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<h1><a href="../index.html" class="title">vulnerable <br>interfaces</a></h1>
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<div class="gummies">
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<div class="gummy">
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<a href="../ada/index.html"><img src="../img/purple.png" class="img2"></a>
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<div class="caption">ada</div>
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</div>
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<div class="gummy">
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<a href="../aglaia/index.html"><img src="../img/green.png" class="img2"></a>
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<div class="caption">aglaia</div>
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</div>
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<div class="gummy">
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<a href="../irmak/index.html"><img src="../img/yellow.png" class="img2"></a>
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<div class="caption">irmak</div>
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</div>
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<div class="gummy">
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<a href="../stephen/index.html"><img src="../img/red.png" class="img2"></a>
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<div class="caption">stephen</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</nav>
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<div id="content"><h1 id="fair-leads">Fair Leads</h1>
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<h3
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id="fair-leads-or-fair-winds-is-a-saying-sailors-and-knotters-use-to-greet-each-other.-it-comes-from-the-working-end-of-a-string-that-will-soon-be-forming-a-knot.">Fair
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leads or Fair winds is a saying sailors and knotters use to greet each
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other. It comes from the working end of a string that will soon be
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forming a knot.</h3>
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I would like to clarify and introduce some terms for you in order to
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read this text in the desired way. For a while, we will stay in the
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bight of this journey as we move into forming loops, theories and ideas
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on how interactive picture books can be used to foster curiosity for
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reading and creativity for children. I am building a web platform called
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Wink that aims to contain a children’s story I wrote and am making into
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an interactive experience, in relation to my research.
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<figure>
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<img src="../irmak/unnamed.png"
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alt="knot words from Leeszaal" />
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<figcaption aria-hidden="true">
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knot words from Leeszaal
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p>Through this bight of the thesis, I feel the necessity to clarify my
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intention of using knots as a “thinking and writing object” throughout
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my research journey. Although knots are physical objects and technically
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crucial in many fields of labor and life, they are also objects of
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thought and are open for wide minds’ appreciation. Throughout history,
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knots have been used to connect, stop, secure, bind, protect, decorate,
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record data, punish, contain, fly and many other purposes. So if the
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invention of flying -which required a wing that was supported using
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certain types of knotswas initiated with the knowledge of how to use
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strings to make things, why wouldn’t a research paper make use of this
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wonderful art as an inspiration for writing and interactive reading?</p>
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<h2 id="knots-as-objects-to-think-with">KNOTS AS OBJECTS TO THINK
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WITH</h2>
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There is a delicate complexity of thinking of and with knots, which
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ignites layers of simultaneous connections to one’s specific experience;
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where one person may associate the knots with struggles they face,
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another may think of connecting or thriving times. In a workshop in
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Rotterdam, I asked participants to write three words that comes to mind
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when they think of knots. There were some words in common like strong,
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chaotic, confusing and anxious. On the other hand, there were variations
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of connection, binding, bridge and support. Keeping these answers in
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mind or by coming up with your words on knots and embodying them in the
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practice of reading would make a difference in how you understand the
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same text.
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<figure>
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<img src="../irmak/knot1.jpeg"
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alt="knot words from Leeszaal" />
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<figcaption aria-hidden="true">
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knot words from Leeszaal
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<br>
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<figure>
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<img src="../irmak/knot2.jpeg"
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alt="knot words from Leeszaal" />
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<figcaption aria-hidden="true">
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knot words from Leeszaal
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p>Seeing how these words, interpretations of a physical object were so
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different to each other was transcendental. In this thesis, I am excited
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to share my understanding of knots with you. My three words for knots
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are resistance, imagination and infinity. Keeping these in mind, I
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experimented with certain reading modes as you will see later on.</p>
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<p>Knots are known to be used 15 to 17 thousand years ago for multiple
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purposes. These purposes were often opposing each other. For example, it
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could be used to let something loose or to restrain it; for pleasure or
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pain; for going high above or down below… I believe this diversity of
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uses can also be seen in how people approach knots as an idea or a
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metaphor. One can think it represents chaos where someone else might see
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it as a helpful mark. Essentially, this diversity is what got me
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interested in knots years ago and since then, I have found ways to
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implement this “loop of thought” in my daily life and research
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methods.</p>
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<p>There are two main reasons to why I chose to write this essay in a
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“knotted” format. One is that I would like to share my process and
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progress of research on this project and this involves “thinking with an
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object”, in this case types of knots. In Evocative Objects, Sherry
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Turkle, who is a sociologist and the founder of MIT initiative of
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technology and self, refers to the object in the exercise of thinking as
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emotional and intellectual companions that anchor memory, sustain
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relationships and provoke new ideas. I completely agree with this
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statement through personal experience. The second reason is that I see
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this as an opportunity to experiment if I can use knots as an
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interactive (which is not in knots’ nature since they are mainly
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practiced in solo) and playful element in writing. This is also why I
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would like to take a moment to mention what happens to the interplay of
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processes in which we call thought when we think with knots in
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specific.</p>
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<p>For Turkle and Seymour Papert, who is a mathematician, computer
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scientist and educator that did remarkable research on constructivism,
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being able to make a reading experience tangible, or even physically
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representable makes the process of thought more concrete. Concrete
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thinking in this sense is a way of thinking that I adapted to in the
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past years, where you think with the object and imagine it vividly
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during the process and address meanings to it as you read or write
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along. This way it’s easier to compartmentalize or attribute certain
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parts of a text to an imagined or real physical item which makes the
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mind at ease with complex chains of thought.</p>
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<p>Imagine you are reading a story… What if you think of the string
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itself as the journey and the slip knot (which is a type of stopper
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knot) as a representation of an antagonist because of its specific use
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in hunting, would this change your approach to reading this story? I
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believe so…</p>
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<p>What if instead of a slip knot a Bowline was on the string, would
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that represent something else in the story because of its usage in
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practice. A Bowline is commonly used to form a fixed loop at the end of
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a string; it’s strong but easy to tie, untie. Due to these qualities, we
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can imagine the bowline to represent the conclusion in a story. What if
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we have a Square Knot, how would that change the course of a narrative?
