Multi - literacy, modality, and semiotics.

Multimodality, multisemiotics, and multiliteracy are terms used to express the idea that humans are changing the way that they communicate. There are clearly more ways to educate than the seemingly ancient "pen and paper" approach, and these new ways of teaching may prove to be even more effective than what we're used to. This new "language" is put into use nearly every second of every day, whether we realize it or not. We are slaves to multimodality. Technology's ever-expanding horizon allows us to learn in ways we never though possible. Computers, television, and video games are just some of the modes that are used to enhance learning, even though they are sometimes dismissed for having negative effects on our society, such as childhood obesity.

McCloud's Understanding Comics embodies multimodality. The linguistic mode is used in copious amounts--wherever a speech bubble appears or any other text. The visual mode isn't difficult to pinpoint, as the book is comprised of cute illustrations that we are urged to bring to life in our heads. We imagine the pictures saying the words that we're reading. The spatial mode of literacy is less distinct but still present, as the author must decide how to use the space on each page in order to convey the right effect. The gestural mode of literacy can be found in the illustrations; the reader must sometimes decipher the body language of the illustrated characters in order to understand them fully. The only mode of literacy that isn't present in this graphic novel is that of audio, but, with all of the other modes wholly present, the reader doesn't feel like they're missing out on anything.