Informal Blog Task 7: Multiple Literacies and Multi-modal Texts

Informal Blog Task 7: Multiple Literacies and Multi-modal Texts

In this week’s session I used PowerPoint to create a multi-model text. My text was on the story of ‘Finding Nemo’ but allowed children to imagine and create part of the story. This text used many features such as word banks, the ability to edit/adapt picture and to add in your own text. I have used PowerPoint before and thought I was very capable to use all aspects of the programme. However, during the session we developed skills in a few things that I didn’t even realise PowerPoint could do, Such as, the capability to add text during the presentation being in presenter mode. At the end of the session, I felt much more confident in my ability to use PowerPoint to create multi-model texts myself and in school.

I can see how using these types of multi-model texts can have positive outcomes in the classroom. For one they can help to engage and bring excitement into the classroom (Stafford 2011). Children would be much more excited being able to be actively involved in the story than just being passive receivers of the story, this links in with the positive characteristics of storytelling over just reading a story to the class. They are also useful because they can easily relate to the children interests (Evans 2004). Children can set about creating multi-model texts on whatever topic they wish and can therefore act to engage some of those pupils who may otherwise be disengaged. Multi-model texts are also important as they act to help make children digitally literate by allowing them to experience and use information in multiple ways (FutureLab 2010).

There are some issues that could arise with these texts. It may take children a considerable amount of time to construct the texts and to come up with the ideas (QCA/UKLA 2004). I found this in the session, when faced with an infinite choice of ideas of what I could do I struggled to choose any, I feel if I was to do this in the classroom I would have a tighter focus and support struggling children in generating ideas.

Bibliography

FutureLab. (2010) Digital Literacy across the Curriculum. [online] http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf (Accessed: 25/03/14)

Stafford, T. (2011) Teaching Visual Literacy in the Primary Classroom London: Routledge

QCA/UKLA (2004) More than Words: Multimodal Texts in the Classroom. London: QCA

Evans, J. (2004) Literacy Moves On: Using Popular Culture, New Technologies and Critical Literacy in the Primary Classroom. Abingdon: David Foulton Publishers