1. In Kerry Dirk’s text “Navigating Genres”, he uses
George Washington’s first State of the Union address as a new medium in which
the President of the United States communicates with the people. He goes on to
suggest that after several President’s after him followed the same form and
structure as Washington used the State of the Union became a genre. So how many
instances does it take for a new medium to become a genre? Is there some
numerical assignment we can use before it moves from new form to genre?
2. In response to Jody Shipka’s “A Multimodal
Task-Based Framework for Composing”, she suggests in her text that multimodal
based classroom projects allow students to use creative agency when working
across genres and it adds “three dimensional layers to words and visuals”
(278). I am really sold on this style of portfolio projects, I like the OED
projects she uses as an example. However, she does recount that some of her
students felt frustrated and that the project was time consuming (296). Should
we give students an option for straight academic versus a creative portfolio?
Is multimodal something you would use in your class? Thoughts?
Hi Kristy - I am not a big believer in giving students an "out" for creative work, but I am a big believer in choices for the creativity. While allowing them to do a traditional essay would appease everyone, it does not push students outside their comfort zone which is vital to an education. I know it sounds harsh, but I truly believe that it is in their best interest to explore this type of project and we as instructors can provide the necessary scaffolding and guidance to help ease their discomfort and frustration. :)
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