Twine is an “open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories” (Twine, 2020, para. 1). With Twine, users can create and choose their own adventure stories, games, and hyperlinked texts (example Twine “Arcadia” by Jonas Kyratzes). Twine was created in 2009. As an open-source tool, several individuals have expanded and modified Twine. Twine is available on Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux. Designing with Twine can increase students’ interest, enhance engagement, and deepen their learning.
Price | Free |
---|---|
Learning | Cognitivism & Constructionism |
Ease of Use | ★✩✩✩✩ |
Privacy | ★✩✩✩✩ |
Accessibility | ★✩✩✩✩ |
Class Size | Unlimited |
Login | No |
ISTE*S | Knowledge Constructor & Creative Communicator |
COPPA/ FERPA |
No COPPA/FERPA policy found. Check with your school IT administrator. |
Twine is difficult to learn to use due to limited instructions on the site. Instructions are needed to navigate smoothly.
There is no privacy statement available for Twine.
Twine does not have an accessibility statement or VPAT available. The Twine homepage features images without alt text descriptions, which indicates a lack of willingness to design for accessibility.
Dr. Ruben Puentedura’s SAMR model offers a lens for examining how technology is adopted in a classroom. As you strive to incorporate online tools into your classroom, we encourage you to use this model as an analytic tool.
Here is an example of how Twine might fit within the SAMR model:
Far too often, technology is used as a direct substitute for other low-tech tools (e.g., pencil and paper). While substitution has some benefits (e.g., students develop their technology skills and knowledge), we encourage you to think about how you might use Twine to modify or redefine learning.
All students start with the same math problem and are given the final answer. They use Twine to map out the middle portion of the problem-solving process. Then, they share their work with peers and decide which of their peers’ mindmaps to use to create an interactive math story on Twine.
Students can create interactive stories about the process of plant growth. The story can change depending on how much sun exposure or water is received by the plant. Or, students could create a story about the cell cycle including different outcomes such as cancerous versus healthy cells.
Students can recreate a famous story on Twine, but add a twist in the plot or alternate ending.
Students can create timeline stories of historical events. They can add different variations depending on whose side of the story is being told.
Students can create an interactive game about a famous artist. They could also use Twine to create an explanation of the steps that they used to create their final art project.
Students can use Twine to explain how verbs are conjugated depending on whom the verb is referring to. Also, they can use Twine to illustrate the history of a country that speaks that specific language. For example, students could use Twine to create an interactive story about the history of Flamenco for a Spanish class.
Starks K., Barker D., Cole A. (2016) Using Twine as a Therapeutic Writing Tool for Creating Serious Games. In: Marsh T., Ma M., Oliveira M., Baalsrud Hauge J., Göbel S. (eds) Serious Games. JCSG 2016. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 9894.
Tran, K. M. (2016). “Her story was complex”: A Twine workshop for ten-to twelve-year-old girls. E-learning and Digital Media, 13(5-6), 212-226.
Wang, H. (2014). Learner autonomy based on constructivism learning theory. International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 8(5), 1552-54.
Wilson, R., & Saklofske, J. (2019). Playful Lenses: Using Twine to Facilitate Open Social Scholarship through Game-based Inquiry, Research, and Scholarly Communication. KULA: knowledge creation, dissemination, and preservation studies, 3(1), 1-10.
This content is provided to you freely by EdTech Books.
Access it online or download it at https://edtechbooks.org/onlinetools/twine.