Transmediated educational futures : case studies in the use of transmedia in educational contexts

The standard account of Transmedia Communications aligns it to multi-platform delivery of media unbounded by context or purpose. This has drawn attention initially to storytelling strategies designed with an interactive end-user interface in mind. The significant articulations of transmedia communications range from commercial enterprise leaning towards pop culture genres as well as non-fictional advocacy (http://transmedia-activism.com/) projects interested in using narrative strategies for social change. Cutting across these initiatives are projects designed specifically for the educational market notwithstanding that learning is a presumed embedded feature of all storytelling. My specific interest in this chapter is to examine transmedia initiatives that define themselves as primarily educational projects for an education market. I am looking at examples of companies and projects with attention to the due diligence taken by them with respect to the educational values that lie at the base of this work. Through an ethnographic engagement with these providers, I ask: What are the credentials that would qualify an organisation to provide educational materials to its target end-user group? What kinds of transmedia projects are being launched to enhance learning outcomes for the target end-user group? What are the specific links between transmedia strategies and learning outcomes? What forms of evaluation are in place to guide best practice in achieving the learning goals of the target end-user group? On the basis of this research, I hope to offer a view as to the bonafides or otherwise of a significant growth in the use of transmedia to service educational outcomes.