Hello everybody!
Today I wanted to share with you what we did in class looking at transmedia, along with everything I’ve learned about what you can do with it!
So before I get into what I’ve learned and done with transmedia, I want to begin with what I knew and didn’t know about it going into this. So, I knew a fair amount of transmedia things from an entertainment perspective- it’s actually very popular online, as something called “ARGs” or “Alternate Reality Games”. It takes an idea or puzzle and puts clues on multiple platforms online and off for people to find. A very big one nationwide was Cipherhunt, as something the Disney Channel did for Gravity Falls! It took place all over the U.S., in the show, on twitter, and across several other social media platforms. That particular one was my introduction into the genre, and that type of thing was the extent of my knowledge of transmedia- basically multi-platform puzzle hunts.
My old interpretation of transmedia was pretty accurate, but a little narrow. Henry Jenkins says that transmedia is simply: “…Any combination of relationships that might exist between the various texts (analog or digital) that constitute a contemporary entertainment media experience. “. Here’s a video that explains what stories are and how they tie into transmedia (And transmedia of course)!
Exploring deeper into transmedia also made me realize that it’s kinda all over the place, so kids have probably already seen or even participated in it without even realizing! For example, Star Wars- it spans across film, cartoons, web media, books, even amusement parks! So transmedia is something I think would be easy for students and teachers alike to understand and use as a source of entertainment and learning.
So why is it so beneficial? Because Transmedia can be replayed, and played in any order! It allows students to discover things for themselves in a proactive environment. Like completing missions in video games, or solving puzzles to find clues- but in an interconnected way. Or as Sarah Kopa put it very elegantly, “students can interact with the instructor and their peers to participate in a rich and dynamic learning environment.“. Transmedia adds an element of fun and depth to the lesson!
I would highly consider using this with my future students, as it seems like a lot of fun and something that will really engage them with the topics at hand!
Thanks for reading!