Victoria Corning How Multimodality in Education Enhances Learning Computers & Study of English Dr.

Sarver Fall 2013

21st century technology has vastly changed student learning. Children no longer have to seek answers from their teachers because now they can just Google it or Youtube it for almost any information. The generations of children who have grown up with this rapid and widely accessible technology are called the digital generation and educators are struggling to keep up with them. If there are no change in teaching strategies and incorporation of technology, then the classroom will be ineffective and replaced by digital learning, leaving teachers as ineffective educators. However, if teachers can familiarize themselves with technological learning strategies and incorporate them into the classroom for real world learning, the face-to-face classroom will remain a necessary learning environment. Multimodality and Literacy in School Classrooms by Carey Jewitt and Beliefs about Technology and the Preparation of English Teachers: Beginning the Conversation published by Contemporary Issues in Technology and English Language Arts Teacher Education discuss solution techniques that will adjust classroom learning for the digital generation through multimodality, literacy, and the ever-broad term of technology, while not abandoning the pen and pencil way. Firstly, what is multimodality? By definition it is multiple forms of information such as physical, virtual, digital, etc. An example of this is presented by Carey Jewitt, he states, children consume and appropriate Pokemon and Yugio characters across television, film, and game cards, making and remaking features in their own cards and activities(Jewitt 243). There are thousands of more examples in which games, information, characters, and many more things are presented in multiple forms. This changes how teachers present material in the classroom vastly. It is no longer effective for students to learn through only flat two-dimensional books or papers, when there is

access to image, video, games, interactive websites, and three-dimensional objects, also known as multimedia. Does that mean that books and paper need to be left behind? No, students should be exposed to a variety of learning techniques, such as auditory and visually, to experiment and discover which best works with their individual learning abilities. One way that multimodality can be used is through multimedia and differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction is a set of diverse techniques to present information to the classroom for students with a variety of learning abilities. For example, when presenting a lesson, instead of only verbal lecture, provide an interactive Power Point, web page, or video. Give the students a hard copy for them to reference and even a visual representation of the learning objective in the classroom so students may reference that as well. While one student may respond to hearing information, another student may not be able to absorb information that way. Offering multiple modes of information representation gives children numerous opportunities to understand what is being taught and absorb it. Students learning abilities are another key factor in differentiated instruction. For example, students with hearing disabilities may prefer seeing a digital representation with sound, like a video clip. There are three steps in differentiated instruction according to Differentiating Instruction: Meeting Students Where They Are an article by Jennifer Willoughby published on Teaching Today. Firstly getting to know students to better understand the level in which they are individually learning. Then studying lesson plans and curriculum to decide where differentiated instruction will fit. Brainstorm ideas and several forms of multimodality to present. Finally, assess the effectiveness of differentiated instruction by determining if the objective has been met

and if the varied instruction has improved student learning. Always have a back-up plan or alternative if the instruction seems ineffective, and whenever using technology (Willoughby1). With all of the technology that surrounds our educational community, how is literacy incorporated? Literacy has been known as the ability to read, write, and be numerate(Swenson 1). However, today it isnt just about using these skills within the classroom. Technology has allowed for communication to virtually anyone at any time on the World Wide Web, but what messages are being put out there? Knowledge in reading, writing, and numeracy is vital when what one says is permanently on the Internet and viewable to numerous people. This develops literacy into literacies. The world is not only communicating by the written word but with the visual, oral, and interactive multimedia (Swenson 1). The goal for educators is to inform students about their digital footprint and emphasize the importance of learning how to read visual images and other forms of 21st century communication. Jewitt discusses the term multiliteracies which was introduced by the New London Group due to the new demands of employers in the working world (Jewitt 245). This type of communication is important in the workforce because employees need to be able to reach out not only through the written word but also through the digital landscape of visuals, videos, hypertext, interactive websites, and other multimedia (Jewitt 245). Through the incorporation of multimedia in the classroom, students will learn multiple ways of finding information, presenting material, recontextualizing, and communicating. Thus preparing students not only for further education in college but also in the working world.

However, Jewitt discusses how reading text online alters its effect on the audience. Students are not only previewed to text and minor images but also hyperlinks that will bring them to new webpages, as well as advertisements, and connections to other similar articles and webpages (Jewitt 259). This brings up the comparison of Internet text versus written text, and also the view of the author. An author of the written book is usually on large letters on the cover, but online authors are more difficult to find but still need to be credited. When speaking of the author and reader relationship Jewitt states that the Internet, challenges and breaks down some of the traditional distinctions between reader and writer(Jewitt 260), as an example of blogs and online forums. It also opens the door for collaborative writing, writing suggestions, recreating, and appropriating from the works of others. However, copyright issues arise; students, teachers, and communities need to be aware of Fair Use of how to legally use Internet information. Multimodality and literacies have changed the way signs are viewed. Author, Marjorie Siegel discusses multimodality in her article Rereading the Signs: Multimodal Transformations in the Field of Literacy Education. She states, This movement has signaled a change in the literacy landscape that puts images, gestures, music, movement, animation, and other representational modes on equal footing with language(Siegel 1). She goes on to discuss the changes that arise in the classroom with the availability of this technology and how it changes literacy and relates to an art form. The word sign appears often in her article, which relates to words and symbols. When the word cat is heard we hear its sound and reference it with a well-known picture of the animal. Multimodality assists in developing new perspectives on the word such as cat. As stated,

The emphasis placed on crossing sign systems was meant to help learners recast their knowing and gain new perspectives on the texts they were reading and writing(Siegel 8). There exist difficulties in incorporating technological learning into the classroom. As said in Beliefs, Many teacher educators do not have access to newer technologies(Swenson 1). Budget cuts do not allow for spending on brand new technology for the classroom and when teachers are granted access they must first learn the best techniques before teaching them. Classroom transitions into technology programs such as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) are brilliant in theory but in execution, while 41% of Americans age 12 and up own a smart phone, there are still many children who do not even have home internet (Horizon 11). Money is a key factor in the challenges of adapting into a technological learning environment. However, there are many opportunities that exist for teachers to apply for technology grant funding. As computers, iPads, tablets, mobile devices, and more technological devices develop, the more affordable they will become for schools. Overall, technology is changing the world of education, but teachers and administrators have to alter the education system to utilize it and enhance student learning. The use of multimodality in the classroom can assist teachers in presenting subject material in a way that is interactive and engaging with students. Students are also able to learn anytime, anywhere. The digital generation must be taught to read online text, visual images, digital videos, and more types of new literacies. With this information, educators must be flexible and understanding that technology is ever changing; as it develops, the learning strategies must develop with it. What will the world look like in 2050? Lets not be scared but instead be prepared.

Works Cited:

Jewitt, Carey. Multimodality and Literacy in School Classrooms. Review of Research in Education. American Educational Research Association. SAGE. 2008. 241264. Print.

Willoughby, Jennifer. Are,

"Differentiating Instruction: Meeting Students Where They

Teaching Today, Glencoe Online." Differentiating Instruction: Meeting Students Where They Are, Teaching Today, Glencoe Online. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.

Siegel, Marjorie. Rereading the Signs: Multimodal Transformations in the Field of Literacy Education. Language Arts: Review of Research. Sept. 2006. 1-13. PDF.

"Sparking Innovation, Learning and Creativity." NMC Horizon Report 2013 Higher Education Edition. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.

Swenson, J., Rozema, R., Young, C. A., McGrail, E., & Whitin, P. (2005). Beliefs about technology and the preparation of English teachers: Beginning the conversation.Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial], 5(3/4).