Kyle


 * How It Works **

[|Inanimate Alice] is a story that utilizes multiple media forms, simultaneously, in its unique form of narrative; pictures, sounds, words, and many other elements, that would not be present in a traditional form of literature, are utilized creatively and extensively to enrich the story. The project was created utilizing a program known as Snappy, which allows easy combination of different media into a similar storytelling form, and the link, to download, can be found on the home page of the website. Students could also likely make a similar presentation of multimedia storytelling by utilizing image programs, from the basic Paint to advanced Photoshop, and video editing software, such as Movie Maker or Sony Vegas.

Alice is a young girl who has just moved to Australia, along with her family, and is quick to tell us the many people and routines that compose her environment; the language the story utilizes, and the plot progression, are very easy to follow, and could likely be utilized with students as early as 4th-5th grade. That is not to say, however, that older students could not learn from Inanimate Alice too; older classes, while not utilizing the story as an extensive text, could use it as an example of storytelling through a multimedia approach. Sounds and visuals are every bit as important as plot development and choice of language, as readers utilize these components consistently as well, which makes it a unique style of reading that incorporates multiple elements (many of which students may not be familiar utilizing for "reading" a text). Many of the resources are available for free, which makes utilizing Inanimate Alice in the classroom very easy.




 * Why You'd Use It for Student Learning **

I would use the website because I am a huge advocate for multimedia instruction, and to help students become familiar with the utilization of different types of "texts" (which, in the context of the ELA classroom, do not have to be literal) as narrative devices. Students are very interested in movies and television, in ways they might not be invested into literature and informational texts, so it is a great form of accommodating that interest in video-like narrative. It is also a good practice tool as a middle ground between literature, which has been studied thoroughly in the ELA classroom, and forms of media like movies and TV that students may not be familiar applying the same patterns and thinking towards; since Inanimate Alice is a movie-like story, it allows students to utilize both skills as it is a liminal project between both (and many other) mediums of storytelling.


 * An example unit plan: ** In a learning unit devoted to multicultural storytelling, students would be tasked with creating a story about them and their families moving to a new country. They would have to describe their home, their parents new jobs, the sights around them, and many other cultural components, all while integrating themes such as pacing and plot into their stories. It would be a creative research assignment, which would support reading, writing, presentation, and research abilities all while exploring any number of different cultures.

Students would also have a technology component of learning how to edit a similar project, giving them more computer proficiency that they can take away from the lesson. It could be a group or individual project, depending on time available (especially with technology which is essential to the lesson) and class size, and little would change regardless of how the project was implemented in the class. There is also a lot of room for interdisciplinary connections, especially history, as you explore the cultures, history, and peoples of other countries.


 * Examples**

[|A page where classes can watch the first few Inanimate Alice videos for free.]

The website for Inanimate Alice has en entire section devoted to utilizing the stories in the classroom, which can be find here: []

Inanimate Alice