Activism
Collaboration
Locative
Play
Taxonomies
Technology
Transmediality
About
Blog
Research
Events
Resources
Contact
i-docs.org/2012/08/15/interactive-documentary-and-education-a-field-to-explore-i/
1/8
25/07/13
One of the essential premises of the traditional documentary is the desire to organise a story that is both
informative and entertaining. And, in this sense, the interactive format should continue with the tradition to
try to offer similar experiences that mix a recreational (entertainment) proposal with an educational
one (knowledge), in the most efficient, original and attractive possible way. And this is mainly possible
thanks to the combination of different navigational and interactive modalities, which enable a multiple
exchange between the work and the interactor.
Firstly, navigating and visiting different proposals and structuring the content (information and knowledge) means
the use of strategies and resources of the games. This way, from the structure of the interactive, and through
the navigation modalities, the user, in a certain sense, plays with the possibilities offered by the work
and can satisfy their first necessity: amusement and entertainment.
Secondly, this strategy close to the game experience usually gives the user a sensation of deep immersion
and stops their learning from being boring and that their need of being informed or need or learning
ends up fading. Therefore, the didactic proposal offered is attractive and dynamic, beyond that present in most
classical hypertexts.
Already at this stage, the interactor learns through playing and once they have learnt the lesson in a
fun, original and light-hearted way, they can share it with other interactors, in real time or whenever
they deem it appropriate.
Therefore, we see how an interactive documentary can satisfy three needs or desires: that of the player
(recreational), that of the student or anyone with cultural interests (educational or formative) and that of
the communicator (communication level with other participants). Through the correct mixture of these
three aspects, non-fictional multimedia applications can be equated in terms of attractiveness with
proposals close to fiction.
Processes/behaviors involved in an interactive documentary:
1. Viewing (observer)
2. Learning (student)
3. Playing (player)
4. Sharing (interactor)
2/8
25/07/13
exhibition and distribution approach and has increasingly given way to the creation of projects that hybridize the
two formulas, information (content) with entertainment (fun). Incorporating interactivity means going one step
further and allows the participation and involvement of the user. The formats have created new platforms for
interactive display capable of collecting various types of content, in addition to achieving break the linearity of the
prevailing discourse of traditional formats consume content from the classical Greek period.
This post focuses on the study of the process of converging between two communication fields, which are,
apparently, very different: the documentary genre and digital media. Although the history of the documentary
started half a century before that the one of the digital media, both processes have progressed and, nowadays,
they have reached a very interesting point of convergence. From this first contact, each genre adopted a series of
properties and characteristics typical of the other. In some ways, a fusion begins from mutual attraction: the
documentary genre contributes with its several modes of representing reality, and the digital media genre
contributes with its new navigating and interacting modes. This setting has favored the development of different
formats and the creation of new genres, such as the interactive documentary, which is a result of a double fusion
of, on one hand, the audiovisual (documentary genre) and interaction (interactive digital media), and, on the other
hand, between information (content) and entertainment (interactive interfaces).
The interactive documentary as a new 2.0 learning system for the digital natives
Internet, Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 offer immense opportunities to enhance some of the classic principles of
education and disclosure of knowledge in general. Some of the pedagogical principles in teaching give us clues
about how to approach the use of Web 2.0 and future versions. Then we present some of the advantages posed
by these new technologies in educational uses:
- Open possibilities to create networks of learning
- Foster cooperation and collaboration between those who wish to learn (while opening paths to reinforce the
personal differences and autonomy)
- Facilitate the exchange of information and resources
- Facilitate the dissemination and presentation of results and work
- Facilitate the replenishment, storage and indexing works
- Provide new ways for the evaluation
- Provide greater flexibility in many ways
- Etc.
The change proposed by the Internet is ideal to apply in the field of education and knowledge transfer. In this area,
the interactive disclosure (interactive applications that have different displays or browsing possibilities and show a
clear educational and recreational intention) has a lot to say. Therefore, it is to converge and mix two different
strategies, one based on fun and learning and a second based on new technologies. Salaverra comments on
Hipertexto periodstico: mito y realidad (2003), the fact that the hypertext character of cyberspace has opened
great opportunities to update journalistic text. Thanks to hypertext, it is possible to explore nonlinear ways of
structuring the speech and to encourage readers participation in the configuration of narrative itineraries.
