Final Project Week 10 :)

I am sorry that my book will not post but I would love to share it with you guys. I bought a Power Point to Flip Book program, had to download and create a HTTP file sharing website, and now I can link the book. My Norton says "are you sure you want to download, unknown site, and I am pretty sure it is because I just created it. It has worked fine on my computer. The book was an awesome project, the publishing, not so much. I did this to myself because I wanted an actual "book" and sounds of a page flipping :)

Messy Book












Activity Guide

Checkpoint for Final Project

PLOT PITCH

My story is about a boy and his struggle to clean his room. He loves his television and his mom said he had to clean up before he could do anything else. He hem haws around and the mom brings his dad back to reiterate the cleaning. He had procrastinated and realizes that in an hour, his favorite show will be on! The ending is a surprise so I will not put it on here. I made the book into a poem and each two pages rhyme with each other. I have some activities picked out for my guide that involves some of the rhyming words. As of right now, I am not finished!

Life: Storybook

Here is the link for: Life: Storybook

1. Identify the image that in your opinion is the most effective in developing the story as a whole. and explain why it was effective. Did the image and written narrative interact in a way the created irony, metaphor and/or metonymy?

I feel that the woman has found the secret to life as it is locked away in our hearts. The heart is a metaphor for happiness. The heart could also be a metaphor for life itself, as each human needs a heart in order to live. 

2. Explain how two or more elements in the illustration help support and develop the story.

The girl in the illustrations look to be about the same age but is doing something that is important to her. The story is set during the end of fall right before winter when everything is dead. She is sitting on the swing set alone, yet is extremely content. The second page, she is walking a dog, showing that our purpose is to take care of others. The last page shows her flying which symbolizes her freedom. She has discovered the age old secret and is flying high on life.

3. Identify two elements that are repeated throughout a majority of the images. Explain how these elements support the story.

I chose to use brown as the main color as though one is reading a story in black and white. The brown color is almost lifeless yet highlight the girl's emotions.  The girl is repeated throughout the story and her demeanor does not change. Her actions throughout the story shows the progression of her understanding what life means.

Picture Book Review

1. The text of a children's book is usually organized into simple sentences and short paragraphs. How is the text organized in the book that you have chosen to review? Explain whether this organization was sufficient for the story that this book is telling. 

The text is large and simple font. The sentences are short and choppy and sometimes only one word, repeated over and over again. The text is placed by what image are describing.

2. Children's book authors often employ literary tools to help make the story more vivid in the readers minds. Commonly used literary tools are rhythm, alliteration, repetition, refrains, onomatopoeia, simile, personification, rhyme, and imagery. Identify three different areas in the text where a literary tool has been employed. For each example you identify, state the type of literary tool that is used and how the employment of the tool helps support the story. 

Rhyme: is the correspondence of sound and Dr. Seuss uses words that rhyme with feet. The rhythm of the book is like a song.

Repetition: The word feet or foot is repeated throughout the entire book. 

Personification is human characteristics that are applied to a non-human and the The Foot Book uses fuzzy creatures to teach children opposites throughout the book.

3. Identify two areas in the text that use a question or other device to help move the reader to the next page. 

The words just stop and the reader wants to turn the page to see what is next. The book is not wrote in complete sentences but descriptive words. Each creature is happy; even on the page "feet at night". There are so many different feet that the reader needs to see what is next. The rhythm of the book also lends the reader to turn the page as to finish the rhyme. 

Images

1. Some picture books have an images on the front cover that presents the main conflict or point of the story. Identify two or more elements from the front cover of the book you are reviewing and explain how they relate to the story. 

The main character is on the front of the cover. He is pointing to his foot which is the main idea of the entire book. One looking at the cover notices that the 'foot' is highlighted with rays shooting out from it. The character's foot does not look like a human's foot but one knows that since the animal is standing up that he is pointing to his foot.






2. What is the primary medium (collage, drawings, photographs, etc.) used in the images? 

The book uses yellow and brown as the main colors. The background to some pages are white with just an image and text while other pages have color as the background. The text is bold and sticks out on every page.

3. Identify the image that in your opinion is the most effective in developing the story as a whole. Explain how two or more elements in the illustration help support and develop the story. If you can, insert a screenshot of the image into your blog.

