Transmedia storytelling is the “technique of telling a single story or story experience across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies” (Wikipedia). These platforms include film, online video, alternate reality games, social media tools, and mobile technologies. While the antecedents of transmedia storytelling first occurred over a decade ago, with the rise of social and mobile technologies, this method of storytelling has emerged as a powerful way to engage audiences. But learning professionals have not yet explored in much detail the possibilities of transmedia storytelling for learning. Often touted as the future of television and film, does transmedia storytelling represent the future of mLearning as well?

Participants in this session will explore the role transmedia storytelling can play in learning, and specifically the role mobile technologies can play in this approach. You’ll review examples from film, television, and marketing of transmedia storytelling, and see how these examples used mobile devices. You’ll compare other mLearning approaches to mobile transmedia storytelling, learn how you can enhance the power of transmedia storytelling by incorporating participatory storytelling techniques, and gain insights into the possibilities of this new approach to mLearning.

In this session, you will learn:

  • What transmedia storytelling is, with examples
  • How transmedia storytelling relates to participatory storytelling and to learning
  • How organizations and artists are using transmedia storytelling to engage audiences
  • The role mobile devices play in transmedia storytelling
  • The potential of transmedia storytelling for learning

Handout(s)

Recording