The question of how generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) will reshape communication is causing questions and concerns across the field of education, particular literacy and writing classrooms. Although important questions have surfaced surrounding the varied effects on writing instruction and ethical implications of AI in the classroom, there are calls for deeper investigations about how these tools might shape multimodal composing processes. This study builds upon this developing field by exploring how 21 university students in literacy education courses multimodally composed with generative AI and their perspectives on the use of AI in the classroom. Data sources included screen capture and video observations, design interviews, pre- and post- surveys, and multimodal products. Through qualitative and multimodal analysis, four main themes emerged for understanding preservice teachers’ multimodal composing processes: (1) composing was an iterative process of prompting guided by the AI tools, (2) composers exhibited two distinct processes when designing their projects, (3) AI shaped creative possibilities, and (4) play, humor, and surprise served a key function while composing. Preservice teachers’ perspectives also revealed insights into how AI shaped engagement with content, the importance of scaffolding AI in the classroom, and how ethics were intertwined with technical function and teaching beliefs.

This study examined adolescents’ perspectives on their multimodal composing goals and designs when creating digital projects in the context of an English Language Arts class. Sociocultural and social semiotics theoretical frameworks were integrated to understand six 12th grade students’ viewpoints when composing three multimodal products—a website, hypertext literary analysis, and podcast—in response to a well-known literary text. Data sources included screen capture and video observations, design interviews, written reflections, and multimodal products. Findings revealed how adolescents concurrently composed for multiple purposes and audiences during the literature analysis unit. In particular, students viewed projects as a platform to emotionally affect and entertain a broader audience, as well as a conduit through which they could represent themselves as composers. Emphasis was placed on creating cohesive compositions—ranging from close modal matching to building meaning at a thematic level and creating a multisensory experience indicative of the novel’s narrative world. These findings contribute a multidimensional understanding of adolescents’ various and interacting multimodal composing goals and have implications for leveraging modal affordances in the classroom.