What I think I notice the most about this genre of study is the powerfulness of simply using my eyes (and sometimes my ears) to learn about something. I think that at times, I lose sight of the meaning behind the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words;” and at times, how helpful a picture can be in aiding understanding of a concept or a representation. Throughout my browsing of visual literacies, I found that ReadWriteThink.org actually has a comic creator that allows for both students and teachers to utilize. It isn’t as high tech as some of the other sites that are out there, but it is free, and very straightforward. I thought it was cool because it was very simple to understand, and it didn’t allow me to write a lot in the captions, but it was a great starting point for me. It was awesome to be able to create my own comic, and because of it’s usability, it could also act as an introduction for students, before they were immersed in creating their own visual literacies for class. GRR all the way!
I created a virtual field trip with music using photographs I had taken over the summer when I worked for SayYes. I used iMovie for my creation, and it was a blast. This ended up being more than just a visual literacy since I added music, but I think that the concept remains the same. This would be great in the classroom if I wanted to frontload information for students, without asking them to read a lot of text (my ELLs and struggling readers would appreciate it). The trip was Howe Caverns but I could essentially create it on any topic linking to what I am teaching in class. I think this would be useful for Science teachers too, especially when delving into complicated concepts that students may need supplemental information for.
This comic would be a great talking point for students in a Social Studies class. Instead of giving students mindless handouts or doing popcorn reading from a textbook, introducing a comic such as this one is a great way to create a chase of pace for the students. This is current and relevant to them, and would therefore be more engaging of a topic, and it can also be used as a bridge to connect some of the content in the textbook. Long (2008) advises: "Teacher educators – especially those of us who have chosen multimodal literacies as an intrinsic part of our practice – are currently traveling a precarious and unpredictable path in education that requires us to reflect upon and act as pedagogical advocates for the students in our care"(p. 498). A teacher who incorporates this kind of visual literacy is taking a step away from the traditional literacies of textbook reading and handouts, and introducing students to a new kind of learning - one that is multi-modal and critical, and can carry them far beyond the classroom walls.
This is a picture of Monet's Impression Sunrise painting. I chose to add it to my blog because I think that art is a great visual literacy that I wish I myself was more educated in. I love going to museums and seeing paintings, but sadly I don't think I could tell the difference between Impressionists' paintings and a Baroque-era creation. Students should not only be versed in reading and writing, but I also think they should be well-rounded and cultured - which is where art and music steps in.
This comic would be a great talking point for students in a Social Studies class. Instead of giving students mindless handouts or doing popcorn reading from a textbook, introducing a comic such as this one is a great way to create a chase of pace for the students. This is current and relevant to them, and would therefore be more engaging of a topic, and it can also be used as a bridge to connect some of the content in the textbook. Long (2008) advises: "Teacher educators – especially those of us who have chosen multimodal literacies as an intrinsic part of our practice – are currently traveling a precarious and unpredictable path in education that requires us to reflect upon and act as pedagogical advocates for the students in our care"(p. 498). A teacher who incorporates this kind of visual literacy is taking a step away from the traditional literacies of textbook reading and handouts, and introducing students to a new kind of learning - one that is multi-modal and critical, and can carry them far beyond the classroom walls.
“Because the majority of instructional texts at the elementary level contain various types of pictorial representations, both for motivational and instructional purposes, attention to viewing as a language art has become paramount in today’s classroom. In order to be considered literate, students must be taught to “read” visual images in addition to connected text” (McVicker, 2007, p. 85). Visual literacy in the form of paintings, sculptures, statues, pottery, etc., will help students become well-rounded individuals, and it would not be a stretch for ELA and Art teachers to collaborate and work together to make connections across the classes and really get student thinking critically about the content in both classes. For example, if a class is reading Wuthering Heights in ELA, they could be looking at art from that time period during Art class. (This is just one example, I'm not that creative, but I have faith that it can be done!) I think that students need more than just the basics to get them through school, and Monet may just be the ticket.
Kallie,
ReplyDeleteI like the video that you made about your fieldtrip. I have never been to Howe Caverns, but I would like to go sometime. When I was in high school we used to examine political cartoons in social studies on a regular basis. This was an activity that I enjoyed and it was also very educational. I think you have a great idea when it comes to collaboration between ELA and art teachers. I agree that learning about and interpreting art is a valuable skill that should be taught to students!
Hi Kallie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that visual literacies allow for a number of different perspectives or vantage points. It's also a lot of fun and fascinating for students to analyze images critically. I remember in high school doing a propoganda unit and it really opened my eyes to the manipulation of advertising. It seems that images more so than print have the ability to manipulate and influence people's opinions and emotions. Hence, one could argue that visual literacy is just as important as print literacy in terms of real world application. I think this is especially important to emphasize in social studies class where students can learn the affect of propoganda for the justification of racism, war, hate...etc
I also liked your comment on integrating art with literature; I personally would have loved that as a student. Art work speaks significantly about a time period's culture, beliefs, values...etc. I remember learning a large amount of historical context when taking my art history course; it was fascinating because you were studying history, but through a visual literacy mode. Good job, it was fun reading your post!
--Emily
Kallie,
ReplyDeleteYou included some great multimodal features in your posting! I really enjoyed your video about your Say Yes field trip to Howe Caverns. :) I also really liked your mention of including art into visual literacies. I had to do my annotated bibliography on visual literacies and actually found a few articles about studying art as a visual literacy. I think this would be a great classroom activity since some schools do not have the funding for art programs, it would be a great way to weave art and ELA together.
Kallie,
ReplyDeleteMust say that I love your video on Howe Caverns. I actually had the chance to go there last summer and it is a very cool place (very cold though). I like your idea of using politial cartoons/comic strips in the classroom because it is a nice change from the boring and unrelatedness of the typical textbook. We used political cartoons many times in high school and middle school and it forced us to think outside of the box and collaborate together to infer what the author of the cartoon was trying to portray. They are a great way to reach out to those students who learn more effectively through a different lense or learning style