Parents and caretakers who are thrust into the position of supporting their children’s literacy learning will be thrilled to meet Alice and explore her world in their company. Parents won’t have to cajole their children to read Inanimate Alice – the episodes are engaging and fun for young readers (and their parents). Importantly, students can apply traditionally taught reading skills in new and innovative ways. They will navigate within the episodes as they read, play games, share Alice’s experiences, and explore new countries and cultures. For families thrust into remote learning, Inanimate Alice is more than just a story – it’s a learning experience!
Immersive Literacy: Authentic Learning with Inanimate Alice
COVID-19 has dramatically changed the learning landscape – teachers, parents, grandparents and teacher educators have pivoted to remote learning to meet the learning needs of all students. These times call for new approaches to teaching; they also call for a new genre of materials that reflect the ways in which reading-from-the-screen differs from traditional print narratives.
Inanimate Alice is an innovative interactive tale unlike any other. Its multimodal construction breaks free of conventions to make meaning on many levels. Created for a new generation of readers, it is deeply engaging, addressing ways today’s young people read, play, and think.
Inanimate Alice can help you create authentic, immersive literacy experiences for the young readers in your life. The journey starts here.
Is Niagara Falls replacing Switzerland’s Reichenbach as the destination for detectives? Sherlock Holmes would surely recognize the co-incidence and be keen to investigate what’s in store for budding detectives in the digital age.
Bryan Clancy has been engaging learners with the tale of Inanimate Alice for 8 years. Initially, teaching grades 6&7, Alice tagged along while he introduced her to grade 2’s. Now, with grades 3&4 under the magnifying glass, he invites their participation, asking for their help by video invitation while reading through story episodes making them inclusive for every reader. As they follow Alice’s adventures “I can tell they are getting excited to write” he says.
Prior experience with the series has left Bryan well-placed to deliver this born-digital literary work at a distance. Excited by the prospect he has recruited a wider catchment in his plot. He explains “I have been teaching Alice so long that older siblings have been sworn to secrecy as to what happens.” Referring to the closet scene in Russia (Episode 3) as a jumpscare, “some of my little guys are worried that The Last Gas Station will be the scariest because they heard so from older brothers.”
“Even through distance learning, Alice keeps them engaged and talking amongst family members. All the parents know who Alice is.” Presented with Powerpoint and using Google Forms for students’ responses, Bryan employs a wide array of available technologies to give context to his storytelling. On a previous occasion he acquired a lock-box from Home Depot in order to keep Alice’s secrets safe… but that’s another story for another day.
Meanwhile, responding to the question whether she liked Alice, one of Bryan’s students said “Yes, because she is home schooled like we are.”
See Bryan’s school on our map
"a book that blinks, buzzes, hums, sings, jitterbugs, plays games and on occasion, rains and snows…"
"welcome to the future of reading…"
Inanimate Alice tells the story of a girl growing up dreaming of becoming a game designer one day. Uniquely, it is a tale of progressive complexity, each episode reflecting Alice’s age and digital competency as she grows up.
First meet Alice age 8, drawing a stickman and taking photos to send to her Dad. Grow up beside her through school and college during which time she hones her artistic and technological skills, relentlessly pursuing her dream.
This is a story of exploration. An adventure. An immersive experience where young people can let their imaginations roam free.
6 students
3 instructors
3 client representatives
15 weeks
Fall semester at Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center
