Multimodal Literacy in the English/Language Arts Classroom: Meeting Standards and Remaining Relevant in the 21st Century

Abstract

Teachers have long been experimenting with the incorporation of technology, media literacy, and multimodal literacy in the English/Language Arts classroom. However, the recent adoption of Common Core standards and the increased emphasis on standardized, high-stakes testing makes it seemingly more difficult than ever to make curriculum relevant and engaging. Rather than give up, teachers should instead push harder than ever to incorporate multimodal literacy in their classrooms. Studies have repeatedly documented the benefits in both student engagement and achievement of incorporating technology and multimodal literacy in the classroom. This paper provides a sampling of some of that research as well as a unit plan specifically designed to demonstrate how multimodal literacy can be incorporated into the English/Language Arts curriculum as long as there are computers available to the students—and without requiring a high level of technological expertise from the teacher or the students.