LESSON 6

COMMUNICATION AIDS AND STRATEGIES USING

TOOLS OF TECHNOLOGY
(CREATING MULTIMODAL TEXTS)

In the previous lessons, you have learned how the way we communicate
has been greatly influenced by technological advancements even before the
global pandemic has forced people to work and study at home. Now that people
stay online for the greater time of day (and night), our exposure to thousands of
information through various multimodal texts have probably reached greater
heights. Thus, Lesson 5 walked you through the process of evaluating
multimodal texts in order to avoid becoming a victim of false information,
misleading information and fake news.

In this lesson, you will take yet another leap! From being a critical
consumer of information to being a creative disseminator of information! It is
imperative that you equip yourself with various tools and strategies to become
a responsible producer of reliable information.

Are you ready? Let’s begin!

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:
1. convey ideas through oral, audio-visual, and/or web-based presentation
for different target audiences in local and global settings using
appropriate registers;
2. adopt awareness of audience and context in presenting ideas; and
3. evaluate one’s presentation using various tools of technology.
.
A. TOOLS OF TECHNOLOGY
Other than the television, what other platforms do you use to keep
yourself abreast with some important announcements, say, cancellation or
suspension of classes, weather bulletins and local and international events?
See, you no longer tune in to our local channels or radio stations to be
updated. Now, you just go online to see the world in one screen. The world
wide web offers different platforms for your various needs.

During your pre-pandemic life, you were oriented to placing

information on a piece of paper and submitting them to your teachers. Now,
you TURN IN your paper or video through Google classrooms; some,
through messenger or email.
 A few months into the semester, you have probably experienced
having online classes with your teachers through Google Meet, Zoom,
Skype, FB Live, and Messenger Chat Rooms. Which of these have your
class used? These are examples of software applications that are lumped
under the term tools of technology that aid communication. These “tools” do
not only help us have a wider reach but helps us communicate in better
ways, too.

Can you name other tools of technology that have helped you
understand what is being discussed in class? How about those tools of
technology that have helped YOU share and discuss information in class?

Tools of Technology What it does

Did you write PowerPoint presentation, Slide Share, YouTube, etc.?

Very good! That means, you are already using these tools of technology that
aid communication. Since you are already familiar with some of these tools,
could you define “tools of technology” in your own words? Write your own
definition inside the box.

Later, you will compare your definition with mine. For now, study this
list of tools that can help you share/discuss information in class, be it
online or face-to-face.

Tools of technology What it does

Animoto is an online video tool which
allows users to create and/or share videos
using video clips, images, text and music.
 Draw.io is a diagramming tool that works
as a thirrd party Google app. This means
that while it’s not created by Google, it’s
designed to seamlessly work with other
Google apps and to have a very similar
visual flow.
emaze is an online presentation tool that
allows users to create beautiful, flowing
presentations with embedded music and/or
video.
GoAnimate is a fun app used to create
animated videos for free. You are given your
own cast of characters to create the video of
your choice without having to do any of the
drawings.
iMovie is Apple’s video editing software that
allows people to create, edit, and manage
their own trailers/teasers, movies, and
videos.
Powtoon is a British company which sells
cloud-based animation software (SaaS) for
creating animated presentations and
animated explainer videos. The name
"Powtoon" is a portmanteau of "PowerPoint"
and the word "Cartoon".
PodOmatic is an online tool that allows
users to find, listen, and create podcasts
with audio and images using sound
recordings.
Prezi is an online presentation tool which
allows you to create non-linear, engaging
presentations on an intuitive and easy-to-
use interface.
QuickTime is a multimedia player and
recorder that’s free for and built into the
Mac OS X operating system. It enables you
to play a huge variety of multimedia files,
and it can be used to record video, audio, on
your computer screen.
Screencast-O-Matic is a free and easy-to-
use tool for screen capturing and recording
 screencasts. You can distribute your
recording as a downloadable movie file or
make it available online through a
Screencast-o-Matic or YouTube account.
Sketchpad is a free illustration application
made by Sketch.io. It is free, easy to use,
web-based illustration with automatic
saving to your web browser’s cache and no
sign in or account required.
Slideshare is a simple and fun way of
creating, sharing and presenting your ideas
in a new and engaging way. Slideshare is an
online slide hosting service; its main
purpose is to share presentations. This is a
great way to connect with others.
Sparkol VideoScribe is a software for
automatically creating whiteboard
animations.
Wordle is a great Word Cloud generating
tool. It makes word clouds from text you
provide, giving greater prominence to the
words that appear more in the text. It is a
useful tool for text analysis. The clouds are
also customizable.
YouTube allows for you to create a channel
where you can upload and share your videos
for easy access by your peers or the general
public.
Canva creates snazzy designs in seconds
with flexible, cloud-based tool. It is a
flexible and accessible way creating digital
designs especially for beginners
Voice Thread allows you to easily
collaborate and create with voice, video, or
image. The site walks you through the
process of uploading or importing images
and videos.