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Square knot is used to bundle objects and make the two ends of the same
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string connect. From just this, we can use it to represent the
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connection between the beginning and end of a story. My point is, there
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are limitless implementations on how to use knots in literature because
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of their versatile purposes and the narrative vocabulary they create.
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Topologists are still trying to identify seemingly infinite numbers of
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combinations which we simply call “knots” and I see this as an
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inspiration to keep writing.</p>
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<p>One example of the wondrous versatility and potential of knots is how
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they are used to archive and encrypt information. Incan people from the
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Andes region recorded information on Quipus, dating back to 700 CE.
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Quipus are textile devices consisting of several rows of cotton and/or
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camelid string that would be knotted in a specific way to record, store
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and transmit information ranging from accounting and census data to
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communicate complex mathematical and narrative information (Medrano,
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Urton, 2018). Another example is the Yakima Time Ball, which was used by
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North-American Yakama people to show life events and family aff
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airs.</p>
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<p>This is why I humbly decided to document my research process with a
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Quipu of my own. I am trying to symbolize the twists, decisions and
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practices throughout this year with knots of my choosing. I was inspired
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by Nayeli Vega’s question, “What can a knot become and what can become a
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knot?”</p>
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<h2 id="weaving-into-the-text">WEAVING INTO THE TEXT</h2>
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<p>This thesis expects participation from its reader. You have the
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option to have a mode of reading, where you will be guided by strings to
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start reading from a certain section according to the type of reader you
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are and read the loops one by one until the end, weaving through the
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text. To determine the string or mode of reading, there are some simple
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questions to answer.</p>
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<p>The three modes of reading are combine, slide, build. After you
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discover the starting point with the yes or no map in the upcoming
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pages, you will continue the reading journey through the strings of diff
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erent colors that will get you through the text. This way, the linear
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text will become in a way, non-linear by your personal experience.</p>
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<p>Bear in mind that you can choose to read this thesis from beginning
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to end as a single string too if you wish so.</p>
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<p>Combine mode of reading is for readers who are more interested in the
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journey and the connections between process and result. Slide mode of
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reading is for more laid back readers who aren’t looking to connect
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ideas but are more focused on the motivation and purpose of the project.
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Build readers are detail oriented and academic readers who would prefer
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a “traditional” lead to reading.</p>
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<p>Alongside the different strings to follow the text, there will be
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little drawings in the margins as seen above, which will have diff erent
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representations like in a Quipu. Certain knots represent the experiences
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that raise interesting opportunities for research and distinct events I
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went through while making the project and underneath the drawing you can
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find the relation to the knot itself explained. For example if I
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couldn’t manage to do something I planned to do, this will be
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represented with a broken knot. Bend knots which are used to connect two
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strings, will be representing the relation between theories and my
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ownexperiences/motivations. Hitches which are knots that are formed
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around a solid object, such as a spar, post, or ring will be
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representing the evidence or data I have collected on the subject. We
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move on now with the working end and make some loops!</p>
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<h2 id="how-to-choose-your-string">HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR STRING</h2>
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This map will reveal your mode of reading. The order of reading will be
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indicated with a loop sign Please hold a string in your hand as you read
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the text and make knots or loops as you weave through the reading as an
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exercise for concrete thinking. See you at the standing end! and a
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number on top of the sign with a color. This is the numeric order you
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should follow to read the thesis, if you choose to read with a mode.
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Every reader starts from 1 and continues until 12, with a consecutive
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numeric order, according to their color/mode.
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<figure>
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<img src="../irmak/map.png"
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alt="knot words from Leeszaal" />
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</figure>
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<h2 id="working-end">Working End <sup><span class="margin-note"></h2>
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<h3 id="loop-1">Loop 1</h3>
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<h3 id="why-am-i-doing-this">Why am I doing this?</h3>
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<p>My desire to write a children’s book about grief and memory ignited
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when I was studying in college and doing an internship in a publishing
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house in Ankara. I was struggling to process a loss I experienced at the
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time and to find something to cling to on a daily basis. Then one day I
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started hearing a buzzing sound in my bedroom at my family’s house. I
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searched everywhere but couldn’t find the source for this noise. I asked
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my father and he started searching too. A couple of days passed and the
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buzzing was still there.</p>
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<p>One day I found a bee on the floor in my bedroom and realized that
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the bees nested on the roof and were coming inside my room through a gap
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in the lamp. I was terrified because I have an allergy to bees and
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thought they might sting me in my sleep. This moment was when I realized
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I was so determined to find this buzzing sound for some time that I
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forgot about dealing with the loss I was experiencing. This made me feel
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very guilty and I remember thinking I betrayed the person I lost.</p>
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<p>As funny as it may appear, I felt like I was sabotaged by these bees
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that I thought were here to hurt me but in the end they made me
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understand that its ok to let things go and every being does what it has
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to do to find its way of survival. The little habitat that they chose to
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create in my room seemed like a calling or a sign that I can aff ect
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another living being significantly without being aware of it. This goes
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for everything, no matter if some people leave us in this world, they
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have living matter in us that keeps pulsing. So then I started
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researching bees and their ecosystems. I read Alan Watts, Alan Lightman,
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Emily Dickinson, Maurice Sendak, Meghan O’Rourke, Oliver Sacks, Joanna
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Macy, Rilke, Montaigne and theories on order in chaos, correlative
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vision, harmony of contained conflicts and the mortality paradox. I
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wrote a lot and erased a lot and fairly figured out the wisdom of not
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knowing things.</p>
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<p>Years passed and I wrote and deleted and rewrote the story that I am
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working on to make interactive today so many times and was waiting on it
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because it always felt incomplete. In a way it will always be incomplete
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because of the natural ambiguity the topic carries. Years later, grief
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was back in my life with the loss of my grandfather. So therefore, the
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story I wrote and abandoned changed again as I attempted to rewrite it
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as a diff erent version of myself with a diff erent understanding of
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death. And this went on… The story remained hidden and I forgot why it
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ever existed in the first place.</p>
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<p>Last year when two earthquakes hit Syria and Turkey, I was drowned
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like everyone I know, by a collective trauma and grief. Then this
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horrible feeling flared up by neglect and desperation. It was and still
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is impossible to mourn so many strangers at the same time. I lost two
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dear friends, I was furious, away from home, mostly alone and remembered
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vividly my failed attempt to understand or place grief in one of the
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piles in my mind.</p>
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<p>Previous months, I was working on this story (yes, again) but didn’t
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know how to tackle the text because it was so diff erent to what I was
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experiencing now, when compared to the last time I rewrote it. A tutor
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asked me why I wrote this story in the first place and I couldn’t
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remember. I kept tracing back to 2016 and step by step, remembered why,
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as told above. The consciousness that this story is actually a personal
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history of how I went through grief in diff erent stages of my life,
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made me realise that it doesn’t have to be or even can be a perfect
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story.</p>
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<p>In the end with the experience I had with loss, I believe the story
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turned out to be an ode to remembering or might I say an ode to not
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being able to forget or an ode to the fear of forgetting</p>
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<h3 id="loop-2">Loop 2</h3>
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<p>The effect of storytelling knowledge on kids’ development and
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creativity. What can we learn from open ended and multiple ending
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stories?</p>
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<p>ability to form basic stories or to express their emotions through
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fictional characters or events. Children are not born with a wide
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vocabulary of emotions and expressions. They learn how to read, mimic
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and express their feelings over time. The more children read, write and
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are exposed to social environments, the more they widen their sense and
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ability of expressing themselves. The language gained as kids comes in
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many forms and storytelling plays a crucial role in this development.
