Having revisited and then categorised the data from the seven interviews, I've rewritten the my original research questions (submitted within my 17 December Research Proposal). On reflection, questions 2 and 3 from my Research Proposal cover too much of the same ground. Also, the questions ignore the conditions that promote/discourage multimodal approaches to assignments, which has been one of more interesting themes to emerge from both the data and my lit review. I think the new combination of questions are also more able to directly address my overarching question posed within the dissertation. Anyway, I have gone...

From this:

...to this:

Just a note of an idea before I forget it: 

Hmmm. Not convinced. I think this might just be treading similar ground to the constellation map on the front page, thereby lessening the impact of the former. And even if I decide I like this, putting it in action will be dependent on time so might never happen.

File under 'abandoned ideas'.

This won't be a video. I don't have the time to do it justice.

Instead, I'll take photographs of university crests (containing a book) and will put them into a rolling slideshow, as I've just been testing out for the Observation section...

If time allows, perhaps I could still try to create a single crest that is more multimodal (or digitally multimodal). That would be quite interesting.

Or perhaps I re-form one or more of the original crests to represent the multimodal university? Again though, I need to be conscious of time so this idea is probably unrealistic.

Hi James

This all looks good - tidy and clear. There are a couple of v minor things on the attached. My bigger comment would be that there is no indication here of what critical argument you will be making, and no sense of how this will inform and structure the written text. It's good to be able to say in the introduction 'this is the argument I am making, and this is why', and then to be able to say in the conclusion 'this is how my argument has been made, and this is how I have demonstrated that it is important'.

If you were going to define a single argument you will be making in this dissertation, what would it be? If you can define that and write it down in a couple of sentences, that can really help give 'spine' to the piece of work and a coherent sense of direction. Then, whatever meanderings happen in the individual chapters, the piece of work still has a clear trajectory.


Possibly you are quite clear on this - it just didn't come through in the document. If it would help to just fire back to me the central argument (maybe try writing it down in less than 20 minutes : ) ) I can feed back quickly on that. I'm pretty sure you know what it would be - it's just a question of articulating it.


let me know what you think?


s

This should probably go in the discussion and analysis of data section. 


I'll obviously link to the two artefacts (maybe from representatives image rather than just a text hyperlink) but alongside that I will need to offer a bit of background to the two artefacts, including in which ways they might be viewed a multimodal, how they differ, why I chose them, some very brief detail on the nature of the stipulated assessment exercise, the course they were a part of, what the assessment criteria was for the exercise.

Rather than being at the start of the section, this would be part way through. Amongst other things it would be a nice way of breaking up that section (which will be text heavy). Also, it wouldn't sit well directly after the detail outlining the nature of the DE course that will at the beginning of this section.


Is it worth taking the thinglink approach here, using the literature to highlight the different modes. Perhaps I would take a screen shot of each assignment with the overlaying information (thereby allowing for sound, through the volume icon).

I've been thinking about how I could use this. Will there be room for it Witihin the main body of the dissertation? How and where will it fit in, without going over ground that has ready been covered? How much space should be allocated to it?


I could try and be quite imaginative with this. In my head I'd been thinking that this would be text and photographs. There's an opportunity though to do something more interesting. I could make the write up quite an interesting multimodal artefact in itself, as follows:

• text
  
• photos (people, work)
  
• some of my own hand written notes/comments where appropriate (photos)
  
• my own diagrams sketched during observation e.g. Layout
  
• close up photographs of relevant sections of text
  

Another quite interesting idea...

I could create some form of image (annotated photograph, manipulated photo, my own creation) to demonstrate the different modes being employed. This would almost be a scientific e.g. Medical, biological diagram.

Maybe do this in thinglink: by hovering over different parts of the diagram, text appears naming the mode. THe pop Up text would be a combination of descriptive dialogue interwoven with literature, for instance a direct quote or a 'see for instance Kress 2001'.

A bit like the maps for the NG project, I should take the original photo and do something interesting with it, not least as my own 'people shots' from the observation aren't particularly strong. AS this is in Eca/architecture, maybe I take an artistic or architectural approach to the image. Actually, the idea of architecture is good, although it could cause confusion with the constellation map if it ends up looking like a plan. Maybe just go for something interesting and artistic.

