#2 – Task 7: Mode-Bending
Author: Evan Daigle
Link: https://blogs.ubc.ca/writingacrossthecenter/task-7-mode-bending/
Link 2
I chose Evan’s version of task 7 as he took a very unique and vastly different approach in the redesign of this task than I did. When I first began the task, I struggled with coming up with a variety of methods in which I could share the contents of my bag. In my response, I used audio as it seemed a strong opposite of the original text format that we had used previously. Evan’s response and choice to use a visual representation caught my attention as it demonstrates a third format of sharing the contents of his bag and is a great example of how the medium is the message. Evan’s example, in contrast to mine, is a prime example of the London Group’s (1996) suggestion that, “all meaning-making is multimodal” (p. 81). Exploring the images of Evan’s task provides the viewer with an understanding and context of the items that cannot be demonstrated through only text or audio. His use of photography presents new meaning, and yet, it comes with a loss as well. Beyond the categories that he has applied to each item, such as “convenience”, what is the item actually used for? What importance does it hold in Evan’s life? The image provides new information that text cannot, but without the text, other information is lost.
This makes me ask the question: What would be the best medium to depict these items and share the most possible information about them? I believe the answer to be an in person conversation between two individuals in which they each speak, show, listen, and share the items that they possess in the bags. This would allow for each member to touch, smell, hear, and see the items as well as ask questions back and forth. This then begs a follow up question of: What technology or medium could best replicate this in an online course format? For this, I think that virtual reality would be the strongest technological candidate to replace an in person conversation with a video coming in second. A virtual reality meeting would allow the entire class to sit together in a digital space and share their items with each other. This would be slightly better than a video as it would be in real time, allow for back and forth conversation and present the items in a life-like 3D format. While touch and smell would not be possible in either a VR or video format, I think these two mediums could provide the closest simulation to a real life encounter.
As a student in the Masters of Education program, this makes me wonder about what information is gained, and lost through various mediums. Yes, we can write on paper with a pencil, or on a keyboard with a laptop, but how do these experiences change the learning and the thinking that occurs? This is something I would like to continue to dive into as I believe it is important for us as educators to think and learn about as we educate the next generation.
References:
The New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review 66(1), 60-92.
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