Writer/Designer A Guide to Making Multimodal Projects

by Arola, Kristin L.; Sheppard, Jennifer; Ball, Cheryl E.

• ISBN13: 9781457600456
• ISBN10: 1457600455
• Edition: Spiral
• Format: Spiral Bound
• Copyright: 2014-01-09
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

Creating multimodal projects can seem daunting, but Writer/Designer streamlines the multimodal composing process and makes it manageable for students. Designed to work in any college course, this brief, accessible book is here to help students whether they are creating a poster, a webtext, an animated video, or any other kind of text. Write/Design assignments guide students through the process of researching the right genre for their project, finding the tools to work with different media, drafting with mockups and storyboards, and presenting their final projects to the world. Online examples, tutorials, and activities in e-Pages take advantage of what the Web can do, showcasing real multimodal compositions from both students and professionals.

Author Biography

Kristin L. Arola is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Composition, and Technology at Washington State University, where she directs the Digital Technology and Culture program. Her work　brings together composition theory, digital rhetoric, and American Indian rhetorics so as to understand digital composing practices within larger social and cultural contexts. Her most recent book,　Composing (Media) = Composing (Embodiment) [with Anne Frances Wysocki, Utah State UP, 2012] is an edited collection that explores how the media we produce and consume embody us in a two-way process. She is also the co-editor of the third edition of CrossTalk in Comp Theory: A Reader [with Victor Villanueva, NCTE, 2011]. Her work has appeared in Computers and Composition, Harlot: A Revealing Look at the Arts of Persuasion, and the Journal of Literacy and Technology. She resides in Pullman, WA, with her amazing husband and charming dog.

Jennifer Sheppard is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Professional Communication at New Mexico State University, where she directs the Design Center, a space supporting students’ hands-on development of communication projects for clients. She regularly teaches courses in document design, multimedia theory and production, technical and professional communication, and online pedagogy. Her research interests include new media, information design, professional communication and pedagogy for face-to-face and online instruction. She has published on these issues in Computers and Composition, the Journal of Literacy and Technology, and several edited collections, including Designing Texts: Teaching Visual Communication and RAW: Reading and Writing New Media. She lives in Las Cruces, NM with her partner and their very busy toddler, Eli.

Cheryl E Ball is an Associate Professor of Digital Publishing Studies in the English Department at West Virginia University. Her areas of specialization include multimodal composition and editing practices, digital media scholarship, and digital publishing. Since 2006, Ball has been editor of the online, peer-reviewed, open-access journal Kairos: Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, which exclusively publishes digital media scholarship and is read in 180 countries. She has published articles in a range of rhetoric/composition, technical communication, and media studies journals including Computers and Composition, C&C Online, Fibreculture, Convergence, Programmatic Perspectives, and Technical Communication Quarterly. Her recent books include a scholarly multimedia collection　The New Work of Composing　(co-edited with Debra Journet and Ryan Trauman, C&C Digital Press) and the print-based　RAW: Reading and Writing New Media　(co-edited with Jim Kalmbach, Hampton Press).

Table of Contents

Introduction for Students

Chapter 1: What are Multimodal Projects?

The Modes, How Do They Work?

     [ix] Text, from ix: visualizing composition

     Linguistic Mode

     Visual Mode

     Aural Mode

          [e-Pages] Opening Theme, The Colbert Report 

          [e-Pages] Creative Commons, Wanna Work Together?

     Spatial Mode

     Gestural Mode

          [e-Pages] President Obama Speaking at 9/11 Memorial Service

Understanding Medium, Mode, and Affordances

Case Study: Multimodality in Action

     [e-Pages] Interactive map from Recovery.gov

Putting Multimodality to Work as a Writer/Designer

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Describing Multimodality in Everyday Texts

Chapter 2: Analyzing Multimodal Projects

Rhetoric and Multimodality

Rhetorical Analysis

     Audience 

          [ix] Audience, from ix: visualizing composition

     Purpose 

          [ix] Purpose, from ix: visualizing composition

     Context 

          [ix] Context, from ix: visualizing composition

     Author

     Genre

Case Study: Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation

Case Study: Analyzing Design Choices

     Emphasis

          [ix] Emphasis, from ix: visualizing composition

     Contrast

          [ix] Contrast, from ix: visualizing composition

     Organization

          [ix] Organization, from ix: visualizing composition

     Alignment

          [ix] Alignment, from ix: visualizing composition

     Proximity 

          [ix] Proximity, from ix: visualizing composition

Writing and Designing Rhetorically

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Rhetorical Analysis of Multimodal Texts

Chapter 3: Choosing a Genre and Pitching Your Project

Exploring the What and How

     [e-Pages] Maria Andersen, Playing to Learn?

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Researching your Project Idea

Genre Conventions

     [e-Pages] Bush, Games-Based Learning 

     [e-Pages] Maelia, Using Web-Based Games to Support 21st Century Learning

Case Study: Looking at Genre Conventions

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Analyzing Genre & Genre Conventions

Pitching Your Project

     [e-Pages] Sample Student Pitch Presentation

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: The Pitch

Chapter 4: Working with Multimodal Sources

Finding Credible Sources

Case Study: Multimodal Research Processes

Sources and Assets

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: A Multimodal Annotated Source List, Part I

Ethics of Collecting Sources and Assets

     Copyright

     Fair Use

     Permissions

     Creative Commons

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: A Multimodal Annotated Source List, Part 2

Designing Your Citations 

     Provide Enough Information for Readers

     Use a Credible Citation Style for Your Genre

     [e-Pages] Classic Movie Credits

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: A Multimodal Annotated Source List, Part 3

Chapter 5: Conceptualizing and Collaborating

But How Do I Make A Multimodal Text?

     Case Study: Assessing the Affordances of Web Editors and Image Editors

     [e-Pages] Ariel Popp, Life-Based Web Comics

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Technology Review

Collaborating Effectively

     Case Study: Collaborative Composing Strategies

     Guidelines for Successful Collaborations

     Case Study: Assessing Technologies for Collaboration

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Group Contract

Proposing to Get it all Done

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Project Proposal

Organizing and Sharing Assets

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Creating a Style Guide

Chapter 6: Designing Your Project

Mockups

     Case Study: Using Mockups to Refine Ideas and Get Feedback

     [e-Pages] Web site mockup for The Kitchen Sync

Storyboards

     [e-Pages] Tasha’s storyboards and final video

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Creating Your Design Concept

The Feedback Loop

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Getting Feedback

Making Sure You Have What You Need

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Revisiting Your Assets List

Chapter 7: Revising and Reviewing Your Project

Rough Cut Planning

     Mockup/Storyboard

     Assets

     Timeline

Creating a Rough Cut

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Rough Cut

Moving From Rough Cut to Rough Draft

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Rhetorical Situation & Genre Conventions Summary

Getting and Giving Feedback

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Peer Review

Using Feedback to Revise Your Rough Draft

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Revise Your Project

Chapter 8: Putting your Project to Work

Finalizing your Project

     Who Will Use Your Project?

     How/Where Will They Use It?

     What’s Your Future Access Plan?

Preserving Projects through Metadata

Sharing Your Final Project

     Case Study: Final Report

     [e-Pages] Sample Student Final Report

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: Your Final Report

Documenting Your Design Process for Future Users

WRITE/DESIGN ASSIGNMENT: A Documentation Guide

The Afterlife of Multimodal Projects: Privacy and Security