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The exposure to stories prepares the kids to the era of reading and
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writing. Children come to understand and value feelings through
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conversation (Dettore, 2002). When children are off ered to read or
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share stories, they also learn to understand people around them better
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and gain emotional literacy.</p>
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<p>Storytelling has been a means of communicating with others for many
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centuries. It is not only a way to discuss important events, but also a
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way to entertain one another (Lawrence & Paige, 2013). Stories have
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been told orally, in writing or with drawings for thousands of years and
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some of these stories are still alive. This is because language is a
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living thing that travels through time and still remains brand new. When
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necessary, it just adapts form, evolves and blends in with the changing
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world. Children comprehend the idea that they have a story to tell by
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hearing other stories and this ignites the imagination. We tend to
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forget many things but almost everyone remembers one small story they
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heard or read when they were a kid, this moment we remember is the
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moment a certain story sparked for us.</p>
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<p>Nowadays storytelling takes many forms. For example, some readers’
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story might even begin from here although it isn’t the beginning.
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Interactivity is one of the storytelling forms that can signifi- cantly
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improve children’s creativity. This is mainly because children as
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readers or listeners get to contribute and aff ect the story. This of
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course requires and improves creative and active thinking. Getting the
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chance to choose a path for a fictional character gives the child the
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freedom and confi dence of constructing a world, a character or an
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adventure. Although this is essentially “writing” as we know it,
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children think of this as a game, yet to discover they are actually
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becoming writers. What kind of reward can we expect from active
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participation in a story? Narrative pleasure can be generally described
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in terms of immersions (spatial, temporal, emotional, epistemic) in a
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fictional world (Ryan, 2009). When we are set to create or co-create a
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world, the narrative has eff ects on us such as curiosity, suspense and
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surprise. At this point, we start creatively producing ideas to keep
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these three emotions.</p>
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<p>Interactive storytelling reminds everyone but especially children
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that there are limitless endings to a story that is solely up to the
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maker’s creation. Learning to think this way instead of knowing or
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assuming an end to a story, I think influences the children’s decision
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making abilities and sense of responsibility towards their creations. It
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is basically the same in theatre where if an actor chooses to create an
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imaginary suitcase on stage, they can’t simply leave this object they
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created on stage and exit the scene because the audience will wonder why
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the actor didn’t take the imaginary suitcase as they left. In this case,
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when kids decide to choose a path or item or any attribute for a
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character in a story, they feel responsible and curious to see it
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through to the end or decide what to do with it. This interactivity
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therefore creates a unique bond between the reader/writer and the
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text.</p>
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<p>There are many theories on how to approach interactive literature for
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children. Multi-literacy theory and digital literacies are some of the
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theories which I find relevant to my aim with Wink. Multiliteracy theory
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in a nutshell is an education oriented framework that aims to expand
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traditional reading and writing skills. This theory was developed by the
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|
New London Group. They were a collective of scholars and educators who
|
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addressed the changing nature of literacy in an increasingly globalized,
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|
digital world. The theory explores multiple modes of communication
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consisting The sense of storytelling settles for kids, starting from age
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three. By this time, children have the of multimodal communication,
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cultural and social contexts, critical inquiry, socio-cultural learning
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theory and pedagogical implications. Multimodal communication focuses on
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the variety of communication techniques. This was groundbreaking in the
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90s because of its acknowledgment of a diverse range of literacies and
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|
its departure from traditional approaches to literary texts. This theory
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includes new media and communication studies such as visual, digital,
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special and gestural literacies.</p>
|
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<p>I kept this theory in mind as I chose the interactivity elements to
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use in the picture book. I think the usage of multiple media such as
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sound, image and games is a good way to start and diff erentiate from a
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|
regular interactive e-book. The fact that this theory has an educational
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|
perspective and is taking the rapidly changing qualities of literature
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|
seriously, made me consider it as a guide in designing the
|
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|
prototype.</p>
|
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|
<p>Looking through the perspective of multiliteracies, questions come up
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|
|
for me that lead to the rest of this thesis: What is an interactive
|
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|
picture book? Is it a book? Is it a game? Is it an exercise?</p>
|
|
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|
<p>What is it defined as? How can we design an interactive reading
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|
environment without confusing children?</p>
|
|
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|
|
<h3 id="loop-3">Loop 3</h3>
|
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|
|
<p>Diff erences and similarities between interactive e-books and
|
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|
|
storytelling games</p>
|
|
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|
|
<p>Storytelling games and interactive e-books have many things in
|
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|
|
common. To begin with, they both centralize the narrative to engage the
|
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|
|
audience. While both of these formats are storytelling tools, e-books
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|
|
tend to stay more in a linear narrative and format when compared to
|
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|
|
storytelling games where the audience is commonly the main character.
