Chapter 5: A Pedagogy of Teaching for Transfer across Media

5.1 Evan

In Chapter 1, I offered a definition of transfer across media as a process of considering, (re)using, choosing not to use, applying, and adapting compositional knowledge through various digital and non-digital technologies and within the surrounding practices and norms of the compositional context. The video composition experiences of participants in this study further illuiminate several aspects of this definition, providing snapshots of what happens when transfer across media occurs. The data highlighted in Chapter 2, for example, indicates that various kinds of knowledge and ways of knowing were both applied and reconstructed, to use Nowacek's terminology, as students completed video and written essay assignments within a course. Some students in the study, however, made only early steps toward transfer across media: they began a process of considering their knowledge, for example, or they took a first small step toward the application or adaptation of what they knew.

The student experiences described in Chapter 3 indicate that much knowledge that falls within Selber's framework for multiliteracies—that is, knowledge of functional, critical, and rhetorical literacies—helped students make transfer moves or set the stage for future transfer across media. Functional and rhetorical literacies, in particular, became part of a compositional knowledge base that was then ready to be considered, reused, discarded, or adapted. Notably, students demonstrated the development of a critical multimodal literacy grounded in video production that extends beyond Selber's politicized critical literacy. This critical multimodal literacy often involved a look ahead, as students reflected on past production experiences and imagined future rhetorical situations to which their multimodal knowledge might transfer. Finally, the data in Chapter 4 provides an in-depth look at several moments when students considered their compositional knowledge, built different kinds of meta-awareness, and envisioned that awareness as useful as they looked to the future.

In this chapter, we'll focus on the video composition experiences of one advanced student, Evan Kennedy, a graduating senior at Oakland University who was a student in the Introduction to Writing for Digital Media course I taught in winter 2017. Evan's experiences with video are a bit different from those of others described in Chapters 1 through 4. Evan was not a first-year student, and he elected to enroll in the Writing for Digital Media course. He also had the opportunity to work on his video composition for many weeks and take the project through at least four revisions. Perhaps because of some of these differences—high investment, extended time—Evan's process and products demonstrate and clarify many of the complexities involved when students transfer knowledge across media. As you will see and hear below, Evan considered, reused, discarded, applied, and adapted compositional knowledge as he composed and revised, building a critical multimodal literacy along with other kinds of literacies that helped him to make effective authorial decisions and to prepare for the future.

Evan’s video composition, “A College Collage: Not Going Back,” is fantastic. You can watch and listen to it in its final and in-progress versions below. The impressive editing skills and layered techniques on display in Evan’s work are, in part, what first led me to begin to pay closer attention to Evan’s composition process and the ways in which he was learning through extended work on this project. As I observed and interacted with Evan throughout the semester and through our interview once the semester was over, I became even more impressed with the ways he developed meta-awareness about composition and then put that meta-awareness to work as he transferred skills and knowledge from draft to draft.

Take a few minutes and watch and listen to the final draft of Evan’s video, “A College Collage: Not Going Back.”

