Multimodal Writing and Digital Story-Telling

    As I have mentioned in many of my other posts, I have always loved writing. I could never quite get enough of it and I would always find time to incorporate it into my day. As much as I enjoyed the activity, though, I didn't expand my techniques and knowledge of it until I was in college. Sure, I would learn some new things here and there in school, but I never pushed myself to do any more than was required.  I would strictly write quirky short stories or journal about my day. I would only do this in a notebook or a digital document (such as Google Docs or Word documents). I was perfectly content with it. There was no need for a video or visuals - I could do this entirely through my own words. My thought process was a little stubborn when I was younger... this hasn't changed much. My thoughts on multimodal writing, however, have. 

    I still remember my first digital story-telling experience. It was 7th grade. 1:1 computers were not quite a thing yet, but gaining access to technology was  easy-peasy. There were always laptops ready in the library, so that's where we started. My class had taken about two and a half weeks to plan a story to share with our peers. We didn't know that we would be taking this to a digital level - we had assumed it would be an essay or an amateur storybook, like we usually did. Imagine our surprise when the teacher announced that we would be creating a short video. Many of us were excited - I was not. I didn't like hearing my own voice when I talked, let alone on a video that I would share with friends. I got over this hiccup when we actually started recording, though. I found the whole process too exciting to be upset about my voice. I still find this process exciting. I love finding new ways to create symbolism in my work and I love seeing that work come to life. In addition to storytelling, I have also recorded and published a video book, constructed a book trailer, and done other various multimodal works.

    Multimodal works can bring many new aspects into the everyday world that may not have been as apparent as before. These elements can be something smaller, like an individual's personality, or it can be more large-scale, like an important PSA. I found the perspective of an individual extent in the video "Paper Valentine Book Trailer." In this book trailer, despite never meeting the author we learn quite a bit about them. This person had so many different options in terms of clips, music, text, etc. yet their video components showcase what they chose. The haunting music, the anime images, the creepy word choice were all hand-picked by the author. I absolutely love this. I love that this student was able to not only compose work on a story that they were interested in, but they could also display identity. This is much harder to do in the traditional way or writing, as there seems to be a set 'standard.' This standard opposes individuality. Multimodal work, however, celebrates individuality. On the large-scale side, I enjoyed watching "Congo Coltan War PSA." This PSA was incredibly compelling as it played heavy on the pathos. The rollercoaster of emotions were created through the use of sound and imagery. What I liked about this video, from the teacher aspect, is that students can extend their learning of writing elements and apply them to multimodal works. This broadens their interests while also further developing these facets. 

    In my future teaching, I plan on using multimodal composition as often as I can. The world is changing and individuality is now a key trait. I feel that multimodal works help to promote this idea, which in turn promotes my students. This would not only prepare them for the world, but it would also allow me to get to know my students and their likes. Furthermore, I would like to use multimodal composition in order to engage my students. These modes are so versatile that students would have limitless options. It would be very easy for them to find a source that they enjoy working with. This would allow them to be fully engaged in their work, rather than feeling forced to complete a repetitive assignment.