Unit I: Multimodal Literacy in Practice and Theory

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In this unit you will be introduced to the concept of multimodal literacy. In lesson 1.1 you start with an exercise that consists of an interactive mash-up of small units of text, images, and sound. Each of these contains part of an overall message about multimodality that you are expected to reconstruct. You can do so in the three additional exercises that follow. In each of them the content of the mash up is revisited in a different way. In 1.1.2 you can edit unstructured text, in 1.1.3 you can pair images that have no captions, and in 1.1.4 you can learn more about multimodality through a true-or-false quiz.

Lesson 1.2 offers a theoretical framework for the concept of multimodal literacy. After a short introduction on the history of the concept (1.2.1), a number of concise texts and short video-lectures are presented (1.2.2 and 1.2.3). Each is followed by a drag-and- drop assignment to stimulate reflection on what you have just learned.

1.1 A Mash-Up of Modalities
1.1.1 Discovering the Hidden Overall Message
1.1.2 Turning the Mash-Up Into Readable Text
1.1.3 Matching the Images
1.1.4 Learning About Multimodality Through a True or False Test

1.2 Defining Multimodal Literacy
1.2.1 Definitions
1.2.2 Scholarly Interpretations - Understanding Digital Literacies
1.2.3 Scholarly Interpretations - A Classical Study by Gunther Kress

References

• Rosewell, J. (2016, January 25). Boy singing [Photo]. https://unsplash.com/photos/ASKeuOZqhYUv
• Tomasso, P. (2016, March 7). Textures & Patterns [Photo]. https://unsplash.com/photos/Oaqk7qqNh_c
• Luo, M. (2020, February 3). National Gallery Victoria; paintings [Photo]. https://unsplash.com/photos/6gZcsCSbmDs