I chose to focus on
an article from the Weblogs and Public Sphere link. Specifically, the article
is all about the use of imagery in blogs. Imagery is an incredibly powerful
resource that is utilized in literacy both online and offline as well. Why are
children’s books so full of bright colored illustrations? Perhaps it’s because
we want children to be interested in reading and literacy skills, so we aim to
pique their interest with fascinating imagery. This practice is not limited to
children’s books, but it is highly effective for all audiences. I think some of
the assigned readings would be easier to understand if they were accompanied by
related imagery.
When
evaluating how people read on the internet, it seems to be a very non-linear
format. “The Internet, however, we tend to glance at; our eyes skim over the
screen in a freefall of vision until something interests us enough to pause the
plummet momentarily.” (Badger, pg.1) In such a case it is understandable that imagery
would really make a blog or an article stand out from other sources without
imagery. The technique being utilized on the surface is visual literacy, but it
is also multiliteracies as Serafini demonstrated. Many literacy styles are
being utilized together to create a well-rounded experience.
Another practice being utilized
also from Serafini is the idea of visual art elements and design which also
ties in with Green’s cultural theory. “The various elements of visual
composition have a cultural bias, meaning that they seem to offer meaning
potentials only when associated with a specific socio-cultural context, in this
instance contemporary Western culture. In other words, a red rose may not
symbolize the same thing from one social context to another.” (Serafini, pg.
55) While one image makes sense to us in the United States based on our
experience and knowledge of the pictured item, to someone across the globe it
could mean something extremely different. As Green denotes, the cultural
background contributes to the development of how we make sense of literacy
practices.
One
issue that Badger discusses is the validity of images as with the digital age
pictures can easily be altered. In traditional media sources such as the
newspaper, it usually indicates the photographer that snapped the picture and
is accompanied by an article with many details. This type of media goes through
editors as the company producing the information would like to maintain their
integrity. In a weblog, anyone could easily create and post anything of their
choosing and it would not be subject to fact checking or editing. It is now up
to the reader to decide how valid the image, information, or article may be. This
requires critical literacy skills as in Green’s model since audience members
have to analyze and draw their own conclusions.
This
article really drew me in because I’m a visual learner. I also think that the
way images are utilized is expanding. Some are used socially and in
entertainment, well other images are to provoke political and economic views.
Citation:
Badger, Meredith. (2004). Visual Blogs. University of Minnesota. Retrieved from the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy, http://hdl.handle.net/11299/172839.
GREEN’s Three Dimensions of Literacy Diagram
GREEN’s Three Dimensions of Literacy Diagram
Serafini, F. (n.d.). Reading the visual: An
introduction to teaching multimodal literacy.
All images found in a google search and belong to their rightful owners.
Hi Lindsay,
ReplyDeleteThe idea of the power of imagery is really interesting. I'm a science teacher, and I often think about the power of imagery in science. For instance, I'm just finishing up a unit with my students about the various models of the atom that have existed since ancient Greece, all the way through present day. We can't see an atom, so we draw a model of what we think it looks like based on experimental evidence. We're used to seeing an atom as being represented in pop culture as some particles packed tightly together in the center, and rings around the outside. Going around the rings are smaller particles (electrons). This image is used in the scene changes in the show The Big Bang Theory, among other popular sources. This imagery is so powerful, that even though we've proven this model of the atom to be incorrect (a long time ago, too! This was proven incorrect back in 1926), it still maintains its presence in our minds.
Moreover, your argument that "In a weblog, anyone could easily create and post anything of their choosing and it would not be subject to fact checking or editing. It is now up to the reader to decide how valid the image, information, or article may be," along with the Abraham Lincoln meme you posted, is further exemplified by science imagery. Graphs and charts are used in science to draw attention to and support certain arguments being made. However, these graphs and charts are often manipulated with the intention of convincing the public to believe a certain point of view. Responsible citizenship means having the "critical literacy skills as in Green’s model since audience members have to analyze and draw their own conclusions," as you've so succinctly described.
This is a wonderful topic. I am also a visual learning. "Imagery is an incredibly powerful resource that is utilized in literacy both online and offline as well." This statement you expressed was spot on. When connecting that to children's books, I feel that they want to see pictures. Its what interests them to read and explore literacy. You discussed the use of imagery in blogs. This interests me because my final capstone project will include literacy and sharing over blogs to the community. I never really thought about the imagery for my blog until I read yours. Your use of imagery intrigued me and drew me in.
ReplyDeleteThe other part of your blog I found interesting was your discussion about Greens cultural theory. "While one image makes sense to us in the United States based on our experience and knowledge of the pictured item, to someone across the globe it could mean something extremely different." You are absolutely correct!But I don't think it stops with people that are just cross the globe. People who are from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds view literacy differently, even in the same country. I remember doing a literacy project when I was student teaching and came a cross a situation. I have several students from different backgrounds who didn't quite understand what the significance was. I thought it was due to their lack of English but the teacher I was working with reminding me that in many of their cultures, they were not exposed to certain things that students are in the United States so they may have a difficult time understanding what is being shown to them. I think in a classroom, internet or a blog, imagery can be a powerful thing.
Happy to see that you responded to the readings in this way for more than one reason. The first being similar to Heather's comment above. I am also a visual learner. You could read me a paragraph and ask me to paraphrase it, and it will most likely not happen. I need to read it for myself and make mental images if none are available to me. While doing research online for any topic, I generally find myself gravitating toward videos and images, which is one of the reasons these two weeks worked well for me.
ReplyDeleteI also liked how you mentioned children's books and how they have pictures to pique their interest in the reading and to help them understand better what is happening. Could you image reading a Dr. Seuss book without the illustrations? Additionally, why does it seem that the older we get, the less we enjoy having images in our texts? If images caught our attention when we were young, couldn't they still captivate us as we grow up? I think that living in a digital age is proving that learning through multiple modes is essential for education.