Multiliteracies in ELA Classrooms

Thank you to everyone for listening and participating in our presentation today! I wanted to share a few of my thoughts about the site we perused together (eliterature.org) as well as pose a few additional comments/questions about this topic.

For one, I highly encourage you to browse through the EL volumes when you have some more time, as there are very interesting and thought provoking pieces in the collections. When viewing the various “texts”, I felt extremely challenged to open my mind to a world without physical limitations. The possibilities are endless! Several classes ago, Teresa spoke about her experience of sharing e-lit. She mentioned facing antagonism and outright hostility while speaking to a group of experienced instructors.  While I am a huge fan of reading in print form and I loved learning about “canonical” texts throughout my education, I am greatly encouraged by the way in which e-lit challenges our stiffened definitions about what constitutes “true” and “valuable” literature. While the visual/audio/artistic expression characteristic of some e-lit can feel like an overwhelming sensory experience at first, I must say I’m entranced by the idea of literature, art and multimedia that enriches and informs culture through a hybrid response. In its interactive nature, e-lit takes familiar technological processes and applies them in a different context: one in which various tools are harnessed to enhance and even create an entirely new kind of story. I like the idea that the use of technology in e-lit is not just a “bells and whistles” approach used to grab attention. Rather in this context, we are invited to investigate the meta- aspects of literary production and technology that are part and parcel with creating a meaningful experience.  I’ll finish off with a interesting thought that came out of lingering after class with our instructors: since the curriculum has shifted in recent years and we are no longer teachers of English Language only but of English Language Arts, how is e-lit just as, if not better suited in some cases to this curriculum? With scholarship that continues to critically investigate and challenge notions of the “canon”, how is e-lit a valuable tool uniquely positioned to aid students in their growth as “literate” individuals in the 21^st century?

-Irene