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Transmedia storytelling is about telling a story in different forms, across different media. The prefix "trans" means across, and "media" refers to tools (or forms of communication) one can use to convey information, so trans-media storytelling involves telling a story that unfolds across various forms.Different media let you tell stories in different ways. A comic book can have spectacular action effects that would be expensive to make on a TV show but are easy to draw. A written story might have more time to devote to a character's personal history than a 30 or 60 minute television show. Websites can allow fans to learn about characters they love while easily skipping information about characters they find less interesting. Other media include songs, paintings, novels, commercials, newspapers, and blogs.

Today, in the PC world, whether a computer is a Dell, a Gateway, a Sony, etc., one puts a layer of software on that device, and then from a user's perspective all those different devices are the same. That is what is going to happen shortly in the mobile device space. Different companies are going to build a layer of software that makes every smart phone--android, [Windows Phone 7], iOS, etc.--appear the same to the teacher and the student.

We need to accept the fact that mobile technologies are an integral part of the kids lives and an integral part of 21st century knowledge workers' lives. We need to stop looking at the past and look to the future. We need to step forward and say: We need to do 21st century education in the same ways we are doing 21st century commerce, 21st century health, etc. There are risks; absolutely. But staying where we are in schools--using 19th century technology and fooling ourselves that we are teaching 21st century skills and content--is truly doing our students a huge disservice. You can't teach 21st century skills and content with 18th century paper and pencil tools.

What students are really motivated by are opportunities to be social — to interact around challenging concepts in powerful conversations with their peers. They are motivated by issues connected to fairness and justice. They are motivated by the important people in their lives, by the opportunity to wrestle with the big ideas rolling around in their minds, and by the often-troubling changes they see happening in the world around them. Technology’s role in today’s classroom, then, isn’t to motivate. It’s to give students opportunities to efficiently and effectively participate in motivating activities built around the individuals and ideas that matter to them.

Basically what I’m arguing is that finding ways to motivate students in our classrooms shouldn’t start with conversations about technology. Instead, it should start with conversations about our kids. What are they deeply moved by? What are they most interested in? What would surprise them? Challenge them? Leave them wondering? Once you have the answers to these questions — only after you have the answers to these questions — are you ready to make choices about the kinds of digital tools that are worth embracing.