|
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|
|
Reading experiences are also a way to be in the shoes of the narrator or
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|
|
the character but in a storytelling game, you embody the mission and the
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|
|
experience overrules the story most of the time. In the specific example
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|
|
of a child, storytelling games are complicated and puzzle driven where
|
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|
|
the player has missions to complete. Whereas in an interactive e-book,
|
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|
|
the missions are solely based on the interactive elements implemented in
|
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|
|
the text and images.</p>
|
|
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|
|
<p>Another diff erence is that the visual world in an interactive e-book
|
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|
|
is less cinematic and has limited movement. The imagery plays a massive
|
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|
|
role in a storytelling game where the world created is off ered to the
|
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|
|
|
player. In an interactive e-book, the text itself is designed to be
|
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|
|
playful and ready for readers to discover.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>The main diff erence in my opinion that separates these two methods
|
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|
|
of storytelling is the reward. In a game, we expect to be rewarded by a
|
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|
|
victory, passing a level or unlocking something throughout the
|
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|
|
|
experience. In an interactive e-book, we work with the story and in
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|
|
return we expect a good experience and there is no reward other than
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|
|
that. But, the whole design of interactivity involves aspects of a game
|
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|
|
where the reader –not the player- is captured by surprise eff ects or
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|
|
elements that come up on the pages. This ignites curiosity but not
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|
ambition, which is a good start to foster the love for reading.</p>
|
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|
|
<h3 id="loop-4">Loop 4</h3>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Ways of using interactivity in digital platforms</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>CASA theory, also known as the Cognitive-Aff ective-Social Theory of
|
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|
|
|
|
Learning and Development, is a framework used in educational psychology
|
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|
|
to understand how learning occurs within the context of cognitive, aff
|
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|
|
|
ective, and social factors. Research on cognitive learning with keeping
|
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|
|
in mind the limited attention span and memory factors. For children in
|
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|
|
|
specific, I think these are very important factors to keep in mind when
|
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|
|
trying to design an interactive experience. This is because children get
|
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|
|
bored very easily and can be disengaged because of failure of
|
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|
|
solving/understanding something in a story. This is something I kept in
|
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|
|
mind as I wrote for children and chose the interactive elements in the
|
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|
|
story.</p>
|
|
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|
|
<p>Finding the balance between making the interactive element surprising
|
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|
|
and making it easy to interact with is the key to designing for kids in
|
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|
|
|
this scenario. We don’t want to make them struggle and use the limited
|
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|
|
attention span in a non-engaging way but we want to keep the reading
|
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|
|
interesting enough so they want to continue.</p>
|
|
|
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|
|
<p>Digging deeper into how to do this, I found Children Computer
|
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|
|
|
|
Interaction (CCI) study very useful. This study examines how children of
|
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|
|
diff erent ages and developmental stages interact with digital devices
|
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|
|
and how these interactions can support their growth. This made me think
|
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|
|
about digital gestures; how they change through generations and how to
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|
|
use these to design a platform where children can navigate easily and
|
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|
freely. CCI suggests that when introducing a new media to children its
|
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|
|
better to start easy and clear when they try it. Through this I think
|
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|
|
the best easy interaction is the tap or click for children. It is easy
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|
|
to do, instinctive and common. So I decided to base the interactive
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|
|
elements on click animations.</p>
|
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|
|
<p>There are multiple ways to use digital gestures in storytelling to
|
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|
|
make the experience more intriguing. These are usually elements such as
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|
|
sound, animations, voice-overs that are ignited with a click or tap by
|
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|
|
the reader. For children younger than 5, its usually just tapping over
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|
|
the page and experiencing an action-reaction. For older kids between the
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|
|
|
ages 6-8, I made some workshops to figure out which types of interactive
|
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|
|
elements are most useful in engaging them in the reading process.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>It is true that sound and animations are very inclusive and it is
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|
|
engaging for kids to find out which part of a page is interactive by
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|
|
clicking on images. Another thing I found out is that kids enjoy being a
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|
part of the story. For the prototype of Bee Within (the story I am using
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|
|
|
to test interactivity also can be read in the appendix) I will focus on
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|
|
color, sound and click based animations according to the results of my
|
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|
research.</p>
|
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|
|
<h3 id="loop-5">Loop 5</h3>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>What is the target age group for the designated prototype and
|
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|
|
why?</p>
|
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|
|
<p>It is tricky when it comes to choosing the right age spectrum for
|
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|
|
children’s interactive literature. Children between the ages 3-5,
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|
referred to as preschoolers have more developed social skills and day by
|
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|
|
day increasing interest in play. They can take on roles in imaginative
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|
|
play scenarios. They can also share and take turns more, listen and
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|
|
think about rules of a game. They can form friendships and connections
|
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|
easily.</p>
|
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|
|
<p>School age children are between the ages 6-12, which is Wink’s chosen
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|
|
age group is a little diff erent. These kids can form more rooted
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|
|
friendships and engage in more complex narratives. They learn to
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|
|
negotiate and compromise around this time as well. This age group is
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|
|
desired for Wink because kids this age are open to creative problem
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|
|
solving, connecting events and comprehending slightly more complex
|
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|
|
narratives. Moreover, this age group would benefit the most from the
|
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|
|
interactive stories and the reading process because of the developmental
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|
|
phase they are in.</p>
|
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|
|
<p>The average amount of time children between these ages use on a daily
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|
|
basis is depending on their parents and circumstances. But to be fair,
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|
it is often not less than 2 hours. If a child isn’t very interested in
|
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|
|
spending these hours reading a book, why not ask them: “Would you like
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|
|
to be a part of a story?”</p>
|
|
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|
|
<p>Today, kids from age 3 can use digital gestures successfully and
|
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|
|
|
experience these as simple as flipping the page of a book. This is why
|
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|
|
it is fairly easy to create an interactive picture book which kids can
|
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|
|
navigate themselves and be able to browse through with or without their
|
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|
|
parents. But for Wink, I chose to design for older kids because I want
|
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|
|
to experiment on multi-leveled narratives and I want to avoid the risk
|
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|
|
of confusing children.</p>
|
|
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|
|
|
<h3 id="loop-6">Loop 6</h3>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Limits of interactivity in narratives for children and why do we have
|
|
|
|
|
|
less modes of reading and writing for children?</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Although there are many upsides of creating digital environments for
|
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|
|
children due to their advanced skills in technology from early ages,
|
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|
|
there are also risks involved in this where the kid can be overwhelmed
|
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|
|
and confused due to the autonomy they receive. Reading a story is
|
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|
|
supposed to be eff ortless and a good free time activity but with
|
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|
|
