PLO 4: Communication

Display the ability to articulate and effectively connect across multiple audiences while justifying perspectives with sensitivity and awareness through verbal, non-verbal, written, non-written, digital, and other multimodal communicative approaches.

For this PLO I am using two assignments from two different classes. Artifact 3 is a demo field trip I created in GEOG 3605 for a 4th grade class to the San Bernardino County Museum. This assignment was done during the Fall 2022 semester. While the assignment itself is predominantly written, it shows how I would use different perspectives in the classroom through the use of multimodal communication. Additionally, I am using Artifact 5 which is a video and research paper titled The Importance of Digital Competence in Childhood Education. Artifact 5 was completed during the Fall 2021 semester in EDMS 3010.

While artifact 3 is simply a demonstration of my ability to create a field trip for a classroom, the research and numbers applied to the trip are live projections of actual costs. I outline step by step instructions on how the day would proceed. As the educator in the classroom, I begin the day with both verbal and visual instructions for the day ahead of us. A brief PowerPoint highlights important keywords for the day, as well as the activities students will be doing in the classroom. Throughout the trip, students take part in activities that include written responses via a short series of questions, as well as an opportunity to flex their artistic muscles via a drawing activity, both based on what they are seeing and experiencing in the museum.

Artifact 5 expands on multimodal communication a bit more directly. It is both a video and essay. The essay is a research paper in which I attempt to relay the importance of digital competence ethically and compassionately in the classroom, both in educators and students. Students need to develop skills that will aid them in a world becoming increasingly reliant on technology. Therefore, educators need to be proficient in these technologies so they can effectively relay how they are used to students. The essay uses written and digital communicative approaches and is academic in its structure and approach.

The accompanying video in artifact 5 is a bit more relaxed and fun. It utilizes verbal, non- verbal, non-written, and digital communicative approaches. I attempted to make it something a person that was not interested in an academic research paper could watch, enjoy, and learn from by injecting animations and humor into the project; it was quite fun! It covers the same topics as the essay in a much more concise and relaxed package. I animated myself and other secondary (fictional) characters in the video and narrated the experience. Additionally, I injected what would have been a PowerPoint presentation into the video in a manner that again is a bit more relaxed and inviting.

Overall, I believe both artifacts 3 and 5 demonstrate my ability to effectively articulate and communicate information to a broad audience, ranging from children to adults. Artifact 3 provides students with a fun experience that relays information through a multisensory experience. Artifact 5 uses multiple forms of communication to reach varying audiences in both an academic manner and a more relaxed, fun multimedia experience.