I found this task extremely challenging as using emojis is not something I utilize often. Since I am not familiar with this “language” of emoji’s, I found it hard to predict which images would be available. For example, I assumed that a baseball bat would be a common image that could be found. Unfortunately, the only bats available were an animal bat and a cricket bat. As I attempted to put together my title and plot, I found I relied more on words rather than syllables or ideas to represent the text I was trying to convey. I found these emojis much easier to find.
The saying “pictures can say a thousand words”, is true but the way those pictures are interpreted can be a problem to readers. Bolter (2001) discusses the ratio of text to image found in multimedia pieces in current times and how writers continue to find the balance that best helps the reader understand their message. Images can express ideas, emotions, or thoughts that words cannot. Words are very clear and defined and can provide clarity to the intended message when they go along with an image. Kress (2005) states that “there is a finite stock of words [where words are] vague, general, nearly empty of meaning”(p.15). He goes on to express that there are some ideas or thoughts that cannot be expressed by words. Given Bolter and Kress’ ideas, it can be stated that pictures or words alone do not provide the clearest understanding to the readers. Together, pictures and words can provide the most clarity. In this assignment which only uses images, there is a lot of interpretation to be completed.
In this assignment I did start with the title of the TV show as it provided context to the plot. Without first knowing the title, and that it was a tv show, readers would really struggle to understand my explanation of the “plot” of the show.
I did not choose the TV show based on how easy it would be to visualize. I simply have minimal time in my life to watch tv, movies, or read anything that doesn’t have to do with this course or the courses I teach. To try and write an emoji title or plot of some of the videos/readings we have done in this course, or my science courses, seems unmanageable. I do make time to watch one specific “show” in the month of October. Lucky for me, there are endless “episodes” available this month, all of which are super engaging and usually thrilling to watch. You also don’t need to watch one show to understand or engage in the next.
References
Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print (2nd ed.). Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. doi:10.4324/9781410600110
Kress (2005). Gains and Losses: New forms of text, knowledge, and learning. Computers and Composition, Vol (2(1), 5-22.
ANSWER KEY to emoji story