THE POWER OF SHOW: EXPERIMENTING WITH MULTIMODAL COMPOSITION Lauren Smith and Jennifer Niester-Mika Delta College

WHY GO MULTIMODAL? Multimodal Composition recognizes that there are multiple forms of delivery available in today’s digital, networked world. Each modality comes with its own affordances: Composition is about making the best choices for the rhetorical situation. Gaining skills in multimodal design and digital rhetoric empowers students personally, professionally, and civically.

REMEDIATION: FROM PERSONAL ESSAY TO DIGITAL STORY Definition A digital story is a media artifact that combines words, images, and sounds to express an idea or a series of ideas. Connections to a traditional personal essay assignment A digital story can be thesis-driven, and it asks students to engage with questions of audience, theme, revision, exposition, organization, transitions, and attribution. Rationale for experimenting with digital stories in a composition class Students who make digital stories learn multimedia skills and understand writing more deeply and in new ways.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING: A THREE-WEEK PROJECT Students: 1. Select the stories they want to tell. 2. Share their stories orally with their peers. 3. Write their story scripts and make revisions. 4. Record voiceovers. 5. Find images and music to support the stories and their meanings. 6. Use a video software program to assemble their stories. 7. Show their completed stories. 8. Reflect in writing on the storytelling process.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING AND LEARNING OUTCOMES Developmental Writing Learning Outcomes and Digital Storytelling Connections: Outcome: “Plan and brainstorm ideas for an essay before beginning to write.” Before you started making your digital story and writing your script, you told your story to the class. Outcome: “Produce drafts of an essay and show an understanding of revision.” Before you finalized your script, you worked on it with your instructor and made changes. You made a number of changes to your story as you went along. The “rough cut” of your story was the first draft of it. Outcome: “Participate effectively in writing groups and conferences.” You met with your instructor to finalize your script, and you let others see and respond to your story as you worked on it. Outcome: “Produce edited, properly formatted essays.” You polished your story, making your voice match the images you chose so that the story would run seamlessly. This is the same as editing and applying good formatting to writing.

OTHER ASSIGNMENT REMEDIATIONS Problem-Solution Essay to Problem-Solution Website: Argumentative Essay to Video Essay: Resume to ePortfolio: Written analysis vs. Remix: Journalism Print Feature to Multimodal Web Feature:

DEVELOPMENTAL VS. 200-LEVEL NEW MEDIA WRITING Whereas in our developmental classes we engage in a standard set of practices, in our higher level, New Media Writing, we engage in more open experimentation. For today’s journalists and other online writers, the ability to learn and adapt is key – as the medium and tools are ever evolving. This class aspires to what Howard Rheingold refers to as New Media Literacies, where play is heavily valued: We ask, what do you want to do in this review, story, website, etc., and then we figure out, collaboratively, how to do it.

WHAT VIDEO EDITING LOOKS LIKE

PROS AND CONS OF DIGITAL ASSIGNMENTS PROS  Some students enjoy the opportunity to express themselves creatively and welcome a change from familiar, “ho- hum” English class work.  Learning how to make multimedia projects serves as excellent professional development for some students.  Aspects of media production can reinforce important grammar concepts.  Video projects allow visual and aural learners to flourish. CONS  Some students find digital work too unconventional and struggle to connect them with their expectations of a “regular” writing class.  Some students resist learning new software and become mired in technical problems.  During production, most students need a lot of immediate feedback from an instructor.  Sometimes, the hunt for the perfect image (via Google, Facebook, etc.) distracts students and pulls them off schedule.

DIGITAL TOOLS AND TRAINING RESOURCES Production Tools WeVideo: Voicethread: Prezi: Audio Tools Audacity: Jamendo: Freesound: Digital Storytelling Training The Center for Digital Storytelling: The Digital Storytelling Center at Catawba Valley Community College:

DIGITAL STORY EXAMPLES “King Salmon” by Amanda Hite “My First Love” by Anthony Countegan Center for Digital Storytelling YouTube channel: Digital stories from Catawba Valley Community College:

QUESTIONS?

CONTACT INFORMATION Lauren Smith Assistant Professor of English Delta College Jennifer Niester-Mika Associate Professor of English Co-Director, Writing, Reading and Information Technology Center Delta College