Which of the above tools of technology have you experienced using

already? If you have not tried any of these before, now is the time. One of
these would help you create a digital multimodal text, a timley endeavor in
this time of pandemic, don’t you think? But before we proceed to that,
compare your definition with this one.
 Tools of technology are web-based applications or software
that can be used to aid or help enhance the communication
process, be at work or in school.

How does your definition compare to mine? If it’s the same nor nearly
the same, give yourself a pat on the shoulder and tell yourself “Good job,
Self!”

B. CREATING DIGITAL MULTIMODAL TEXTS

In lesson 5, you acquired evaluation skills needed to become critical
consumers of information. As such, you were exposed to infographics,
editorial cartoon with its text, and advertisements. However, by definition,
multimodal texts come in many forms. They can be printed, live or recorded
performances, and digital (including transmedia and multimedia
presentations).

For a quick review, here are what we have covered in the previous
lesson:
• Multimodal text can be on paper
e.g. books, comics, posters
• Multimodal text can be digital
e.g. from slide presentations, e-books, blogs, vlogs, e-
posters, web pages, and social media, animation, film,
and video games
• Multimodal text can be live
e.g. a performance or an event

In this lesson, you will be introduced to two new terms, transmedia

and multimedia presentation, as these fall under the digital forms of
multimodal texts.
• Transmedia enables further development of the story world
(like offering a back story, a prequel, additional episodes, or
further insight into characters and plot elements) through a
new medium (live/recorded performance, animation, film,
texts embedded in the presentation). While it may “require a
more complex production process” (Jenkins, 2011), it is
engaging, exciting and fun.

Have you used Kinemaster in the past to accomplish a

project in one of your subjects? If you have, then congrats!
You now have additional tool of technology you can use in
 making a transmedia. Why don’t you go over the list in the
previous page to see which of them can be used for this
purpose? Write them down here.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

• Multimedia Presentation is a stand-alone presentation that

includes information presented with slides, video, or digital
representations and includes sound which might be a
narrative, music or sound effects (Stockall and Scharf, nd).
MS PowerPoint is the most commonly used tool of technology
when it comes to multimedia presentations. Now, go over the
list in the previous page, again, to see which of those listed
can be used for multimedia presentations. Write them down
here.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

As a college student, you could be asked to report on a particular

topic in class or you could be asked to submit a project that is a
multimodal text like a video with voice over or a film or an animation. This
is an academic task no college student can get out. It is part of your
academic life. Thus, learning how to create a digital multimodal text is a
very valuable skill since this is a literacy skill expected across all
disciplines.

Here are the steps in creating a digital multimodal text. Since MS

PowerPoint is the most commonly used tool when it comes to multimedia
presentation, we will use it as a point of discussion. This doesn’t mean
though that you can not use other tools. If you have a stable internet
connection, you might want to use Canva.

1. Determine your purpose. Usually, this is given. When you are

assigned to do a report or submit a project, the purpose is given base
on what you have been instructed to do.
 Say your professor in your Contemporary World class has assigned the
topic “Globalization and the Media: Creating the Global Village” to you
and you’ve been given the date of your report.

What will be your purpose then?

Right! Your purpose will be to show how globalization and the media
create a global village.

2. Identify the target audience. If it is a report, your target audience

will be your classmates. If it is a project, your target audience will be
included in your professor’s instructions. If not, look at the context
(communication situation) given by your prof. The target audience will
be implied there.

In the example given above, who do you think is your target

audience for your report “Globalization and the Media: Creating the
Global Village”? Correct! It’s your classmates and of course your
professor.

Now, why do you think it’s important to identify your

audience? Very good! Keeping in mind who your audience would be,
keeps you aware of which language register (refer to Lesson 4 on the
kinds of language registers) you need to use in your presentation.

