inspire
How does the use of digital technologies encourage multi-modal communication and creativity?
Artifact: video essay
In ETEC 540, I collaborated on a video project with Marc Aubanel and Mike Singh. We were encouraged to be creative in representing our the ideas, instead of simply writing a paper. We started by brainstorming what we already knew about dynamic text as a starting point and then completing a literature review on various aspects of the topic. Next, we devised visual ways of creating our message. Our thesis and conclusion are stated directly in text and throughout the video we utilize image, hypertext, and space to communicate with the viewer. It's a dynamic text visual presentation on the topic of dynamic text. During the process, we used Skype, Google Documents, Dropbox, and YouTube to collaborate, communicate and share files during the process.We posted our final project to the course blog as a blog entry with a project rationale and bibliography of sources and credit list.
film production
The 'new media' of the internet is a mash up of previous mediums (Guillory, 2010) as it has the potential for text, visual, audio, and spatial capabilities. Duncan, D'Ippolito, Mcpherson and Wilson's (1996) conception of construction and deconstruction of reality has been taken to a new level because media is no longer controled by gatekeepers; average people of all ages can create media with little, and the interactivity of social spaces online has encouraged the explosion of such media as people chose to engage in the new media of the average citizen. In particular, video has been leveraged to create meaningful, persuasive messages to express critical ideas that are grounded in reputable sources. The polished entertainment of the media industry has flourished despite the rise of amateur media production, and there continues to be a need to provide learners with experiences in which they critically assess the messages contained in songs and films.
In ETEC 540 Text Technologies: The Changing Spaces of Reading and Writing, we studied the origins of writing and how writing grew out of oral culture. Change was relatively slow in terms of the development of the scroll and then the codex book occuring over centuries, but since the 1800s change has accelerated with the advent of photography, film (Cinematic Impact on Literacy and Education group project), and then digital technologies. The capability of easily producing image and film has rendered visual mediums much greater importance that is challenging print as the dominant medium and demanding attention for its communication capability. At the same time, text has become dynamic with the ability to move, demonstrate spatial relationship, and work in conjunction with other media in an equalizing manner in which the other media is not subservient to the text. The question of whether print literacy levels in society is concerning (Postman, 1999) or not is complicated because we now require people to possess a wide variety of literacies (New London Group, 1996) and to use a variety of media to communicate rather than only in print. There is great communicative power in using textual and visual mediums together.
Reflection:
This project demonstrates my growth in video production that occurred during the MET program. I have become quite adept in basic sound recording, image creation and editing, and video editing. I was very pleased with how we used image and text to create our messages visually and spatially instead of only textually. The combination of visuals and text makes the viewer experience more engaging, meaningful and persuasive.
Artistotle distrusted the written word in favour or oration believing it would be to the detriment of higher learning (Seventh Letter) in the same way that many feel about the preservation of print today. As I stated in my final reflection for this course, "I look to the future with optimism as we seek to redefine what it means to be literate in our time" (Wagner, The Negotiation Continues, 2013). Bolter (2001) describes hypertext as an evolution of print that is still in transformation, and I believe that its full potential has not yet been realized. The concept of multiliteracies merits further exploration as this negotiation between the visual and text continues (Cope & Kalantzis, 2009).
Next: Visit the conclusions page incite which embodies not an ending but a looking ahead to future learning endeavours.