Composing the Self Online: Prezi Literacy Narratives

Angela Laflen

Marist College

Conclusion:

Just because technology is seamlessly woven into our students’ lives does not mean that they are technologically saavy.  In fact, as Kristen Arola (2010) has explained, “the more seamless and invisible the technology becomes, the less we tend to know about how it works” (5). Nevertheless, technology increasingly mediates the writing process as well as identity formation, shaping these in ways that can be difficult to recognize when technology is invisible. The Prezi literacy narrative assignment can be a useful way to encourage students to develop the kind of multimodal literacy that helps them successfully combine modes and recognize the mediating role played by technology in their lives and society in general.  However, making the most of Prezi means recognizing that the unique features of this program present both opportunities and challenges to students and instructors.  Rather than simply unleashing students on Prezi, it is important for instructors to use inventional activities that prepare students to work with this “infinite canvas” tool and to respond to students’ projects to help them dig as deeply as possible into their literacy stories and the possibilities of multimodal composing.