Last week I wrote about the importance of balance between traditional and multimodal texts. This weeks post continues this discussion but focuses on the importance of balance between consuming digital texts and creating your own digital text.
It is vital that students are given the opportunity to consume text (books, websites, songs, film, ebooks, spoken) and also create text. When we think about 21st century learning and the implications of this for our students, it is vital that we are encouraging our students to operate at all levels of thinking… from remembering to creating (Blooms Taxonomy).
A text may be defined as multimodal when it combines two or more semiotic systems.
There are five semiotic systems in total:
•Linguistic: comprising aspects such as vocabulary, generic structure and the grammar of oral and written language
•Visual: comprising aspects such as colour, vectors and viewpoint in still and moving images
•Audio: comprising aspects such as volume, pitch and rhythm of music and sound effects
•Gestural: comprising aspects such as movement, speed and stillness in facial expression and body language
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Spatial: comprising aspects such as proximity, direction, position of layout and organization of objects in space
Anstey, Bull ( 2006) Teaching and Learning Multiliteracies, International Reading Association.
The two infographics below depict some of the tools (apps and web based) which can be used by our students to create their own mutlimodal texts.
The infographic: Apps for creating multimodal texts can be downloaded here
Websites for creating multimodal texts texts can be accessed here