E-literature for Children: Enhancing Digital Literacy Learning

Abstract

Children's literature can bridge the inter-generational digital divide in theEnglish classroom. The digital multimedia world of the world wide web(www) and CD-ROM technology is enhancing and expanding the story worldsof literary narratives accessed primarily through the reading of books, aswell as generating exciting new forms of digital narrative such as hyperfictionand electronic game narratives. Some established authors of children'sliterature such as Jon Scieszka and Paul Jennings and Morris Gleitzman havelinked recent book publications to related online games and others like LibbyHathorn have published online literary game narratives like The WishingCupboard. The burgeoning of children's literature sites on the Web reflectsnot only the popularity of children's books and other forms of literarynarratives but also the integral part played by the Web in children's experienceof such story contexts. But the evidence is that the majority of teachers, evenyounger, recent graduates, are in need of guidance in seeking to make effectiveuse of the computer facilities that are now widely accessible in their schoolsand classrooms. At the same time, more and more children routinely usecomputers outside of school to access a variety of forms of digital narrativeon CD-ROM and the Web, and more and more they are communicatingtheir experience around story via email, 'blogs' and various forms of electronicforums and chat rooms. There is an opportunity to bring the complementaryexpertise and experience of children and teachers together in their sharedenjoyment of exploring children's literature.This book shows how teachers can use e-literature in the classroom toenhance and extend the engagement of computer-age children with theenchantment of the possible worlds of literary narratives.