Multiliteracies in ELA Classrooms

Castell, Jenson, and Taylor’s article discusses the development of a web-based game titled Contagion and how all aspects of the game should be educationally valued. The authors explain how one of the biggest challenges with gaming is having society view web-based games as information-rich cultural texts. Web-based games are known for their “high-speed shooting, killing, the melee, destruction, and havoc” (592), Castell, Jenson, and Taylor state. Contagion breaks this stereotype; this game is a “role-playing adventure game…[that develops through] health-regarding knowledge, orientations and behaviours necessary for promoting individual and community well-being in the face of four quite different, but equally virulent diseases” (591). As this article continues to explain about the game and how the designers of the game created it, the more of a believer I became on how games could be introduced in classrooms. The “learning” does not take place explicitly by playing the game; instead, it happens through relational aspects of the game, such as picking a character, goals, and game structure. The article perfectly sums up how the learning goal of any educational game is “to stay in a game that invites and enables you to learn and try and be things that everyday life defers” (597). Educational games give students the opportunity to learn about issues that they would not be able to experience otherwise. By playing Contagion, students are able to use their critical thinking skills to analyze ethical dilemmas, character development, social responsibility, and much more.

I really enjoyed reading this article because although I have always thought about introducing web-based game to my future classrooms, I was not sure how this would exactly work out. I believe one of the biggest issues teachers may have in introducing gaming in classrooms is that there is concern on how students would be assessed. How can a teacher assess students based on their score in a game? In addition to assessments, stigma surrounds gaming because of the mainstream games that exist. As a future teacher, I would not know where to even start to look for educational web-based games to use in high school classrooms. Workshops that focus on web-based games and how to incorporate them in classrooms would be very beneficial. By merging gaming and education, students would be far more engaged than using the traditional methods of teaching. Gaming does not have to hold a negative connotation to it; perspectives must change in order to slowly integrate gaming into classrooms.

-Nabila

References

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m one of those people who perpetuates the idea that “the movie is never as good as the book.” But Bortolotti and Hutcheon’s argument forced me to ask myself why I felt this way. What exactly about the book is better than the movie? Were the actors not as convincing in the movie as in the book? Perhaps the special effects in the book were more realistic. Oh wait, the book doesn’t have actors nor special effects.  There are so many aspects of the adaptation that cannot be compared to the book simply because they don’t exist. As Bortolotti and Hutcheon mention, I was often one of those people who argued for how “true or untrue” an adaptation was to the original and in direct relation, how “good or bad” the adaptation is.

Of course an adaptation is meant to tell the same story. If this weren’t the case then we wouldn’t even call it an adaptation. Books and movies do tell the same story but they tell them in a very different way. The emotion carried in words and varied vocabulary can be heavy-hitting, but so can the look on a character’s face or the contrasting colours used in a shot. In fact, I would argue that books and visual adaptations of those books can both tell the same story but also tell their own story within their specific medium. Consider “The Great Gatsby”. Both the book and the movie tell the woes of a life of excess and unmet expectations through the eyes of Nick Carraway. However, the movie had the unique capability of telling the story of our current struggle to achieve the american dream. The movie is still set in the same era yet the scenes shot as representations of Gatsby’s grand parties are done in such a manner that they mimic contemporary “party” movies. Compare the scenes in Baz Lehrmann’s The Great Gatsby adaptation and the movie Project X released a year earlier:

Great Gatsby Party Scenes

Project X Party Scene

Both often have camera angles done from over head, there are slow motion shots of sexualized dancing and heavy drinking, and the music is the main audio. Baz Lehrmann successfully makes the comparison between the era Fitzgerald critiques and our materialistic and shallow culture of today. While a teacher could point this connection out to his/her students while reading the book or even hope that the students will make the connection themselves, I believe this visual representation makes a stronger point about how little our focus on wealth and material goods has shifted and does it in a way that makes sense to students. They might not always connect with the references made in a novel, such as the flamboyance and profusion of the Jazz era, but they may be able to once they see that same message shown in their own culture of Hip-Hop and Pop. Bortolotti and Hutcheon were right when they said that change is a necessary part of evolution. An adaptation must evolve in order to fit it’s current environment, and that environment is one that adores visuals like movies and television. So while I do find value in comparing the content of the original and the adaptation, I no longer see a purpose in comparing the quality of the adaptation to that of the original. I will always love books, but one of the main reasons I love books so much is for the message that they carry. The adaptations still carry the same message but they carry that message in a suitable medium that is fit for survival in a media saturated culture. I can now officially call myself a reformed member of the “Book is Better” club.

Bortolotti, G. and Hutcheon, L. (2007). “On the Origin of Adaptations: Rethinking Fidelity Discourse and “Success” — Biologically.” New Literary History, 38(3), pp. 443-458.

