The multimodal nature of
contemporary texts that combine writing, images,
animated objects, music, etc. (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 6) allow individuals to thrive in today’s information age in a way
they may not have been able to using traditional text. My Smartphone allows me
to send images, photos, sounds, animations, video, emoticons, and hyperlinks in
messages. My Facebook posts often contain links to other pages or tags to other
people. I find that the visual elements in messages make concise communicate easier
in a society with a microwave temperament, whose citizens are often too busy to
spend too much time on any one task. It also allows participation by people
whose literary skills would be challenged by the use of traditional text alone.
New literacies’ interactive nature
makes it easier to acquire and share information. My favorite interactive category is the
hyperlink. It makes information gathering so much easier when I can click or
hover over a word or image that directs me to more information about something
or someone I am researching or reading about. I found myself longing for such
links today as I tried to find out more information about Green’s model, which
we are supposed to use as we write our weekly reflections. I found numerous
references to Green in online articles, and one or two properly placed links
would have shortened my search considerably. I had no idea if Green was a man
or a woman neither could I find the name of the work he published in 1988 that
was frequently mentioned by other authors. Why didn’t any of these pages have a
link to a book, an article, or biography of Green? After all, Green is not a
unique name and since everyone is talking about “going green,” the word is all
over the internet today. Finally, I found a reference to Bill
Green by Lankshear
and Knobel (2011, p. 191). Now if only I knew which of the dissertations
published in 1988 was the original work in which he shared his thoughts about this
model.
I use texts to inspire, encourage,
enlighten, educate, and amuse. When I learn something new, I share it. The use
of texts in our digital society makes sharing so much easier.
Hi Sharlene. I agree with you in that visual elements allow for people with low literacy skills to be able to communicate. They do say that a picture is worth a thousand words. WIth these in mind we see how today a simple emoticon describes our mood, or relays a simple action. With regards to hyperlinks, I sometimes get distracted by them and find myself deviating from the original text to often. I prefer the more traditional (but I’ll admit less effective) footnotes or references. Good luck with the course.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carlos. To prevent myself from deviating too much from the original text I open the hyperlink in another tab. This way I can finish reading the original article first and then get the additional information without loosing focus.
DeleteHi Sharlene! Great post and I agree that visual elements can be very helpful. It adds to one's learning. I find that sometimes the hyperlink gets over used. It needs to be in the correct context. I find some of the instructional designers try to put links in on words they believe they understand. The truth is sometimes there is a lot more to a topic at least in nuclear power. I end up unlinking many of their links. However when I find a good resource I am the first to hyperlink to help the students
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Adrian, too many hyperlinks can be annoying. I am always thankful for the useful one, though.
DeleteHi, Sharlene. I love hyperlinks. I love using them when I create a webquest for my students. I often create a simple word document with the tasks that I'd like my kids to complete. I then imbed hyperlinks within the document to keep them from simply Googling their answers.
ReplyDeleteHi Casey,
DeleteI have used hyperlinks the same way with students. I helps maintain some control over their online activity and helps them use their time more wisely.
Hi Sharlene! I love your page! You look like your a blogging pro! I found your post this week very interesting! I haven't really thought about hyperlinks specifically. As I posted in my introduction, this is my first fully online program so I imagine I will begin to see how useful and important hyperlinks can be. Thanks for pointing this out! I will be considering this now and I am sure this course will allow me to experience this first hand. Good insight!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Courtney. I appreciate your feedback. This is my first blog.
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