventions in the professors labs and by playing and combining these inventions to come up with a solution. Although some people solve this through trial and error.” (Newcomb, 2011) This echo’s the sentiments of James Paul Gee when advocating games, including that of Choose-Your-Own-Adventure encourage agency, challenge and consolidation, as well as  systems thinking (Gee, 2005) or in lay persons term, learners get to solve a problem through exploration.

Example 3, Historical Williamsburg

What then, if a game designer creates a historical Choose-Your-Own-Adventure event specifically designed for learning rather than learning as a secondary outcome? Hap Aziz, formerly a game programmer and interactive fiction aficionado, is currently on Kickstarter.com developing a game based on the city Williamsburg and it’s role in the creation of the original 13 colonies of the United States called the Historical Williamsburg Living Narrative Project  (See Example 3).  Originally his intention was an educational discovery game, however, the addition of the interactive fiction creates a narrative opening for engagement and secondary complexity in the layers. His game harkens back to the original text based productions managed by an algorithms as these text based games were popular in 1980s. Azizs’ enhancements include a map, architectural blueprints, characters and storylines outside the main narrative. Aziz notes, “I envisioned a two-phased approach, in which the result of the first phase would be a teaching experience with a good game play foundation. In the second phase, I would add an additional plot line separate from the historical time line, allowing students or game players to focus on the aspect of most interest to them.” (Short, 2012).

Again, the peer negotiation of gaps in information influencing a dynamic outcome necessary to make it truly transmedia. Cultural memory is dynamic. With a re-emergence of this kind of storytelling within an technologically programmable environment, a new possibility exists.  Emily Short when discussing the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure genre aptly suggests, “You put the book down, and somehow wish that world could go on… so I do see that as an opportunity. I see that as a place where i want people to re-engage…The whole idea that a story is a kind of intellectual property and only counts the first time you tell it, and that it’s cheating to repurpose someone else’s story, to retell it, is, … not the way people conceived of these things in the ancient world.”  (Alexander, 2012). That repurposing narratives has deep historical roots and reitorates the contemporary idea of transmedia engagement as transformation through a community.

References

Alexander, L., (2012) In-depth: Is it time for a text game revival?, GamaSutra. Retreived from: http://gamasutra.com/view/news/167665/Indepth_Is_it_time_for_a_text_game_revival.php

Burwen, D. (2012), A Duck Has An Adventure, Musings on Art, Tech and Storytelling. Retrieved From: http://www.ctrlartcreate.com/

Gee, J. P.(2005), Good Video Games and Good Learning, Phi Kappha Phi Forum, Vol 85, No. 2. Retrieved From: http://dmlcentral.net/resources/4578

Jenkins, Henry (2011), “Deep Media,” Transmedia, What’s the Difference?: An Interview with Frank Rose (Part One), Confessions of a Acca-Fan, Retrieved from: http://henryjenkins.org/2011/01/deep_media_transmedia_whats_th.html

Kharrazian, C. and Monshizadeh-Azar, S, (2012), Operation AJAX: Teaching History Through Technology, National Iranian American Council, Retrieved From: http://www.niacouncil.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7927&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=1062

Newcomb, J., (2011), Meanwhile: Full Review, Stash My Comics. Retrieved from: http://www.stashmycomics.com/blog/index.php/2011/04/stashmycomics-com-interview-with-jason-shiga/

Short, E., (2012), Hap Aziz and Colonial Williamsberg, Emily Short’s Interactive Storytelling. Retreived From: http://emshort.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/hap-aziz-and-colonial-williamsburg/#more-4710

Slayton, N. (2012), Comics Adapt to Revolutionary Digital Age, The Daily Trojan, Retrieved From:  http://dailytrojan.com/2012/01/11/comics-adapt-to-revolutionary-digital-age/

Let me start with the end. I attended the 2012 DML Conference which has become a cutting edge hub for advocated of Technology and Education for Youth and at the end of the first day, in a moment the conference organizers called the “Ignite Talks” about 5 minute presentations by a dozen chosen contenders on the state of education, one man stood up and remarked on both the 60’s romantic enthusiasm highlighted by the Conference Logos’ bright color but also to beware the utopian aesthetic. While the presenters were highlighting that the digital divide still occurs creating a two tier society or that hacking needs to become an essential new literacy for contemporary youth, or how the addition of Zombies can spice up a lesson, bubbling with the potential of the moment, it was also important to remember that these struggles have been in progress for sometime and will manifest with many different equally important perspectives in the decades to come, especially considering this rapidly changing digital age.

Sessions focused on the range from urban ecologies, wearable technologies, the under-represented, designing interactive play for museums, the concept of networked locality for youth, to better way to encourage people to produce rather than just consume the encroaching technologies around them. In fact there were so many, my strategy became rather than to skip around was to attend half of one, then the other and to just use the  manual as a resource for what’s out there. Many  the ideas already evolving in the at large world of creative technologist for a decade.

Surprising attentive and informed dialogues erupted. On a session regarding badges for game, despite the highlighting of the ‘gamification’ terminology touted by the conference twitter feed, there was a healthy skepticism about how rewards should be offered leaning towards the idea of an intrinsic presence. As we were asked to form groups to discuss, this leads me to the fascinating variation of types attending the conference. Beyond the demographic of ‘teachers’ and ‘researchers’, I discovered several in the realm of “digital anthropologist” or “oral historian” or “agricultural development”. A positive sign that community groups or facilities outside of the traditional realms were enthusiastic to join in the dialogue and use the resources available to encourage a rich learning for a lifetime.

