ITeach Inanimate Alice
In class we have been spending some time looking at the ITeach Inanimate Alice website. There are currently 4 episodes of Inanimate Alice. Each episode tells a story and engages the viewer with interactive elements. I found these videos to be very interesting conceptually, artistically, and interactively. It is hard to say what age group this is directed towards, but I think it is focused towards an upper elementary or junior high level, although, this is a great resource for any age level.
These videos are great resources to use with children. The videos are not directed toward any specific gender, which would make for a great classroom resource. The main character is a girl, named Alice, who grows in age throughout the episodes. She doesn’t portray a particular age and is just seen as a young girl, which will relate more with children. Inanimate Alice also does a great job avoiding the “Seven Kisses of Death� – a phrase used in a book we are reading in class called Digital Storytelling: A Creators Guide to Interactive Entertainment. The seven kisses of death deal with seven concepts you should avoid while producing a digital story for children. By reading these seven kisses of death I learned a lot about what a good production is looking to achieve with their young viewer.
The episodes don’t explain everything in words. Children are smart and can figure out concepts without an overproduction of words. However, the reading is very modest and would be around the 4th grade reading level. Inanimate Alice is also looking to relate with the audience. The episodes capture the audience with an edge. You never know where the story is going or what will happen next. There are fun interactives throughout the episodes that involve the viewer and make the experience more enjoyable. Altogether, this is a successful digital story that has many strengths and motives. A good classroom tool!
Here is the Inanimate Alice Webpage:
http://www.inanimatealice.com/education/
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