Abstract
Digital and online-based writing practices are not a novel or emerging trend. However, multimodal writing instructional practices need more updated guidelines to support teachers in planning effective instruction. Recent research indicates low teacher efficacy scores related to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, this chapter details a multimodal writing framework to promote agency for K-12 instruction and provides guidelines for educators to effectively facilitate students in the multimodal writing process. The authors use the theory of multiliteracies, the theory of design knowledge, and personal digital inquiry to develop the framework's components. The result is a practical framework with practitioner-focused examples of writing projects. By leveraging multimodal writing, teachers can facilitate a higher capacity for writing instruction and personal agency than allowed by traditional methods.
TopBackground
Writing ability is essential to people in the 21st century for academic and professional purposes (Pinker, 2015). With global trends of emerging social media platforms, individuals need to create digital writings more than in previous decades (Hafner & Pun, 2020). Under these circumstances, K-12 educators have the responsibility to prepare students to obtain proficient writing skills to meet the demands of these changing digital cultural of professional environments.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, 2011) Writing Framework measures students’ computer-based writing abilities in idea development and organization, and language facility at grades 4, 8, and 12. The NAEP (2011) expected students in grades 8-12 to be able to effectively conduct writing tasks on word processing software and utilize editing tools. Also, NAEP (2011) encourages lower grade students to conduct computer-based writing assessments by 2019. Moreover, The Common Core State Standards English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA) states students in grades 6-12 demonstrate sophisticated language use abilities in discipline-specific content areas (CCSS, 2010). However, according to the NAEP results, only 27% of students in grades 8-12 could be considered to have achieved at least the proficient level on the NAEP writing assessment (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013). Therefore, K-12 teachers could benefit from effective strategies to facilitate student writing goals, especially for computer-based digital writing.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Multimodal: The various modes that contain verbal and non-verbal information to support communication.
Design: A process of creation that not only incorporates traditional writing, but additional multimodal features and functions.
Virtual: A mode of instruction solely conducted online.
Redesigning: The process of not only revising and editing traditional writing, but changing multimodal features of a design or text for a new or different purpose.
Cultures: The connections to students’ living environments and communities include family traditions, identities, and multiple languages.
Multiliteracies: The various verbal and non-verbal formats that contain information and support communication embodied with literacy skills.
Lifeworlds: The physical space and social interactions that create an individual’s personal experience in the world.