Technology in the ELA Classroom

 As a future English Language Arts teacher I don’t believe there is a single topic in ELA that doesn’t directly involve, relate to, or rely on literacy in some way. With the past year’s challenges in education the use of technology has played a vital role in classrooms across the world. I was recently introduced to multimodal compositions as a means of responding to literature and texts in place of the traditional, albeit sometimes boring, essays we are so accustomed to. This is a relatively new concept to me and one that I sometimes struggle with.

To respond to texts, students can choose to create digital collages and poetry, book talks and trailers, infographics, or interactive timelines, the choices are limited only by your creativity. I’ve found that, for me, creating something other than a traditional essay requires a deeper understanding of the text you’ve just read because there’s usually less space to make your point. Multimodal compositions also provide a more engaging way for our students to respond to texts because it takes a mode they’re familiar with and enjoy using and applies it to their education. Digital creations also offer more options to those students who are more creative thinkers and may struggle with the written word. For these reasons I think using multimodal compositions in my own future classroom will be a regular occurrence.


 


In addition to providing ways to respond to texts, the incorporation of technology in the classroom also offers a variety of ways students may be asked to engage with texts and provides a variety of ways we deliver our lessons. We can show videos, play games, visit interactive websites, and so much more. The amount of variety that technology offers is a vital part of providing an education that will meet the needs of all of our students with a variety of learning styles. Without differentiation we limit our students' abilities to understand the content of our lessons and demonstrate their understanding.

My greatest struggle with technology, specifically multimodal compositions, is whether or not there is a time when these digital writings aren’t adding meaning or furthering the student’s understanding. At what point does a digital collage become just a conglomeration of pictures that serve no purpose, or is there a point where that occurs? Also, our students still need to be able to write, so at what point are we relying too heavily on technology? I think there has to be some type of balance between where we’re going and where we’ve been, and I’m really interested in figuring out what that balance might be.


Some sources I've found that may help my understanding of technology in the classroom:

Multimodal Composition: Background - Multimodal Composition: Resources for Faculty and Students - All Guides at UAA / APU Consortium Library

Multimodality in the Writing Classroom | Teaching Writing (bu.edu)

The Arts, New Literacies, and Multimodality (uwm.edu)

Multimodality in Language Education – Implications for Teaching

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 18, 2021 at 11:28 AM

    I love that you recognize the importance of giving students many different ways to respond to texts that they read. It is funny because a lot of students don't even realize some times how much information that they get when they are responding with something that they find to be more entertaining. Last year one of the 8th graders made a short movie trailer with some of her friends based off of a book that they read, it was hilarious, and they hit all the plot points and not just the main ones - rather impressive. Also, they were laughing non-stop and having so much fun! Another student did a rap, she killed it! It really allows the students to connect in a way that really benefits them!

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  2. Luke DrapeauJuly 22, 2021 at 10:57 AM

    Hello Kelly,

    As you commented and saw on my post, I also talked about technology. I think it is so fascinating because with technology everyone is coming to the table with different levels of experience both with students and teachers. That is why I think it is so important to incorporate tech into the classroom because that way everybody can be learning and using these helpful resources together.

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  3. Kyla GrossenbachJuly 28, 2021 at 1:20 PM

    Kelly, I really enjoyed reading this blog! I also touched base on technology in classrooms as i think it is becoming a bigger and bigger thing. I remember in middle school we relied on hard copies and would only use the computer to print things out, but when i got into high school we were handed laptops that we would be using in every class and would be able to bring home to work on homework. I think giving students computers is very beneficial as they can work on their stuff at home but it can also be a negative thing as some kids might forget a charger at school, might not have wifi, or even might break the computer. But in life like today it is important to touch base with this stuff in a classroom especially after going through a school year during the pandemic. I also really liked how you talked about the different things we can do with technology like interact with your classmates, watch videos, have a home page for your classroom and so on. I also talked about this as i will be a special education teacher and i think everyone needs to know about technology. Great post!

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