Up next is step 3. But before that, do Task 1 first.

Task 1
Directions: Suppose your professor gave the list of topics below and you have
been instructed to choose one as your report for that semester. Fill out the
information being asked.
1. Beauty Across Cultures
2. Influence of Korean Films/TV Series on the Food Preference of Filipinos
3. Dances Through Time
4. Historical Influences on Filipino (or Korean, or Thailand, etc.) Dishes

Chosen Topic: __________________________________________________________

Audience: ______________________________________________________________
Purpose: _______________________________________________________________
Language Register to use: _______________________________________________

Done? Good! Let’s proceed to step 3.

3. Outline the Content. Once you receive the instructions, begin
researching on the topic assigned to you. You can do a quick Google
search on the topic to get a general idea and to make an initial plan for
your presentation better. Let’s try, shall we?
 In under .60 seconds, Google was able to gather more than 11
million sites that deal with your topic. Click the link which you think
will give you the content you are looking for. Once there, read through.
If the content fits your purpose, then bookmark that website so you can
go back to it later. (How? Simply click the star icon that you usually see
on the upper right-hand corner of the address bar.) Do this repeatedly
until you feel you have enough materials.

You can also seek the help of your librarian. Shoot him/her a
message and ask if your library has affiliations with online libraries.
This way, you will have access to e-books that deal with your topic.
Once you have read enough resources, you can start outlining the
information you will include in your presentation. This will be your
guide when you actually start writing the content of your slides.
 Here is an example of an outline.

Roman
numerals
aligned
perfectly with
each other

Capital letters
are indented
under the
Roman
numerals, but
are perfectly
aligned with
each other.

Numbers are
indented
under each
capital letter,
but are
perfectly
aligned with
each other.

The Roman numerals (I, II, III…) contain the main ideas (refer
to Lesson 3) you have gathered on your topic. This means if you have two
(2) main ideas, there would be 2 Roman numerals perfectly aligned with
each other.

The capital letter under each Roman numeral (A, B, C…)

contain the supporting ideas (also called supporting details); thus, they
are indented. This means they are not aligned with the Roman numerals.
However, these letters are also perfectly aligned with each other.

Now, you could use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4…) beneath

each letter if there are sub-details for the each supporting idea, just like
the sample above. Notice how they are indented under each alphabet?
And just like little soldiers, they too, are perfectly aligned with other.

In other words, your outline would vary on the number of Roman

numerals, alphabets, and Arabic numerals as these are highly dependent
 on the amount of relevant information you have gathered, your decision
on which of these to include in your report, and the amount of time you
were given to present your report in class.

It’s time for Task 2!

Task 2
Directions: Make an outline for the topic you have chosen in Task 1. Expand
the outline as needed.

Topic: ___________________________________________________________________
I. _____________________________________________________________________
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
II. _____________________________________________________________________
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________

Are you done? Let’s proceed to the next step! What do you think the next step
would be now that you are done with your outline?

Did you say creating the PowerPoint presentation? Chukahae! (Korean word for
congratulations or congrats)

4. Work on the slide content. First, you need to launch your MS

PowerPoint. Once open, you can select a presentation design from the
available options. After deciding on the design, you can now work your
way through the slides. What will you put on each slide? Good
question!
Remember the content outline you made after you have researched
your topic? Refer to that. That content outline, together with the
onscreen instruction in each slide, will help you on navigate your way
as you work on your presentation. Look!

Say you’ve chosen this

design template; this is
the first slide you will
see. See the onscreen
instructions, “Click to
add title” and “Click to
add subtitle”? They tell
you what to put in
each box or
placeholder.

Now, go back to the sample outline on the previous page. Which of

these would you write on the “Click to add title” and “Click to add
subtitle” placeholder/box?

Obviously, it should contain the title of your report, “Globalization and

the Media: Creating the Global Village”, since this is the first slide.

Now, based on the content outline, how many slides do you think, your
presentation would have? By the looks of it, you would have around
twenty-three (23) slides, including the title slide and the section
headers. Of course, this is just an estimate so the actual number of
slides could be more or less, depending on what you will put in each
slide. Aside from texts, you can insert images, videos, audios, audio-
video, animation, etc. These will make your presentation interesting
and captivating to your audience.

