Multiliteracies: My perspective from the classroom

After reading so many interpretations of the word "multiliteracies", I have decided to look for the concept as applied in my courses 
with a combination of text, images and sound.

"The concept of Literacy invokes multiple and complex interpretations. The concept is also approached from a varying number of perspectives: both as a problem and a solution to a problem. The theoretical and empirical base can be approached from a large number of perspectives (see themes). More than anything else, literacy is seen as a kind of social practice. As a consequence the focus shifts towards multiliteracies with special attention to kinds of literacy (high and low culture, multi-cultural interpretations) and to the role of media in relation to literacy."

http://memling.rug.ac.be/aila/symposiums.php

photo: some of my graduate students at USB in Caracas, in the course "Research Methods in Applied Linguistics" A blended course with guest speakers from all over the globe.

Undergraduate courses

"It has been a very nice experience to learn a lot more about bridges. I really enjoyed the presentations given by the guests at our English class, Barbara, Susane and Elizabeth. After watching the presentations and reading more information about bridges, I have realized how important they are to connect cities, and even countries. The connection established by a bridge between cities or countries bring a lot of benefits to the areas involved. For example, it would incentive new trades, economical growth, educational growth and cultural expansion, as Susane expressed in her presentation."

Literature is also part of the English for architecture and Urban Planning course. How about a literary intermezzo? That's what the students had. Arnold Mühren from Holland had a 3 week session working on the radio play "Albert's Bridge". Students interpretations of the play came in different modes: writing a different end, adding information not present in the play, creating comic strips, recording scenes of the play, just to mention a few.

Multiliteracies and Learning Styles

Reactions to readings can be poetic!
from a student's blog

"After reading the articule posted on
http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~rknowles/rhythm_ritual/rhy_rit.html#anchor514199
I realized the author's main concern is to explain how to implement light into design to create an atmosphere.
However what I found most intresting its perhaps to most obvious and yet overloked..... Human behaviour.
I have always believed that the greatest and most beautiful art is life and how we each day create a new canvas of the daily things.
Cortazar well described it as a happening....if we could step out from our bodies and watched us eat, or walk,or anything, we will discover how what seems rutinary or monotonous changes every day with the smallest act. My lunch today is different from tomorrows, regardless if I eat the same or at the same restaurant, the smallest gesture changes everything.
And so we become dancers....secret dancers, each and every one of us! and the tunes we dance to we create them every time we avoid the sun, every time we choose a path, every morning while we get dressed.
We become the greatest composer of OUR LIVES!!

Brainmapping  Architectural Rhythm

http://library.otis.edu/infolit.htm

"Information Literacy is not one distinct thing. It is actually "multi-literacies" with much overlap"

 My name in chinese as written by Aiden's students after a class where I was a live online guest, in Taiwan:

       Dafne
                                                                                                                              Sep. 2005