Resource Evaluation for Multimodal Composition Projects
Resource Implementation for Multimodal Composition
The Symbaloo above shows the different resources I linked for my students to choose for their Guided Inquiry multimodal projects over ancient civilizations. I did not want to overwhelm students with too many options that they had not yet explored but also wanted to make sure I gave multimodal options for visual, spatial, aural, linguistic, and gestural. Students will be presenting their projects which will be focusing on gestural communication and the importance of body language when presenting. So far, students have chosen all but StoryboardThat for their project creations. While I am only focusing on three of these resources, they have all shown great successes in classroom creations.
Resource 1: Canva
Canva is an online website/resource for visual designs, such as posters, videos, social media posters, and flyers. It is free, and students can sign-up using school Google Accounts. There is a minimum age of 13 years old to use without parent permission, and I believe there is a way to email parents directly through Canva to give consent.
Piktochart and Glogster are also great online poster design websites; however, Canva seems to offer more in the different modes of design. For example, you can create a still image poster or make it into a multimodal video. Multimodal composition is not just about using digital tools to transform traditional writing aspects; it is about allowing students opportunities to build projects based on multiple modes of communication and deciding how to organize/synthesize them for the most effective communication of ideas. Canva has many different elements that are easy to embed into presentations; it has text boxes for traditional (linguistic) writing, pictures, and animations to add visual interactivity, aural and gestural through song and video embedding, and spatial organization to allow students to move/organize elements how they want.
Many different templates are available for customization needs of activities which also gives beginners a great, helpful place to start designing if they have not used these types of web designs before. The templates (Figure 1) are easy for students to make them their own without having to start from scratch; however, it also offers a wide range of usability for students who might want to create more complex designs.
Once students have made their amazing designs they can create a sharable link for others to view their work. It could be posted on Canvas discussion boards for students to view or other Learning Management Systems for students and parents/guardians to view. Canva is made for collaborative teams to seamlessly work together on one design which helps students work on the 21st Century skill of collaboration; my own students have used Canva to work in groups for this project as large as three people on one design, It has been very helpful for collaboration during social distancing and safety protocols, right now. Also, students can work on teams for free while other poster design websites do not offer this collaboration for free. Another great 21st Century literacy aspect of Canva is the ability for students to take information from the research and create something new with this information while potentially communicating with multiple or all modes of communication through composition/designing.
Canva does have drawbacks such as the age restriction if parents/guardians do not want students using it. It is also not easy to publish outside of social media realms. Students could print off their designs, download a copy or post a copy of the shareable link; however, it is not as easy to publish as other websites or apps.
Resource 2: Google Sites
Google Sites is a Google Suite education tool that allows students to create their own website with a home page plus additional tabs/pages. I posted this tool in the spatial area of my Symbaloo, because it is great at helping students learn how to organize different elements in one space and making critical decisions on designs. Other Google elements can be embedded into the website along with images and YouTube videos, so it is easy to incorporate not only linguistic through typed words and summaries about content but also visuals, gestural, and aural through pictures, videos, songs, etc. Other Google apps, such as docs, sheets, and slides can be added to the website from the sidebar; one group of my students used Google Sheets to show the percentages of different countries/areas where the Vikings sailed and then embedded into their overall website which covered extensive content over Vikings and their essential research question. It was very neat to see how they took this tool and created such a creative project with it!
Google Sites are very adaptable to age groups and different literacy activities. Templates are very basic with different elements to add for what is needed for your specific ideas and literacy projects. It is similar to Google Slides, so upper elementary students would be familiar with many of the design aspects if they’ve used Google Slides before. With the basic templates and website format, middle to high schoolers could also be challenged with spatially organizing and designing content based on learning activities while adding their own creative touches.
Sites are publishable but still safe for younger users because viewers must have the link before accessing students’ sites. Students can still have that critical mindset of writing for a wider audience, but teachers and parents/guardians can still control who sees the website and content. Google Sites allows students to become aware of their audiences and see themselves as global citizens of the 21st century. Johnson (2014) states "Awareness of the audience and the possibility of global and/or peer response evoke the need for thoughtful reflection and critical thinking" (Johnson, 2014, chapter 7). It is crucial students are able to see themselves as global citizens capable of sharing content and information within web literacies which also builds the 21st century of critical thinking.
It could be seen as a drawback that this tool is only compatible with a GSuite Education account and very Google-specific with what tools can be embedded. It is not as open as other website creators, but it is a great place to start with teaching students to be mindful of audiences and web literacy.
Resource 3: GarageBand
GarageBand is a recording system that can be downloaded to any Mac or IOS devices. It allows students to record songs and other audio tracks. For my project, I framed it as a great tool for students to create their own podcasts over their ancient civilization and research question. GarageBand is a great source for having students practice aural communication which is something that is not always seen in all ELA classrooms. This software is truly centered around communication through voice and sound. It is one of the more difficult tools that have been used for my inquiry project, so I would say it would be best to try and introduce in upper elementary or middle school. Once students get used to the software's features, it is much easier to record and download tracks. One of my students figured out how to use it and created her own podcast about food and clothing in Aztec traditions. It was great to get to listen to her personality come through because she is sometimes more reserved in class. She created an engaging podcast with great use of inflection and other communication techniques. For this reason, I think it would also be a great tool for students to create podcasts or recordings of themselves reading and playback.
The following video (ShareYourGenius, 2018) explains how to record and download a podcast or track from GarageBand. It could be published or shared on platforms that are compatible with mp3 files. When utilizing this tool students must be able to take the information gained from research and critically choose the best tracks and sounds to creatively produce a project that shows their learning about specific content through the use of digital literacy.
GarageBand does take time to maneuver and understand, so if you do not have long periods of time for project creations, such as podcasts, it might not be the best option. Another important consideration is its compatibility with only Mac or IOS products; if schools use Windows or Chromebooks, it would not be the best tool to pursue.
I"d love to hear the podcast that you mentioned!
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