Living Multimodally

I guess I've dabbled in the realm of multimodal composition.

In my junior semester at UWM, I worked on the social media team at the University Recreation Department. We worked with CapCut, a video editing software meant for videos on scroll-friendly platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. The purpose was PSA-related marketing for campus events. 

Once, I did contribute to a music video...content that I am intentionally forgetting to hyperlink. A friend in the film program lured me and my former roommate to Lakeshore Park in Milwaukee. We jammed to "the zone" by Lil Yachty, hoping the repetition and vibes would produce some metaphysical revelations for the project. I'm not sure it did. But, we had a fun three hours on the water, trying to sync the nature, beat, props, and actors into a refined product. 

I'd argue that, however ridiculous my examples are, this is absolutely a form of literacy. Writing is much more effective when it leaves the classroom...rain isn't rain until it leaves a cloud and smacks you in the face. Chisholm and Trent remind us that learning requires an active audiences...and common core standards don't really qualify. Writing shines as a critical, engaging, authentic practice. Though writing a script for a marketing reel involves about forty words, those words are presented before a valued market...they better be concise, pointed, and persuasive!

Some have wondered: is this a crutch for the tech-savvy, endlessly tricky social media addicts in our high schools? No...probably not. Are we worried that working with social media -- the same content they already favor -- is a little too applicable? Shouldn't we see this as particularly relevant and practical? Could we benefit from a more asset-minded approach? Additionally, Chisholm and Trent tell us that weaving messages through the constraints, assets, environments, and audiences of a different modalities (music and video, for example) actually extends our comprehension and widens our perspective.  

Civic engagement is also a fruit of curriculum that seeks an authentic, applicable environment. To connect one last time to our course readings, we see Zines as a worthy demonstration of this. Video, images, social media, and artistry are the tools of freedom fighters...free tools for change! Zines are mini novels, made from home, sources of creativity and modern literacy; they are meant for going forth and sharing voices.