"Examining how student work in new media is currently assessed, it is clear that we are at a transitional stage in the process of incorporating new media into our composition courses. As Yancey (2004) noted, we give multimodal assignments but often draw on what we are far more familiar with—that is, print—to assess student work" (Sorapure, n.d.).
It wasn't until I read phrase this that I thought to myself, "Grading print is fairly easy but how do you grade a multimodal work fairly?" There is quite a lot to consider beginning with the topic and how it fits the assignment, to the graphics being used and how it fits into the assignment, voice overs and how well it fit into the assignment, musical representations, timing of the slides, detail, the list goes on. And then the anxiety of the rubric came to mind. How well should the rubric break down each piece the multimodal assignment? Will it be trial and error for me year after year until I find a good rubric. After all, each assignment will be unique, which is much different from a printed essay. UNIQUE! That thought made me smile. Each presentation will be unique. Beyond the anxiety of grading unique assignments and all that is tied to that responsibility, the uniqueness of each student's point of view will shine through presentations done in a multimodal fashion. This is what is intriguing to me and that's why I like the idea of using more than one mode to present a topic.
Yes, I have asked students to create a multimodal text; although at the time I did not know that is what I was asking. The students had to investigate a man-made ecological disaster using Google Earth for a WebQuest. I chose the Aral Sea as a perfect example of a man made ecological disaster. The beauty of this project is that Google Earth has the tools to see various images of coordinates on Earth back to 40+ years ago up to the present. So it is fairly easy to see the Aral Sea shrinking. Each group represented a different group of scientists such as ecologists, biologists, agriculturalist, and conservationist; I also included economists and historians. After researching the Aral Sea each group had to create a PowerPoint poster that represented the disaster from their perspective whether they were assigned as biologists, ecologist, etc… I did give them a certain set of guidelines to make sure they stayed within their proper group because I wanted the groups to step into the shoes of particular scientists. Therefore, they did fill out lab sheets and I did give them some ideas of approved sites to research so that they only researched the disaster from their groups' perspective. As part of the rules, the students were not allowed to use a lot of wording in the PowerPoint. Instead, I wanted only key facts. Their pictures had to represent their stance. The students presented their "poster" to the class as part of the "scientific community." The rest of the class acting as the "scientific community" was supposed to question the groups knowledge. My hope was that they would learn not only what they researched but what the other groups presented from various scientific stand points. The rules were as follows: **Note use your research questions as a guide for you important facts.**
3. *Remember* you have to include at least one snapshot from Arc GIS Map.
4. For your remaining pictures you can use the Google image search engine. This location has several images that can be used for your PowerPoint “posters”. As a group, use the image search engine to support the facts that you have decided to use. Once you have chosen an image you can save it to your desktop by placing your mouse cursor over your image and then right clicking. A menu will appear. Choose “save image as”. Your computer will then give you a choice as to where you want to save your image. Make sure you save it somewhere you can find it later. The best place would be to your desktop. Your group should choose at least 2 images from the Google image search engine.
5. Now that you have collected your facts and images, it is time to start your PowerPoint “poster”. Arrange your artifacts anyway you would like to best represent your location. Make sure to use all PowerPoint has to offer to your advantage. In PowerPoint you can create backgrounds, shapes, word art, etc... All this can be used to make a unique and colorful presentation “poster”.
7. You will have 5-8 minutes to present your “poster” to the classroom. The goal is to make sure the class understands the devastation of the 45N 60E from your science field of study.
Here is an example. It has more wording that what I wanted but since it was a few years ago, this is the best example I have on hand. There was actually a group that used no wording at all. The multimodal assignment worked fantastically! I witnessed students come to life during this project. One student in particular who never turned in his assignments and fell asleep in class 95% of the time couldn't wait to show me what he was finding on Google Earth and in his research. While other groups were presenting their facts, any question they were asked - he could answer. I was amazed at his participation in this project. I do feel comprehension during this project was much higher than other projects and I think it comes down to the fact that this as a real-world experience. Google Earth is a real tool; the Aral Sea is a real disaster; and the goal of being a scientist in the classroom was really felt throughout the lesson.
