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Reflection:

As Dobson states, “So begins the paradox that whereas digital literacy constitutes an entirely new medium for reading and writing, it is but a further extension of what writing first made of language.” (2009) I kept going back to this statement as I was finding ways to make my idea work. This paradoxical nature of digital literacy – being both revolutionary and an extension of traditional writing – guided my approach. While the medium of presentation was new, the core goal of effectively communicating ideas remained consistent. This insight helped me navigate the technical challenges and conceptualize how to blend different modes and think outside the box from my stance.

Redesigning the “What’s in Your Bag” task by changing its semiotic mode was indeed challenging. Inspired by the New London Group’s multiliteracies framework, I tried to embrace this in my redesign by moving beyond merely recording audio and incorporating visual and audio elements to create a more dynamic and interactive experience.

The biggest challenge wasn’t transforming the written language into audio, but rather how to effectively display the audio. Initially, I tried using coding to create an interactive experience, but it proved too complex for my current skill level. Instead, I used Canva to create a multimodal presentation slide where clicking on an item plays the sound it makes, aligning with the New London Group’s principles of multiliteracies and the iterative nature of design.

Using Canva turned out to be a practical choice for creating a multimodal presentation. I utilized its features to blend visual and auditory elements, aiming to visually incorporate the audio. Each item in my bag was depicted with an image linked to a corresponding sound effect. I realized that selecting appropriate sounds also involves my cultural identity, as it may reflect my interpretation of each item, which might be stereotypical or unorthodox to some.

Despite the benefits, there were challenges in this mode-bending exercise. The technical limitations with coding led me to choose Canva as a more feasible alternative. Even with Canva’s user-friendly features, effectively combining multimodal elements still demanded time and experimentation. Additionally, finding a way to display the presentation on my blog without requiring users to click on a link was another challenge that I couldn’t solve without learning to code properly.

Redesigning the “What’s in Your Bag” task using Canva was a valuable exercise in applying the principles of multiliteracies and mode-bending. It required me to acquire new skills, experiment, and be creative. It was enjoyable to explore the potential of integrating different modes of representation to create a more engaging and accessible learning experience.

References:

Dobson, T., & Willinsky, J. (2009). Digital literacy Download Digital literacy. In D. R. Olson & N. Torrance (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of literacy (pp. 286-312). Cambridge University Press.

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