interactive picture books, it is slightly more than that and more
|
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|
|
complicated as an experience.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>First of all, with the story at hand, called Bee Within, there are
|
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|
|
two other stories in one. Although the main story is about a little
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|
|
girl’s journey, kids get the chance to hear the Queen Bee’s story and
|
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|
|
the tree’s story as well. This is not a must but if they interact with
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|
|
certain pictures on the page, they will be led to the bee’s perspective
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|
or the trees. This is where the storyline can get a little bit
|
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|
|
complicated for younger kids. The child reader at this point should be
|
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|
|
able to follow the main storyline after visiting the side quests or
|
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|
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|
|
stories presented in the interactive book. To create this balance I
|
|
|
|
|
|
tried to limit the interactive elements I used in the main story. I
|
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|
|
tried to keep the picture animations limited and focused more on the
|
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|
|
storylines.</p>
|
|
|
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|
|
<p>Another aspect I am concerned about after the workshop I did with the
|
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|
kids, is the risk of confusion due to an undefined and multimodal design
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for a “book”. Kids tend to be confused when they can’t define things or
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are asked to improvise without knowing the purpose.They know what a book
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is and that it is similar to what they encounter on the screen. But the
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method of reading and interacting with Bee Within is diff erent than
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what they are used to. This concerns me because they might prefer to
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just read a book or play a game instead of discovering a new thing,
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which they are exposed to daily because they are always in a process of
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active learning. So one more thing to learn might come as exhausting.
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Therefore, in designing, I want to make interactions as clear as
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possible for them.</p>
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<h3 id="loop-7">Loop 7</h3>
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<p>Interactive reading and writing examples and surveys done with kids
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As an improvisation theater enthusiast myself, I tried to engage the
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kids with the story through some exercises and games during the
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workshops. My aim was to see how involved they want to be in
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storytelling. Improvisation has a certain way of storytelling and
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interaction where there are either too many options or none. You need to
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have good empathy and harmony with the person you are acting with and
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you are designated to be creative in your own way. I tried to use
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several improv games and warmups to involve the kids in the story more
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and see how they see certain characters from the picture book.</p>
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<p>My first attempt was to make a survey at the end of workshops with
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kids to whether they liked it or not, but when I researched further,
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surveying with kids has very diff erent methods and complications.</p>
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<p>Most kids either really like or really dislike things. Finding the in
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between emotions with a survey, ends up being vague. Most surveys done
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with kids use emoticons as representation of a good or bad or average
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time. Instead, I chose to observe the environment and understand how
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much empathy kids can off er in an interactive reading or playing
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environment.</p>
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<h3 id="loop-8">Loop 8</h3>
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<p>What does the joy of destruction and the awe eff ect have to do with
|
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interactivity? Indeed, why did we ever start playing games? The most
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important aspect of a game for me is that it surprises you and leaves
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you in awe towards something you weren’t expecting happened. I feel like
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every reaction I give when I’m surprised, is a mirror of what I felt
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when I was playing freeze and had to stop moving at any given time or
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when I found the last friend hiding somewhere in hide and seek. This
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feeling of appreciation and unexpectedness is why most people remember
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certain games, movies from their childhoods very vividly. Its an
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introduction to a feeling we experience maybe for the first time because
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we don’t necessarily learn from books how and when to feel surprised,
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that is why it’s a surprise; we live it, experience it and it leaves and
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impression with us.</p>
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<p>In my opinion, what drives everyone as a common denominator is
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amazement; because it takes us to our childhoods or distant memories
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where we first felt that feeling of awe. This is the main purpose behind
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any kind of interactive design and I think books can be an amazing
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medium to experiment this with. Specifically because this ancient device
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can take us to numerous worlds. For me as a millennial, books give me
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enough amazement as it is. But as I worked in publishing through the
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years and observed, I think kids today need something more to ignite
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|
their interest. There are so many factors in a picture book such as the
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image, the text and sound which can be played with to create an
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experience that is more surprising. This is the main purpose behind my
|
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research and protoype. Today’s world being visually stimulating and
|
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serving very short attention spans with social media, it is a tough task
|
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|
to insert a story or reading experience that requires full attention and
|
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|
patience. There are examples of Tiktok stories, Instagram reels, audio
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books and games that try to tell stories worth listening with attention.
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Wink is also an attempt to do this and I believe the key is to make an
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already engaging story enriched with interactive elements that appear to
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you through a click if you choose to. I think this is also the key to
|
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nourishing a new way of storytelling.</p>
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<h3 id="loop-9">Loop 9</h3>
|
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|
<p>Interactivity in reading and writing in history. What changed?</p>
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|
<p>Interactivity has always been an experimental area in literature from
|
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|
|
inscriptions to narrative games then to playable stories and artificial
|
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|
|
intelligence. I will expand some of these examples from the rich history
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|
|
of interactive fiction. When I dig a little bit into the media
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|
|
archaeology there are three still relevant aspects that strike me and
|
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|
|
change/improve my approach to Wink. The first is the need to connect
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|
|
that remains untouched through centuries of human communication, the
|
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|
|
second is how there were multiple projects concerning interactive media
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|
|
especially for kids that later turned into narrative games or remained
|
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|
|
as prototypes and lastly how the integration of media and literature has
|
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|
|
been such a grand topic even before information and technology era. Some
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|
|
examples to this is music, masks, puppets, props used in
|
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|
|
storytelling.</p>
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|
<p>Ancient texts with annotations such as The Odyssey, The Mahabharata
|
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|
|
are maybe the earliest written interactive experiences in a historical
|
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|
|
context. They are published with notes and explanations, clarifications
|
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|
which make the text inhabit diff erent opinions and approaches in an
|
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|
|
engaging way where the reader can choose to hop on and off from the
|
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|
|
annotation and margin texts. From the 70s to the present there have been
|
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|
|
many examples but I will be focusing on a few here. One of them is,
|
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|
|
Choose your own adventure books which allowed the reader to participate
|
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|
|
in the plot. These still exist as picture books where you are directed
|
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|
|
to certain pages according to the choices you make throughout the story.