Learning Goals for Ecological Disasters WebQuest
WV- West Virginia Content Standards and Objectives
Subject: Science
Grade or Course: Biology
Standard: SC.S.B.2 Content of ScienceStudents will
Objective: SC.O.B.2.18 evaluate environmental factors that affect succession, populations and communities.
Objective: SC.O.B.2.19 propose ecosystem models that incorporate interactions of biotic and abiotic environmental variables (e.g., biogeochemical cycles).
Objective: SC.O.B.2.22 analyze graphs, GIS data and traditional maps reflecting changes in population to predict limiting factors in ecosystems as they determine carrying capacity.
Beyond the WV CSOs that I had to meet, I had other learning goals in mind as well:
- step into the shoes of a scientist.
- utilize Google Earth as a tool and not just a cool application.
- utilize ArcGIS mapping tool to create a map an interpretive and creative map plus gain experience.
- present material with technology vs. a written paper.
I prefer checklists but in this case I did use a rubric. I did have to add a portion to the rubric which included their presentation to the class using their "poster" or image. The idea behind the presentation is that their "poster" was evidence to support their claims in the "scientific community." I don't like how I formulated the rubric because it included creativity and that is not as concrete as I would like it to be. I feel it needs revised for future use:
- PowerPoint "Poster" - (Exemplary) “Poster” contains all 3 (or more) pictures which includes at least 1 ArcGIS image. Facts about location are included. Poster is colorful and creative.
- The rest of the assessment was related to knowledge and evaluation on the topic.
Example of Metonymy
I admit I had to delve into the meaning of metonymy a little more to give an example. An excellent site was Examples of Metonymy and I connected to a phrase I found within it that stated:
I like this example of a metonymy. The pen in history has been mightier than the sword several times whether it was because history was written by the victor or "peace treaties" were signed without common literacy interpretations. To display an "arms at war" image on a wall there are usually two swords laying across each other. In this example to amplify that the pen is mightier than the sword, one sword is replaced with a quill pen. Not only that but the sword replaced is the top sword making the quill pen even more dominating.
Example of a Metaphor
We've all heard of the phrase, "The grass is always greener on the other side." I like this metaphor because the fish is jumping to a larger bowl. He's still trapped in a bowl but he is not as limited or at least he thinks he's not. Ironically he'll grow to fit the larger bowl and once again have approximately the same amount of space to swim in.
I admit I had to delve into the meaning of metonymy a little more to give an example. An excellent site was Examples of Metonymy and I connected to a phrase I found within it that stated:
"...one of the main purposes of using a metonymy is to add flavor to the writing" (Your Dictionary, 2014).
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| Metonymy Example |
I like this example of a metonymy. The pen in history has been mightier than the sword several times whether it was because history was written by the victor or "peace treaties" were signed without common literacy interpretations. To display an "arms at war" image on a wall there are usually two swords laying across each other. In this example to amplify that the pen is mightier than the sword, one sword is replaced with a quill pen. Not only that but the sword replaced is the top sword making the quill pen even more dominating.
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| Metaphor Example |
Example of a Metaphor
We've all heard of the phrase, "The grass is always greener on the other side." I like this metaphor because the fish is jumping to a larger bowl. He's still trapped in a bowl but he is not as limited or at least he thinks he's not. Ironically he'll grow to fit the larger bowl and once again have approximately the same amount of space to swim in.
Multimodal Presentations in the Classroom
Citation
Your Dictionary. (2014). Examples of metonymy. Retrieved on June 3, 2014 from
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/examples-of-metonymy.html
Sorapure, M. N. K. (n.d.). Between modes: Assessing student new media compositions.
Retrieved on June 3, 2014 from
sh.ttu.edu/kairos/10.2/coverweb/sorapure/between_modes.pdf
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