It might be difficult to depict the artwork on a people image therefore maybe i create a composite in PowerPoint, with a 'model and sketches' image inset, which I then import to thinglink to make interactive.

As per the use of videos within this dissertation, I don't want lots of accompanying explanatory text - this implies a lack of faith in the artefact. This image should work as a stand alone, therefore I'll have the smallest amount of text (as part of the wider text) and then have - 'see image' or perhaps not even that.

A reply from Sian in response to my question about the use of video. I can't disagree with any of the below. Basically, it would be good, but its not necessary, and my priority should be the writing.

The video idea was already on hold until I get the writing out of the way, however it has been useful to have this reaffirmed.

I know I'm not supposed to be working on this until the writing is out of the way, however I had half an hour in a cafe over lunch so thought I might as well put it to use. Some thoughts on how the 'campus exploration' video might work:

• Outside of university entrance. Sound of the outdoors. The door opens, with pseudo effects (but not hackneyed or forced).
• We've now gone through the corridor. There's the sound of footsteps, possibly echoing. The impression given is of moving down the corridor. This might be by zooming forward or perhaps merging photos - a bit like google maps street view - that progress further down the corridor. There's the distant sound of speaking, through an open or closed door, that gets progressively louder as we move down the corridor.
• We arrive at a door that says 'architecture crit room'. The door is either open or closed. The sound is louder again.
• We enter the room and see students participating in an architecture crit exercise. Or perhaps it isn't architecture and is a different area of art. In fact it doesn't need to be a crit room, it could be students producing some other form of multimodal work. Anyway, we can see and hear what they are doing, perhaps across a couple of different photos, perhaps an image that shows students working followed by a close up showing an example of multimodal work for assessment e.g. sketches, model, notepad, photos.
• We exit the classroom and move out into a different corridor this time. As we make our way along the corridor (signifying a different part of the campus and a different discipline) the sound from the first class fades and instead we begin to hear the sound of music playing. The sound of footsteps is constant, however.
• Now we enter a studio or music practice room or space. The music is louder now. Across the two images we see a student composing (on sheet music) and then playing music. Or perhaps the other way round, to be consistent with the previous visit i.e. activity/still work. When he is writing, the sound of music is replaced by pen or pencil on paper (or perhaps nothing).
• We exit the music room and the music gradually begins to fade as we make our way down a third different corridor. Again we hear the sound of footsteps. We begin to the hear the sound of a student speaking in a more formal way. This time we enter a more typical classroom or seminar room where students are delivering a presentation. Across the two images we see the team presenting and then a close up on the computer screen, with PowerPoint slides displaying text and image (or maybe text is enough). Perhaps their cue cards or slides are also in shot, although that's purely aesthetic. They are also communicating through their formal dress and their body language. The content of what they are saying is relevant to the subject of my dissertation and maybe I select the relevant slide from their presentation to feature as the second image.

What follows?

• It would be nice to have arty style notes included at the end explaining the significance of each scene, for instance that the music student completes Phd assessment without accompanying text. This would be small white type on black background but maybe with a different image from that scene  in the bottom right corner of the screen (almost like end credits). Within this I would refer to specifics i.e. the programme and university, just to show that its real rather than conceptual. I'll have to think about what the background noise would be over the credits - if there's any at all.
• But why would I go from shots around campus to graphics on a black background? Maybe it would be more interesting to continue with the idea of photos on campus. Maybe I reuse idea from the SWOP video and have them as notices pinned on a board. Although why would this information be pinned on a board? it might though appear on screen. That's it! In each of the venues where I set one of these multimodal scenes, I take an additional image of a computer screen with limited accompanying text displayed. For instance, I would take a photograph of my laptop displaying the explanatory information for the musician, with the musician in the background out of focus. Or maybe just his empty chair and music stand can be seen in the background. And this would the same for the other scenes - an empty lecture theatre with spoiled presentation notes and a references slide. An empty studio space, perhaps no longer with any work on display. In each case the background will be blurred but still identifiable - achieved either using the close up function on my camera or in photoshop. 
• Do I include a quote from the literature to be a part of each explanation. Hmm, danger of overlapping with the multimodal definition video?
• Maybe the video ends with the lights being switched off in the final classroom, as used to good effect in the SWOP video. This will be distinct from my final technologies video where I will log off or shut down.

[Lunch ends]