The author of this article speaks to the need for a broader understanding among teachers and scholars and learning institutions of the role of multimedia production as a form of literacy with its own rhetorical dimensions. Rhetoric, of course, having to do with the art of speaking and writing well, and the five rules (canons) governing human discourse. In the case of new media, however, the rhetorical concerns go beyond audience and purpose to include more specifically form and content. This is dicussed through the author’s experience developing a science-based multimedia website for middle school age students. The author points out that similar to composing written text the initial concern of writers and designers of new media is “the needs, interests and technical concerns of intended users.” In other words, writers/designers must have a sense for what constitutes appropriate content while also considering the capabilities of a new media in question along with the technological know-how of the intended users. The author also speaks to “technological rhetorical concerns” that are more along the lines of the technical understandings a designer would possess that is beneficial to the writer’s skill set as well. This encompasses understanding that how text looks on a particular platform is as important as the message it conveys (or that Apple does not interface with Flash-based websites as Jonathan pointed out in our last session). Writers also need to understand how to incorporate special effects such as sound and other animation into content in ways that serve to further the message in an attractive way. The article goes on to make recommendations for classroom multimedia production projects before making the point that it is up to educators to endow students with these technological skilss so that they may “engage more fully in academic, professional, and civic life.”
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