Gretchen Brinza
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Deep Play Group Agenda

Workshop Overview
In this two hour split workshop between online and in-person connections, we’ll be learning what multimodality is, how it can benefit you and your students, and leave with takeaways you can use with your students.  Using Google Classroom as the interface for our communication, we will explore multimodality together!

Agenda
  1. Entering Google Classroom
    1. What is it?  How is it useful for teachers? Students?
    2. How to join a class?
      1. Entering class code
      2. Entering students manually

  1. Google Form:  How do you show understanding?
    1. Complete the first assignment in Google Classroom
    2. Discussing the results to inform teaching

  1. Multimodality:  What is it?
    1. Books/Twitter/Websites overview
    2. Highlighting examples of multimodality
      1. Sound
      2. Touchpoints

  1. Quickfire: Vocabulary Representation
    1. Choose any vocabulary word you’ve been learning about in any subject area.
    2. Agree as a team about your word
    3. Express that vocabulary word using at least two different modes (dance, speech, drawing, video, text, etc.)
    4. Share out!  Attach, link, or create your mode in Google Classroom. Don’t forget to turn it in!

  1. Quickfire: Rubric Development
    1. Create a rubric specific to showing understanding of your vocabulary word
    2. Rubric is transferable across modes
    3. Share out! Attach, link, or create your rubric in Google Classroom. Don’t forget to turn it in!

Learning Outcomes
  1. Defining Multimodality
  2. Examples
  3. Bringing multimodality into the classroom
  4. Assessment:  Getting there and then what it looks like
  5. Practicality:  Takeaways
    1. What using Google Classroom looks like in actual classrooms.
    2. Exploring multimodality with students
    3. Assessment opportunities

Enduring Value - What is the grounding research supporting this topic?

Times are a’changing and education should too. In the words of cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, “We must teach our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet” (Mead, 1970). There are changes in the way we communicate, the way we learn and share learning, and the speed in which all of this happens. Much of this change has been brought about by the advent of the digital age and the increase in collaboration and the use of technology and images to convey ideas. According to researchers Tapscott and Williams, “These changes, among others, are ushering us toward a world where knowledge, power, and productive capability will be more dispersed than at any time in our history - a world where value creation will be fast, fluid and persistently disruptive” (Tapscott and Williams, 2008). Never before in history have there been so many changes within such a short space of time. The ability to adapt, innovate and create is in high demand. Creativity in teaching and learning will be imperative for our students to be successful currently and in the future. A comprehensive education should provide an environment that fosters innovation and critical thinking, encourages collaboration, and gives opportunities for students to analyze and solve complex problems.

Educators need to re-examine the way they teach concepts and how they ask students to show their learning. Traditionally, tests, whether paper or computer based, have been used to show knowledge gained but this method leaves something to be desired and often does not require creativity, making work public or deep conceptual understanding of a subject. Multimodal learning and teaching is a great way to address changes in education and societal needs while meeting the needs of diverse students at the same time. A mode is a unit of expression and representation (Roswell, 2013). Multimodal compositions are works that use more than just words and letters to communicate a thought. There are a variety of modes available: film, sound, visual interface, videogame, space, movement, word, and textile. Technology can and should be integrated throughout students’ learning as well. Through the use and creation of multimodal compositions, students have the opportunity to utilize a variety of linguistic, auditory, visual, physical and technological means to gain, understand and apply knowledge. Multimodal composition encourages teachers to stretch their views of making meaning as it is currently envisioned in education. By tapping into various areas of expertise and interest, educators are able to reach a wider array of students and produce deeper understanding of a topic.  

Resources

Google Classroom:  classroom.google.com, Class Code:  phigc7

Google Form:  How do you show understanding?

Keeler, Alice, and Libbi Miller. 50 Things You Can Do with Google Classroom. Print.

Learning About How We See Assessment:  Multimodality:  Gretchen Brinza’s Website (6th Grade)

Rowsell, Jennifer. Working with Multimodality: Rethinking Literacy in a Digital Age. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.

Rubistar: Creating Rubrics for Your Project-Based Learning Activities

Tapscott, D., and A. D. Williams. 2008. Wikinomics. New York: Penguin Group.

Newsletter

Newsletter for Multi-Modality

Educational Dilemmas

Leadership is more than just solving dilemmas.  It's actually finding solutions to them, too.  Our group was asked to represent a dilemma and we chose to represent learning in person and learning remotely.  Learning remotely allows individuals to gather more from around their situation, include people otherwise unable to physically join a discussion, and ultimately expands the horizons of everyone involved.  Ironically, I couldn't participate in an MSU session at East Lansing, so I participated remotely with my group.  Dilemma solved!
Picture

Google Hangout on Air

My Deep Play group focused on multimodality this fall as we all are embarking on a journey to have students create online portfolios/websites.  We agreed to read Jennifer Rowsell's Working with Multimodality: Rethinking Literacy in a Digital Age and 50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom by Alice Keeler and Libbi Miller.  Here's our conversation regarding multimodality and Google Classroom.  Thanks for watching!

Tinker Tale Take Two

With the summer long gone (okay, not really), it's time to dig deep into the school year with my students AND for myself!  In my Deep Play Group, our focus is on multimodal composition.  With a more refined focused, we're ready to hit the ground running learning more about this intriguing topic!
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