I think this image is a good depiction of the book. The color used is bright and vivid and children like bright colors. The position of the characters also are important. The creature with 'front feet, back feet' stretches across two pages yet we know that the author is talking about the same image. The smaller characters on the page have the color of the word. I thought that the red foot was smaller because the word 'red' is small compared to the word 'black'. The other character with the black feet is larger. 

4. Identify two elements that are repeated throughout a majority of the images. Explain how these elements support the story. If you can insert a screenshot into your blog.

The foot is repeated on every page. The fuzzy character is searching for how many different kind of feet he can find throughout his journey.


5. Find an example of how the images and text work together to create irony,metaphor and/or metonymy. If you can insert a screenshot of the image into your blog. 

This image is of a 'sick' foot. Children know that feet cannot get sick.

Characterization 

1. What is the easily identifiable dominant trait of the story's main character? 

The foot is the dominant trait of the story. Every foot is different and our differences is what makes us identifiable and unique. 

2. Identify a character trait of the main character that is established through the text. 

The main fuzzy creature who is looking for feet is happy and curious. He is trying to find all the different kinds of feet there are in the world. 

3. Identify a character trait of the main character that is established through the images. 

The images show that everyone is different and it is OK. One should not judge anyone based on appearance and the character meets so many different people and they are all content.

4. Identify two character traits of the main character that young children identify or sympathize with. 

I think that children are self-conscious even at an early age. The story shows people with all sorts of different feet and it could compare to a child's shoe. Some kids have the brand new, stylish shoes while others may wear hand-me downs. The story has happy characters no matter what type of feet they may have. 

5. What was the main problem that the main character faces in the book? How is this problem similar to a problem that most children have faced before? 

A lot of children get left and right confused as they are starting school. This book teaches opposites and counting. The book has all characters that are very different from each other and everyone is living in harmony. It shows that no matter who one might come across in life, we all are walking on our own two feet. 

6. Sometimes a children's book character will solve the main conflict on his or her own. How did the character in the book you selected turn to self-reliance to solve the main conflict of the story? 

The end of the story has images of all kinds of creatures and their different size feet. He has realized there are so many feet that he possibly could not identify them all. 

Analyzing Visuals and Design in Picture Books

• Where is the text located? Within the image? Separated by borders or white space, Why?

The text is located on the right side of the page as if one was reading a book. This layout is throughout the entire picturebook. One looks at the picture first (at least I did) and then at the text. This is how we read naturally; from left to right. There is plain white in the background and the text is in stark contrast to the image. 

• Are the illustrations double page spreads, single page images, collages, overlapping images, or portraits?

The images are all single page and does not touch on any of the text. Even the man's voice which starts without a border is separated from the text.

• Consider the series of images in the picturebook. Do the images change over the course of the book? Do they get bigger, smaller, change?

The images change according to the narrator. Most of the pages are interactive and have sound effects. The images are the main focus of the pages.

•  Select an image from Voices In The Park to consider. Use the following questions to guide your analysis.  Take a Screen Shot of the Image and embed the image in your blog.

• What is fore-grounded and in the background?

The focus is on Charles as he is looking back. The mom is holding him protectively and the dog is walking slightly ahead of them. There is house a in the background.

• Consider the path your eyes follow as you approach the image. What catches your eye first? Why is that element salient?

Charles' face caught my eye first and then the shadows that portray evening time. The lights are on in the house suggests are home for the evening. His sadness depicts how he felt about leaving the park. 

• What colors dominate the image? What effect does this have on you as reader?

Purple and yellow are the dominating colors in this image. I am not a fan of purple so it is a gloomy color in my mind. I think the house leaving the park looks eerie with the black steps leading to the door. Green is a happier color for me and Charles has a green coat on and the park yard is nice and manicured.

• Consider the use of white (negative) space. Are the illustrations framed or full bleed? How does this position you as a viewer?

The image does not have surrounding it. There is a lot of white between the image and the text. The voice is of Smudge and one can feel her sadness for Charles.

• What is the reality value or level of abstraction? Are the images life-like or stick figures?

They are life-like for the story. One can only see Charles' face or you would not realize that they are apes.They are dressed in normal clothes walking out of the park. The house in the background looks like a normal house with lights on

• Are there any recurring patterns in the images?

There are square windows on the house, square columns leading out of the park, and yellow is a color on the ground and in the house. 

• Are there any anomalous elements? Things that stick out, or seem out of place? Are these important to consider?

