Multi-Modal Literacies: Final Reflection

This course has taught me a lot about the use of technology and multi-modal literacies in schools.  Before this course I already had the understanding that technology should be incorporated into the classroom, but this course taught me how to do so.  I think the multi-genre autobiography was a great way to start the course because it really got me thinking about the different texts that have affected my life.  It also helped me to begin thinking of music, movies, and television as texts in addition to books which is very important for 21st century readers.  I also thought the articles we read were very interesting and provided real-life examples of the ways in which multi-modality is used in a variety of different mediums.  I found the article about cell phone novels particularly interesting because it allowed me to think about the writing of novels in a number of different ways.

     I think this class also helped me to grow personally as a learner.  I have found myself analyzing different texts and looking for symbolism and allusions that I probably wouldn't have thought about prior to taking this class.  I found this particularly interesting when I was re-watching different episodes of Lost and I noticed all the literary allusions included in that text.  This class has definitely helped me to see the value in many different texts.

     I definitely plan on incorporating multi-modality into my future classroom.  I have already spoken to my cooperating teacher for my student teaching, and he told me that his school was lucky enough to receive a grant that provided the school with many different forms of technology including laptops for every student and smart slates.  I'm looking forward to my student teaching as an excellent opportunity to gain experience using various forms of technology in my classroom with the guidance of an experienced teacher.  I like the idea of using blogs as a form of reflection for student and I also like the idea of doing online literature circles.  I think this gives students an excellent opportunity to reflect on texts with their peers.  Overall, I think this class taught me a lot about teaching and I plan on using many of the different techniques discussed in class in my own classroom in the future.  

I've attached an interesting video about the merits of integrating technology into the classroom. 

Multi-Modal Literacies: Comparing Naruto to Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer

Text and Dialogue

Balloons (words/thoughts)- In Naruto the words and thoughts were mostly in the form of thought bubbles of various shapes and sizes.  However, I did notice that when the characters spoke actual dialogue the text was in a thought bubble.  When the characters were thinking something internally the text was just written on the page without a bubble.  In Pinocchio, pretty much all the words and thoughts were in round text bubbles.

Captions- In Naruto it was difficult to find any captions because most of the action was conveyed through text balloons and sound effects with pictures showing the action.  In Naruto there was no need for the story to be conveyed through captions.  However, I did find a few captions including the one on page 121 that says “All night Naruto practiced, diligently pummeling an effigy off his teacher…”.  In Pinocchio captions were used in the beginning of the book to retell the original story of Pinocchio.  I also noticed they were used when Pinocchio tells Cricket the story of Geppetto’s murder by the monster. 

Emanata- In Naruto I noticed that exclamation points and question marks were used frequently throughout the book to represent the characters’ thoughts.  The author also used a combination of exclamation points and question marks to represent emotion.  Furthermore, I noticed the use of three periods (…) was also used to represent confusion.  In Pinocchio I didn’t find any emanata because the characters’ emotions were conveyed in other ways. 

Lables/Signs- In Naruto labels were used occasionally to convey the location of the characters.  For example, “The Ninja Academy” is clearly labeled on page 21.  Labels and signs are used similarly in Pinocchio.  For example, “Cherry’s Carpentry” is clearly labeled in the novel so that readers will know where the characters are. 

Lettering- In Naruto, the text bubbles use the same font throughout the novel.  However, it is sometimes bolded when emphasis is needed.  For the sound effects and emanata, a variety of different texts are used depending on the action that is being conveyed.  In Pinocchio, the same font is used for the text bubbles throughout the novel with bolded lettering being used for emphasis.  Different bolder fonts were used for the sound effects. 

Sound Effects- Sound effects were used similarly between the two novels with a few slight differences.  Both novels used sound effects to convey sounds such as “pow!” or “snap!”.  However, Naruto uses these sound effects more extensively.  Sound effects are used in all situations throughout the novel including those of little importance.  For example, “munch munch” is used to convey the sounds of Naruto eating on page 86 of the book. 

Visual Features

Characters- The characters of Naruto and Pinocchio are similar in the fact that they’re both on important quests of self-discovery.  However, they’re different in the fact that Naruto’s quest is to become a powerful ninja and Pinocchio’s quest is mostly about revenge.  Naruto has more characters and they seem to be more complex.  There is room for speculation about the characters.  In Pinocchio, the characters are more one dimensional with the defeat of the monster or the defeat of the townspeople as their only goal.

Objects- I couldn’t really find any significant objects in Naruto.   I think Pinocchio’s nose serves as an important object in Pinocchio despite the fact that it’s a part of his body.  It’s important because it’s his main weapon.  I also think the monsterminator is another important object used in the novel.

Icons- I didn’t observe the use of icons in either of the novels.

