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Candidate Number:

Module Title: EDPS0005: Literacy, Language & Communication

2020/21

Programme Title: BA Education Studies

(The name of the programme you are enrolled on)

Assignment Title: Multimodality-Based Online Learning

Word Count : 1350-1650

(Excluding Abstract, footnotes, bibliography/references list,
appendices, tables, figures and title)

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Multimodality-Based Online Learning

Multimodal learning proposes that when all of our senses - visual, auditory, and

gestural - are exercised during education, we perceive and recall more. Integrating

these styles allows learners to perceive learning in a number of ways, resulting in a

varied active learning. The characteristics of modern societies are increasingly

theorized as globalization, mobility (Bauman, 1998) and networking (Castells, 2001).

These changes and developments have greatly influenced the pattern of

communication in the 21st century (Jewitt, 2008). Especially in the recent two years,

in the context of Covid-19, a large number of school campuses around the world have

to be closed. In order to protect the students from infection, most of them need to take

online courses instead. I am also spending my first year of university through online

learning, therefore I want to explore more of the topic of technology to pursue online

studies.

Multimodality - different forms of learning and digital forms

Jewitt (n.d.), argues that the term “multimodality” is a multidisciplinary approach to

interaction and inclusion that sees communication and recognition as more than just

language. It has been established over the last ten years to systematically answer

highly discussed concerns about societal shifts, such as digital media and technology.

The multimodal approach presumes that assets are socially formed over duration to

become significance tools that express the meanings needed by the needs of various

societies (Jewitt, n.d.). These ordered collections of semiotic tools for making sense

are known as modes, and they realize communicative function in distinct ways,

making mode selection a critical aspect of communication and meaning. The more a
collection of tools is used in a single group's social life, the more thoroughly and

finely expressed it becomes. (Jewitt, 2008).

The advancement of technology has made multimodality literacy more diverse,

extensive, and portable. Business Link denotes that, “Mobile technology is exactly

what the name implies --- technology that is portable.” Reynard (2012). lists the

examples of mobile devices, which include “laptop computers, personal digital

assistants, tablets, mobile phones and smartphones, global positioning system (GPS)

devices, and wireless debit and credit card payment terminals” (Reynard, 2012). The

availability of these devices enables people to use them more often.

Likewise, some of these digital devices can be used into learning context. The student

generations are changing, and so do times. The network technology and functions are

getting better and better. There are more and more learning channels available online,

and resources are constantly updated. Therefore, the teaching mode is also catching

up with the times. Learning through mobile devices like laptop, tablets and smart

phones is no longer a rare thing. The prevalence of these devices makes remote

learning possible. Remote learning refers to educational activities that have various

forms and methods, most of which are conducted online either synchronously or

asynchronously. There are many options online for communicating with students,

collecting assignments, and distributing educational materials (Tophat Glossary).

Students use mobile devices as an online platform of doing multimodal learning

remotely. When watching to online lecture recordings, they can learn knowledge

through both modes of seeing and listening. By combining these three terms together,

which is multimodality, mobile devices and remote learning, it is clear that doing
multimodal learning through digital devices can help students understand and

construct diverse, rich, and potentially complex multimodal text forms, and be able to

use a range of different modes of meaning (Multimodal Literacy, 2018).

Benefits of Multimodality Online Based Learning

Reynard (2012). also puts forward some benefits of the use of mobile technology. The

first one is “Capture”: It is easy for mobile devices to capture moments of learning.

Digital capture can help instructors save beneficial moments in the class for extra use.

While in traditional classrooms, the interactions between students and teacher occur,

they cannot be reused because they are nonrecurring, and when captured, they can be

used again and again with both present and future students; The second one is

“Distribution”: Once the exchange is captured, the information can be distributed

through the network or other digital devices. Moving resources or interactions from

the classroom into the hands of students is a significant step in understanding the

impact of mobile technology; Both students are engaged in learning.

Teaching in a single mode alienates students who are unable to fully comprehend the

material in the chosen mode of delivery. Each student is assured to have at most one

of their diverse learners met at some stage during the lesson by using multimodal

learning. The ambiguity of real-world relationships is reflected. People rarely perceive

the world in a single dimension; instead, they are engulfed in images, sounds,

sentences, and gestures almost every aspect of the day. Learning that reflects students'

outside-of-class experiences is far more likely to have meaning and value for students.

