Multimodal and Digital Texts

Multimodal and Digital Texts

Standards

10.1(A)

10.1(D)

10.1(F)

10.5(A)

10.5(E)

10.5(G)

10.7(F)

What will our lesson look like today?

I will use academic vocabulary to discuss and analyze multimodal and digital texts, expressing their ideas clearly and coherently in both written and verbal forms

I will be able to critically analyze and evaluate multimodal and digital texts, and effectively communicate their understanding.

I will be able to:identify the main elements of a multimodal and digital text, and compare and contrast different forms of multimodal and digital texts.

Warm Up!

As we watch this video on Multimodal Texts, jot down in the chat examples of multimodal texts you can think of.

A text isn’t always just words on a page. A multimodal text is a text that uses two or more modes to present information or create meaning. A mode is a way of communicating ideas or information. For example, written language, spoken language, music, images, and gestures are different kinds of modes. When a text combines written language and images, as a graphic novel does, it’s considered multimodal. However, multimodal texts such as graphic novels can also be digital. A digital text is a text that is presented and accessed using computer technology, such as an electronic text (e-text), video, or podcast. A podcast that you can access on your computer, tablet, or smartphone often combines music and spoken language to create a story, making it both digital and multimodal. Analyzing characteristics of multimodal and digital texts helps readers, viewers, and listeners better understand and more easily access increasingly complex and diverse texts. *Watch Concept Definition Video

mode

multimodal text

digital text

a way of communicating ideas, concepts, or information including written language, spoken language, images, music, and gestures

a text that is presented and accessed using computer technology

a text that uses two or more modes to present information or create meaning

Directions: Review the Checklist for Multimodal and Digital Texts below. Then read the Skill Model to examine how one student used the checklist to analyze characteristics of a multimodal text in “Seeing at the Speed of Sound.” As you read, identify the question from the checklist the student used for each annotation.

film, illustrations, graphics

Checklist for Multimodal and Digital Text

sound effects or music

body movement, sign language

words, captions, sentences, paragraphs

spoken or recorded words

How do two or more modes work together to convey or enhance the meaning of a text?

Analyze characteristics of multimodal and digital text using the following questions as a guide:

How would the meaning of the text be different if one of the modes was not included?

How does accessing the text in a digital rather than a print format impact the audience’s experience?

Which modes does the text use?

What information is communicated through each mode?

Skill Model

The personal essay “Seeing at the Speed of Sound” explains what it is like to be hearing impaired and dependent on lipreading to understand what other people are saying. The accompanying video visually illustrates what it is like to be hearing impaired and have to rely on lipreading. As digital texts, videos have certain features and advantages. Because videos can be viewed online on different devices, viewers are able to interact with them in a variety of ways. For example, viewers can scroll quickly between different sections or easily rewatch particular portions. Analyzing the characteristics of the video can help you better understand how multiple modes work together to present information. Let’s look at how one reader analyzes the digital and multimodal characteristics of the video and then uses these characteristics to better understand the text: *Watch example video #1

The student notes how the multimodal text would be different if one of the modes was not included:The video has three multimodal components: audio, visual, and text. To understand the full impact of the video, viewers have to pay attention to all three components. As the sound becomes garbled, viewers learn what it is like to be hearing impaired. He continues viewing the video and analyzing the characteristics of this multimodal text.

Watch video example #2

The student notes how the multiple modes work together to convey the meaning of the text: The text and sound point out that real conversations don’t happen in a studio. The text and sound slowly fade. You hear a high-pitched ringing that you can infer is a sound some people who are deaf hear. The video shows situations where it is difficult to see people’s lips. While viewing this video, the student analyzes the use of multiple modes and shows his understanding of how audio, visual, and text are used to help viewers understand what it is like to be deaf and attempt to lipread in different real-world situations. Watching the video also helps the student better understand the essay “Seeing at the Speed of Sound.”

Kolb notes how difficult it is to lipread by giving an example of when she struggled to do so. Because of the video, I can understand what it is like to attempt to lipread but not understand what the person is saying.

The reader notes how having watched the video helps him better understand the situation the author describes. Connecting the audio, visual, and text components of the video with the text in the essay helps him fully comprehend the information the author is conveying. The multiple modes of the digital text help the reader clarify and fully appreciate the meaning of the printed text.

Thank You!

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