Kirn’s website: https://blogs.ubc.ca/etec540bhela/2021/10/22/task-7-mode-bending/
In this mode bending assignment, some of the similarities between Kirn and my assignment was that we analyzed the same type of bag. We both looked at our everyday bag that we take with us to work. We both also made reference in our reflections to the discussion of the New London Group’s recommendation that there are various linguistic modes that can be benefited from learners to learn through including visual, audio, gestural, spatial, and multimodal approaches. At this point our projects took a different turn as we focused on different modes to represent the “What’s in the Bag” assignment. As per the task instructions, I did my best to incorporate audio technology into my representation of the task. After watching Kirn’s video, I thought it was interesting that there was no audio. Instead, Kirn used a video of her making gestures to show and explain what was in her bag. After checking out Kirn’s first project I noticed she had used audio during her first assignment and, therefore, must have decided to focus in on a different mode. After reading Kirn’s post and learning she was focusing on the gestural approach to communicate items in her bag. I then watched her video for a second time. If Kirn had simply pulled out each item and showed it through a video I would have understood only some of what she had in her bag and why she uses it. However, Kirn makes gestures in conjunction with showing each item in her bag. This conveys so much more information about each item. For example, when Kirn shows off her bag at the very beginning of her video she does show with a positive gesture. She shakes it towards the camera with a big smile as if to say, without words, “look at my pretty bag; I love my bag!” Of course, these gestures require interpretation from the viewer but can provide a lot of insight as to how the writer/producer feels. Emotions are very hard to convey through words and can be more easily translated through gestures. This is one of the strengths of utilizing gestures as a form of text. I find audio text also has the ability to add and convey emotion. This idea brings to light the importance of incorporating multiliteracies or multiple modes to help learners understand ideas. Specifically, as a teacher, these concepts become important. Together, the strength of multiple modes to communicate information can be the most useful. The New London Group found that students have varying needs and desires when learning and educators must take into account things like age, interest, culture, and class dynamic. Today’s youth and most adults engage with multimedia and social media on a daily basis in order to connect with ideas, people, and text in general. By integrating multiple forms of text and media, including audio, video, and a game, there is a far greater chance to engage readers, or students, than by just using written text.
References
The New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review 66(1), 60-92.