When I looked through my backpack, I realized that most the things I carry around every day are multimodal texts.  Here is a list of some of the things I found:

1. My planner – V, S, L
2. A textbook – V, S, L
3. Class syllabus – V, S, L
4. A Bible – L, V, S
5. My ID – V, L, S
6. A notebook – L, V, S
7. A coffee bag – V, S, L
8. A NutriGrain bar – V, S, L
9. Class notes – L, V, S
10. Calendar app on my phone – V, S, L
11. Instagram app on my phone – V, S, L, A, G
12. Music on my laptop – A, L
13. The Sound of Music DVD in my disc drive – V, G, A, L, S

All of the texts I listed are linguistic, because they all include writing or speaking.  I also noticed that almost everything I found that is written is not only linguistic, but also visual and spacial.  In creating texts with writing, we’re often also conscious of how the text looks and how it’s laid out.  For example, when I take notes, I make the title largest and organize the text in a logical flow of information.

The texts that include the highest number of communication modes come from technology.  The DVD and social media I listed include all five.  This is very different from my simple class notes.