The last one is “Integration”: All the work can be part of the curriculum content as it

contributes to the development and results of the course. The most practical thoughts

will become the focus of the team’s work and inspire future ideas and their
applications. Teachers can now simply provide resources and materials to students

and encourage them to use social networks and mobile devices to exchange, construct

and apply their thoughts and ideas throughout the learning procedure, instead of

having to initiate all the ideas and thought processes by themselves (Reynard, 2012).

Take myself for instance, even I am not physically in the UK, I can still listen to

lecture videos that are recorded by the professors. When I watch online lecture

recordings, I can learn through listening and seeing at the same time through

computer, which helps me understand the content better. It is also very convenient to

learn things online. If I want to review the knowledge points, I can re-watch the

lecture videos as many times as I want.

Disadvantages of Multimodality Online Based Learning

Although learning through mobile devices could bring such benefits, there are also

some downsides of online studying. Due to the circumstance of the Covid-19

pandemic, I have been taking online classes for almost a year from grade 12 to the

first year of university. Despite the innovations in technology, taking courses online

cannot replace traditional learning, which is face to face learning. The experience of

digital learning is not so great, at least for me personally. Learning at home lacks of

resources and emotional support from peers, tutors and professors, so that the teacher-

student relationship is hard to be established. Partaking online courses at home lowers

motivation to some extent. The bed is just beside the study desk, the learning

efficiency is very low; and I have no peers around to study with, so it lacks the

learning atmosphere. The students are not able to see professors face to face, so there

will be a lack of interaction and communication. When listening to online recordings

or lectures, it is easy to lose focus and be distracted by other insignificant stuffs.

In a recent study of mobile learning in China’s higher education during the outbreak

of Covid-19, the researchers mentioned that it is worth noting that in terms of the

efficiency of online learning, the whole learning process was inefficient and there was

lack of effective feedback between students and teachers. The abstract and

professional concepts cannot be explained clearly by teachers. Feedback from

students was poor as well, due to the lack of timely assessment methods. Students

slack off because of the lack of corresponding evaluation. On the other hand, teachers

lower their standards for putting students’ technical factors in the first place, or

console themselves with pandemic forgiveness (Yu & Zhang, 2021).

From my perspective, the ideal learning model is to combine digital learning with

traditional learning. Dr. Barbara Means is the executive director of Digital Promise, a

non-profit organization created by Congress to accelerate innovation in education.

She has spent her career studying how digital technology enhances traditional

learning. She says it is important not to equate the “remote emergency mentoring”

that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic with “intentional” online courses

created for instructional design (Sukel, 2020). Intentional online learning is adding the

effectiveness on use of mobile devices on the basis of traditional teaching.

Although it seems convenient and efficient to communicate and learn things across

mobile, portable and digital technologies, online learning still cannot replace the

traditional way of learning. The emotional support from teachers is important and

cannot be neglected. The most appropriate way of learning would be combining

digital learning with traditional learning fo effective gain of knowledge for the

students.

References

Jewitt, C. (2008). Multimodality and Literacy in School Classrooms. Review Of

Research In Education, 32(1), 241-267. doi: 10.3102/0091732x07310586

Jewitt, C. (n.d.). Multimodality.

Retrieved from

https://multimodalityglossary.wordpress.com/multimodality/

Reynard, R. (2012). Understanding Mobility and its Impact on Learning.

Retrieved from

https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2012/06/07/Understanding-Mobility-

and-its-Impact-on-Learning.aspx?Page=1

Top Hat. (n.d.). Remote Learning Definition and Meaning

Retrieved from

https://tophat.com/glossary/r/remote-learning/

Yu, S., & Zhang, J. (2021). Technical and Individual Factors Influencing Mobile

Learning in China’s Higher Education during the Outbreak of Covid-19, Volume 13

(Issue 1), page 50.

Multimodal literacy. (2018).

Retrieved from

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/e

nglish/literacy/readingviewing/Pages/litfocusmultimodal.aspx

Sukel, K. (2020). Adapting to the (Not So) New Age of Computer Learning | Dana

Foundation.

Retrieved from

https://dana.org/article/adapting-to-the-not-so-new-age-of-computer-learning/?

gclid=CjwKCAjwgOGCBhAlEiwA7FUXkoYzqsz4N2NMY7QenuknY2JSA2llc

PEIJWim9AxHQGnzFbxQfyMX1hoCtfsQAvD_BwE