Scenery- The scenery in Naruto is very detailed with various uses of shading involved.  The artwork is very similar to the artwork used in anime television series.  The scenery in Pinocchio is depicted in various shades of black and white with some shading, just not as much as in Naruto.  The scenery in Pinocchio isn’t as detailed as in Naruto but the various shades of black and gray do a great job of conveying the mood of the story. 

Depicted Action (internal/external)- In Naruto the action was mostly depicted through pictures and sound effects.  In Pinocchio, the action was depicted by pictures and narrations by the characters.  In both novels internal action was conveyed through captions and text. 

General Layout and Design

Borders- Both novels use square and rectangular panels.  Naruto doesn’t really have clearly defined borders.  Pinocchio mostly uses a white border around the panels except on a few pages that are mostly colored black.

Gutters- Naruto doesn’t have clearly defined gutters.  Pinocchio has a white gutter on the bottom of each page except for the pages that are colored black.

Panels- Each novel uses square and rectangular panels.  In Naruto the characters have more freedom to roam outside the panels wherein Pinocchio the characters mostly remain inside each panel.

Open Panel- I noticed the use of open panels in Naruto mostly with text bleeding between more than one panel.  In Pinocchio, the characters mostly remained in their own panels.

Splash- Splashes were used throughout Naruto to depict fight scenes.  Some panels were even two pages large.  Splashes were also used in Pinocchio to depict action that had a heavy emphasis on it.  For example, a two-page splash was used in the scene where Canpenella was captured. 

Angles and Frames

Bleed- I noticed the use of open panels in Naruto mostly with text bleeding between more than one panel.  In Pinocchio, the characters mostly remained in their own panels.

Close-up- Close-ups were used frequently throughout Naruto, particularly when a character was experiencing a heavy emotion.  In Pinocchio, close-ups were used to convey intense action.

Head shot- Head shots were used throughout Naruto to convey the emotions of the different characters.  Head shots were used in the same way in Pinocchio.

Head-shoulder shot- Head-shoulder shots were used throughout Naruto so that readers could see the characters’ facial features better.  Head-shoulder shots were used in the same way in Pinocchio.

Full-figure shot- In both novels, full-figure shots were mostly used to convey some type of action.  These shots were used when the characters were doing more than just speaking to each other.

Longshot- In both novels, longshots were used to convey action.  Specifically intense fight scenes. 

Extreme Longshot- Extreme longshots were used in both novels to convey large scenes where there was a lot to take in. 

Reverse- Reverse shots are used in both books.

Rhetorical Techniques

Exaggeration- Exaggeration is used frequently throughout Naruto to convey strong emotions or fight scenes.  Exaggeration is used rarely in Pinocchio.

Mood/tone- In Naruto, the mood is mostly conveyed by the detailed scenes and the dialogue and interactions between characters.  In Pinocchio the mood is mostly conveyed by the use of dark colors and shading.

Simplicity/Complexity- In Naruto the characters and scenes were more complex than the characters and scenes in Pinocchio.

Realism/icons/symbolism- Both novels aren’t really realistic because neither of them have situations that could occur in real life.

Order/disorder- There was more disorder in Naruto than in Pinocchio because there was more bleeding between panels and much more was going on in each scene than in Pinocchio.  The panels in Pinocchio were more chronological and easy to follow.

Juxtaposition- I didn’t observe juxtaposition in either novel.

Relationships- The relationships between characters in Naruto were more complex.  In Pinocchio the characters were either all good or all bad.  In Naruto there were more shades of gray.

Point-of-View- Both books were told from the point-of-view of the main character.  However, in Naruto the readers could also see the thoughts of the other characters.  

    

    

    

Multi-Modal Literacies: Lost

     It is my belief that certain television shows and movies can teach us just as much as books and important pieces of literature.  In my opinion, Lost is one of those television shows.  I was fortunate enough to discover Lost about four years ago and ever since then I've been hooked.  At that time, the first four seasons had aired and I watched them all online in about two weeks time.  Ever since then, I've periodically re-watched the entire series and each time, I learned something new about the characters or the mysteries or both.  This show definitely gives people a lot of issues to discuss.
     Another thing I really like a lot about Lost is that it has a lot of allusions to different pieces of literature or elements of culture.  It also has a lot of symbolism which is ultimately what makes it comparable to a piece of literature.  There are multiple references to Alice in Wonderland (The "White Rabbit" episode and Jack's quest to find his father) and The Wizard of Oz ("The Man Behind the Curtain").  Furthermore, Sawyer also references numerous canonical pieces of literature including Of Mice and Men and Lord of the Flies.  He often compares the characters in the show to these literary characters.
     Therefore, it is my opinion that Lost has a lot of discussion points and different elements of it could definitely be used in the classroom.  I like the idea of using the first clip of the show as a means to analyze different elements of film.  There are probably also many other clips that could be used to achieve this same goal.  Furthermore, I think students could watch different clips and analyze the character interactions and discuss some of the allusions represented in the show.  I think this could be used in a lesson about literary allusions in pop culture so that students could see the the books they read in school do have relevance in other parts of their lives.  I've attached a link from lostpedia that gives a list of all the literary allusions in the show.  It's surprising to see how many there are.  I've also attached a link to a youtube video with a list of ten references to lost in popular culture.  It's interesting to see how big of an influence Lost had on the entertainment industry.