The steps leading up to the house look creepy.The black door does not seem like it belongs on such a colorful home.

• What is the artist trying to get you to look at through leading lines, colors, contrast, gestures, lighting?

I think the artist is trying to convey the sadness through Charles' sullen eyes. Even though there are bright colors, the shadows are conveying that it is dark outside. 

• Are there any recurring symbols or motifs in the images?

The park is in almost all of the images as is each families dog. 

• Consider the style or artistic choices? Are they appropriate, and how do they add to the meanings of the picturebook?

The pictures are anthropomorphic chimps which is common for Anthony Browne. The animals are all dressed like people and have real-life problems that one can relate with. 

• How are the images framed? Are there thick borders or faded edges?

This image does not have a frame.

• Consider the setting of the story. How is this realized in the images? Realistically? Metaphorically?

This image does not really depict a park. The mother and son could be walking down the road or in their driveway. The image realistically depicts the character's emotion but not the setting.

• Consider size and scale. What is large? Why are certain elements larger than others? Does this add to meanings of power, control?

The mom in the image is the largest element compared to the other objects. The focus is still the child's face yet the mom is in complete control over the situation.

• Consider the viewers point of view. Do characters directly gaze or address the viewer? Are the characters close up or distanced? How does point of view add to relationships with the characters?

The characters do not address the viewer nor look directly ahead. Even the dad's first introduction, he is looking at something else. The characters are sometimes in the distance but you can tell that they are engaged with each other. When they are sitting on the bench, the mom nor the dad are looking at each other. The children in the story seem to interact the most (as do the dogs)

Voices in the Park

1. Explain why Voices in The Park is an example of a postmodern picturebook.

Voices in the Park is an example of postmodern picturebooks as it is written from four different perspectives. Our book refers to this as 'polyphonic' narratives. The story is of the same event told through the eyes of four different people. The second narrator seems to be in a run-down part of town. The third narrator, when the kids are sitting on the bench, his side is not as bright as the little girls.

2. Give examples of how at least three of the picturebook codes listed on pg 78 are used in Voices In The Park.

Codes of Position and Size: (where characters and objects are placed in an image affects how we interpret them). The first narrator is of a snooty mom taking her 'pedigree' dog and Victoria for a walk. The house is nice with a picket fence and she is dressed like she is going to town and not for a walk.  The second narrator seems to be in a run-down part of town. The third narrator, when the kids are sitting on the bench, his side is not as bright as the little girls. 

Codes of the Frame: (we look through a frame into another world). The wealthy narrators frames are nice and neat with vibrant colors. Even in the frame where the the two children are in the forest, there is sunlight shining on them. The two less fortunate narrators frame are not crisp, neat, or tidy. There are jagged edges and the first view of the second voice does not have a frame at all; just an outline of him sitting in his chair.

Codes of Color: (color can be used for mood, emotional impact, or meanings in various cultures). Brown and green is used throughout all four of the narrators but the the mother and boys images are bright and even cheerful. Even the evening scene is brighter. There are bright blue/purple colors added in their images that make one drawn to everything going on within the page. The man and daughter's colors and dull and depressing. The colors look dingy and dull to evoke a depressing feeling.


3. Identify and explain the type of "interplay" between the written word and visual images on one of the pages in Voices In The Park.

Each voice has their own font throughout their narrative. The woman's font is large and almost formal or stuffy. The man's font is bold and block-like. The young boy's font is clean but not as formal as his mother's. The young girl's font is like a child's handwriting.

4. Identify the art movement or technique that is being used in Voices In The Park. 

Anthony Brown typically uses anthropomorphic chimps in his art work (King Kong and the Willy stories). There are hidden images throughout the story such as the crying Mona Lisa portrait on the man's narrative or the Scream mask on the want ad page. When they leave their house (the girl's voice), the shrub turns into an ice cream with a cherry on top. The last page though shows the two portraits dancing and a Santa Claus. On the affluent woman's last page, if one is to click on Cupid, an arrow will shoot toward the reader. The images come to life when one clicks on a slide. There is a soccer ball that comes out of the slide that seems to be in 3-D.

5. Conduct an Ideological Analysis and Structural Analysis of Voices In The Park. What is the message? Provide evidence from the images to support your opinion. Use the examples on pg 86, 87,89. I do not expect your analysis to be as in depth but I would like for you to make two or three insightful observations about the perspectives and social context conveyed through the books words and images. 