– Aimee Beauchamp

In this article, Len Unsworth discusses how teachers who are entering the workfield need to have an understanding of the literary forms that are emerging online, and must try to incorporate these new literary forms in their teaching. Unsworth uses one example of video games in his article. As Gee states, in Unsworth’s article, “video games are a new form of art. They will not replace books; they will sit beside them, interact with them, and change them and their role in society in various ways” (63). New literary forms are not trying to replace traditional forms in Unsworth’s perspective; they are meant to be supplemental to traditional forms and have the ability to work side by side to strengthen student engagement, resulting in new ways of learning.

In detail, Unsworth discusses three frameworks that work to develop e-literature and online literary resources in classrooms. The first is an organisational framework, which describes the articulation of book and computer-based literary narratives. The interpretive framework addresses the correlation of images and text to construct meaning. The last framework is pedagogic and concerns itself with e-literature and classroom literary learning.

After explaining each framework in much detail, Unsworth goes on to state that teachers feel unconfident in their abilities when it comes to using new literary forms in their classrooms. By using teachers’ knowledge on content and students’ knowledge on new literary forms, Unsworth believes that teachers and students can merge together to share the enjoyment of learning, where each side is benefitting. As Unsworth discusses, “On the basis of students’ greater familiarity with systematic knowledge of the topic, the teacher then moves to emphasise more critical framing to provoke critical questioning by students and a shift towards transformative knowledge” (71). The classroom will become much more student-centered as students are able to take on a more hands-on approach while teachers give the students the autonomy to work.

As a future teacher, I feel like it is quite impossible for teachers to use all types of new online literary forms in the classroom. Not all students would benefit from using e-literature; to this day, I prefer reading a book in hard copy than reading it online, and I’m sure many others feel the same as well. Of course, teachers must keep up with mainstream culture to help students create links between schooling and their lives. But where do we draw the line?

References

Unsworth, L. (2008). “Multiliteracies, e-literature and English teaching.” Language and Education, 22(1), 62-75.

Nabila Jessa

With the earlier stages of blogging, Lankshear and Knobel both talk about the interesting shift that has occurred when we talk about the idea of literacies. For instance, is there such a thing as a new literacy? Lankshear and Knobel state, “We argue that certain literacies can be identified as new in a historically significant sense to the extent that they are constituted by what we call ‘new technical stuff’ and ‘new ethos stuff’”(01). They then continue to clarify by saying, “The new technical stuff has to do with their digitality”(01). In all honesty, I must admit that I had to look up the term digitality. According to Wikipedia, “Digitality is used to mean the condition of living in a digital culture…” Now, let’s take a moment to think about how I chose to look up this term. What did I use? I used an online source (digital source) known as Wikipedia. Am I using a form of literacy? Yes, I am! And according to this article, I approached my language obstacle by using a new literacy – digital literacy. Instead of going to a dictionary or even the online version of a dictionary (Britannica Online), I chose to go to Wikipedia, which is what the article claims is “the ‘ethos stuff’ of new literacies…”(02).

Stemming from this idea of new literacies, is it fair to label something as being new? After all, how long will something remain new? For me, this reminds me of when people buying themselves a  new technological device. For example, a couple months ago my dad bought me the new IPhone 5C. But how ‘new’ is it really? Soon, there will be an even newer IPhone. Does that make my IPhone 5C old? No. However, it will no longer be the newest thing on the market. And so, is it justifiable to claim that Wikipedia, Flickr, Blogging, etc. are all part of the new literacy world, or is it only temporary? Coming back to specific literacies, this article makes it a priority to focus specifically on blogging.

Lankshear and Knobel start by noting the differences between the early stages of blogging and blogging that is done today. However, please keep in mind that when I say today, I’m referring to the year 2006 when this article was written. It’s interesting how technology has advanced even further since then. Bear in mind that devices such as the IPad and the Kobo eReader were not even released until the year 2010. Nonetheless, many of the points within the article are still very relevant to our observations on the transformation of literacies in today’s day in age. Thinking back to the significance of time, the article states, “These early ‘bloggers’ tended to be computing insiders, for at least two reasons. First, you needed some knowledge of webpage and hyperlink coding in order to be able to post material to the internet”(03). This is key because it shows that our literacies are always continuing to change, shape, and develop, never remaining completely set.

Today, everyone has the ability to post anything on the Internet. This is one of the reasons as to why Wikipedia has been strongly criticized by scholars, since the information may not be completely valid. However, would you consider old Encyclopaedias to be valid? I would not, since many of the information would most likely not be accurate due to its inability to be updated. In comparison, sources such as Wikipedia can easily be updated and changed on a minute basis, as well as by a variety of people across the world. With this in mind, students need to be taught how to properly use these digital tools in order to enhance their learning, instead of just using it as an easy source. Also, it would be crucial to help students understand what information would most likely be correct versus what would be inaccurate. And so, educating students on how to blog, post information, etc. (public settings vs. private settings), is significant and is something that should not be overlooked.

References

Lankshear, C. and Knobel, M. (2006). Blogging as Participation: The Active Sociality of a New Literacy. American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, US.