As you work your way on the content of each slide, keep in mind the
tips that would help you create effective slides so your final
presentation would be powerful. The NCSL Podcast (2017) suggests the
following tips for making a powerful PowerPoint presentation:

Tips for Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations

• Use the slide master feature to create a consistent and simple design
template. It is fine to vary the content presentation (i.e., bulleted list, 2-
column text, text & image), but be consistent with other elements such as
font, colors, and background.

• Simplify and limit the number of words on each screen. Use key phrases
and include only essential information.

• Limit punctuation and avoid putting words in all capital letters. Empty
space on the slide will enhance readability.

• Use contrasting colors for text and background. Light text on a dark
background is best. Patterned backgrounds can reduce readability of text.

• Avoid the use of flashy transitions such as text fly-ins. These features may
seem impressive at first, but are distracting and get old quickly.

• Overuse of special effects such as animation and sounds may make your
presentation “cutesy” and could negatively impact your credibility.

• Use good quality images that reinforce and complement your message.
Ensure that your image maintains its impact and resolution when
projected on a larger screen.

• Limit the number of slides. Presenters who constantly “flip” to the next
slide are likely to lose their audience. A good rule of thumb is one slide
per minute.

• Make sure slides are readable from the back-row seats. Text and
graphical images should be large enough to read, but not so large as to
appear “loud.”

• Learn to navigate your presentation in a non-linear fashion. PowerPoint

allows the presenter to jump ahead or back without having to page
through all the interim slides.

Source: https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-
committee/tips-for-making-effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
Task 3
Directions: Using your output in Task 2, create a multimedia presentation for
your report. Use text, images, audio-video materials to deliver the information
in your presentation. As you do, bear in mind the tips given on the previous
page. Once done, test run your presentation. When you do, watch out for the
following. This will help you improve your output so much more.

Checklist YES NO
Is the content clear and coherent?
Are the ideas thorough and fully supported by facts, statistics,
etc.?
Are there grammatical and spelling errors?
Are the design, the slide transition, and the animation
distracting?
Were the images and audio-video materials appropriate and
effectively used?
Is the entire presentation focused on the topic?

Address the items that got the NO answer. After working on the improvement,
show your work to someone else and let him/her do the checklist. If the
checklist comes back without a NO answer, congratulate yourself. Your
multimedia presentation is ready to be delivered to your target audience.
C. Delivering a Multimedia Presentation
Now that your slide presentation is ready, it’s time to prepare yourself
in delivering it. For some of you, this may be the dreaded part if you have
stage fright; but this can’t be helped (especially if it is a report and your
grade depends on it). So, tell yourself to ditch that fear and that “It’s a do or
die” situation. That should sober you up.

Here are the two modes of delivering a multimedia presentation: face-

to-face delivery (also called in-person presentation) and online mode
delivery.

1. Face-to-face Mode of Delivery

Pre-pandemic, face-to-face delivery of multimedia or digital
presentation is the preferred way. The class is inside their assigned
classroom. There is a LED projector, laptop and white screen. Everything
is set-up and you face the class to deliver your report. Nerve-wracking?
Maybe yes even if you are prepared. BUT! Once you start delivering it,
the practice you made will kick in and you will warm up to your topic
and to your audience.

There, I’ve said it. You need to practice delivering your multimedia
presentation. As you practice, keep in mind Paul N. Edwards (2013)
helpful tips in making you a great presenter (read: disseminator of
relevant information).

Some Rules of Thumb

USUALLY BETTER USUALLY WORSE
Talk. Read.
Stand. Sit.
Move. Stand still.
Vary the pitch of your voice. Speak in monotone.
Speak loudly, facing the audience. Mumble, facing downward.
Make eye contact. Stare at your laptop.
Focus on main points. Get lost in details.
Use outlines, images, and charts. Have no visual aids.
Finish within your time limit. Run overtime.
Summarize your main points at the Start without an overview; trail off
beginning and end. without a conclusion.
Notice your audience and respond to Ignore audience behavior.
their needs.
 At this point, let’s watch this video. Click this link. After watching
the video, answer the questions that follow.
a. Describe the presentation. Is it effective or not? Explain.
___________________________________________________________________
b. Describe the speaker. What qualities did he have during his first
presentation?
___________________________________________________________________
c. How did the audience react to the speaker? What pieces of advice did
they give to the speaker?
___________________________________________________________________
d. With a partner, accomplish the checklist below. Then, present your
output in class.

Checklist
Directions: Check the column next to the item if you have observed/seen it
during the presentation.