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

"A College Collage: Not Going Back" by Evan Kennedy

Descriptive Transcript

AudioVisual
[Low drum beat plays in background and continues.]
Man's voice: The line between sanity and insanity is blurred. It's sometimes hard to know where one ends and the other begins.
[No visual, plain black screen]
[static noise] Another man's voice: The first time I felt the severe impact of mental illness was when I went to college freshman year.A black and white image of falling notebooks and papers appears on the screen.
[static noise] Woman's voice: Is this what being crazy looks like? [static noise][No visual, plain black screen]
Another woman's voice: My low points are an endless parade of hopelessness at its worst. [static noise]A black and white clip looking through a small window of a solitary confinement cell. In the cell is a man on a bed looking miserable.
Man's voice: Depression, anxiety. [static noise][No visual, plain black screen]
Woman's voice: Afflicting roughly 17% of the population of the United States, we treat it as if it's a bad cold. [static noise]A black and white image of many empty pill bottles stacked in a pyramid is shown. At the end, they start to fall.
Another woman's voice: As if, if we sort of ignored it, it might go away. [static noise][No visual, plain black screen]
Woman's voice: It's a term so overused in today's culture, it has been rendered meaningless. [static noise]A black and white image of a man sitting and painfully holding his head with one hand is shown.
Peter Breggin: Mental illness is a myth, a fraud, a bad metaphor, an excuse. [static noise]A black and white clip is shown of a man wearing a coat and glasses and speaking. He looks to the side of the frame; under his face reads "Dr. Peter Breggin Psychatrist".
Woman's voice: Fighting yourself to wake up, get up, take a shower, try and breathe, try and smile, try and act like you believe you have something to live for. [static noise]A black and white image of a woman walking down an empty hallway in slow motion is shown.
Another woman's voice: This is the pain of madness. [static noise]Another black and white clip looking through a small window of a solitary confinement cell. In the cell is a man on a bed looking miserable.
Man's voice: As a society, we have little tolerance for bizarre behavior.A black and white image of loose pills floating to the ground in slow motion is shown.
[Static noise continues.]
Voice [low, disorted, and slowed down]: College is going to be the best years of your life.
A man is shown sitting cross-legged on the grass, alone, looking off into the distance.
[Static noise continues.]
Man's voice: So we build huge institutions and look away.
A black and white image of a city skyline near a body of water is shown.
[Static noise and drum beat stop. A bell tolls and the ringing fades.]The screen is all black for a moment. Then, white text appears on the center of the screen reading "A College Collage," which is then replaced by "By Evan Kennedy." That text is then replaced by "Not Going Back".
[Demi Lovato's "Old Ways" begins and plays throughout.]
Demi Lovato [singing]:
It was fun
The same image of a black and white city skyline near a body of water is shown.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Playin' with knives
Until a blade stuck in the left side of my chest
Surprise
An image of Evan leaning up against a car is shown. In the top right corner reads "Saginaw Valley State University." This is followed by a second image of him in that same spot but in a different pose, this time the top right corner reads "Fall 2009, Freshman Year".
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And I'm down again, I turn the page
The story's mine
No more watchin' the world from my doorstep
Passin' me by
An image of a lone book on a shelf is shown. The title "2009" is in the center of the screen. This is followed by a set of images going back and forth between showing a growing collection of empty pill bottles on a shelf and a growing collection of books on the shelf. An image of a man standing at the end of a hallway is shown, and the camera zooms in on the man as the music builds to the chorus.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And I just keep changin'
These colors, colors, colors, colors
I'm not in the same place
That I was, I was, I was, I was
Evan is shown in black and white punching forward toward the camera. A red screen reads "2010". A black and white image of Evan with a mean look on his face is shown. He is standing in front of a picture collage wall, and the image is briefly colorized in red hues. Then, a color image of the growing pill bottles on the shelf is shown, followed by the black and white clip of papers and notebooks falling. Evan is shown standing in front of a large picture collage, either in an art gallery or museum. The image is then colorized in red hues. A stop motion set of images is shown with a number of empty pill bottles being stacked on top of each other on a shelf, both in black and white and in color. Then, the black and white clip of papers and notebooks falling is shown again.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
But if somebody tells me
I'll go back to my old ways
I'm gonna say no way
I'm out of the doorway
I'm hearin' them all say
I'll go back to my old ways
A black and white close-up image is shown of Evan holding his head in one hand. Evan's image becomes colorized in red hues, and then returns to black and white. Evan is covering his eyes and face with his arm, which has a tattoo reading "Stay Strong" on it. Then, a moving black and white image of a hallway in a mental hospital is shown. Another black and white image of Evan covering his eyes with his hand is shown, and the image goes back and forth between black/white and red tones. The image of the mental hospital hallway is shown again, but this time in red.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Not goin' back to my old ways
Not goin' back to my old ways
A black screen is shown with white text reading "2011". The text remains on the screen as the black and white clip of papers and notebooks falling returns to the screen.
Voice: [an echo, singing]:
Not goin' back to my old ways
A red-toned image of loose pills falling to the ground is shown.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Now I know what's good for me
All that I need
And I can't wait to sink my teeth in
And take another bite
A black and white image of Evan in the corner of a room, sitting on a bed, is shown. He is sitting in front of a wall that is covered in framed photos. A light blue screen with white text reading "Michigan State University" is shown across the bottom. The same picture of Evan on the bed is shown again, this time colorized blue, as well as a second photo with a different pose. A worm's-eye view clip of the sky and a tree branch is shown, with text reading "2012".
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And the best part about it
Is I'm the only one who can do somethin' about it
I fill the well with some water, it's overflowin'
Black into gold
Who knew it'd be so bright without the blindfold
Papers with handwritten words are shown in a shallow pool of blue water. Another clip of the same tree branch is shown, followed by the clip of the pool, this time with more crumpled papers than before. Evan is shown in a house that has been stripped down to the wooden studs. An image of the crumpled papers floating in the pool is shown again, followed by a clip of loose pills falling in slow motion. The image of Evan in the house is shown again.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And I'll just keep changin'
These colors, colors, colors, colors
The image of the pills returns to the screen, this time with the text "2013" on it. A clip of Evan is shown mouthing the lyrics to "Old Ways."
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'm not in the same place
That I was, I was, I was, I was
But if somebody tells me
I'll go back to my old ways
I'm gonna say no way
I'm out of the doorway
I'm hearin' them all say
A reversed clip of leaves blowing in the wind is shown, followed by the clip of the growing collection of empty pill bottles on the shelf. The clip of the leaves is re-shown before cutting back to the pill bottles on the shelf.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'll go back to my old ways
Not goin' back to my old ways
A photo of Evan looking directly at the camera with a neutral look on his face is shown. The clip cuts back to the growing number of pill bottles on the shelf, and again to an image of Evan in the same location, but in a different pose. This time, he has a fist to his cheek.
[Musical interlude of a descending scale.]
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Not goin' back to my old ways
[Musical interlude of a descending scale.]
Voice: [an echo, singing]:
Not goin' back to my old ways
A yellow screen is shown reading "2014." The pill bottles on the shelf, now making a tall pyramid, fall over in slow motion.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Every scar
The flames burn the mark
I'm not afraid to fall
I'm spiraling
I'm spiraling
A black screen is shown reading "Macomb Community College" on the bottom in white text. A dark image of Evan looking off into the distance is shown followed by a clip of the loose pills falling. The pill spins in the air as Lovato sings "I'm spiraling."
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I pass the stars
I'm not burning out
I'm not afraid to fall
I'm not afraid anymore
A slow motion recording of Evan standing on top of a hill in a blanket on a windy day is shown.The screen cuts back to the clip of the falling pills, and text reads "2015".
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And I just keep changin' my colors
I'm not in the same place that I was, I was
The clip of Evan standing on top of the hill in the blanket is shown, followed by Evan at the bottom of that hill still in the blanket, looking as though he just ran down the hill. An image of green tree-filled woods is shown, with the text "Oakland University" running across the bottom of the screen. An image of Evan is shown in these woods, looking at and leaning on a tree, wearing a green shirt.
A voice [electronic, singing]:
And the best part about it
Is I'm the only one who can do somethin' about it
I fill the well with some water, it's overflowin'
Evan is shown in two different poses sitting on a bench in the woods wearing the green shirt, with green leaves behind him. In the next two images, Evan is shown lying in a field of white daisies, wearing a white shirt. This is followed by an image of wild flowers and green plants with text reading "2016".
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Black into gold
Who knew it'd be so bright without the blindfold?
[A musical pause]
[Lovato's voice, instruments, and the song's beat come back in loudly.] And I just keep changin'
A slowmotion clip of Evan flipping his hair outside on a sunny day is shown, followed by a slowmotion clip of him jumping from one rock to another. The video goes back and forth between these two visuals, timed with the music and the musical pause.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
These colors, colors, colors, colors
The front of Wilson Hall on Oakland University's campus is shown on a snowy, gray day. The camera then pans to Elliot Tower, the clock tower.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'm not in the same place
That I was, I was, I was, I was
A gray screen with papers falling across it is shown, reading "2017". Then, an image of Evan looking seriously at the camera on a purple background is shown. The video goes back and forth between these two images.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
But if somebody tells me
I'll go back to my old ways
I'm gonna say no way
I'm out of the doorway
I'm hearin' them all say
I'll go back to my old ways
Not goin' back to my old ways
A dark clip of Evan wearing a cap and gown in front of closed window blinds is shown, followed by a clip of Evan as a model walking down a fashion runway. He is wearing all black and surrounded by purple lights and a purple background. The image of the papers floating is shown, and text reads "Graduation," which is followed by the clip of Evan wearing his cap and gown, this time flipping his head back. The clip of Evan on the runway is shown once more, and he turns around to exit.
[No audio]White text appears on a black screen, reading "Video 'Medicine and Madness' McGraw-Hill Films [1977] archive.org." This is then replaced by text reading "Audio 'Old Ways' Demi Lovato Hollywood Records, Inc. & Island Records [2015]". This is then replaced by "Audio 'Beyond Silence' Lauren Burke, Jeff & Jean Fink Director: Shaul Shwarz & Exec. Producer: Demi Lovato bevocalspeakup.com." This is then replaced by "Audio 'College is Gonna Be' Tami 'Mom' Bonnville Composer: Evan Kennedy." This is then replaced by "All Other Media Artist/Producer/Director/Writer: Evan Kennedy".
Man's voice: The insane, far from being criminals deserving a punishment, are sick persons whose painful condition deserves all the regard that is properly due to human suffering. And in whom, one should seek to reestablish the lost reason by the simplest means.A plain black screen is shown, followed by white text reading "— Phillippe Pinel".