The families in this picturebook are from two different socio-economic status' and are emotionally different as well. The mother seems to be a snobby lady from an affluent family due to the pictures of her clothing and home. Taking the dog and her son to the park seem more of a chore than something she would choose to do. Even her son's name, Charles, and the dog's name, Victoria, suggests a well-to-do family as they are not "Charlie or Tory/Vicky". The mother becomes scared when she cannot find her son yet she was not enjoying herself as she was planning dinner in her head. The son seems sad when we first meet him as he is staring out a window wistfully. The shadow that comes on him suggests he has been standing there for a while. He didn't want to play with Smudge at first because she was a girl but they eventually had fun. When he left, he was thinking of his new friend. The dad looks gloom and doom as the shadows suggest he is just staring at a TV. He seems OK with his life and looks through the want-ads with some hope. He genuinely cares more about his daughter and dog than he does about money. Smudge seems like a ball of energy due to the many words that are in her narrative. She does not use proper English and maybe does not do well in school. She gave Charles a nickname and enjoyed herself. She picked up on his sadness and was empathetic towards him when his mummy made him leave the park.

6. Embed a picture of the cover of Voices In The Park in your blog.

Works Cited:

• Browne, A. (1999). Voices in the park. Retrieved on June 27, 2014 from           http://research.kingston.ac.uk/booksalive/flash/book.html
• Serafini, F. (2014).  Reading the Visual:  An introduction to teaching mulitmodal        literacy. New York,  NY : Teachers College Press. 

Weekly Readings #5

1. Copy and paste a quote from each of the chapters that causes you to have a strong reaction (agreement, disagreement, confusion...) and explain your reaction.

Chapter 3: "Our experiences and perceptual apparatus serve as lenses through which we experience the world."

This quote resonates with me because students do not get to experience the world like I did when I was a kid. I first noticed this when I mentioned pyramids to my students and they all thought of cheerleaders. My son, for example, is a high school student who gets to travel the country and race motorcycles. He is going to have a better idea of geography, distance, and time better than a student who has never been out of the country. My daughter, a nurse, can look at a sick person and notice things about their skin, eyes, or body language and gauge how sick they really are; whereas I just see someone who doesn't feel well. If we do not have the life experiences to understand something new, then our perceptions of things will be completely different. 

Chapter 4: "Changes in communicative environments suggest that social practices related to multimodality and literacy are being reshaped as advances in technology provide new social environments and possibilities for producers and interpreters of multimodal texts."

This quote is basically how we live our lives daily. We would not be taking an online course, blogging, or communicating with each other without new social practices. I would not be able to attain my Master's degree if I had to sit in a classroom on campus. One can look at how children talk to one another. I can call my son and he will not answer, yet send him a snapchat and he responds immediately. The advancements of today open the world up to everyone who can access the Internet. Our reach to people is not determined by environments anymore but how well we are connected online. 

Chapter 5: "There is no guaranteed connection between a symbol or motif and a particular meaning. The connections between symbol and meaning are constructed in the social contexts of their use, and conventionalized over time."

I could not agree more with this quote. The McDonald's arch is almost universal but I doubt it means anything to a person who lives deep in the Congo. Cultures make a symbol connect to a certain theme, message, or object. If someone in America gives someone else the middle finger, there is a negative connotation that is associated with it. It is considered an obscene gesture. If one gives an "thumbs up" in parts of the middle east, it is an insult and basically means "up yours". This same gesture in America means "good job". 

2. Find an image, symbol or motif and upload it to your blog.

3. Conduct a content analysis:
What do you see?

A lady folding her arms

What is the image about?

This is a popular photograph named "The Mona Lisa" that was painted by the an Italian artist named Leonardo da Vinci.

Are there people in the image? What are they doing? How are they presented?

There is a woman who is sitting down with her arms crossed. She appears as if she is half-smiling/smirking at someone and gazing into the eyes of the viewer.

Can the image be looked at different ways? Explain how the image might be interpreted from two different socio-cultural perspecitves. Which perspective is dominate?

This image could be viewed many different ways. It is a painting during the Renaissance Era and only wealthy people had their portraits painted. One could view the image from an artist perspective, from a history perspective, or just look at it knowing that it is a famous painting.


How effective is the image as a visual message.