Nevertheless, these theoretical possibilities come up against a much modest reality: present cybermedia show a
noticeable tendency to reproduce in cyberspace the textual formats that they used in other supports. (Salaverra,
2003:517)
To overcome this tendency to imitate older models in a new medium which does not fit, Salaverra highlights the
importance of being able to combine entertainment strategies with respect to the dissemination of information in
i-docs.org/2012/08/15/interactive-documentary-and-education-a-field-to-explore-i/
3/8
25/07/13
It should be noted that this proposal is being reviewed in order to be presented as part of the theoretical
framework on interactive documentary study, which may be subject to changes in the future (PhD defense:The
interactive documentary as a new audiovisual genre. Approach to proposed definition, taxonomy and analysis
model for the evaluation, design and production, UPF 2007-2012).
4/8
25/07/13
Bibliographic references
Prensky, M. (2001), Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon. NCB University Press. Vol. 9 No.5,
October.
Ribas, J. I. (2000), Caracteritzaci dels interactius multimdia de difusi cultural. Aproximaci a un tractament
especfic, els assaigs interactius [research work], Barcelona: Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Facultat de
Comunicaci.
Salaverra, R. (2003), Hipertexto periodstico: mito y realidad (2003), in Tripodos 2005, pp. 517-524.
5/8
25/07/13
20. Idea or technique? Interesting topics and technological simplicity: Honkytonk projects as case studies (I)
21. Basic distinction between representation, navigation and interaction modes. Interactive documentary
modalities (I)
Share this:
Share
close, collaboration, constructivist theories, digital natives, education, entertainment, knowledge, learning,
methods, open, paradigm, pedagogical, play, share, universities
About arnaugifreu
View all posts by arnaugifreu
Subscribe
Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter to receive updates.
Related Posts:
Participatory Documentary [and the city]: A research project from Daryl Mulvihill
The Nth screen: technology that brings us together in the real world
The linear turn in i-docs a provocation
InterDocs Barcelona 2013 /First interactive documentary conference in the latin area
interDOC: the first spanish project and platform for the analysis of the interactive documentary
Featuring methods of navigation and interaction of an interactive documentary. I-Docs Modalities (III)
Interactive documentary and education: a field to explore (II)
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
1. Interactive documentary & education: a field to explore (I) | zgenesis - January 28, 2013
[...] Read more [...]
2. Interactive documentary and education: a field to explore (I) iDocs post from Jan 2013 Transmedia
Camp 101 - February 21, 2013
[...] See on i-docs.org [...]
Featured Posts
6/8
25/07/13
Notes from Exploiting the Feedback Loop #xosummit: Guest post from Tomas Rawlings
14 June 2012
Why Canada? Story of an amazing experience (I)
13 February 2012
Florian Thalhofer needs your help!
18 March 2012
Interactivity and Transmedia: new presentations
6 November 2012
Follow us on Twitter
Tweets
Follow @i_docs
MarsNews.com
@MarsNewsDotCom
24 Jul
23 Jul
24 Jul
Tweet to @i_docs
Recently Scooped
Curated by i-Docs
i-Docs on Facebook
i-docs.org/2012/08/15/interactive-documentary-and-education-a-field-to-explore-i/
7/8
25/07/13
Mandy Rose:
Between the Lines, London, March.
Storytelling in the New Landscape
session is now online. With Caspar Sonnen,
Alexandre Brachet, William Uricchio and moi.
1
(3 hours ago)
John Burgan:
A good session
(3 hours ago)
Jaya Mahajan:
Do we need a new education system for the
digital world? A new documentary in the
making that follows a social experiment about
kids and how they learn through the internet.
This is not an interactive documentary, but I
thought it could be of interest to this group.
(2 days ago)
i-Docs
A new2012
education system for the digital world?
About
The Team
Link: Blog
GIFCTRL: Next Level Gif Control
Research
Events
i-Docs Lab
i-Docs 2013
Gil Pradeau: i-Docs 2012
New animated
i-Docs
gifs 2011
Resources
2
Contact
(3 days
ago)
GIFCTRL: Next Level Gif Control
The i-Docs site runs on a community model, we always want to hear about new projects, events,
research, online resources and anything else related to the field of interactive documentary, feel free to
email us at idocsinteractive@gmail.com or join our Facebook group Link: The Digital Pitch - Antenna
Documentary Film Festival
we look forward to hearing from you!
Kate Nash:
Another pitching/production opportunity!!
1
(3 days ago)
The Digital Pitch - Antenna Documentary Film
Festival
8/8