Selecting Digital Stories
To help meet the needs of diverse readers, Morgan (2013) outlines a criteria checklist for selecting effective stories for students. She describes how multimodal stories (stories that blend writing with multimedia elements) can be a good resource for unmotivated and struggling readers. However, many multimodal stories do not follow good practise and can be more of a distraction for struggling readers.
Morgan's Criteria
Developmentally Appropriate
1. Is the story structure simple enough for younger students and more complex for older students?
2. Is the font size large enough?
3. Does the amount of text on each page match the child’s age?
4. Is the text highlighted when read?
Active Participation
1. Are interactive features allowing children to control their learning included?
2. Can children activate parts of the text, characters, and games?
3. Is an interactive dictionary included?
4. Are well-designed hot spots, allowing children to activate special effects, available?
Congruency with Story Content
1. Do animations and activations support the narrative?
2. Do the activations allow children to discover new information that enhances story comprehension?
User-Friendly
1. Are simple verbal directions included?
2. Are there graphic presentations that accompany the directions?
Using Morgan’s (2013) criteria, educators can select multimodal stories that can engage and aid readers in an effective manner.
1. Is the story structure simple enough for younger students and more complex for older students?
2. Is the font size large enough?
3. Does the amount of text on each page match the child’s age?
4. Is the text highlighted when read?
Active Participation
1. Are interactive features allowing children to control their learning included?
2. Can children activate parts of the text, characters, and games?
3. Is an interactive dictionary included?
4. Are well-designed hot spots, allowing children to activate special effects, available?
Congruency with Story Content
1. Do animations and activations support the narrative?
2. Do the activations allow children to discover new information that enhances story comprehension?
User-Friendly
1. Are simple verbal directions included?
2. Are there graphic presentations that accompany the directions?
Using Morgan’s (2013) criteria, educators can select multimodal stories that can engage and aid readers in an effective manner.