This painting isn't giving me a message. I know the history behind the portrait so the meaning to me is in the mystery. The image itself does not lend us to know anything about the woman as the muse. 


4. Conduct a visual analysis: Use the Chapter on Elements of Art, Design and Visual composition to assist your visual analysis.

How is the image composed? What is in the background, and what is in the foreground?

The Mona Lisa is one of the most talked about paintings of all time. The background is of a landscape but water is taking up most of the scenery. The woman is the dominant focal point of the painting. It is almost an odd pairing of visuals because the woman looks as if she is sitting against a background (like we do with children and Christmas pictures). 

What are the most important visual elements in the image? How can you tell?

The arms catch your eyes and you start looking up at the portraits eyes and then down at her smile. The background has a 'fade out' quality to it that many photographers try to capture today.

How is color used?

It seems that color is used to create illusions of space within the picture. The warm, flesh tones make the woman appear close and the green/cooler blue colors fade into the background. 

Can the image be looked at different ways?

This painting is viewed by so many different people (it is supposed to be the most viewed painting at the Lourve in Paris) and I am sure that each person comes away with different views. Some may love the background and some may think it was thrown in by Da Vinci at the last minute. Some may think the portrait was never finished (since it was not delivered to the person who commissioned it's painting). There is a mysterious mood to the image and one uses their imagination as to why or who was in the painting. I think that because it is such a mystery, more people are drawn to it.

What meanings are conveyed by design choices?

If one knows the history of the time period (1500's) then the meanings are very different than today. Da Vinci was actually groundbreaking in his choices of painting a 'face-forward' portrait (which we still use today) and to frame the picture so that only half (or 3/4) of her is shown versus the traditional full length portraits of the time period. 

WORKS CITED:

• Serafini, F. (2014). Reading the visual: an introduction to teaching multimodal literacy. New York: Teachers Collage Press.
• Leonardo's "Mona Lisa". (n.d.). Mona Lisa. Retrieved June 21, 2014, from http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-mona-lisa.html

Illuminated Text

My Three Brains Activity

My Three Brain Networks

Recognition Network

Items I recognized:

man
women
2 children
apron
portraits
wallpaper
window
door
tile floorpiano
piano books

Strategic Network

How old are the people in this picture?

man-upper 30s
woman by kitchen door-mid fifties
girl standing behind woman holding door-teens
woman at piano-low 30s
woman by chair-mid twenties
boy with arms on table-2
child holding the toddler=12

What historical period and geographical location do you think this picture represents? Why?

WWII era in the mid-west

How might the people be feeling in this picture?

anxious

Affective Network

What in particular strikes you about this picture?

The man in the middle of the room

Note something about yourself that might have led you to focus on these particular aspects:

I noticed the expression of the people. The man looks somber and the other people look worried

WORKS CITED:

My TES: Teaching Every Student. (n.d.). My TES: Teaching Every Student. Retrieved June 20, 2014, from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/mytes/index.cfm?disp=myprojects 

Weekly Readings #4

1. Copy and paste a quote from the reading that causes you to have a strong reaction (agreement, disagreement, confusion...) and explain your reaction.

"The visual images we encounter each and every day play an important role in how we make sense of the world and how we see ourselves"

This part of the reading resonated with me because I have two students who are legally blind. They can see shapes and have books and papers in large print but they view the world differently. Most people see the world through our eyes yet my students see the world through touch, smell, and hearing. My other students who have significant cognitive abilities see the world through the eyes of a toddler. I have noticed that I view things differently when I am with "my students" in my classroom than I do in my collaborative classes. I have a student with Autism and visual stimulation drives him crazy yet he needs pictures to communicate effectively. I often wonder how to effectively create multimodal texts in order to reach all of my children. 

2. Why should educators care about multimodal texts?

I feel that educators should feel that mutimodal texts should be a part of their curriculum in general. Textbooks are written way above the reading levels of the average student. I read that almost all material in everyday life are written on a sixth grade reading level. Newspapers, magazines, instructions, cookbooks, mailing, etc. are created with the average reader in mind. We are preparing our students for a world outside of school. We have to find meaning to the readings of The Odyssey or Of Mice and Men. Students do not always come equipped with background knowledge to understand the writings of John Steinbeck or Homer. My love for Edgar Allen Poe stems from my 6th grade teacher who took us to a graveyard close to our school to set the stage for the darkness of the poems (and this was WAY before the computer age!). Teachers need to constantly come up with creative ways to get students to understand what we are trying to teach them. 