You'll notice that Evan uses the whole of Demi Lovato's song "Old Ways" in his composition. Because this song is under copyright, Evan decided not to upload his work to YouTube during our class, thus publishing it beyond the course. I believe, though, that Evan's use of copyrighted content is most likely fair. Following Dustin Edwards, who argues that it is important to pay attention to "digital-material systems that support and constrain digital flows of content" (62), I'd like to pause to analyze Evan's use of "Old Ways" according to the four factors judges consider when resolving fair use disputes in court.

While Evan's use of the entire song weighs against an argument for fair use (one factor to consider is the amount and substantiality of the portion taken), Evan transforms Lovato's song as he combines it with images, video clips, and animations, speaking through the song along with other media to express his own message (the purpose and character of the use). Evan's synthesis of these materials aligns with advice from compositionist Martine Courant Rife, who states, "[R]emixing another's materials with bits and pieces you have created yourself, as well as more than one outside author's work, will make your use more likely to be fair use" (149). In "College Collage," Evan melds "Old Ways" with clips from documentary films, selfies, original footage, animations, and effects.

Evan's use of "Old Ways" opposes fair use principles because the song is a highly creative work and not a factual or nonfiction text, but it aligns with fair use principles because Lovato's song is already published (the nature of the copyrighted work). Rife addresses this factor as well, advising authors, "[I]f you are taking a position on an issue, or creating a history or documentary meant to comment and criticize an issue or events, your use may be more likely to be fair, even if the copyrighted materials you remix are creative" (149). Evan indeed uses "College Collage" to construct a history of his experiences that make a commentary on the importance of paying attention to the mental health concerns of college students. Evan's video makes the song accessible on the Web to numerous other users, which opposes fair use, but this use does not deprive the copyright owners of income, nor does it undermine new markets for the work (the effect on the potential market).

Weighing all these factors, I believe Evan's use of "Old Ways" is most likely fair. Thus with Evan's permission, I uploaded his videos to YouTube for inclusion here in this eBook, and when I did, YouTube flagged the videos with content ID claims for the song. I disputed the claims, providing detailed descriptions of how Evan's use of the song most likely fell under fair use, and thirty days later, YouTube removed the content ID claims because the song's copyright owners had not responded to my disputes (I assume that the non-response was the reason for the removal, but YouTube did not provide any explanation—the content ID claims simply disappeared thirty days after I submitted the disputes). This dispute process required a great deal of work and time, but it is important work to exercise Evan's and my right to the fair use of copyrighted content. As Edwards writes, "[W]hen it becomes increasingly difficult to circulate compositions that make fair uses out of copyrighted materials, digital cultures become more constrained" (62). By including Evan's video work here, I support a digital culture in our field and beyond in which authors can use and build on existing content under fair use principles.

Evan’s video is chock-full of highly advanced rhetorical and compositional techniques, the synthesis of "Old Ways" with other pieces of media being only one example. He uses audio collage, visual and aural timing, color associations, metaphor, symbolism, musical rhetoric, photo and video manipulation, anchoring with written text, repetition, contrast, juxtaposition, and more.

