Link to the video version of the what’s in my bag task: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rkgKbHHoSW4cFv7dLipxyQK5JnLi0imr/view?usp=sharing

I have recreated the what’s in my bag task using a self-made video by utilizing multimodal design techniques proposed by the New London Group (1996) such as visual design (showing the items, zooming in on the item to draw attention), gestural design (movement, pointing with a finger), and audio design (talk when filming to describe the items). The video compresses the 1000 words of writing into a 5 minutes talk, reproducing and transforming (New London Group, 1996) it into something more casual and approachable. Words describing the position of the items (e.g. “from top left to bottom right”) are simply converted to visual representation (e.g. picking up an object in front of the camera and excluding the items in the background from the frame). In addition, the video version demonstrates more information than the writing by showing where each item is stored in my bag, and how they relate to each other. The organization also reflects on my habits and personality and serves the goal of introducing myself. Overall, using emerging forms of different media, I was able to practice multiliteracies skills (New London Group, 1996) by constructing my multilayered identity.

However, the process of creating the video is not as easy as it seems. The greatest challenge is to recreate the same content as completely and accurately as possible. My experience demonstrates that writing serves as a memory aid, and it can capture ideas precisely with material means (Haas, 2013) which is impossible to achieve with just orality. Instead of reading what I have written before, I tried to retell the story as I film. And I ended up pausing multiple times and modifying my original messages. After filming the video, I had to edit out about 30 seconds of pausing and repetition in different sections to make the video less awkward. Furthermore, note that in the writing version, I was able to translate the text from Chinese to English and polish the translation using the word editing tool embedded in my computer. However, without the technology, I had to use words that immediately come to my mind, and convey the general meaning without solidifying it. The differences are evident in almost every translation when comparing the audio to the writing.

References

Haas, C. (2013). “The Technology Question.” In Writing technology: Studies on the materiality of literacy. Routledge. (pp. 3-23).

The New London Group.  (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review 66(1), 60-92.