Rankins-Robertson, Bourelle, Bourelle, & Fisher’s “Multimodal Instruction”:

"This webtext argues for the use of multimodal instruction to design online writing courses with digital tools to deliver instructional content and facilitate feedback."

Students learn more when they have to think and compose multimodally (visual, oral, written, etc)

*I like the idea of doing a welcome video instead of just a welcome email!  

*I find it ironic that this website has so much print, and not so much audio or graphic presentation elements.  Yeah, they are there, but it is still overwhelmingly print-focused.

*That said, I like that this "paper" is a website with components incorporated as links.  It invites a more interactive experience than scrolling through a PDF document!  Props to them.  I think I'm seeing why the 3D game lab is set-up the way it is (which was jarring for me at first).

*I also like the idea of a course digital portfolio

*It's interesting that this piece links back to learning styles, which of course is not new information, but somehow never seems to get implemented into classroom approaches.  Yay, for more ways to attempt to do that!

Keep it short:

"Mayer et al. (1999) claimed that comprehension is enhanced when instruction is presented in 'successive small bites' rather than large bites, meaning students retain more information in smaller chunks (p. 642). Supporting this argument, we suggest that instructors create instructional content on concepts using screen capture videos or sound clips that are under three minutes in length, in order to commit the information to the students' memory."  I think this is hugely important and I wish more instructors would embrace this small-bites mentality, rather than dismissing students as having too short of attention spans.  My dad taught at the Air Force Academy when I was little and I remember him saying that his approach in his classes is, "the brain can only absorb what the fanny can endure."  Translated:  Sitting too long in one attitude does nothing for learning after a while.

Use popular media:

This is easier said than done!  My husband worked a leadership camp over the summer and I asked him if the kids spent all their time on Facebook.  His answer was that NONE of them use Facebook.  He told me all kinds of social networking and technology sites that I have never heard of.  And the thing is, I'm not that old, not that disconnected (or maybe I am), and relatively tech savvy.  How does one stay on top of popular media?  How does one get word which technologies are out of fashion?

Plan for reuse:

I love the idea of getting plenty of bang for your time investment.  These multimodal plans would take lots of time to build, so I'm glad that the authors are reminding us to think long term when putting these together.  It might be good to leave out some details in the media, for example, so that it is good for multiple levels of writing classes.

It is clear that professional development, encouraging teachers to constantly learn themselves, and staying apprised of technological changes is key for this multimodal approach to be successful.

So, the class activity last week has gotten me thinking about how I would use these technologies for a student assignment.  After class (of course) it hit me:  When I was in school and we did presentations, we had to provide handouts for the class.  Why not assign a digital "handout"?  I would give a list of technologies and a brief synopsis of what they do, and then each student could create a digital "handout" that they send to the class (via email, blackboard, whatever).  That way each student can use a technology that they are familiar with, or not, and create something visual that complements her presentation.  I'm excited about this because my favorite programs have been storify and piktochart, and both would be great in this capacity!  Now I plan to choose my next technology for the note-taking challenge with this assignment in mind.