What is a Digital Booktalk?

Many conceptualizations of video book trailers have evolved over the years. In the business world, they are conceived of as commercials for books created by book publishers or those hired by book publicists and authors to sell their books. Others are conceived of as digital ‘book reports’ that tell about a book using animations and other production techniques. While these trailers may serve well their commercial purpose, they often do not always accomplish the educational goal of creating avid readers. Our conceptualization has evolved but has remained grounded in the belief that using these pre-visualizations not only help children select books to read but also (and more importantly) creates a whole new set of book ‘completers’. Our research has demonstrated that the evolving curriculum surrounding having student create their own trailers (UB the Director) has significantly contributed to increased reading scores by those on the most basic reading levels.

Commercial conceptualizations of video book trailers are valid and have their place as they serve a valid and specific function: to sell specific books. But it is not what we envisioned ten years ago when we invented the concept and coined the term Digital Booktalk. Our vision of book trailers has always been to create opportunities for students to re-enact the main story line of books they read, using live video clips, pictures, music, voice-overs and other digital tools. The original intent was to provide a means for reluctant and striving readers who had trouble visualizing what they were being asked to read and help them make better choices with selecting books from reading lists. As opposed to a commercial book trailer produced to entice a viewer to purchase a specific book, we do not care which book a student selects, as long as he or she simply selects one, completes it, and then uses that positive experience to find another of like genre, author, style, etc. We hypothesize from our own experience and from the research we have conducted that those viewing the trailers before reading books are actually experiencing a visual boost (i.e., head start) of sorts. This pre-visualization helps these reluctant and striving readers get the gist of the book’s story line to supplement and enhance the reading experience.

Like any other popular medium, some have re-purposed the concept of digital booktalks for their own use. Some believe that digital booktalks are simply video recordings of someone reading passages from books or telling viewers what the book is about…. in other words…’talking about the book’ using digital media. While this is ok, it falls short of our original intent.Surely, any activity in which students create things adds to the learning experience. But we feel that the idea of re-enacting the plot line creates an experience not unlike the concept of Total Physical Response used in language learning.

The video book trailers posted on the main pages of this site remain consistent with our original goals. But because we have developed a user-centered community, other spin-off activities are sure to evolve. Those who become authors and editors of the Blogs will be able to create and post their extended discussion topics. We already have examples of these.

Digital Booktalk expands Chambers’ original literary booktalk model by providing children with interactive visuals of the books that they used to only read. Many children are reluctant to read and would rather watch a movie made from books. It is our belief that you can use that reality as an educational advantage. Drs. Kenny and Gunter hypothesize that, if a student experiences a 2-minute book trailer done in the style of a motion picture, they will be better able to find a book that matches their interests, and will expand their reading to an ever-widening range. Furthermore, they believe that the book trailer production process is a fun and effective literacy pedagogy for today’s technologically advanced youth.

Interview with Project Director: Dr. Robert Kenny.