Multimodality: A New Communication Order – Expansions of Literacy Doris Jones, The Writing Program CLT Faculty Workshop – Tuesday, May 9, 2006

Multimodality: An Introduction

Multimodality and the role of visual literacy Multimodality is the combination of different kinds of modes—visual, written, oral, spatial, etc.—in a text's content and design (Kress 1997).

One development is the undisputed fact that many of our students come to us having been exposed to a “broad range of information daily” (i.e. iPods, Internet, cell phones). Most of this information is in visual form. (Duffelmeyer 2005).

According to Diana G. Oblinger and Jamles L. Oblinger, editors of Educating the Net Generation: “The Net Gen are more visually literate than previous generations; many express themselves using images. They are able to weave together images, text, sound in a natural way. Their ability to move between the real and the virtual is instaneous, well beyond the text.”

Visual Culture: Not Limited to Study of Images Visual culture is not limited to

Rhetorical Education’s Central Value Develop agency to comprehend, interpret, and critically respond to textual forms they will encounter as members of a culture. From a teaching perspective, practicing rhetorical awareness means acquiring critical awareness that reinforce cultural values.

Rhetorical Analysis

The Way Forward How can faculty adjust to the new demands of preparing students for e-work without compromising core values and goals of education, such as the liberal arts ideal, the training in the foundations of rhetoric and professional writing, and so on?

How can instruction in and use of new writing and communication technologies, including multimedia technologies, be incorporated into professional writing and rhetoric instruction without diluting the essence of pedagogy and creating undue departmental and institutional tensions?

How can we integrate new popular media (e.g., iPods) into our teaching and research practices in order to provide students with the full range of knowledge and experiences needed to communicate in the workplace of the future?