Mini Multimodal Project

For my mini multimodal project, I decided to experiment a bit with Dipity – a website that allows users to create their own interactive timelines. I chose to do mine on one of my favorite authors, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. For the timeline, I didn't feel as though the images were that important. They simply create an aesthetically pleasing visual to accompany the text and make each point stand out on the timeline. That being said, I really enjoyed making my interactive timeline although mine is only half-complete as it is right now. Searching for information, condensing that information, and placing it in the timeline was an engaging activity. I like the visual aspect of the timeline as well. Users just click and drag and it is useful to see when each event takes place in relation to other events. I can see these timelines being extremely helpful to students especially if they are used as review or as study guides because the way they are setup is very clean, simplistic, and easy to navigate. There are very few distracting, unnecessary details added to these timelines – just the relevant facts in sequential order. This is because the person setting up the timeline is forced to restrict what they write in order to stay relevant to the timeframe and heading that they create. The creator is specifically writing about the most important, noteworthy points in the subject's life. I can see myself using interactive timelines in my own teachings for this very reason. They are a wonderful way to ensure the student is staying on track and focusing on the bigger, most important points. One of my criticisms though with the site is that the citing aspect of it isn't too great. You only provide a link to where you found your information; Dipity doesn't ask for authors, dates, or any other important citation information. That being said, having students provide a link to their source is a step in the right direction (assuming that they don't have any experience with sourcing). 

When I think about the alternative, that is, just typing out a biography of Kurt Vonnegut Jr's life, the interactive timeline's appeal becomes all the more apparent. In order for students to learn, they need to be engaged; their interest must be piqued. Multimodal projects like the interactive timeline give students that extra level of engagement. Even if they are not creating their own timeline, simply viewing them is more engaging than, say, reading over one's notes or reading a biography. 

Here is a link to my own timeline: http://www.dipity.com/rosie1/The-Life-of-Kurt-Vonnegut-Jr/

The first half is a bit more complete in terms of information given. If I were to further edit this, I would write synopses for each novel that Kurt Vonnegut Jr. wrote as well as write a bit more about his later life and what sort of jobs and happenings occupied his time.  That being said,

I found a blog by Dr. Charles Forceville. He writes about multimodality and provides examples and ideas as to how we can present the idea of multimodality to students. 

Multimodal Composition

As far as multimodal composition goes, my experience is limited. During my first semester at UW-Milwaukee, one of my classes required students to use VoiceThread to create a final project about the importance of culture in America. At the time, the project was incredibly frustrating for me because my exposure to digital storytelling was nonexistent and the class was left to their own devices, given no guidance, as to how to compose their project. That being said, I definitely see the benefits of using such technologies in the classroom. In his textbook “The Digital Writing Workshop” Troy Hicks writes, “Writing multimedia texts both honors our traditional understanding of what good writing is while at the same time offers us new definitions of what makes. . . a compelling lead, effective characterizations, and successful use of repetition for rhetorical effect” (54). Multimodal composition exposes students to new ways of thinking and presenting one's understanding on a topic. While the traditional printed essay is still important in the classroom, multimodal composition allows for more student creativity and in turn, strengthens student engagement as they are being asked to dabble in new literacies. As Hicks writes about, multimodal composition requires students to think very carefully about words, pictures, and presentation. Most multimodal compositions are not as dense as, say, a 5-page essay would be; there is less room for fluff and more emphasis on being very selective and calculating with the many choices that need to be made when composing a piece.

In my future teaching, I like the idea of using multimodal composition for assignments that diverge from the traditional 5-paragraph essays, like with assignments that perhaps ask for students to retell a personal experience or vocalize their personal opinions on a subject. I feel as though assignments that have a personal element to them may inspire a bit more creativity in students, and multimodal composition would be the perfect outlet for that. I would also argue it is easier for students to get carried away with assignments that are a bit more subjective, so asking them to frame their story using different media might help them cut down on unnecessary details as they would have to think critically about what matters most in their story. Multimodal composition requires creativity, but it also requires students to think deeply about what is most important in their presentation as they are given limited time and space.