Let’s rewatch Evan’s composition now layered with comments about his compostion process taken from his interview with me for this study.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Composing "A College Collage: Not Going Back"

Descriptive Transcript

AudioVisual
[No audio]White text appears on a black screen, reading "Composing A College Collage: 'Not Going Back'".
Evan: I did a lot of layering to that intro. I was watching documentaries on mental health.Evan is shown sitting at a table, talking to Crystal, who is off screen. On the bottom right corner of the screen, text reads "Evan".
Man's voice [from Evan's video]: The line between sanity and insanity is blurred... [Evan's video continues to play in the background while he speaks.]
Evan: And one of them specifically was talking about college, and him going away to college and that as being a huge trigger for him.
Another man's voice: ...was when I went to college freshman year.
Evan: And I was like, oh my gosh, it is so representative of my experience. One person saying something isn't as strong as a whole community of people talking about it. And then I found an educational video that was from way back in the day, yet it still rung true to a lot of what the psychiatrists thought of mental health being a myth and stuff like that.
Man's voice: ...is a myth, a fraud.
Evan: And I felt like those images rung true to my own experiences as well.
Woman's voice: ...wake up, get up, take a shower. Try and breathe...
A clip from Evan's video is shown. The clip of his interview with Crystal continues, and it is superimposed in the bottom left corner of the screen. In Evan's video, the screen is all black. An image of papers and notebooks falling is shown, followed by a black and white clip looking through a small window into a solitary confinement cell. In the cell is a man on a bed looking miserable. Then, a black and white image of many empty pill bottles stacked in a pyramid is shown, and they start to fall. A black and white image of a man sitting and painfully holding his head with one hand is shown, followed by a black and white clip of a man wearing a coat and glasses and speaking. He looks to the side of the frame; under his face reads "Dr. Peter Breggin Psychatrist".
Evan: I do a lot with the audio editing. Taking a part of the audio, super-edit it, and I'll slow it down, make it creepy.A split screen of Evan's interview and his video are shown side by side, on the left and right, respectively. In Evan's video, a black and white image of a woman walking down an empty hallway in slow motion is shown. Another black and white clip looking through a small window of a solitary confinement cell. A black and white image of loose pills floating to the ground in slow motion is shown.
[Static noise continues.]
Voice [low, disorted, and slowed down]: College is going to be the best years of your life. [Static noise continues.]
So we build huge institutions and look away. [Static noise and drum beat stop. Bell tolls and ringing fades.] [Demi Lovato's "Old Ways" begins to play.]
The clip of Evan in his interview disappears and the clip from his video becomes full screen. In it, a man is shown sitting cross-legged on the grass, alone, looking off into the distance. A black and white image of a city skyline near a body of water is shown. The screen is all black for a moment. Then, white text appears on the center of the screen reading "A College Collage," which is then replaced by "By Evan Kennedy." That text is then replaced by "Not Going Back". The same image of a black and white city skyline near a body of water is shown.
[Evan's video continues to play quietly while Evan speaks, with "Old Ways" continuing to play throughout.]
Evan: I really wanted to do a timeline type of reflection of my college experience. I transferred so much, and I couldn't figure out what I wanted to major in. Figuring out that I had mental health issues on top of that. And then, I was coming out of the closet as gay my freshman year at college too. I really wanted to do it for myself because I was beating myself up a lot about, you know, it taking me so long. And I was like, okay I want to do something that I'll enjoy doing. I need to think about what materials I actually have.
The clip of Evan in his interview is superimposed in the bottom left corner of the screen again as the clip from his video continues. Images of Evan through various years and schools are shown alongside images that imply his dwindling mental health.
[Evan's video continues to play quietly while Evan speaks, with "Old Ways" continuing to play throughout.]
Evan: And why not just like tie this in to what I'm already trying to figure out with my life, and why not just use it to figure that out. Being able to workshop with other people was really helpful. Them just being like, "oh, you know, still need more content of what's going on." So I'm like, "okay, so I could add text to that to kind of display that." So that's where I added the years and the schools that I was at. And we started to, at that time, talk about audiences. I can have this whole storyline in my head, but I need to make it in a way that I can enjoy it, but also other people can still watch it.
Evan is shown in his interview with Crystal in a split screen with his video. In the video, more images of Evan thoughout different years and different colleges are shown, alongside images suggesting a poor state of mental health.
[Lovato's "Old Ways" plays.]Evan's video goes full screen, showing an image of loose pills falling slowly to the ground.
[Evan's video continues to play quietly while Evan speaks, with "Old Ways" continuing to play throughout.]
Evan: Since I had a lot of images, I was like, "there's not a lot of motion." So I was like, "okay, I want to set my goal to clip my images to make it be on the beats of the song. I watched the volume thing, and once it got to its highest point or whatever, I would be like, okay, that's when that beat's going to hit really loud. And that's when I want that picture to change.
Evan is shown in his interview with Crystal in a split screen with his video. In the video, more images of Evan thoughout different years and different colleges are shown, alongside images implying the status of his mental health.
[Lovato sings, "I'm hearing them all say, I'll go back to my old ways. Not going back to my old ways," punctuated by strong percussive beats.]Evan's video goes full screen, showing a montage of images changing to the beats of the song.
Evan: Picked a song that I felt represented my college experience. I just wanted to show that I kept moving, and kept moving, and kept moving, and that song really represented that. And that artist played a big part of me being able to get through mental health challenges.Evan is shown in his interview with Crystal in a split screen with his video. In the video, more images of Evan thoughout different years and different colleges are shown, alongside images suggesting a poor state of mental health.
[Demi Lovato sings, "I'm spiraling, I'm spiraling..."]Evan's video goes full screen, showing an image of loose pills falling slowly to the ground.
[Evan's video continues to play quietly while Evan speaks, with "Old Ways" continuing to play throughout.]
Evan: There was a lot of different things, I think, that helped from class that made me change my mind about what I wanted to do with the video. Where I added the coloring and stuff, we were all giving our different input on, you know, a different aspect of design. And then, I don't even think I did color, but someone else did, and I was like, "oh, that would be so cool to add into my composition."
Evan is shown in his interview with Crystal in a split screen with his video. In the video, more images of Evan are shown, now closer to the present day and at Oakland University. The images in his video now have more color and imply a happier mental state for Evan.
[Lovato's "Old Ways" plays.]Evan's video goes full screen, and the images in his video continue to have more color and imply a happier mental state for Evan.
[Evan's video continues to play quietly while Evan speaks, with "Old Ways" continuing to play throughout.]
Evan: Okay, I'm going to go look back at that. And I ended up going to the color wheel, that was an example in the textbook, find all the meanings of each color.
Evan is shown in his interview with Crystal in a split screen with his video. In the video, more images of Evan are shown, now closer to the present day and at Oakland University. The images in his video now have more color and imply a happier mental state for Evan.
Evan: By the end of the video, I really wanted to use a purple theme because it represented confidence...
Crystal: It's like power and royalty.
Evan: Power, yeah, royalty. That fashion show was like something I never would have done when I was younger. That's like really representative of where I came towards at the end of this video, and at the end of my college experience.
Evan's interview with Crystal is superimposed on the bottom left corner of the screen as the clip from his video continues. The edited purple image that Evan talks about in the interview is shown on the screen.
[Lovato sings, "...not going back to my old ways" and the song ends.]The final clip from Evan's video of Evan walking back down the runway is shown. He is wearing all black and surrounded by purple lights and a purple background.
Evan: I can learn really well from watching something or listening to an audio. And it helps that, being able to watch things that I'm learning from. Obviously, I can use that as like, oh, I really learned well from this type of documentary that I watched. Why not use that as a way of being able to put that into your digital writing?Evan is shown in his interview with Crystal in a split screen with his video. In the video, the attributions and end credits play.
Man's voice [from Evan's video]: One should seek to reestablish the lost reason for the simplest means.Evan's video goes full screen. A plain black screen is shown, and white text reading "— Phillippe Pinel" appears.

