MultiModal Capabilities For Students

How can multimodality transform your writing?

What are others ways to reach an audience?

Kickstarter: What is Multimodality?

• Many different "Modes" of Writing
• Modes can take forms other than traditional print, alphabetic texts.
• A mode is one of many forms of communication that are contained within either physical or digital media.
• Multimodality DOES NOT just mean "digital"

What were you thoughts about the term "multimodality" BEFORE our readings this week? What is a good example of multimodality for you?

-Color usage (Visual): How can colors used to spark anger, happiness, understanding...

-images: what do pictures/photos mixed with specific reactions do for the viewer (Gestural)

-text, font, graphics (Linguistic): What you say, how you say it, the look of text and images

- the sound of the text; (Aural) audio essays, audio poems which reflect student voice; create interpersonal connection

-the movement of the text; interactive and video segments which show engagement (Spatial, Visual)

"Transformed" Remediated Assignments can attract attention through...

What Visuals Can Do...

"Designing" Your Assignment

• Research geared towards a specific audience
• Advertisements: How do we understand how these work?
• Infographics/Visuals: Digital visual which uses text, facts, graphics and images creatively.

• Contrast = color, tones, sizes/shapes, direction
• Alignment = elements are all connected, nothing feels jumbled, nothing out of place. 
• Repetition = Consistency in elements, bullets, lists, numbers, consistent style
• Proximity = Organization and viewer comprehension; elements that are related placed together.

Sound: Intro effects, music style, looping, tone of voice,

Video: Title screens, lighting, editing/cuts, props, Special FX

Let's look at some good versus not so good examples...

Sample Student Multimodal Projects

Moving Images and Music

Personal/Literacy Narrative Focus

Sample Student Multimodal Projects

Infographics for Research Purposes

From Static Image...

To Graphically Designed...

To Dynamic Images... Still about Cars (Multimodal Assignment)

Group/Individual Activity

Today we will demonstrate our understanding of multimodality by addressing our working definitions, browsing the different "modes" of communication, and thinking about how we will adapt a past essay into something multimodal. Go To Exploring Multimodality for today's in-class assignment in Week 13.

• Individual Responses to STEP 1
• As a group, spend time selecting who wants to report on which Multimodal Sample from STEP 2.

I will check in with groups later on in class about what they worked on.

Key Takeaways

Gagich (77) Introduction to Multimodal Composing - Questions when addressing Multimodal Content

1. What is the author's message?
2. Who are they addressing? How can you tell?
3. What type of text did they create? What genre conventions do you see? (e.g. style or format)
4. How was the text distributed? In what ways does it relate to the target audience?
5. What modes of communication are they using? Which are they emphasizing? Do these decisions support the message and/or appropriately target their audience?
6. What do you like about the multimodal text?
7. What, in your opinion, needs work?

The 5 Modes

Gagich (67) - Visual Mode; Gagich (68) - Linguistic Mode

Gagich (69) - Spatial Mode; Gagich (70) - Gestural Mode

Gagich (71) - Aural Mode

Which of the following questions from Gagich's article help you understand a multimodal text, site, or artifact better? Select an example based on your interests and then we'll share with the rest of the class.

Dr. Smothers' Multimodal Examples

What would I do differently? How would I present my content now?

VanKooten "Thinking Across Modes and Media" (273)

• Antropologist and museum researcher Corinne A Kratz analyses how juxtaposition works in exhibits, installations, websites, and films. She calls juxtapositions "productive kernals" that can do different kinds of rhetorical work:
  • raise questions,
  • tell stories,
  • imply sequence or narrative,
  • provoke puzzlement or surprise,
  • show contrast or similarity
  • help make an argument or suggest categories

Integration of "modes" and juxtaposition between modes.

Multimodal Presentation Workshop

From our Tuesday session on Exploring Multimodality, first choose which of your three essays you are drawing from:

• Literacy Narrative
• Showdown Analysis
• Research Evidence

MINE your past essay for the following:

• Major Concept, Discussion Themes throughout
• Key details to expand on or show
• Examples of content, sources with information
• Areas that need to be clarified? Expanded?

Choose a platform to practice with: infographic, social media content, presentation etc. - Before you leave today, you'll show me a sample of what you've worked (outline, sample visuals)on for your presentation and signed up for a practice time slot for Week 14.