Multiliteracies: Beyond Text and the Written Word emphasizes literacies which are, or have been, common in American culture, but which tend to be ignored in more traditional discussions of literacy--specifically textual literacy. By describing multiliteracies or alternative literacies, and how they function, the authors have tried to develop a broader understanding of what it means to be literate in American culture. The 39 topical essays/chapters included in this work represent a sampler of both old and new literacies that are clearly at work in American culture, and which go beyond more traditional textual forms and models. Multiliteracies: Beyond Text and the Written Word asks: How is the experience of students changing outside of traditional schools, and how do these changes potentially shape the work they do, how they learn, and the lives they lead in schools and less formal settings? This work assumes that individuals' increasing diversity in a postmodern and increasingly global society brings with it demands for a broader understanding of what it means to be literate. Multiliteracy "literally" becomes a necessity. This work is a guidebook to the new reality, which is increasingly so important to schools and the more general culture. Contents include: (1) Hypertext: An Interactive Literacy (Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr. and Amanda P. Goodwin); (2) Facebook and Social Networking Sites: The Multiliteracy of Personal and Professional Network Building (Amanda P. Goodwin); (3) Environmental Print (Lisa Repaskey); (4) The City as Text (Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr.); (5) Emoticons (William B. Deese); (6) Instant and Text Messaging (Maribel G. Harder); (7) Numbers (Wensen Lin); (8) Sign Languages: Communication in a Silent World (Miriam Lipsky); (9) Tattoos: The Power of Ink (Jennifer Diptee); (10) The Lectore: Reading Aloud as a Collective Literacy (Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr.); (11) Rap Music: A Socio-Cultural Revolution (Maribel G. Harder); (12) Corporate Logosm (William B. Deese); (13) AIDS Quilt as a Literacy (Lisa Repaskey); (14) Nautical and Aeronautical Literacies (Gabriel Quintana); (15) Scientific Simulation (Kathryn LeRoy); (16) Streaming Messages (William B. Deese); (17) Hmong Story Cloths (Lisa Repaskey); (18) The Power of Puppetry (Jennifer Diptee); (19) Death TShirts (Yvonne D. Perry); (20) Roadside Memorials (Yvonne Perry); (21) Graffiti (Lisa Repaskey); (22) Patriotic Symbols (Gabriel Quintana); (23) Baby Sign Language (Yvonne Perry); (24) The Human Genome Project as Literacy (Kathryn LeRoy); (25) Fashion Branding (Yvonne Perry); (26) Traffic Signs (William B. Deese); (27) Measurement Literacy (Sheree T. Sharpe); (28) The Language of Dance (Jennifer Diptee); (29) Interpreting Body Language: The Original Literacy (Amanda P. Goodwin); (30) Baseball Signs: Visual Literacy at Play (Miriam Lipsky); (31) Order of Magnitude Literacy (Sheree T. Sharpe); (32) Becoming Literate in the Language of Dogs: A Literacy That Could Save Your Life (Miriam Lipsky); (33) Etiquette: The Literacy of Success (Amanda P. Goodwin); (34) Ebonics as a Literacy (Sheree T. Sharpe); (35) Visual Representation of Mathematics (Gabriel Quintana); (36) Medical Symbols, Shorthand, and Signage (Maribel G. Harder); (37) Sports Literacy (Gabriel Quintana); (38) Interpersonal Literacy through Gestures (Maribel G. Harder); and (39) Electronic Books (Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr.).