Is poetry still relevant in a time when
educators prepare students for high-stakes testing in school while students
read and write on cell phones, iPads, and laptops out of school? I asked this
question during my first semester in graduate school and used the findings to
write a blog post for the International Reading Association’s
TILE-SIG blog. As
I reflect on my experience with the
#WalkMyWorld project, I realize I was
replicating my first study. Instead of examining the effects multimodal
composition had on 5
th grade students’ engagement with poetry, I was
examining the effects multimodal composition had on ME. Here are my findings.
READER: My engagement in #WalkMyWorld began as a reader. As
I scrolled through the
Twitter feed, I selected poems by the media that
provoked curiosity. I was amazed at the quality of poetry and found myself
rereading poems with a critical eye to determine how the author crafted the
text or used multiple modes to evoke emotion. In order to improve my ability to
write, I used the author rather than the media as the criteria for selecting
which poem to read. Eventually, I moved away from my night time routine of
reading facebook posts to reading Twitter #WalkMyWorld posts.
WRITER: My engagement as a writer evolved from isolated poems
to recursively generating a poem throughout the day. Initially, I took a
picture, wrote a poem, posted it to
#WalkMyWorld, and then crossed the task
off my “to do list.” Now, a word might spark the need to take a picture or a
picture might dictate the words. As my involvement in the project increases, I
notice a greater sensitivity to the natural world and language that surrounds
me. I learned the importance of taking a picture the instant nature sparks my
attention. Thinking about my audience motivates me to go back and retake a
picture in order to adjust the quality. In the beginning, I generated poems by
selecting words from my own schema. Now I collect words and phrases throughout
the day by typing them into the notes section in my cell phone. This recursive
shift continues to improve the quality of my writing and enjoyment in the
composition process.
SCHOLAR: My engagement as a scholar integrated my
theoretical understanding of multimodal composition and my passion for poetry. The
#WalkMyWorld community held me accountable for increasing my creativity. At the
same time, #WalkMyWorld collaboration gave me support as I tried new techniques
and technologies. For example, @dogtrax
interactive poem inspired me to write
an interactive poem about the sunrise. Even though
Twine was easy to use as a
multimodal composition tool, I struggled to embed the poem on the Internet. I used
Twitter to contact @dogtrax for help and we spent several days collaboratively
working to solve my technical issues. I also used Twitter to invite the
#WalkMyWorld community to write a poem on Goggle Drive. This way I was still involved
in the learning event but I shared the responsibility to write a full poem. I was
so excited to see how the poem grew and changed as different authors added
their voice.
Click
HERE if you want to
read or write more into the poem.
By breaking down
barriers of creating, collaborating, and sharing multimodal poetry the
#WalkMyWorld project aligned theory, research, and social media. Today is your
chance to make poetry relevant by joining the #WalkMyWorld project. Share your
thoughts on how the project enriched your experiences as a reader, writer, and
scholar.