|
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|
Along with this were also board games and cards that required
|
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|
|
interactive inputs. Some examples to this is exploding kittens or cards
|
|
|
|
|
|
against humanity where the player has the autonomy to be creative and
|
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|
|
fill in the blanks to win the game. Simultaneously, text-based adventure
|
|
|
|
|
|
games such as Zork and Adventure were popular. Early days of computing
|
|
|
|
|
|
off ered a wide space for exploring virtual worlds. In the early 80s,
|
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|
|
hypertext fiction contributed to electronic literature. Hyperlinks were
|
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|
|
|
used as a tool to navigate a text and choose paths of reading. This
|
|
|
|
|
|
inspired me to write this thesis with diff erent modes of reading as
|
|
|
|
|
|
well. After the 80’s, Interactive fiction gained popularity as a genre
|
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|
|
|
|
of interacting with text based input. Dynabook by Alan Kay was
|
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|
|
prototyped during this time as a promising reading and writing device
|
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|
|
|
designed for children.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>The 21st century off ers a combination of text and illustrations in
|
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|
|
|
augmented reality books that have animations, sound and external
|
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|
|
|
interactions. These are followed by digital storytelling platforms like
|
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|
|
|
Wattpad and Storybird and interactive e-book apps such as Pibocco, Bookr
|
|
|
|
|
|
and Tiny Minies. Most of these apps are dedicated to education however
|
|
|
|
|
|
and not solely to creativity. Their aim is to use creative elements to
|
|
|
|
|
|
foster education for kids.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>With Wink, I want to use a mainly educational tool (a book) to foster
|
|
|
|
|
|
creativity and expression. So I believe it is the opposite purpose as to
|
|
|
|
|
|
these examples in certain ways. I am trying to combine the delicacy of a
|
|
|
|
|
|
narrative where you can only be a reader and the excitement of
|
|
|
|
|
|
autonomous writing and experiencing.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>This is because I think the understanding and usage of media changed
|
|
|
|
|
|
in the last years. Some tools that created the awe eff ect for users
|
|
|
|
|
|
faded and left their place to more compact designs. Although audio books
|
|
|
|
|
|
were very welcome at some point, younger users nowadays prefer book
|
|
|
|
|
|
summary apps or podcasts to them. Of course they are still used and not
|
|
|
|
|
|
outdated but there is certainly a visible change to where media is
|
|
|
|
|
|
heading.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<h3 id="loop-10">Loop 10</h3>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Experimentation of creative exercises to be used in WINK. Exercises
|
|
|
|
|
|
of storytelling with words, images, drawing, sound and gestures.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Before I completed the prototype of Wink, I reached out to an
|
|
|
|
|
|
international school in Rotterdam to make a 20 minute workshop with kids
|
|
|
|
|
|
between ages 6-8. The aim here was to grasp the interactive elements in
|
|
|
|
|
|
the picture book to implement in the digital framework. I wanted to see
|
|
|
|
|
|
which parts of the story the children found exiting and which ones are
|
|
|
|
|
|
not so thrilling for them. It also helped me draw the pictures for the
|
|
|
|
|
|
book accordingly and edit the text with their reactions in mind. Due to
|
|
|
|
|
|
a privacy agreement, I couldn’t record or use any data from the workshop
|
|
|
|
|
|
but I made some helpful observations from my time there.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>The first workshop I planned consisted of two main parts that made up
|
|
|
|
|
|
20 minutes. The first 10 minutes we read Bee Within (attached in the
|
|
|
|
|
|
appendix) together in a circle and the last 10 minutes we played little
|
|
|
|
|
|
improvisation games, focused on the three main characters in the story
|
|
|
|
|
|
(the bee, the kid and the tree). I made three groups and gave these
|
|
|
|
|
|
groups the three characters. I asked them to embody a character
|
|
|
|
|
|
throughout the workshop and be loyal to it. Each group of three had 1
|
|
|
|
|
|
minute on the stage to silently improvise their characters. They were to
|
|
|
|
|
|
use one sentence if they wanted to speak.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>During the first part, I couldn’t observe as I was busy reading but
|
|
|
|
|
|
their teacher kindly took notes during this time, regarding the
|
|
|
|
|
|
children’ reactions to parts of the story. I inserted the bees and trees
|
|
|
|
|
|
narrative to the reading by tossing the paper I had in my hand and
|
|
|
|
|
|
picking up a new one as I kept reading the bees and trees story. This
|
|
|
|
|
|
was crucial because I wanted to see if this multiple stories in one
|
|
|
|
|
|
concept would be confusing for kids. The teacher told me that they were
|
|
|
|
|
|
excited about my gesture of juggling papers as I seemingly read one
|
|
|
|
|
|
story. They were intrigued and confused at first but they did keep up
|
|
|
|
|
|
with the storyline and understood all. Her notes basically said they
|
|
|
|
|
|
were very focused and less interested in the kids journey. They really
|
|
|
|
|
|
liked the bee and were a bit confused with the tree.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>There were 12 international kids and 3 of them didn’t want to join
|
|
|
|
|
|
the workshop, they wanted to observe. I told them that they could paint
|
|
|
|
|
|
and draw what they see. The drawings they made were of their classmates
|
|
|
|
|
|
acting as trees or bees. They drew their classmate with a stinger and
|
|
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|
|
the other was of a classmate as a tree with his hands wide open as he
|
|
|
|
|
|
was performing.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>What struck me most on the second part of the workshop was how these
|
|
|
|
|
|
kids used the room so freely and in relation to their characters.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Because we read the story before the improvisation games, some of their
|
|
|
|
|
|
characters were influenced by how it is in the story we read. Next
|
|
|
|
|
|
workshop, I am planning to not tell the story but to talk about it
|
|
|
|
|
|
before and give context. This is because I want to see how their
|
|
|
|
|
|
understanding changes without a limitation of a story.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Bees in the classroom that day were all very active and they used
|
|
|
|
|
|
chairs, tables and windows to position themselves in a higher
|
|
|
|
|
|
perspective. Children who played the kid were usually standing closer to
|
|
|
|
|
|
the trees and looked very calm. Trees were all very diff erent. One of
|
|
|
|
|
|
the kids used postits as leaves. Some of them didn’t have leaves because
|
|
|
|
|
|
it is winter. Trees didn’t move at all and the bees were buzzing all
|
|
|
|
|
|
around. “The kid” usually sat near the tree, on the tree (as in the
|
|
|
|
|
|
other performers’ lap or hugged them).</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Overall only 2 groups used the option to say a sentence which were,
|
|
|
|
|
|
> “I want to go on an adventure”<br />
|
|
|
|
|
|
> “I don’t wanna leave Gray(the tree)”</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>This was a good feedback for me because I realized they are very
|
|
|
|
|
|
perceptive of actions and facial expressions rather than words. The
|
|
|
|
|
|
workshop we did in the studio with XPUB 2 students was harder than the
|
|
|
|
|
|
session with the kids because everyone felt so restricted to obligations
|
|
|
|
|
|
and were not comfortable to let go of bodily control. No one actually
|
|
|
|
|
|
attempted in using objects from the room which is a huge diff erence
|
|
|
|
|
|
with the kids because they drew on their faces, used plastic bags as
|
|
|
|
|
|
