College Composition and Communication CCC Multimodality Definition Significance Resources Multimodality refers to the various re- sources—among them, images, sounds, document design, and graphics—that au- thors tap to create meaning in all kinds of texts. Writers from earliest times drew on multiple modalities when writing, whether they were composers using color and design on cave walls; medieval scribes using layout and iconography on manuscripts; writers of manuals using tables and charts to share information; authors of presentation slides using video to provide dynamic evidence; or web designers using layout and font size and style to assist readers with navigation. Multimodality thus doesn’t refer specifically to creating texts with digital technologies, but many scholars say that digital tech- nologies can make multimodality both more visible and easier to employ. In a first-year composition class, students can expect to compose texts requiring multimodality, ranging from print texts with “minimal” Multimodality reminds us of the rich- ness of all texts, and of the many ways we create meaning. Interestingly, small chil- dren—mixing drawing, colors, letters, and layout—seem to compose multimodally al- most “naturally.” It may be that engaging in the same kind of “multimodal play” would benefit many composers: it’s often through such “play” that we see alternative ways of seeing and of making meaning. Anderson, Daniel, et al. “Integrating Multimodality into Composition Curricula: Survey Methodology and Results from a CCCC Research Grant.” Com- position Studies 34.2 (2006): 59–84. Web. Faigley, Lester. “Material Literacy and Visual Design.” Rhetorical Bodies: Toward a Material Rhetoric. Ed. Jack Selzer and Sharon Crowley. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1999. 171–201. Web. Kress, Gunther. Multimodality: A Social Semiotic Approach to Contemporary Communication. New York: Routledge, 2010. Print. Lauer, Claire. “Contending with Terms: ‘Multimodal’ and ‘Multimedia’ in the Academic and Public Spheres.” Computers and Composition 26 (2009): 225–39. Web. Lutkewitte, Claire. Multimodal Composition: A Criti- cal Sourcebook. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s P, 2013. Print. National Council of Teachers of English. “Position Statement on Multimodal Literacies.” NCTE. Nov. 2005. Web. <http://www.ncte.org/positions/ statements/multimodalliteracies>. multimodality—words, layout, and font size and style—to blogs with a fuller multimodal representation—including images, photos, banners, words, and podcasts.