Exploring the world of 'Wandi' and the interactive animal adventures of 'Zoo Builder'

Exploring comparative text study

Welcome to a comparative text study written by Kayla. Here, I will analyse and compare the textual repertoire and communicative resources between the children's novel 'Wandi' and the interactive children's online animal game 'Zoo Builder'. Here, I delve into the nuances of literature to foster a deeper understanding for students and educators alike. Join me on this educational journey as I share insights, explore resources, and encourage a realistic learning experience for children.

Textual Repertoire:

Colton (n.d.) explains that textual repertoires are varying texts explored by people daily. Further branching to say that children's textual repertoires are the texts or media (new term) that they are engaging in/exploring, both in and outside of the classroom setting, providing a range of opportunities for multimodal literacy development and interactions (Burnett & Merchant, 2018). Children in today's generation are experiencing the world through many new kinds of media/texts, and they are being used in conjunction with one another to expand their multimodality skills (the ability to interact/understand more than one text/media at a time) (Burnett & Merchant, 2018).

Children's textual repertoires are developed through a range of meaning-making, communication and representation opportunities, such as developing a specific purpose for a particular audience and integrating different kinds of modes to broaden their literary knowledge. These modes focus on developing communication and can be in the form of linguistic, visual, auditory and gestural modes, etc (Burnett & Merchant, 2018; Taylor & Leung, 2019). These can also take the form of communicating multimodally using different media, modes, audience and purpose as explored above (Burnett & Merchant, 2018).

Image of different communicative resources, supporting textual repertoires (PNGALL, 2016)

Communicative Resources:

Burnett & Merchant (2018) discuss communicative resources through the exploration of different terms and interactions with literacy, such as using words, letters, sounds, layout, images, and body movement and their many uses, including their ability to effectively communicate. Literacy holds a new/extended meaning, because of technology, as well as standard and 'old' communicative resources and strategies that were primarily used years ago (Burnett & Merchant, 2018). Through the development of this definition, it is evident that the resources extended upon today are those that make up writing and reading, such as keyboards, phones, smartboards and from these develop visual image, music, typed work, etc (Burnett & Merchant, 2018). The vast variety of communicative resources that children are engaging in throughout a school setting, and evolving in everyday life, supports the development of their textual repertoires (Burnett & Merchant, 2018).

(Education Bureau, 2022)

Identifying Communicative Resources 'Wandi'

The communicative resources identified in 'Wandi' are based on visual and 'old' resources. This includes the use of words/letters and images/pictures (print on paper) made into a book, and ensures a visually appealing spatial layout of the book, which ensures fluency and compatibility between the words and pictures (Colton, n.d.). Therefore, although remaining old also contains multimodality within the text (Burnett & Merchant, 2018).

Image reference (Wandi, 2021)

Identifying Communicative Resources 'Zoo Builder'

The communicative resources identified in 'Zoo Builder' focus on 'new' resources using the internet, with technology (phone, laptop, keyboard, mouse, touchpad) being required to engage with the game. Sound/music, visual moving images, typed letters/words, symbols, colours, body movements/gestures, and pixels on a screen are all evident in the game and are required to make it work cohesively to communicate the meaning of the text (Burnett & Merchant, 2018; Colton, n.d.).

Image reference (Zoo Builder, 2024)

Comparing and contrasting communicative resources between 'Wandi' and 'Zoo Builder':

Through understanding the communicative resources evident in the two texts (noted above) and through exploring Burnett & Merchant's (2018) 'mapping changes in literacy' table, it is evident how the changing of old and new communicative resources allows for new meaning, learning and communication to take place and can be used through different text types to support children's literacy learning. The exploration of 'Wandi' allows children to read and explore images to the story being communicated of the Dingo and supporting children's ability to engage and understand the use of printed text, images and pages within a book to learn about literacy and its importance. However, 'Zoo Builder' requires the use of communicative resources that explore and require the need to understand the simple multimodality of computers, laptops or phones (electrical devices) and understanding the beginning concepts of engaging with a mouse, keyboard, touchpad, etc, that will be useful for future learning. Merchant (2023) explains the need to understand both kinds of new and old resources to be successful in this generation, which is developing technology-based learning strategies to support literacy learning. The point of this is to ensure that teachers allow for the development of both written and technology-based skills in order to develop literacy skills (Merchant, 2023; Burnett & Merchant, 2018). Therefore, they are ready for the real world as adults with the ability to explore both literary features and all they entail (ink on paper, pixels on screen, or pens to keyboard, photos to moving images) (Burnett & Merchant, 2018). Through reading books, typing essays or engaging multimodally and doing the two in conjunction to achieve a specific outcome (like writing this assignment using books to create a website with the understood information).