wings for the bee and made sounds with their mouths as trees.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>The next workshop was to discover how improv would work without
|
|
|
|
|
|
reading the story first. This workshop was fruitful because it helped me
|
|
|
|
|
|
realize how much information or guidance I have to off er for children
|
|
|
|
|
|
in order for them to be comfortable to participate and interact without
|
|
|
|
|
|
confusion. We made a circle and I summarized the story to the kids,
|
|
|
|
|
|
acting in the middle of the circle. This broke the ice completely
|
|
|
|
|
|
because I was a part of the workshop and they thought I was funny. For
|
|
|
|
|
|
the next part, I divided the group in three and assigned a character to
|
|
|
|
|
|
them. After this, I asked them to decide on an attitude, pop in the
|
|
|
|
|
|
middle and tell or act out their character. I went first and they
|
|
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|
|
|
followed easily. They were not under the influence of the story so the
|
|
|
|
|
|
performances were diff erent but they still got influenced by each
|
|
|
|
|
|
other, which in my opinion is inevitable. Some of the kids were
|
|
|
|
|
|
buzzing/running around, the “kids” were walking around, acting like they
|
|
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|
|
|
are playing which I found very interesting. Some trees were small some
|
|
|
|
|
|
were mighty and old. It was helpful to see the diff erent attributions
|
|
|
|
|
|
they gave to the characters.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>After the circle session, they separated in three groups: the kids,
|
|
|
|
|
|
the bees and the trees. I asked each group to come up, walk around
|
|
|
|
|
|
randomly, embodying the character they chose. Then as I rang the bell, I
|
|
|
|
|
|
asked them to change the character. I asked them to be a busy, tired,
|
|
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|
|
injured, happy and scared bee one by one. They kept walking randomly and
|
|
|
|
|
|
acted these feelings out. For the “kids”, I asked them to be angry, sad,
|
|
|
|
|
|
scared, and curious. For the trees I asked them to be wise, mad, funny
|
|
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|
|
|
and happy. The results were amazing. They adapted very quickly to the
|
|
|
|
|
|
changing of emotions which showed me that this age gap was good to work
|
|
|
|
|
|
with. The trees stopped walking as I changed the emotions and this was
|
|
|
|
|
|
an affirmation to not animate the tree with movement but more with
|
|
|
|
|
|
changing of color and tiny animations. They mostly used arms and face
|
|
|
|
|
|
expressions to show the emotions, some of them ducked or made sounds. As
|
|
|
|
|
|
I said mad, one of the kids ran and put her red jacket on. This made me
|
|
|
|
|
|
think about using color to show emotions for the tree. It was good to
|
|
|
|
|
|
see that they weren’t scared or discouraged by negative emotions as
|
|
|
|
|
|
well. We ended the workshop by drawing our characters. It was nice to
|
|
|
|
|
|
see them own their imaginary characters enough to draw them with
|
|
|
|
|
|
joy.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>The last workshop was dedicated to discovering the sound aspect. The
|
|
|
|
|
|
tree in the story speaks in verses so I chose one verse and
|
|
|
|
|
|
read/performed it in a circle to begin with. Then I gave them some
|
|
|
|
|
|
instruments: a drum, a bell, aluminum folio, a balloon and a bubble
|
|
|
|
|
|
wrap. I asked for a few volunteers and they made sound eff ects as I
|
|
|
|
|
|
read the verse very slowly. This went good and I saw that they like to
|
|
|
|
|
|
dramatize the sounds and make them funny or unexpected. They used the
|
|
|
|
|
|
bubble wrap to make sounds for snowing or aluminum folio for the
|
|
|
|
|
|
volcano. They had great fun but I think I made a mistake by making a few
|
|
|
|
|
|
kids do foley at the same time because they didn’t know how to take
|
|
|
|
|
|
turns and were hesitant at first. Then quite impressively, they made
|
|
|
|
|
|
their own system where they took turns to make eff ects for each
|
|
|
|
|
|
sentence.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Then I made four groups of three. 3 kids as actors and 3 kids as
|
|
|
|
|
|
foley actors. They buddied up and made short scenes where one group made
|
|
|
|
|
|
sounds eff ects to the others acting on stage. This was the best part of
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this workshop because they could lead the actors with the sounds they
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made or vice versa. This I think is very important because it shows that
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they like to be a part of or be eff ective to the story itself. They
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were very creative in using the objects in the room and turning them
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into a tool for sound. They enjoyed to foley the bee and the other
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characters not so much. Which showed me that I should focus on the sound
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of the bee in the prototype.</p>
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<p>Overall, the workshops were very helpful for me to understand where
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to focus on as I develop. I realized that some of the sound, color and
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movement animations I planned were too complicated and I decided to make
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them more simplistic. I decided to animate the tree with only color
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because I was eff ected by this one participant who took the red jacket
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to represent the tree was mad. For the bee I decided to focus on sound
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more. For the kid I decided to use more visual animations to make it
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more interesting.</p>
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<p>One other thing the workshops helped me with is the multiple stories
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I am planning to tell in one narrative. The book I have has two side
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quest/stories so it nice to see that kids weren’t confused with these
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narratives. I decided to make the story of the tree as a click game
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where the lines appear by clicking and the bee’s story through a text
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based game. I wanted to use click game with the tree because it seemed
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like they needed more stimulation to be interested in that story and I
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though a ‘reveal the story’ click game could keep them interested. For
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the bee, knowing they like the character, I wanted to make it more like
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a game to give the kids a chance and autonomy to be a part of the story
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itself.</p>
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<h3 id="loop-11">Loop 11</h3>
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<p>The diff erences of these exercises in WINK than the already existing
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interactive e-book platforms The interactive e-book apps existing today,
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made especially for children, are quite similar in both format and
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purpose. If we take a look at Bookr, Piboco, and Kotobee, we can see
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they seek a new way to tell a story but have one mode of reading. The
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stories are linear and can be read once, without side quests. This is
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the main diff erence with what I am trying to design. Wink acts as a
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tool to play with and choose paths. The story isn’t linear in the
