At this time, multimodal texts are this sort of mythical creature that I know could exist in the classroom, but that I would like to know more about. I suppose digital storytelling is a multimodal project, but I feel as if I need to see several more multimodal projects for me to wrap my head around how I would use them in my classroom. Honestly, they seem very artistic, which I am not, so while I could see myself allowing students to take on multimodal projects, coming up with an example to show them from my own practice would be tricky. However, Neal (2010) made the purpose of multimodal projects to seem not quite as “scary” as they could be. He reminds us that no teacher can include all of the technology available in their classroom; there are simply too many options and not enough time to explore them all. Also, teachers shouldn’t worry about always using the technology that is the newest and “hippest.” As Neal (2010) puts it, if teachers are discovering the technology, the younger generations have probably already moved on to the next trend in technology. Neal (2010) discusses in depth about how to determine if the way we assess multimodal projects are valid and reliable, but for me it seems as though the issues in assessing multimodal projects would be similar to the issues that arise anytime a teacher assesses writing, art, or other subjective projects by nature.
One issue that Neal (2010) also addresses is the need for technology to be purposeful in the classroom. Ideally, students would benefit from using technology to complete a project, technology should allow them to gain a deeper insight, make more significant connections, and explore new unknowns more than if they had completed the project without technology. He also reminds us that with technology comes obstacles, wether they be access, resistance from administration, or the inability to assess a project properly. Essentially, teachers must determine if the technology really enhances the overall lesson or project, or if it is simply “something new.”
Some of the work on multimodal literacies reminded me of a presentation I saw at the Jolle Conference this past year. Lalitha Vasudevan (2013) works with inner-city teens in creating multimodal projects as a form of expression in an after school program. The projects she showed were mostly short films which the kids had written, directed, and acted in. In her talk, she described how interested the kids in her project were in creating the movies, as wells how they each assumed different roles in the process. She discussed how these short films allowed students to express their inner feelings, and how it gave a unique insight into their lives. I have had her book in my “Wishlist” cart on Amazon ever since I saw her present, her latest book is pictured below. After completing this week’s readings, I think I may need to order it and read it this summer.
Applications to the classroom:
In addition to creating short films and digital stories which I mentioned above as being multimodal texts, Kathy Schrock’s (2010) website on creating infographics is a great idea for a project to use for students. I have noticed that infographics seem to have gained popularity with the rise of visual social media such as Pinterest and Instagram, but I had never thought of including these in my curriculum. However, I could certainly see how students would need to do research, summarize and select the most pertinent information, think about how to best display the information, etc. to create a great product. I really like how students could create an infographic on any subject, as well as how much creativity and problem solving it would take to determine how to present the information. Finally, I like how assessing the infographics would not be too overwhelming and that there are plenty of mentor texts for the students.
References
DeJaynes, T., & Vasudevan, L. (Eds.). (2013). Arts, media, and justice: Multimodal explorations with youth. Lang, Peter New York.
Neal, M. (2010). Writing assessment and the revolution in digital texts and technologies. New York: Teachers College Press.
Schrock, K. (2010). Kathy Schrock’s guide to everything. [weblog] Retrieved from: http://www.schrockguide.net/infographics-as-an-assessment.html
I got SO HAPPY reading your post!! I feel like I hear from a lot of people who cringe at multimodal projects just because they're out of their comfort zone. You said that multimodal projects seem artistic and you are not artistic. Good news: I actually think they work great for non-artistic people, like you and me. I can't decorate a bulletin board to save my life, and I definitely can't draw or anything. But in a digital space, I can move things around as many times as I want with no glue smears or wrinkles, and I can use beautiful photographs and images created by people who know what they're doing. It makes me look a LOT more artistic than I really am :)
ReplyDeleteI think you had asked to see my multimodal project for the final exam? You can check it out below. This was my first time using Emaze, and I liked it because the templates are very aesthetically pleasing on their own.
https://app.emaze.com/@ALZIZQQR/presentation-name#
Thank you so much for being willing to share your project with me! I have never seen an Emaze project before, you are correct in that is seems like something I could do, but is still artistic and definitely provides me more insight into how you are as a person compared to a powerpoint! You have inspired me! Well done!
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