Twin Engine Labs first experience with interactive storybook apps came in the form of a project with Moonbot Studios that took William Joyce's The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore and turned it into an interactive app to accompany the Oscar-Winning Animated Short Film produced by Moonbot Studios. This passion for interactive experiences that inspire and encourage creativity in new forms for processing information has stayed with +Twin Engine Labs throughout the years, especially as it relates to the education vertical. That is just one of the many reasons why we are excited to work on Steven Winkelstein's latest literary adventure Brisko: a True Tale of Survival. When Steven first approached us with his vision to transform holocaust education through his latest narrative that is a thrilling blend of real history and powerful storytelling, we immediately pushed him to do an interactive app, rather than a traditional e-book. Part of the reason is because this story is too big to tell within the traditional confines of e-book media, but the other reasons stem from the fact that the interactive nature of storybook apps add exponential value to the reader and can truly transform the way we all consume and interact with literature. This post will explore 3 reasons why taking advantage of the interactive features of tablet and mobile applications and devices was the right choice for this project and is the right choice for other projects like it.
1. Moving beyond interactivity for interactivity's sake - Avi Itzkovitch has one of the best pieces on interactivity in storybooks that I have read, entitled, "Interactive eBook Apps: The Reinvention of Reading and Interactivity." In it he argues, that many people have not realized the true value-add that tablets and mobile technology bring to reading yet. So far, we have seen publishers do one-to-one translations of printed texts into pure ebook formats. At best these texts have "page turn" animations and some basic data on where you are at in the book or a few special features. This is mostly seen in Amazon's Kindle technology or Apple's iBook technology. While these are great advancements and are transforming the way literature is consumed and consumer purchasing habits for literature, they do not take advantage of the mobile, social, collaborative, and interactive aspects that tablets present. Avi gives examples of storybooks that he feels accomplish this task, including the Numberlys and Al Gore's Our Choice. As Avi persuasively articulates, "interactive eBooks are no longer just about a touch-to-animate type of interactivity, nor simply the touch interface controls. Rather, they are about adding value through interactivity by using the full capabilities of a touch device to engage the user and enhance the learning and reading experience. These engaging experiences are what I call a true reinvention of reading."
2. Value-Add Learning - So what are some of the interactive, digital elements Brisko will take advantage of? Since Brisko is a survival story about the Holocaust, it wants students to be able to take advantage of the wide array of rich multimedia content there already is about the event by blending it in with the narrative of the story. For example, when geographic locations are mentioned in the story, students will be able to access and explore maps. Or, when a particular sect or group of individuals is mentioned such as the Judenrat or SS, students will be able to explore biographies, documentaries, and images available of such groups. These types of experiences will not only keep students engaged but provide them with valuable additional information that is easy to digest and experience that they would not get in a traditional book or even ebook. There are even some parts of the narrative where students will be able to interact with Brisko the dog! James Brindle, argues in a fantastic Wired article that Literature Needs more than Ebooks, "What we are coming to realise is that no one thing can pick up where the book left off; instead it is everything, all of our networks, our services, our devices, the internet plus everything else, which will carry literature forward. Literature is unique among art forms in that it is enacted entirely in the minds of author and reader; a psychic dance. Literature is everything, and thus everything must be employed in its support. " Brisko will employ everything in support of bolstering the material within its literary narrative.
3. Holocaust Education and Technology: a 21st Century Responsibility - The Prezi hyperlinked in the title of this section was put together by a young lady who found that technology helped her education about the Holocaust and she feels it is the responsibility of others to do the same. Students have been taught about the Holocaust for years but often the true implications of what happened during that time period are lost on students as they read through dusty old history textbooks. While this is true of most subjects, we feel there is unique value to taking advantage of technology's advancements in this area specifically to make sure events like this do not happen in the future. Good Market explores how technology can be specifically used for social good like this when they explore projects such as Hatebase and others in their blog post entitled "3 Examples of Big Data Making a Big Difference." There are also great resources such as the Institute for Holocaust Education that are pushing for more advancements in this area.
We hope that you will check out Brisko: a True Tale of Survival! Go sign up on the homepage to get a teaser of the book and stay tuned for more great information about interactive storybooks, the app itself, and of course the subject matter of the book that we all care deeply about.
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