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traditional way where you interact with the pictures and finish the book
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but there are side stories to the main story that they can discover or
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choose not to. I think this is a solid diff erence. This makes it a
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playable narrative, diff erent from a book.</p>
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<p>This prototype is a good start to see how far I can get with the
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interactive elements and side stories without confusing or discouraging
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the children. There are many other aspects that can be implemented to
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this design such as writing elements and drawing but for the meantime,
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also in correspondence with the workshops, I choose to test the sound
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and image along with one main and two small narratives.</p>
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<p>For future prototypes, I envision space to draw and write as a
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contribution to the story and maybe turning Wink into a hybrid format
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with more autonomous features. For me, at this point, it’s valuable and
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essential to see if my technique of combining narratives is working or
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not.</p>
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<h3 id="loop-12">Loop 12</h3>
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<h2 id="standing-end">Standing End</h2>
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<p>After many loops of thought, we are here at the standing end of the
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thesis. There is room for more loops and knots in the future to secure
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this string of thought but for now, we have come to the dock and rest
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ashore.</p>
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<p>Reading this thesis with a string, using concrete thinking as a
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technique to go through a research and text was a helpful exercise for
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me and helped me mark my thoughts and ideas. The overarching theme of
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knots and experimental approach to modes of reading was valuable for me
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to share and try as an enthusiastic young writer. I like that I asked
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the reader to interact with the thesis and follow paths accordingly.</p>
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<p>It was enlightening to see the results of working with kids and be
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able to see from their point of view and alter everything according to
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these encounters. Using CCI and Multiliteracy theory as a guide to
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approach the design and prototype was helpful in understanding how to
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approach and tackle the desire of making something for children.</p>
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<p>Now from where I stand, I feel more rooted and have a clearer idea of
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what works and doesn’t work. Some features that I think would work very
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well like the choice of writing didn’t go as planned because multiple
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narratives is already too much. I realized I underestimated the eff ect
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of introducing a new media to children. This is why I decided to take it
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step by step with the interactivity.</p>
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<p>Taking a step to make Wink and using the story I wrote and feel is
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important in my personal history as a prototype was a breakthrough. I
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feel like my interest and desire to discover new ways of writing,
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reading and experiencing literature is ongoing and it was a beautiful
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journey so far. I am looking forward to making more knots on this long
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and mysterious string at hand. </span></sup> ## Bibliography Cope, B.
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and Kalantzis, M. (2009) ‘“multiliteracies”: New Literacies, new
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learning’, Pedagogies: An International Journal, 4(3), pp. 164–195.
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doi:10.1080/15544800903076044. <br> Dettore, E. (2002) “Children’s
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emotional GrowthAdults’ role as emotional archaeologists,” Childhood
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education, 78(5), pp. 278–281. doi: 10.1080/00094056.2002.10522741. <br>
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Ingold, T. (2015) The life of lines.London, England: Routledge. <br>
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Lawrence, R. L. and Paige, D. S. (2016) “What our ancestors knew:
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Teaching and learning through storytelling: What our ancestors knew:
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Teaching and learning through storytelling,” New directions for adult
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and continuing education, 2016(149), pp. 63–72. doi:
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10.1002/ace.20177.<br />
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<br> Papert, S. and Papert, S. A. (2020) Mindstorms (revised): Children,
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computers, and powerful ideas. London, England: Basic Books. <br> Ryan,
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M.-L. (2009) “From narrative games to playable stories: Toward a poetics
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of interactive narrative,” StoryWorlds A Journal of Narrative Studies,
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1(1), pp. 43–59. doi: 10.1353/stw.0.0003. <br> Smeets, D. and Bus, A.
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(2013) “Picture Storybooks Go Digital: Pros and Cons,” in Quality
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Reading Instruction in the Age of Common Core Standards. International
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Reading Association, pp. 176–189. <br> Strohecker, C. (ed.) (1978) Why
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knot? MIT. <br> The Effect of Multimodality in Increasing Motivation and
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Collaboration among 4th CSE EFL Students (no date). <br> Turkle, S.
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(ed.) (2014) Evocative objects: Things we think with. MIT Press. <br>
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Urton, M. M. &. (2018) The khipu code: the knotty mystery of the
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Inkas’ 3D records, aeon. Available at: https://
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aeon.co/ideas/the-khipu-code-the-knotty-mystery-of-the-inkas-3d-records.
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<br> Vega, N. (2022) Codes in Knots. Sensing Digital Memories, The Whole
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Life. Available at: https://wholelife.hkw.de/
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codes-in-knots-sensing-digital-memories/.</p>
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