Talk. Read.
Stand. Sit.
Move. Stand still.
Vary the pitch of your voice. Speak in monotone.
Speak loudly, facing the audience. Mumble, facing downward.
Make eye contact. Stare at your laptop.
Focus on main points. Get lost in details.
Use outlines, images, and charts. Have no visual aids.
Finish within your time limit. Run overtime.
Summarize your main points at Start without an overview; trail
the beginning and end. off without a conclusion.
Notice your audience and respond Ignore audience behavior.
to their needs.

2. Online Mode of Delivery

As repeatedly mentioned throughout this module, the pandemic
has forced your parents to work from home; and you, students, to do
online classes. In fact, your final output in this lesson is going to be
delivered during your online class.

Unlike the face-to-face delivery where you can see everyone (after
all you’re all inside the classroom and your classmates appear to be
listening, or at least pretend to be listening), the online mode of delivery
is a different story. In your online class, your classmates are present but
whether they are paying attention to your slides or not is the big
question.
 Admit it or not, you probably have another window open
downloading something or browsing your FB account or posting in your
Instagram or Twitter account. No? Then, you are probably watching on
Netflix on another device or you are playing online. What’s the point I’m
trying to make here? There are many things that take your attention
away from a web presentation, be it your classmate’s or your professor’s.
Now, that the table is turned (read: YOU will be the presenter), what can
you do to even the odds?

Tips to Maintain Audience Attention During Online Presentation

(Adapted from J. Hansen’s article, 10 Ways to Keep Your Audience Engaged During an Online Presentation; author of
the book, Sales Presentation for Dummies)

1. Increase your visibility.

Even if your audience’s cameras are most of the time turned off, you, as
their presenter must be ‘seen’ clearly. One way to do this is of course, by
dressing up appropriately for the occasion. Make your presence ‘loud’ by
accompanying your words with appropriate and necessary gestures. Remember
in your Oral Communication subject, 90% of how we communicate is through
nonverbal forms (e.g., gestures, facial expressions, etc.).

2. Leverage your voice.

Remember that in a virtual class where you are the current presenter, your
voice could make or break your presentation. Thus, you need to sound alive and
enthusiastic unless you want to put everyone to sleep or worse, drive them into
launching another browser to do something else.

3. Visually reinforce key points.

Instead of filling your slide with text (which your classmates won’t be able
to read because they’re using a cell phone in their online class), use images or
graphics or audio-video materials to emphasize key points. When you do this,
you will also be able to limit the number of slides that you
will create for your presentation.
Word pictures like this one here can also be used to
visually reinforce important concepts.

4. Use purposeful movement.

During online presentations, purposeful movements refer to changing slides
or using your mouse or pointer to guide your audience’s eyes to specific parts of
the screen as you make your point or in support to a point you are trying to
make. Use these movement in your favor. In J. Hansen’s words “Wield the power
of movement purposefully and wisely.”
In contrast, rapid slide transition and jerky movements of the mouse or
pointer work against you. Not only that, your audience will most probably get a
 headache from trying to follow your rapid slide transition and the jerky
movements of your mouse.

5. End on time.
Keep track of your discussion so you will be able to end it on time. When the
time allotted for your presentation is up, end your presentation by delivering
your closing line and clicking the “Stop” button to stop sharing your screen.
Thus, at the start of your presentation, tell your audience how much time your
presentation will take and keep your word when that time is up. Otherwise,
your audience will begin to tune you out.

Now that you’ve read through the tips, start internalizing. Also, if your class is
using Google Meet for your online sessions, familiarize yourself with this
platform. Do a test run with a few friends first so that you will be adept at
sharing your screen when your professor calls you to deliver your web
presentation. You don’t know how? Then click on the links provided below to
help you on this.

For a quick tutorial on how to present on Google Meet, using a laptop or

desktop, click this link. For those using their smart phones, click this link.

Task 5
Directions: In Task 4, you have finished your PowerPoint presentation and you
have even calibrated it based on the result of the checklist you have asked your
friends to accomplish for you. For this task, practice presenting using a
computer or a smart phone. Keep in mind the tips on how to maintain your
classmate’s attention during your web presentation.

There! Whew! Chukahae! You’ve come this far. This chocolate is for you. It will
boost your energy.

Source: https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/chocolate

Want to find out how much you have learned in this lesson? Take the
assessment on the next page.
ASSESSMENT