Melanie Gagich’s “An Introduction to and Strategies for Multimodal Composing” highlights Multimodal composing and gives the readers five strategies. She explores the growing importance of multimodal composition in education and communication. Multimodal composing involves integrating various modes within communication. For example, text, images, videos, audio, and design elements. Gagich argues that multimodal composing is an essential skill for the 21st century as it prepares individuals to communicate effectively in diverse environments, including the classroom, workplace, and digital platforms. She wants students to analyze audience expectations and design projects that will effectively communicate their thoughts. This can shift the authorship challenges and require students to act as content curators. Her framework helps students to see multimodal composing not as a replacement for writing but as an alternative. The article by Klein and Shackelford is about the layout formatting, typography, and the impact of writing texts. To explain further, effective communication is not only about content but also about presentation. Both authors’ main point in their article is to advise students on the goal of graphic design. Balance, alignment, and contrast to improve the persuasiveness of our writing. Both authors advocate for expanding traditional writing to include non-textual elements and reflecting more towards multimodal. Gagich focuses on wanting students to experiment with emerging technologies and foster activity. As for the other two, Klein and Shackelford wish to put out and provide a structured approach for document design that can be applied across multiple contexts. Both articles were fascinating, highlighting the importance of teaching students to better understand modern communication’s complexities.
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