Multimodal Communication my life: One device that I use that encourages mode switching is my running watch. The watch has GPS capabilities to measure distance, it monitors my heart rate, it can measure my cadence, and can even track my sleep. As I run, I receive written digital information visually, and then can adjust my body and running accordingly.

The concept of receiving this real time information, and then monitoring my body truly embodies some of the complex mode switching that our digital world enables. All the information that I receive leads me to understand my performance better and adjust my excerise. 

How does this mutimodal analysis of meaning prove useful? As I run, I am designing meaning as I evaluate my performance. This watch improves my ability to analyze the accuracy of this design that I have going on in my brain. The digital information inspires my to mode switch and adjust my perfomance with accuracy. Prior to the invention of these watches, runners were merely making educated guesses about their performance. 

How does this compare to traditional notions of literacy? This watch is vastly different from the tradtional forms of literacy. First, the information that I receive is a "living" document. The data changes as I chage. That in itself is widly different from the alphabetical literacy of the past. In the past, I would probably merely read a clock that could tell the tale of my performance, but this watch allowa me to process accurate date in REAL TIME. Real time communciation is simply much different than a book or written document that was created in the PAST. Processing real time data is convenient, but also requires the abiltiy to mode switch instantly.