Inanimate Alice - A Digital Novel
Address: http://www.inanimatealice.com/index.html Inanimate Alice is the leading example of transmedia storytelling and how it is being used in education. This website was created as a digital book and has become a multiplatform immersive project. Readers find themselves engrossed in the story as they interact with the central character Alice, and help her advance into the story. Written by award winning author Kate Pullinger, the story introduces readers to Alice, a young girl growing up in the first half of the 21st century and her digital imaginary friend Brad. The story uses text, music, images, sound effects, and gaming to illustrate and enhance the story.
View the story's trailer.
Students can read and play the story individually or in whole groups using an interactive white board. The creators of the website have partnered with Promethean Planet to establish a resources and news-sharing community around Inanimate Alice. This amazing Web 2.0 teaching tool is an astonishing literary and digital phenomenon that exemplifies learning in the 21st century.
21st Century SkillsCritical thinking skills are employed as students engage in the episodes and analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the story's elements.As readers become immersed into Alice's storyworld, they are motivated to reflect on the content and to collaborately create, communicate and share their own new content, thus encouraging creativity and innovation.
In the ClassroomA free downloadable education pack is available for teachers and educators to accompany the story. The lessons in the education pack are aligned with the Reading:Literature component of the Common Core State English Language arts Standards.
Listen to Laura Fleming, a school librarian, as she shares her take on this Web 2.0 teaching tool. Tips for Using Inanimate Alice in the Classroom (using interactive white boards) As students follow Alice's journey in the story, they are encouraged to create their own episodes either expanding the existing storylines or writing new ones. Take a look at an unofficial wiki - aliceandfriends - for examples of student work based on Alice's story. TutorialAlthough not a tutorial, Kelsey Kavanagh offers a good overview of the website along with tips for getting started and classroom examples in his paper "Designs of Education Technology - Inanimate Alice."Safety ConcernsThere are no apparent safety concerns. Students simply go to the website and click on an episode to access. Registration is not required for students.Return to the Critical Thinking page.
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