Multimedia Literacy Final Draft

Today’s culture consists of technology that has grown exponentially over the past twenty years. With the invention of the internet, content and information is only as far away as a Google search. On the World Wide Web, writing is far from being the traditional format of “words in a row” composition. Advancements in writing technology have created a multi-dimensional aspect to writing. The integration of audio and video files transforms “words in a row” writing from the composition of words to the composition of elements. This newly created form of electronic composition, or multi-media writing, can be used to enhance the effectiveness of the writing.

Writing has continuously evolved since its inception. Although writing was originally scorned by the ancient Greeks as an uneducated means of knowledge (Ong 1986), people used writing beyond the narrow view held by the scholars and writing has continued to progress ever since.  The invention and accessibility of mass produced writing supplies enabled people all over the world to communicate with one another in ways that were never thought possible. Correspondence across countries and oceans allowed people to share ideas and information and enabled people to stay in contact with family and friends.

More recent advancements in writing technology have continued to increase the ability to convey information and correspond with one another. Easy interfacing provided in entry-level multimedia composition software gives people with basic computer literacy skills the ability to conceptualize, develop, and produce content that can potentially reach millions of viewers with just the click of a button. But even with its accessibility and ease of use, people are still hesitant to use low-bridge media in professional and academic settings (Juhasz 2008).

Writing itself is a convention used to convey meaning and understanding to a thought or idea. When that idea is then taken and supported with sound and visual images the idea can be conveyed with greater emphasis. This multi-dimensional model also helps to deepen the audience base by increasing interest and relevancy of the content (Anderson, 2008). However, as a whole, society is slow to adapt to new advancements in communication technology (Baron, 1999). The same pattern can be seen with today’s electronic technology and the struggle to keep technology and “words in a row” writing as separate as possible. Given that conventional writing technologies, including writing itself, was initially opposed, it is my conclusion that writing will continuously evolve and incorporate new elements that enhance its overall effectiveness. So rather than reject a very useful tool when it seems awkward, it would suit writers well to learn how to use the technology properly and take full advantage of its application.

To gain a better understanding of how “low-bridge” media, such as YouTube and editing software, can be integrated into the writing process, our class was given an assignment to work in groups and create our own video on writing. Our video needed to address aspects of writing, include contributions from each of the five members of the group, and be posted on YouTube. While our professor provided us with suggestions and recommendations, we were given control over how we would create our own video.

The task of creating a YouTube video for my writing class allowed me the opportunity to apply low-bridge media to my own writing. Collaborating with four other students provided both challenges as well as advantages. With having an on-line classroom, the logistics of meeting together in-person complicated the planning right from the start. However, by utilizing the technology available to us (forum thread, email and blogs) we were able to begin working together much sooner than if we had to rely on meeting face-to-face.

Through the process of collaboration we were able to develop a video that would have otherwise been impossible. Although working independently provides for greater flexibility and creative freedom, the end result would not have been the same as it is a product of the collective talents within our group. Drawing from the skills within our group and the basic fundamental concepts of writing (brainstorming, prewriting, editing, and revision) we were able to create our video in a relatively short amount of time.

A thread created by our professor on our class website allowed us instant access to one another. Within a few hours of the thread’s creation, all five of our group members were able to share ideas for our video.  Identifying the central idea of using the television show The Office to parody, provided us with a context for our content. Aside from being extremely entertaining, using a popular show, such as The Office, gave our group the ability to build off of our audience’s preexisting knowledge. By already knowing that “Michael” is awkward at best when he talks, the audience is able to anticipate his grammatical faux pas. This preexisting understanding is then supported by his incoherent rambling, confused facial expressions and the cameos performed by his employees explicitly pointing out all of his errors.

Prewriting for our group took the form of meeting together and discussing various scenes for us to film. Originally I suggested that our group compose a scene in which Michael calls a meeting so that his employees can help him write a letter. I figured that this format would allow for an easy analysis of the video into this essay. Ultimately our group decided to perform a skit where Michael fails terribly in trying to tell his employees that the company is downsizing. This skit was chosen for the creative latitude it provided our group. Such a serious issue would provide Michael with opportunity to confuse everyone with the misuse of hyperbole (telling everyone they would have to sell their house), oxymoron (cautiously run), and colloquialisms (jumping in feet first). This part of the collaboration process was the most enjoyable for me. The ideas that were shared by my group members were entertaining, but the way that the video seemed to unfold before us started to take a life on of its own as each element built upon the one before it.

While the content would have lent itself very well towards explaining the mechanics featured in the video, the application of the technology of itself into the writing is what is of greater importance. Capturing and arranging the elements was as simple as pressing play and “dragging” them into the correct preformatted form. Inserting the opening and closing credits only involved selecting the format (scroll, zoom, fade, etc) and typing the names. Actually the most difficult part about composing the video was when upon editing one of the group members pointed out that their name was omitted from the credits. In all honesty the difficulty was easily corrected and involved my pride rather than the technology itself.

Even the absence of one of our group members did not hinder her ability to act in our video. To incorporate her into the video, I uploaded what I had assembled thus far on YouTube and sent her a link to review and respond with her own cameo. This exchange is an example of what Anderson (2008) identifies as objects becoming modifiers, where nonhuman elements influence the composition of the writing. The creativity afforded to us by technology actually advanced our production in this respect as she was able to “skip” our meeting and then take on the role of an employee that skipped out on the office meeting providing for a more authentic experience.

Standing against the evolution of writing is futile and will only serve to limit a writer’s effectiveness. Writing is constantly reinventing itself, especial in today’s electronic age of technology.  Broadening an audience base by inserting a music track may seem as though it waters down the message but this is not true. By using a variety of media the writer is able to engage the reader with supportive content, making the writing more meaningful and relevant as ever. Incorporating these devices as a means to supplement writing with additional context only strengthens the meaning of the writing and therefor increases its effectiveness.

References

Anderson, Daniel. “The Low Bridge to High Benefits: Entry-Level Multimedia, Literacies, and Motivation.” Computers and Composition 25 (2008): 40-60.

Baron, Dennis, “From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies” from

Passions, Pedagogies, and Twenty-first Century Technologies, Ed. Gail E.

Juhasz, Alexandra. “Why Not (To) Teach On YouTube.” Video Vortex Reader Responses to YouTube. 2008.
Ong, Walter. “Writing is a Technology that Restructures Thought.” Literacy: A Critical

Sourcebook. Eds. Ellen Cushman, Eugene R. Kintgen, Barry M. Kroll, and Mike

Rose. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 19-31.