Teaching Literature in Secondary Schools: Final Semester Reflection

Overall, I felt that this class taught me a lot about teaching literature to high school students.  I learned a lot about the different ways that literature can be taught as well as some of the different literary theories.  I also like the fact that last semester we mostly focused on young adult literature and this semester we mostly focused on the classics.  I think the pairing of the two classes really helped me find a good medium and I plan to use both types of books in my classroom.  I especially like the project that involves pairing the classics with young adult literature.  I think this is an excellent way to get students to see multiple sides of an issue and think critically about the themes presented in their literature.  I plan on using many of the lessons learned in this class in my future classroom.  It was was definitely a great learning experience!

Teaching Literature in Secondary Schools: Jago Chapter 7

      After reading this chapter of Jago's book I found myself thinking about the teaching methods discussed in the chapter and which methods I agreed with and which methods I disagreed with.  I strongly disagreed with her statement on page 148 where she says "Unfortunately, too often exit exams punish students for the failings of their schools."  While I agree that standardized state tests are unfair to students, I don' t think the blame should be placed on the schools.  I think the blame should be placed on the system at large.  For one thing, teachers don't know exactly what will be on standardized tests so how can they be expected to prepare students for a test in which they don't even know the content? Also, money is another issue because some schools have more money than other schools do which is neither the fault of the students nor the teachers.  I think Jago should really look at the larger issues before being so quick to assign blame to the schools.

     However, while I disagreed with this point, I strongly agreed with the teaching methods she presented in this chapter.  I agree that high school students should understand literary analysis and I plan on teaching my future students this important skill.  Furthermore, I also see the value in allowing students to have a choice on what questions they should be assessed on.  I also like the idea of grading understanding of a novel separate from writing skills.  I think this method of testing and grading will strongly benefit students.  

     Overall, I think this book allowed me to think critically about my own theories regarding teaching and the way in which I plan to run my classroom in the future.  While I disagreed with a lot of Jago's points, I also learned a lot from some of her other points which to me, made this book a worthwhile read.

Multi-Modal Literacies: Speak

   Despite all the final projects at the end of the semester I have managed to find time for a little bit of pleasure reading.  I'm reading "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson and I'm very impressed with the book so far.  I read this book when I was a freshman in high school and I decided to reread it now since it is a young adult book that is commonly used in high school language arts classes.  Also, I always find it interesting to reread books that I've read in high school because my perspective and opinions on the books always change and I think it's interesting for me to see that change.  I think "Speak" is a great book for high school students because the main character, Melinda, is so believable.  The book has a prefect balance between humor and seriousness and I think it has an important message for students.  This book can help teenagers to see that they shouldn't judge somebody based on what they see on the outside, because they ultimately don't really know what's going on in the inside.  Also, this book encourages students to seek help if they've gone through any kind of crisis.  I think this book has a lot of potential for classroom discussion and I would really like to teach it in my future classroom. I've attached a link to a website with a youtube video of Laurie Halse Anderson's poem based on reader responses to her book.  It's very interesting.

Laurie Halse Anderson on Speak

Multi-Modal Literacies: Les Miserables

     Last Tuesday I was lucky enough to go see Les Miserable at Playhouse Square in Cleveland.  It's a musical that centers around the French Revolution but also deals primarily with human relationships and the human spirit in times of trouble.  Although, I've seen this musical twice before it had been about ten years since the last time I saw it.  To me, it was interesting to see how the show has changed in the past ten years including the new uses of technology in lighting and background images that were used.  I also thought it was interesting how I understood the show as a whole so much better.  Last time I saw it I was eleven and I didn't understand a lot of the adult content in the storyline.
     Overall, I think theatre is a great example of a type of text that people don't often utilize.  This show made me think so much about human nature and the human story and the costumes and music were beautiful.  I think people could really benefit from seeing these shows.  Playhouse Square is only about fifty minutes away in Cleveland and there are tickets sold at cheaper prices.  I also think it would be a great idea to do a unit involving theatre with my future students.  I think this would expose them to a different element of culture and allow them to explore different themes in a variety of ways.