Evan’s meta-commentary makes it clear that his process of transfer across media through this project involved considering, using, discarding, applying, and adapting knowledge to fit this particular compositional context. As the semester went on, Evan’s understanding of the context—himself as author, real and potential audiences, the assignment(s), and the purpose of the text—was continually evolving.

First, Evan considered his compositional knowledge and the tools he had at his disposal when he got the assignment in our course to create an open-topic video composition. He had made a music video before in a sign language class, and he later told me that he felt comfortable making a similar product. He knew a little bit about iMovie, and he could get an older version of it on his laptop. He wanted to make a video that mattered to him at this particular time in his life, during his last semester in college (after eight long years of completing coursework, transferring, losing credits, and continuing), and he knew he had a lot of old selfies he could use to represent his journey. Thus was born Evan's vision for "A College Collage." Take a look here at his first draft, which he brought to class for peer workshop.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Evan's first draft of "A College Collage"

Descriptive Transcript

AudioVisual
Voice [low, disorted, and slowed down]: College is going to be the best years of your lifeA black and white image of Evan standing on a beach in front of a body of water is shown.
[Demi Lovato's "Old Ways" plays throughout]
Demi Lovato [singing]:
It was fun
Playin' with knives
Until a blade stuck in the left side of my chest
Surprise
A worm's-eye view image of Evan walking outside is shown. On the bottom left of the screen, text reads "Freshman year, Saginaw Valley State University". Then, an image is shown of Evan in his dorm room making a face, followed by another image of Evan in his dorm room making a more neutral face.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And I'm down again
I turn the page
The story's mine
No more watchin' the world from my doorstep
Passin' me by
And I just keep changin'
These colors, colors, colors, colors
I'm not in the same place
That I was, I was, I was, I was
An image is shown of Evan sitting in front of his bed in his dorm room smiling and looking to the left. Then a montage of similar images taken from the same vantage point on his bed is shown. They are all of Evan in front of a wall covered in framed pictues. Next is an image of Evan sporting a fresh tattoo on his shoulder that reads "warrior."
Demi Lovato [singing]:
But if somebody tells me
I'll go back to my old ways
I'm gonna say no way
I'm out of the doorway
Images of Evan in a bathroom are shown next. The first is of Evan in the mirror; the second is of the tattoo after it's healed.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'm hearin' them all say
I'll go back to my old ways
Not goin' back to my old ways
Not goin' back to my old ways
Not goin' back to my old ways
A clip of Evan jumping in slow motion from one rock to another is shown. Then, a clip of him running down a hill in a blanket on a windy day is shown.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Now I know what's good for me
All that I need
And I can't wait to sink my teeth in
And take another bite
And the best part about it
Is I'm the only one who can do somethin' about it
I fill the well with some water, it's overflowin'
Black into gold
Who knew it'd be so bright without the blindfold
A stop motion clip of a growing collection of empty pill bottles is shown until they fill the screen.

As you can see in this initial draft, Evan used the compositional knowledge he brought into the course (part of a process of transfer across media), and he was developing new knowledge through course readings, lessons, and discussions that he was to use, reuse, and adapt later as well. As the project began to take shape and Evan received feedback from his peers and from me, he chose which elements of this draft to develop and which to discard. On workshop day, I took particular notice of Evan's work because he and two classmates remained after the class was over, discussing his draft for at least fifteen minutes after everyone else had exited. The group had run out of class time for discussion, but his classmates thought this project was worth the extra time and effort required to stay and talk about its ideas. This was in part because they had misinterpreted the message: Evan's peers initially thought the video was simply about being in college and partying. As we remained in the near-empty classroom, I listened to Evan and his peers discuss this draft. They talked about which images were confusing and which were clearer. They talked about the possibility of adding written text to the images, of adding different kinds of images, and of timing the images more purposefully with the music. As the students analyzed the rhetorical effect of many multimodal elements within Evan's draft, I could see and hear the development of critical multimodal literacy.