Andrea Lunsford wrote aninteresting post on multimodal composition that I think many of you might like to check out. She looks at something calling mapping andhow it operates in the classroom.

Response to Online Roleplaying Activity

      For the online roleplaying activity, I chose the role of a journalist. My character was named Ezra Lobsterman. Before we started, I had a lot of different ideas as to how I would approach taking the role of this character but once I got to down to actually typing and responding to others that were posting on Schoology, I had a very difficult time setting up Ezra's character. I felt like this was because of the topic -- Should cursive be taught in school? It is one of those topics that has a very lackluster debate to follow because it is not something that people feel particularly passionate about. People are either indifferent or leaning slightly in one direction, but as far as debates go, it is going to be one of the less passionate ones.  So because of my less than enthusiastic feelings on the topic, I took on a neutral stance (as all journalists supposedly do).  In doing so, I kept a professional voice and tried to provide readers with additional research on the topic as a way to bring into question the validity of previously posted sources. My responses varied -- some were in favor of cursive, others not so much.  I wasn't able to really give Ezra a personality; the topic and role I took were very limiting and I couldn't figure out how to give him a memorable personality with what I had to work with. If I had to do it again with the same role and same topic I would have probably been more imaginative and liberal with how I interacted with others (for example, add new elements in the discussion through "investigation" and dredging up past events that may have influenced the positions of other roleplayers, questioning their motivation).

The Digital Sphere

While reading Chapter 3 of “The Digital Writing Workshop” by Troy Hicks, what caught my eye was the emphasis on the reflection and collaboration opportunities that digital writing tools can bring to the classroom. He focuses on three different platforms that are viable in the classroom: Blogs, wikis, and collaborative word processors (like googledocs). These tools encourage students to interact with one another – whether that be through commenting on blog posts, participating in online discussions, or offering one another advice through the editing and commenting features that are present in tools like googledocs. While all of these things are available to be done in person (albeit through different strategies), I feel as though in a digital sphere, the information that is transmitted during these activities is much more likely to stick in a student's mind. It is so easy to become distracted in a physical classroom setting when having a discussion – a student might be thinking about lunch, a school dance, a test in the next period – and they aren't participating to the fullest during a classroom discussion or peer review session. What the online element does is provide students with the opportunity to revisit, reflect, and ponder what they're reading and writing. They can come to the digital classroom whenever it best suits them and contribute when they feel motivated to do so.

When applying the Hicks' chapter to my own goals as an educator, I think these digital platforms will be beneficial to my teaching. Not only do these platforms give students another realm to explore and interact with, they give students the opportunity to really think and reflect on what they are going to say and how they are going to say it. The key part, in my opinion, is time. Students have a substantial amount of time when it comes to posting and responding, while in a physical classroom, many comments in a discussion or during peer review are done right on the spot with little time to formulate an adequate response. Similarly, these platforms give students practice with online etiquette which is more important now than it has ever been in the past. It's very important for students to be exposed to the digital sphere in a productive, collaborative, and accepting way early on so they develop good habits while online.

When thinking about hindrances that online writing can bring, my biggest concern is that some students might not have the resources to partake in an online sphere, although I would hope the school I am working at can accommodate for that. It is important to remember that not all students come from the same economic background and what we as teachers take for granted may not be available to them at home. Another issue I can see coming from online instruction is students simply forgetting to actively participate. I too am guilty of this with online courses – it is so easy to forget that they even exist. I suppose the reason for this is because many of us aren't actively thinking about them throughout the day; really, our only interactions with online coursework comes when we sit down at our computer and (hopefully) remember that we have work to do, while with the physical classroom, you must be physically present everyday which is very essential when it comes to remembering.

This blogger was actually mentioned in the Hicks' chapter. Her name is Vicki Davis and she runs the Cool Cat Teacher Blog. I found her post entitled “Does Everyone Need toUnderstand Technology? You be the Judge” interesting.