Background image reference (PNGALL, 2016)

Activating children's repertoires:

Through exploring both text types, children are activating a vast range of textual repertoires that successfully engage them with both texts effectively. Evidently, some text types require more than one repertoire to be used.

The book 'Wandi' (text type) activates many textual repertoires through reading and interacting with it. These include linguistic (reading), visual (exploring images), as well as auditory (listening or reading the text aloud) modes (Taylor & Leung, 2019). The text's purpose is to support literary skills while engaging in an informative text piece, with children being the intended audience. These repertoires require children to transfer and interact with the text multimodally to understand the literary concepts being explored and to gain knowledge/comprehension skills (Burnett & Merchant, 2018).

The interactive online game 'Zoo Builder' (text type) also activates many textual repertoires when engaging in all its features. These include, but are not limited to, visual (interactive images, moving objects and moving screens), auditory (sound, music, instructions given by voice), linguistic (use of symbols and reading) and gestural (images providing gestures, a person pointing, etc.) modes (Taylor & Leung, 2019). This text explores multimodality on a large level and allows for many literary features to be explored by children (audience) in a fun and interactive electronic way that supports their literary understanding of reading and writing (purpose) (Burnett & Merchant, 2018).

Use of symbols/words in 'Zoo Builder'

(Zoo Builder, 2024)

Implementing in the classroom 'Wandi':

The story of 'Wandi' the dingo stems from a true story and is quite well-known in Australia. Due to this, there is a large amount of resources, videos, and information that can be located online. Therefore, this book can be utilised in the classroom to not only support reading and writing concepts but also bring in the multimodality that Burnett & Merchant (2018) explain as crucial to developing children's communicative resources and textual repertoires.

To elaborate further, children can interact with this text both online and offline. Developing their comprehension skills through drawing, developing their own texts (handwritten), rehearsing or listening/reading the book aloud would be suitable offline activities to use in the classroom. Through exploring the text in this way, children are developing their literacy skills for understanding cohesive texts (pictures/words together), how words and letters sound and the meaning of words in the text, as well as the important features of writing, reading and textual development (Taylor & Leung, 2019; Burnett & Merchant, 2018).

Online, this text can be used by exploring videos, visual images (pictures of moving images), exploring websites and news articles, following Instagram pages, and following along with the dingo's story. As well as documenting/presenting findings. Through these interactions, children are developing their range of textual repertoires and how to engage with different media as well as extending their communicative resources (ability to use a laptop, phone, keyboard, presentation documents, etc) (Taylor & Leung, 2019; Burnett & Merchant, 2018).

These activities can all be used in conjunction with or separately from one another.

Image of Wandi's Instagram (Wandi Dingo, n.d.).

Implementing in the classroom 'Zoo Builder':

The online interactive game 'Zoo Builder' can be used in many ways in the classroom, supporting the development of children's textual repertoires, literacy skills and their ability to use communicative resources for meaning/learning.

Von Gillern (2021) explores coding in the classroom and the use of digital technologies for children to develop their own games. This is just one way children could use Zoo Builder (basing their game on similar aspects) to support their literacy skills while providing appropriate and engaging strategies, as Von Gillern (2021) found. Following specific steps to achieve a goal by the end. Including planning, drawing, writing about, and then developing their game. Through these steps, children engage with many communicative resources (such as keyboards, online apps/games, paper/pen, drawing, etc) (Von Gillern, 2021).

Children could use this text to write/explore short stories, comics, picture strips, videos, and news articles, etc (Taylor & Leung, 2019). These examples can be implemented in conjunction with or separately from one another; however, they provide multimodality, explore a range of media, and expand children's literary skills in ways that promote both new and old literary devices (Taylor & Leung, 2019).

Website Gallery: