Thinking About Multimodality

 In the first chapters of Bridging the Multimodal Gap, edited by Samtosh Khadka and J.C. Lee, two key concepts that I have been grappling with are addressed. First, my fears about using digital tools and texts in my course. Second, my concerns about the value of visual or auditory texts as compared to written texts. These two issues have been humming in the back of my mind throughout the course, perhaps even since I began my degree program. It was not only refreshing to know that others have grappled with the same concerns, but also it allowed me some time to think through my perspective.

I have always struggled with "imposter syndrome." I am not a great risk-taker, and I like to do things well, and preferably perfect, the first time. I am aware that this faulty thinking will not serve me in the classroom, and it will not help my students feel comfortable as learners. So, I have been working through this tendency in the past couple of years. However, when it comes to embracing technology and the hiccups, risks, and foibles that can accompany trying new things, I am feeling pretty stuck. I do not consider myself to be adept at utilizing the digital tools available to those teaching the humanities, though I do learn more every semester. I also do not consider myself to be adept at creating multimodal texts, though I learn more every semester. I think the four fears outlined on page 49 of the text really sum it up for me: I am scared of treading into uncharted territory, the complexity of multimodal assignments, designing and integrating the assignments in meaningful pedagogical ways, and that the person who needs convincing of their value is still ME.

I am and have always been a "print text" person. I favor traditional writing. But then I had a child who just did not learn that way or express herself well in writing. But, she was a great auditory learner, and she loved to talk out her thoughts. She was far more articulate in speech than she felt in print, while I was the opposite. Multimodal texts spoke to her in a way I could not hear, and I was grateful. In my future, there will be students who possess learning styles and talents that are much different than mine, and I want to show up for them. I want to show up valuing their learning style and gifting as much as mainstream academia values solid writers and readers. I want to show up knowing to my core that there are many forms of intelligence and expression that are equally valuable and produce something the world needs, so I need to embrace my fears and remember one key fact: I am not in the classroom to perform. I am in the classroom to defend, embrace, and facilitate every student's right to learn and express his or her learning. That is how I mean to show up. 

Later in the text, Mark Pedretti and Adam Perzynski wrote a chapter on a video composition project they studied. Students produced a video "essay" in place of a traditional written essay, and then they shared their thoughts on the writing process, their preparation, etc. It was a fascinating study. The students identified that they prepared better and more thoughtfully doing a video than an essay, and their reasons made so much sense! In an essay, the tendency is to feel that you are writing in a bubble to your teacher. In a video, there is the immediate sense that the audience is wider, it is more easily sharable and more likely to be viewed, so you better be on your game. It is one thing to meander around a bit in your paragraphs, but to lose your focus in a video is embarrassing! Students cited having prepared far more for their production in video than before sitting down to write an essay. This was such a key point: how the writing and the filming are both the "making." And making takes work, attention to detail, and a clear purpose. It really gave me a greater respect for how multimodal assignments can improve later writing, if we take the time to connect the dots.

It is obvious, I am sure, that my philosophy on technology in the classroom is still in the toddler phase. I have ideas, I have topics to struggle with, and I have paradigms to shift. I am grateful for the texts that allow instructors to share their fears and experiences with me, so that I will go into the classroom thoughtful, aware, and open. Above all, I want to adopt a philosophy on multimodality that serves the students, so in the process, I must tear down what no longer serves me. I am here for it.