We are all
familiar with the unique power of storytelling, which has been the oldest form
of education and entertainment. However, all too often we hear parents and
teachers complain that children nowadays don’t find reading books in their
native language enjoyable, let alone a foreign language. Christina and Marina
seem to have found a way to breathe new life into storytelling – they created a
fantastic double-path digital storybook called “Dylan and Lydia at the Fortune
Teller’s”, aimed at YLs of English aged 9 and above. There are two stories in
one App, the book is delightfully illustrated and accompanied by enchanting
background music and an audio narration. The book also features different reading modes, animations&
sound effects and in- built dictionaries. There are story- based games and ELT
activities in the book like multiple choice questions, imaginative writing
activities, knowledge quizzes and other amazing features.
Christina emphasized that in the era of
technology digital books have become the new generation of books. Apart from
their multimodal nature, they also share some of the benefits of mobile
learning. There are no physical or time barriers – all you need is download the
app to your smart phone or tablet and your children can read anywhere anytime,
which eventually can help instill a positive attitude to extensive reading.
In the presentation we were provided with
interesting details regarding a creative making process of the book about Dylan
and Lydia. We learned how it all started and how
Christina and Marina came up with the plot and the characters. We also got to
know the lovely children (with very good English by the way) who gave their
voices to the characters of the book, we learned what challenges Christina and
Marina met along the way but, what is more, we learned that you’re never too
old for a fairytale.
By Lana Lemeshko
Photo by Margarita Kosior
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