3. How is your definition of literacy different or similar to the definition of literacy presented in the book? Or how did the reading change or expand your definition of literacy?

The readings expanded my definition of literacy. I had wrote in a different blog post "a picture is worth a thousand words" yet the author added "but a thousand words are not the same as a picture". I love the added part to that saying. It seems as if our schools are stagnated into the textbook teaching style. The English department (or science, math, history) passes out textbooks along with a teacher's manual and say "teach English". It is up to us to move away from the read and answer questions type of teaching. I know that when students create something or experience something, they remember it forever. I teach very basic science and our unit on weather may last a month. I wait until the various clouds present themselves and we will go outside and draw them or take pictures with their iPads. The more exposure to a subject we want our students to learn, and the more ways we present the subject, the better it is for everyone involved.  

4. How can visual literacy support the development of the kinds of reading and writing we want children to learn through schooling?

Visual literacy helps our students gain a deeper understanding of what we are trying to teach them. Sometimes it turns the lights on in their head and they have the "ah-hah" moment. Even as adults we need other types of print to help us understand. This course for example is giving me a different meaning to the word Power Point. It represents so much more to me now than just a Microsoft program.  In our history course, we use the picture "The Migrant Mother" and start with a close-up of just the woman's face. The student's are trying to see how hard life was during that era. As we show more and more images of the picture, the students can see a story of life in 1936 on the plains. I could tell them how hard life was, have them read a passage about The Dust Bowl, but the image is what resonates the most with all of the students. 

5. Find an online resources that addresses issues of visual literacy in education link to it or embed it your blog posting and provide a brief explanation of how it relates to this week's reading. 

Expanding the Definition of Visual Literacy

This website expands on the definition of visual literacy and gives a few examples on how to use it in your classroom. I particularly like the cartoon. 

6. Find an images that relates to the ideas presented in this week's reading.

WORKS CITED:

Using Graphic Novels. (n.d.). Using Graphic Novels. Retrieved June 14, 2014, from http://ccb.lis.illinois.edu/Projects/youth/literacies/graphic.html

Serafini, F. (2014). Reading the visual: an introduction to teaching multimodal literacy. New York: Teachers College.

McCall, M. (2010, October 18). Reflections of a Digital Age. : Enhance Technology with Visual Literacy. Retrieved June 14, 2014, from http://marie-reflection-blogatgcu.blogspot.com/2010/10/enhance-technology-with-visual-literacy.html

Revision Multimodal Text

I had a hard time coming up with a concept and was helped with the idea of "What motocross teaches us about life". I asked my son what lessons he has learned and his response was hard work pays off, know who your friends are, family support, and no one is going to push you to train. I started to compare him at 17 versus my daughter at 17 and he has had more responsibility and perseverance than a lot of juniors in high school. I think that his personal sacrifices and setting goals will help him more in life than the math he would learn sitting in a classroom (he had just started virtual school this year whereas most top amateurs are home schooled their entire life). I also think that motocross has shown him the value of hard work and that is something that is hard to teach children these days!

Assessing Student Media (reading # 3)

1. Copy and paste a quote from the reading that causes you to have a strong reaction (agreement, disagreement, confusion...) and explain your reaction.

"Bringing together multiple modes in a single composition is often a difficult task. After all, in

writing essays students have to worry only about working with text, and this is challenging

enough. In new media compositions, students are being asked not only to use several different individual modes, but also to bring these modes together in space and time."

This statement sums up how I think a student feels. I could put this into first person and the child could say "writing an essay is hard enough and now you want me to use different individual modes AND put the together in space and time?"  Students are unaware of what multimodal means even though they may have made PowerPoint presentations or a web page. Teachers will need to go over each mode separately and complete one project together. I know my students would have to do this step by step and do not have the cognitive ability to create an elaborate presentation without direct guidance. I do feel it is extremely important for students to express themselves in many ways and not just the generic five paragraph essay form.

2. Have you ever ask students to create a multimodal text? Have you ever created a multimodal text  for a school related assignment? Described the assignment. What were the learning goals? How was it assessed? Do you feel the assignment improved  comprehension of the content? Why? Why not?

