Shipka says, “What is most important is, first, that students come away from the experience of the courses more mindful of the various ways individuals work with, as well as against, the mediational means they employ. Of equal importance is that students can articulate for others the purposes and potentials of their work.”
After this class I certainly feel more aware of the choices I make when it comes to multimodal composition, and what may be most effective or not in communicating what I need to without giving preference to traditional modes (Shipka’s double-spaced, 8 1/2×11 essay).
The phrase “towards a composition made whole” makes a lot sense to me in thinking about multimodality in writing. AS Karyna suggested in her response, she felt a sense of loss for the pen and paper and what these new modes can or can’t effectively communicate. I also felt this same sense of loss, but I think that speaks to Shipka’s idea of multimodal composition not replacing traditional forms, but enhancing it, making it whole. Images were especially important for me this semester in communicating something that writing can’t, same with video. I was wrestling all semester with how to remove text completely and communicate the same thing in another form – but then I realized, would it still even be a composition? A lot of multimodal work seems to move into the “art” category, which isn’t wrong, afterall, writing itself is an art. There is a reason we posted the original text of what we workshopped with groups in class, along with our multimodal pieces. I think some things can’t replace what writing can communicate, but can certainly enhance understanding.