In the end, I was heartened by some of the last comments made by speaker which announced that the focus was becoming more ‘learning’ vs ‘education’, emphasizing connectedness and transference from ‘one to the many’ to the ‘many to the many’ or more emphasis on informal peer based learning networks. While I could see the staunchly engrained current system with a small few getting up in the audience to denounce the funding funneling away from tradition, or technology as a slithery glamour, the latest technological literacies or collaborative methodologies are a needed growing dialogue ‘ignited’ to speed the system to catch up with currently rapid transformations in the world at large. All of these methods or educational theories attuned to the digital or not have each created small revolutions in the process of learning to the public at large,  yet, ultimately, it seems all these manifestations still harken back to age old philosophies where the best method will always be that blueprint unique within each individual mind.

At the recent Game Developers Conference, Quantic Dreams, creators of titles like the Heavy Rain which brought a groundbreaking emotional resonance and choose your own narrative essence presented a short film “Kara” which got my attention as that is my name.  The story referred to the companies technological  one step closer to pass the “uncanny valley” that aesthetic principle in virtual reality where once human representations  get past the stylized and towards the photoreal a divide exists where the realness becomes sorta creepy. Too my surprise a cultural critique, Daniel Griffiths summed it up pretty well in is article Sexy Robots and…   ”Kara’s eyeballs are indeed fantastic, and it is an impressive technical feat to render them in real time using the PS3′s venerable processor. But I’d like to see  this ingenuity used for something more than B-movie thrills, Uncanny Valley striptease and sexy lady robots.” To be clear, the storyline refers to the adulation of aesthetics (not to mention industry sexual objectification) as a kind of slavery, however, I think the author was right in pointing out that this is not unusual, even encouraged in the industr(ies) with no further insight or encouragement of alternate imaginations for gameplay.

That being said, despite this, I am all for aesthetics on the occasion and compare this to the Games-for-Change mentality of using technology for the better. In later entries I will go over some the dark sides to technology because it’s always important to lend a critique and analysis of the  influences of context.  However, in short regarding the booming educational gaming industry, is this earnestness of changing things for the better just a simplified unicorn dream? This forum was presented highlighting the traditional gamers worries. Currently many educational games specify non-traditional gamers and low entry point or contain a specified audience. Cannot games be compelling, instigate deep learning and be of pleasing design. I dont see why it’s has to be mutually exclusive, however, it’s good not to let the aesthetics run the show and to understand the complexity of contexts that underwrite or simplify the narrative in any story including education.  Yet, in the end, lets face it, many of the of the G4C issues are not about something so amorphous as culture or aesthetic which are my interests, they are about healthcare, or water supply or issues that may in fact be more cut and dry. I’d like to see this dialogue grow within the fields that emphasize play within a visual rhetoric for learning and not always in the boxed “correct politics” manner that may limits a potential dialogue.

Zebra Katz ft. Njena Reddd Foxxx – Ima Read from RUBEN-XYZ on Vimeo.

While this video refers more to the “voguing” dance subculture and slang (“ima read” refers to a verbal joust with a competitor where the insult is under the radar slang) than education, it would argue, there is so much more going into the video in terms of choice of representation, identity, context and word choice that I will argue it can, in fact, be a metaphor for education. I wont go into deconstructing the video in my interpretation except to say it seems to refers equally to the challenge to actually “get educated” (both on the street and in the classroom) so one can join the dialogue.

I was involved with facilitating dance for a small while, so this reminds me of how I can describe education or more specifically “learning” is a  dance that changes my understanding of both the dance itself and it’s potential in effecting others. One dance I’m reminded of was a dance that was an improvisational abstract kind of dance that involved the dancer to be so in tune with their state of being that they could instantly reflect that in their abstract movement at their will. Yet soon it became clear that except for the few and even then, a choreographed piece of work that involved moments of improvisation worked better for most people and groups because it created some structure with the opportunity for complete abstraction when the moment called. I take a similar approach in my understanding of learning, absorption and transference.

Pandita Vamadhara

The book on Hindu Astrology gives instructions on talismans and rituals to protect against the adverse influences of planetary deities.

I suspect I take words too literally, so when I see the term “transmedia” for me it implies content that transcends platform with media being defined in it’s widest possible sense.  When that is taken into account “technology” not only implies the digital but all that is encompassed by utilizing tools and human processes including the old fashioned paper or oral storytelling. However, even within the digital forms, transmedia becomes distinct from multi-media which implies modalities that can brought across platforms in a participatory manner versus multi-modalities on a single platform usually digital. Most arguments stem from the need of the entertainment industry to manipulate the form to it’s advantage by understanding how the audiences processes the content and the potential of this latest digital medium if it is exploited fully on the terms as a new medium (versus a show and tell for other modalities such as photo and videos) into something unique and immersive on it’s own terms .

I came across a recent article by Henry Jenkins called  Inventing the Digital Medium and while agreeing that  ”we would see a richer deployment of the affordances of the digital, which included new understandings of the properties of once distinct media” also contributed the thought that the “gaps” or moments when the different modalities did no integrate seamlessly provided an opportunity  in creating an active engagement “transmedia is about creating meaningful layers, where much of the pleasure and agency is in making connections across texts and deploying them as resources in an ongoing social conversation.” Rather than simply changing modality within a platform, the requirement of an active participation creates the experience. I would not only wish to include the non-digital,  for the continuation of tradition and accessibility into this equation as well as the emerging technologies but argue this is essential for the richest contextual experience in learning.