I had my students in different classroom create different multimodal assignments. The students in my modified diploma room (science class) made a brochure with Microsoft Publisher. Each student was given a communicable disease and had questions that they had to look up in order to guide them. There were specific items that each child had to have on their presentation. I wanted a picture, definition, statistics, whether it was preventable/curable, and how it was spread. The students looked up the information on their own and copy and pasted images. The difficult task was cleaning up their information and formatting everything onto their brochures. The students then had to present the information to their classmates. The purpose of the assignment was exploring websites to find information, manipulating images, and public speaking. In my collaboration history class, we had so many snow days that we were behind. We had only just began the 1980's and felt the years were very important so we assigned each student a year starting with 1985-present. The students also had a rubric with specific information that we wanted included. The guidelines were that each year had to have three major US political events, 3 major global events, winners of the Oscars, Emmy's, and sporting events. Each event had to be accompanied by a picture and the students presented their projects the last week of school. It is surprising how students do not pay attention to their image and some did not have anything to do with their year or their event. We were assessing the components of the presentation and plan to do a more in depth presentation this upcoming school year.

3. Find an multimodal example of metonymy and embed it in your blog. Is it a good or poor example? Why?

I like this metonymy as it can be deciphered in a variety of ways due to one's views. The picture of a 'suit' can stand for corporate America and the legs that are also tree trunks are indicative of corporations popping up everywhere. The fact that the faceless man is standing on a patch of grass also signifies that there are very few places that are not affected. The fact that the man is so large in comparison to the buildings behind him could mean that businesses are growing too large and the communities are the 'little man'. 

4. Find a multimodal  example of  metaphor and embed it in your blog. Is it a good or poor example Why?

This picture is describing the abuse of Iraqi's soldiers and how it is a stain on America's image. The United States has a reputation for treating everyone fairly. The flag and Uncle Sam symbolize America and I think it is a good example of a metaphor.

5. How does this reading help you think about the use of multimodal text to support writing and learning across content area instruction in school?

I had never thought of multimodal text in too many ways other than presentations. Teachers can do cross-curricula lessons and information is presented to a multitude of learning styles. I feel that students with learning disabilities will be able to understand different modals other than readings from a book. Our school has what is called the Innovation Zone in which freshman take science and math together and then reading and social studies. The classes are set up for project based learning and I have seen several presentations in these rooms that the kids have created. Once teachers are in the frame of mind that there are a lot of ways to present information then we can start moving into a more technology based classroom. 

WORKS CITED:

• Sorapure, M. (n.d.). Between Modes: Assessing Student New Media Compositions. . Retrieved June 7, 2014, from http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/10.2/coverweb/sorapure/between_modes.pdf
• What is a metaphor?. (n.d.). What is a metaphor?. Retrieved June 7, 2014, from http://learn.lexiconic.net/metaphor.htm
• . (n.d.). . Retrieved June 7, 2014, from http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/what-is-metonymy

Metaphors and Metonymy Reading

• What is metaphor? Give example from the reading.

A metaphor is "a descriptive word or phrase is transferred to an object or action different from, but analogous to, that to which it is literally applicable". We use metaphors all the time when talking without even realizing it. My son who just broke his leg also has a concussion. I told the doctor that he was experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. He would cry one minute and screaming the next. My husband and I were completely heartbroken; of course a heart cannot literally break. I feel that metaphors give the reader or listener a deeper understanding of a message one is trying to convey. One example from the reading was the leech. The readings stated that this was a way to describe someone who borrowed money. The leech is a blood sucking animal which the blood signifies money. 

• What is metonymy? give example from the reading.

A metonymy is "a word or phrase denoting an object, action, institution" that is functionally replaced with "a word or phrase denoting one of its properties or something associated with it". Metonymy's are used to give a deeper meaning to common objects or things. The Nike symbol from the readings was an example of a metonymy. I was not completely sure of the actual term "metonymy" but use many phrases daily. A toddler understands metonymy's due to the McDonald's arch. Children learn very quickly what the 'golden arches' stand for.

• How did you apply the concepts of metaphor or metonymy? How well did you apply them? Give an example from your presentation of information.

I do not feel as though I used enough metaphors or metonymys in my presentation. On my slide with a picture of my son on the racetrack, I have the words 'new home' which one could take as though he 'lived' his day on the track or that he moved to a racetrack. My collage of my son's broken femur signified the danger and pain that can be a part of a racer's reality. I could have left the map image without words and one knows that this is a route. 