Evan left the workshop that day knowing his message was not yet clear and that he had to revise. Take a look at this next draft, handed in as Evan's final draft for the video composition assignment:

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Evan's final draft of "A College Collage" for the video composition

Descriptive Transcript

AudioVisual
Voice [low, disorted, and slowed down]: College is going to be the best years of your life.Evan is shown lying on a rock next to a body of water, looking at the sky.
[Demi Lovato's "Old Ways plays throughout]
Demi Lovato [singing]:
It was fun playin' with knives
Until a blade
Stuck in the left side of my chest
Surprise
Two images of Evan leaning up against a car in two similar poses are shown.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And I'm down again
I turn the page
A growing stack of textbooks and notebooks is shown on a table.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
The story's mine
No more watchin' the world from my doorstep
An image of Evan looking at a wall covered in a collage of pictures is shown, either in an art gallery or museum. Next, an image is shown of Evan stretched out on a bed, followed by the growing stack of textbooks and notebooks on a table.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Passin' me by
And I just keep changin'
A clip of a closet door opening is shown. Tied to the inside handle is a rainbow handkerchief. Then, a clip of an empty pill bottle on a shelf is shown. Following that is a clip of Evan pretending to punch the camera, which leads to a grainy black screen.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
These colors, colors, colors, colors
I'm not in the same place
That I was, I was, I was, I was
An image of Evan wearing a bandana and standing in front of a picture collage wall is shown. Then, the clip of the empty pill bottle on the shelf is shown again, this time with the amount of bottles growing. A blurry image of Evan holding his head with his hand is shown, followed by the pill bottles on the shelf once more.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
But if somebody tells me
I'll go back to my old ways
I'm gonna say no way
A black and white image of Evan looking at the camera is shown. Then, an image is shown of him covering his face with his arm, which has a tattoo reading "Stay Strong" on it. The video goes back and forth between these two images.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'm out of the doorway
I'm hearin' them all say
I'll go back to my old ways
Not goin' back to my old ways
The clip of the closet door opening is shown again. Then, a red blurry image of Evan is shown. The video goes back and forth between this image and a clear, full color image of Evan standing in his room. Then, the clip of the pill bottles on the shelf is shown again.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Not goin' back to my old ways
Now I know what's good for me
All that I need
A clip of the closet door shutting is shown, followed by a clip of the stacked books and notebooks falling off the shelf to the ground. Then, three images are shown of Evan in different poses in front of a wall in his room. He appears to be sitting on a bed in front of a wall with framed pictures.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And I can't wait to sink my teeth in
And take another bite
And the best part about it
The video alternates between an image of stacked books on a shelf and Evan with a fresh tattoo on his shoulder that reads "Warrior." Then, an image of Evan wearing a beanie and looking off to the side is shown.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Is I'm the only who can do somethin' about it
I fill the well with some water , it's overflowin'
Black into gold
Who knew it'd be so bright without the blindfold
Two images of Evan holding a puppy in different outdoor poses are shown, followed by an image of Evan outside looking off into the distance. Next is an image of Evan standing in a house that has been stripped down to the studs.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And I'll just keep changin'
These colors, colors, colors, colors
I'm not in the same place
A clip of Evan looking at the camera and mouthing the lyrics to the song is shown, followed by an image of Evan lying on his bed, showing off a tattoo of a bird on his chest. After that are two images of Evan with a dog.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
That I was, I was, I was, I was
But if somebody tells me
I'll go back to my old ways
A clip of a pile of leaves blowing away in the wind is shown, followed by an image of Evan looking at the camera. Then, the screen returns to the clip of the leaves.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'm gonna say no way
I'm out of the doorway
I'm hearin' them all say
I'll go back to my old ways Not goin' back to my old ways
An image of Evan looking at the camera in front of a dreamcatcher is shown. Then, the clip of the growing pill bottles on the shelf returns, and now the bottles form a pyramid. The video goes back and forth between these two images.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Not goin' back to my old ways
An image is shown of Evan lying on a bed with his Eagle tattoo visible on his chest. Then, the screen returns to the pill bottles, which are now falling to the ground in slow motion.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Every scar
The flames burn the mark
I'm not afraid to fall
I'm spiraling
I'm spiraling
I pass the stars
I'm not burning out
I'm not afraid to fall
I'm not afraid anymore
And I just keep changin' my colors
An image of Evan in the woods in shown. He is standing next to a tree wearing a green shirt. Then, the clip of the pill bottles falling is shown again. Next is an image of Evan lying in a field of daisies wearing a white shirt. The video goes back and forth between the clip of the pills and Evan with the daisies.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'm not in the same place that I was, I was
And the best part about it
Is I'm the only one who can do somethin' about it
I fill the well with some water, it's overflowin'
An image of a barren tree is shown. Then, the clip of the pill bottles falling is shown again. Then, three images of Evan sitting on a bench in the woods are shown, followed by an image of the woods.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Black into gold
Who knew it'd be so bright without the blindfold?
And I just keep changin'
A clip of Evan standing on top of a hill in a blanket on a windy day is shown. Then, a clip of Evan jumping from one rock to another is shown, followed by a montage of Evan's selfies.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
These colors, colors, colors, colors
I'm not in the same place
That I was, I was, I was, I was
But if somebody tells me
A clip of Evan modeling at a fashion show is shown. He walks down the runway, wearing all black and surrounded by purple lights and a purple background. Then, an image of him edited to have a purple background is shown. Then, two images of Evan lying on a white bed are shown. This is followed by the clip of Evan modeling at the fashion show again.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'll go back to my old ways
I'm gonna say no way
I'm out of the doorway
I'm hearin' them all say
I'll go back to my old ways
Not goin' back to my old ways
An image of pine trees reflected on a lake is shown, followed by a clip of Evan dancing at a concert. Then, an image of Evan sitting in the woods is shown, which is followed by the image of the pine trees again. The video goes back and forth between these two images. This is followed by the clip of Evan modeling at the fashion show, and turning to walk back down the runway.