• Review 3 of your peers presentation of information and  identify a good example of Metonymy and Metaphor. Take a screen shot of the example upload it to your blog and explain why it is a good example. 

1. This is a metonymy from Jaime's presentation on STEM education. The shield represents science, technology, engineering, and math without words. 

2. In Ashley Phillips presentation of Lady Gaga, there is a slide that says "Voted World's Most Powerful Women 10-13". This picture is of Lady Gaga holding diamonds and jewels which one associates wealth and power. The way the light is around the picture, it almost looks as if she is being shown as an angel. 

3.  In Jared's presentation of "Play" his slide states that without play children can be unprepared for school and prone to violence. The metaphor shown is children dressed as soldiers. I also thought of the soldier image as rigid and conformed before the words came across the screen. 

WORKS CITED:

• Oxford English Dictionary Online (http://oed.com)
• Lodge, David The Modes of Modern Writing: Metaphor, Metonymy and the Typology of Modern Literature (London: Arnold 1998).
• Ford, J. (2014, June 1). Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Educate to Innovate.Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Educate to Innovate. Retrieved June 7, 2014, from http://biologyitgrowsonyou.blogspot.com/
• Phillips, A. (2014, June 2). Tales of an Elementary Teacher. : Multimodal Imformation Presentation. Retrieved June 6, 2014, from http://ashleyphillips2504.blogspot.com/2014/06/multimodal-imformation-presentation.html
• Martin Brown, J. S. (2014, June 2). Reinventing the Wing. Reinventing the Wing. Retrieved June 5, 2014, from http://reinventingthewing.blogspot.com/

Weekly Reading 2

1. How have these readings changed, confirmed, or complicated your thinking about the effects of digital media on young people's abilities to read and write?

The readings confirm for me that digital media helps students ability to read and write. Kids take more time to think about well-constructed tweets or Facebook updates than they do on any writing assignment.  I feel that the more exposure to reading and writing the better. A child in school cannot freely think and write like they do through digital media. We constrict their creativity by making them write research papers (although they do need to know HOW to write one) or “read the following excerpt and write a summary about what you read”.  I completely agree with the NCTE’s view that when a child who comes from a home where school is not a primary focus, out-of-school writing may change their attitudes towards school. Students are drawn to technology and express themselves without realizing they are practicing writing skills.

1. 2.   How have these readings changed, confirmed, or complicated your thinking about the effects of school-based writing instruction on young people abilities to read and write?

I do not feel like we focus on writing enough in school but how do we cram it all in?  I love the Scholastic’s article that has fun ways to promote digital literacy in the classroom.  The entire article is how I view the use of phones in class. I am not bothered by a student who sends a text every now and then or looks at their phone for whatever the reason. If a child cannot read, how can a child answer a text message? The lingo that students create is thinking outside the box.

1. 3.   What changes do you think educators need to make so that reading and writing in school have a more positive effect on children's abilities to read and write?

I think that educators need to ‘loosen’ up when it comes to adhering to strict guidelines. I think sometimes we all fall into the trap of “you must write a five paragraph essay including the following…” This inhibits the students’ ability to challenge them into expressing ideas differently. There are so many different avenues we can explore when we have a student write. Create a web page, complete PowerPoint presentations (which also help with public speaking), create cartoon strips, make MP3’s of a student’s work, or picture collage. A lot of times teachers feel as though they do not have time to create such elaborate lesson plans but the information is on the Internet yet some still refuse to broaden their horizons.

 I chose this image as it represents the way the world is becoming. Children are growing up with technology that is only now becoming readily available to just about everyone. I have watched two year-olds grab their mother's cell phone, open it up, and then switch the pages to find the app they are searching to play. 

The YouTube video below has a mixture of students and educators talking about digital media in general. The students are saying that they use it everyday, why buy textbooks when they are online, and the way they communicate and write is done digitally. The educators are saying that we need to have a serious discussion on how we can use media to enhance the learning. We are two steps behind the kids!

Works cited:

Can Texting Help With Spelling? | Scholastic.com. (n.d.). Scholastic Teachers. Retrieved May 30, 2014, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/can-texting-help-spelling

dot.Momming. (2011, August 21). : Part 2: Digital Literacy and Learning to Read. Retrieved June 1, 2014, from http://dotmomming.blogspot.com/2011/08/part-2-digital-literacy-and-learning-to.html