We see and hear evidence in this draft that Evan was applying and adapting his knowledge as he worked on the video: the choices of images and their sequencing reflects an effort to respond to his peers and to me, his instructor, to be clearer about the message of the video. Toward this end, we also see and hear a more developed use of certain techniques such as timing and juxtaposition with some photos and certain parts of the music.

But even as the video composition assignment wrapped up, Evan was not done working—or transferring his knowledge across media. For the final project in the course, students could choose to compose a new project for an outside audience, or to keep working on a previous assignment, directing it to a new audience. After some initial hesitation, Evan decided to keep working on "A College Collage" for his final project. My feedback to him at this stage was mostly about the purpose of the video. While I was highly impressed with the technical elements, I encouraged Evan to be as clear as possible about his message. In my written feedback on the video composition final draft above, I stated, "Since the video is about so much, sometimes I wondered if it needed a little more focus and clarity—is it about college? Your changes? Your self-realization? Coming out? How others see you or how you see yourself? Or maybe all of these?" I also encouraged Evan to find a specific audience for the video that might help him refine and focus the message: an organization devoted to mental health or LGBTQ experiences or an online community that might use the video on its website, for example.

As Evan revised yet again, he continued to consider, use, apply, and adapt his knowledge. As he details in his meta-commentary above, he took concepts from class lessons such as color theory and applied them to his work. He listened to feedback from classmates and listened to and looked at their videos. He learned new functional skills with iMovie; continued to increase his critical multimodal literacies as he revised combinations of images, sounds, and words; and composed rhetorically through thinking about potential audiences.

Here is the version he workshopped again in class as a rough draft of the final project. Through the revised closing sequence in this version, we see Evan beginning to play with refining and focusing his use of color to line up more purposefully with the message of the video.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Evan's next draft of "A College Collage" for the final project

Descriptive Transcript

AudioVisual
Voice [low, disorted, and slowed down]: College is going to be the best years of your life.Evan is shown laying on a rock next to a body of water, looking at the sky.
[Demi Lovato's "Old Ways" plays throughout]
Demi Lovato [singing]:
It was fun playin' with knives
Until a blade
Stuck in the left side of my chest
Surprise.
Two images of Evan leaning up against a car in two similar poses are shown.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And I'm down again, I turn the page
A growing stack of textbooks and notebooks is shown on a table.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
The story's mine
No more watchin' the world from my doorstep
An image of Evan looking at a wall covered in a collage of pictures is shown, either in an art gallery or museum. Next, an image is shown of Evan stretched out on a bed, followed by the growing stack of textbooks and notebooks on a table.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Passin' me by
And I just keep changin'
A clip of a closet door opening is shown. Tied to the inside handle is a rainbow handkerchief. Then, a clip of an empty pill bottle on a shelf is shown. Following that is a clip of Evan pretending to punch the camera, which leads to a grainy black screen.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
These colors, colors, colors, colors
I'm not in the same place
That I was, I was, I was, I was
A black and white image of Evan wearing a bandana and standing in front of a picture collage wall is shown. It is colorized, then returns to black and white. Then, the clip of the empty pill bottle on the shelf is shown again, this time with the amount of bottles growing. Then, a blurry image of Evan holding his head with his hand is shown. It then becomes black and white, and then returns to full color. Then, the pill bottles on the shelf are shown again.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
But if somebody tells me
I'll go back to my old ways
I'm gonna say no way
A black and white image of Evan looking at the camera is shown. Then, an image is shown of him covering his face with his arm, which has a tattoo reading "Stay Strong" on it. The video goes back and forth between these two images.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'm out of the doorway
I'm hearin' them all say
I'll go back to my old ways
Not goin' back to my old ways
The clip of the closet door opening is shown again. Then, a red blurry image of Evan is shown. The video goes back and forth between this image and a clear, full color image of Evan standing in his room. Then, the clip of the pill bottles on the shelf is shown again.
Voice: [an echo, singing]:
Not goin' back to my old ways
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Now I know what's good for me
All that I need
A clip of the closet door shutting is shown. Then, a clip of the stacked books and notebooks falling off the shelf to the ground is shown. Then, three images of Evan in different poses in front of a wall in his room is shown. He appears to be sitting on a bed, and on the wall are framed pictures.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And I can't wait to sink my teeth in
And take another bite
And the best part about it
The video alternates between an image of stacked books on a shelf and Evan with a fresh tattoo on his shoulder that reads "Warrior." Then, an image of Evan wearing a beanie and looking off to the side is shown.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Is I'm the only one who can do somethin' about it
I fill the well with some water, it's overflowin'
Black into gold
Who knew it'd be so bright without the blindfold
Two images of Evan holding a puppy in different outdoor poses are shown, followed by an image of Evan outside looking off into the distance. Next is an image of Evan standing in a house that has been stripped down to the studs.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
And I'll just keep changin'
These colors, colors, colors, colors
I'm not in the same place
A clip of Evan looking at the camera and mouthing the lyrics to the song is shown, followed by an image of Evan lying on his bed, showing off a tattoo of a bird on his chest. After that are two images of Evan with a dog.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
That I was, I was, I was, I was
But if somebody tells me
I'll go back to my old ways
A clip of a pile of leaves blowing away in the wind is shown, followed by an image of Evan looking at the camera. Then, the screen returns to the clip of the leaves.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'm gonna say no way
I'm out of the doorway
I'm hearin' them all say
I'll go back to my old ways
Not goin' back to my old ways
An image of Evan looking at the camera in front of a dreamcatcher is shown. Then, the clip of the growing pill bottles on the shelf returns, and now the bottles form a pyramid. The video goes back and forth between these two images.
Voice: [an echo, singing]:
Not goin' back to my old ways
An image of Evan lying on a bed is shown. Then, the screen returns to the pill bottles, which are now falling to the ground in slow motion.
Demi Lovato [singing]: Every scar
The flames burn the mark
I'm not afraid to fall
I'm spiraling
I'm spiraling
I pass the stars
I'm not burning out
I'm not afraid to fall
I'm not afraid anymore
And I just keep changin' my colors
An image of Evan in the woods in shown. He is standing next to a tree wearing a green shirt. Then, the clip of the pill bottles falling is shown again. Next is an image of Evan lying in a field of daisies wearing a white shirt. The video goes back and forth between the clip of the pills and Evan with the daisies.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'm not in the same place that I was, I was
And the best part about it
Is I'm the only one who can do somethin' about it
I fill the well with some water, it's overflowin'
An image of a barren tree is shown. Then, the clip of the pill bottles falling is shown again. Then, two images of Evan sitting on a bench in the woods are shown, followed by an image of the woods.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
Black into gold
Who knew it'd be so bright without the blindfold?
And I just keep changin'
A clip of Evan standing on top of a hill in a blanket on a windy day is shown. Then, a clip of Evan jumping from one rock to another is shown. Then, a plain yellow screen is shown.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
These colors, colors, colors, colors
I'm not in the same place
That I was, I was, I was, I was
But if somebody tells me I'll go back to my old ways
I'm gonna say no way
A clip of Evan modeling at a fashion show is shown. He walks down the runway, wearing all black and surrounded by purple lights and a purple background. Then, a plain yellow screen is shown. The video cuts between these two clips.
Demi Lovato [singing]:
I'm out of the doorway
I'm hearin' them all say
I'll go back to my old ways
Not goin' back to my old ways
A clip of Evan dancing at a concert is shown, followed by the plain yellow screen and an image of pine trees. This is followed by the clip of Evan modeling at the fashion show, and he turns to walk back down the runway.

As is evident through these drafts, every time Evan handed in "A College Collage," it looked and sounded different—and better. As he worked, he fine-tuned juxtaposed sequences and nearly perfected his use of timing and musical associations. For the final version, he composed a new introduction and conclusion, in large part as a response to my and others' continued critiques that the message was still difficult to grasp. He omitted the images that were symbolic of coming out of the closet, focusing the video's message on the college experience as related to mental health. And he completed other imperceptible, time-consuming, yet meaningful revisions: he told me during our interview, for example, that the musical track that ran through the background of the introduction section was a highly edited and distorted version of Demi Lovato's "Old Ways," the song that plays throughout the "college collage" portion of the video. When I told him I was surprised by this—and of course I hadn't noticed all that work—he stated that he was glad, because he wanted the song to be unrecognizable.

Evan's extensive revision process and learning through this one project is not what we might usually consider to be transfer across media. Indeed, all this work went into making several drafts of one video composition. Evan's learning did not move from prose to video to blog, for example, nor was he composing many different kinds of texts. Even so, Evan's compositional process and products are a powerful example of many moments of transfer across media as defined here and demonstrated by all the student experiences in this eBook. Evan considered, used, chose not to use, adapted, and reconstructed images, sounds, video clips, animations, written titles, silence, and more in "A College Collage: Not Going Back." He developed functional literacies related to image, audio, and video editing, and he thought again and again about his purpose and audiences, often changing his mind and his approach. He revised portions of his composition that were very good to begin with—and these portions changed and morphed and got even better as he developed and demonstrated a critical multimodal literacy through production. In assigned reflections and during our interview, Evan looked ahead, supposing what might become useful as he left our course and entered a possible future career in digital design.

The final research question I had when beginning this study centered on the role of teaching practices in processes of transfer across media. Reflecting now on Evan's learning, I see that some of the moves he made within a process of transfer across media were enabled in part by my pedagogical design and prompting. Evan had extended time to work. He was required to complete many drafts and receive peer and instructor feedback on those drafts. He was assigned readings and participated in class discussions on video editing, multimodal rhetoric, and design techniques. He had to reflect several times about his work, out loud and in writing. He set goals to which I responded, and I pushed him to set alternate goals. When the first video composition assignment was completed, I encouraged and allowed Evan to choose to keep working on this video as a final project, providing him with even more time to think and work.

In the next section of this chapter, I further explore the intersections between teaching practices and transfer across media through laying out five best practices for teaching for transfer across media. Drawing on the learning and teaching experiences of study participants, I make suggestions for teacher-researchers who want to use digital media more purposefully as one path to and from transfer in their courses.

At the close of our interview, Evan told me that he was still considering sharing "A College Collage" with audiences outside our classroom. As part of the final project, he sent the work to an online journal, from which he didn't hear back. But he wanted the work to make a difference, as he explained:

I still kind of want to get it out to an audience, now that we've talked about this. I feel like I still want to get it out to an audience that can view it. Like I said, with all the other videos that I've seen, it's super helpful and super educational to be able to see other people's compositions. I don't know. I feel like if even one person was able to see that and that would stick in their mind or they learned anything from it, or feel like, "Okay, so other people can go through this thing, too," I feel like I would be proud of my composition, to be able to go out and be able to show that to other people.

Evan wanted his video to be an educational help for others composing their own videos and to speak to audiences who might be going through struggles related to college and mental health similar to his. My hope is that through my featuring his videos and his process narratives here, both these desires of his might be realized.