Wikipedia contributors. “Digitality.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 8 Jul. 2014.

– Kaya Strzalkowski

By now, most of us heading into the field of English have—to some extent—learned that incorporating graphic novels into our classrooms is no longer a cutting-edge thinking, but rather a curricular imperative. However, having yet to study a graphic novel in a classroom setting, I’m curious about my own education, or lack thereof. By taking this on as an act of current appeal, I can’t help but wonder if I’m adequately qualified to validate this experience for my students. What do I know of this modality past the obvious? Does this even matter?

My unstable position on this is not a reflection of a traditional attitude with a hidden bias to preserve what I’m instinctively more comfortable with. The graphic novel seems to have a growing appeal; I am fascinated by this form and it’s myriad forms, concepts, codes and styles. I imagine my appreciation would greatly enhanced with some expertise—as with film, or other graphic art forms. But sadly, I didn’t learn this form. And because I didn’t take to comic books as a child or beyond, I now have trouble interacting with it; I don’t know how to read it. Increasingly I observe people around me engaged in graphic novels, and I feel one thing more than any other: envy.

I observed  a high school English lesson concerning Art Spiegelman’s Maus. The lesson involved a class discussion on the holocaust and more or less mimicked a typical discussion one might observe in a typical grade eleven classroom anywhere in Vancouver. Some students actively participated, some listened quietly, some stared out the window or texted on the their phones under their desk. What occurred to me was how similar the instructor’s approach was—he might well have been teaching any other novel; there was no particular focus on the illustrations or talk of the physical presentation whatsoever. It was centred, as usual, on plot and theme. This is not a criticism either, but it raises some potential questions about graphic novels and instruction. Is this just the same as teaching anything else? Perhaps we’re perfectly qualified, provided we know what’s going on and can guide a willing group through the material. Somehow I’m not convinced though.

There is no denying the power of appeal. Any teacher—ELL or otherwise—who can engage a class or excite new students with the graphic novel is sure to keep this in their repertoire. I note, however, that as we find ourselves in an age of emerging literacies and multi-modal teaching practices, we run the risk of putting more weight on variety in the classroom rather than on substantive instruction. This is not to say that graphic novels lack substance. This is to say that they are a different form and should be recognized as more than just a clever tool to teach ELL students or kids who like comics.

Johnnie

In “Multiliteracies, E-Literature and English Teaching,” Len Unsworth explains a framework that may assist teachers when using digital resources to increase literacy and learning. The three frameworks discussed are: organizational, interpretative, and pedagogic.
Organizational: is describing the articulation of convention and computer-based literary narratives for children and adolescents.
Interpretative: addressing the increasingly integrative role of language and images in the construction of literary meanings in electronic and book formats
Pedagogic: describing various types of online contexts for developing understanding about different dimensions of literary experience.
Unsworth also argues that teachers are not comfortable using digital multimedia in their classrooms and because of that, they may reject incorporating it into their curricular and pedagogic approaches. This is extremely important. Teachers must familiarize themselves with digital multimedia rather than rejecting it. The same argument, I believe, applies to graphic novels—oftentimes, teachers feel uncomfortable teaching graphic novels because they are very uneducated on the literature. Instead, teachers see graphic novels as engaging and fun texts that cannot be taught on its own but rather as a supplemental text.
Overall, I found Unsworth’s article too simplistic. Moreover, though he makes important claims on the positive effects of e-literature and online literary resources to literacy in English Language Arts classroom, a part of me cannot help but think that teachers are already doing these things in their classroom. Perhaps I think this way because this article is outdated. Also, in regards to e-literature, I do not see why teachers would oppose e-literature. The only reasons why I think they would reject it is because it’s not the same as holding a psychical print copy of a text. The smell of books that one is drawn to does not exist in e-literature. Besides, students spend most of their day in front of a computer screen anyway so wouldn’t it be better use of their time if they were reading an e-book?
Furthermore, I would like to draw your attention to the following questions and points I make:
-What are people’s thoughts on the Gutenberg Project (particularly on debates around intellectual property and ownership of literary texts)? For those that are unaware of the digital library, the Gutenberg Project offers over 45,000 free ebooks.
-I am also fascinated by Unsworth’s claim that video games are not a threat to the existence of books. I would like to hear more on Unsworth’s views on video games. Does Unsworth make this claim because he believes that video games do not contribute to literacy? I guess the discussion around video games and literacy fascinates me because the same arguments were (and continue to be) once made against graphic novels. Both graphic novels and video games contribute to literacy.
-I’m also wondering if e-literature and online literary resources will also have a positive effect on other subjects besides English? If so, which subjects and how will it benefit the class?

Unsworth, Len. “Multiliteracies, e-literature and English teaching.” Language and Education. 22.1 (2008): 62-75

Visual literacy extends beyond the critical analysis of illustrative or photographic image, and includes all of the visuals included in a given product: the colours, shapes, fonts, and layout. What conventions of this layer of communication do you consciously understand and interpret, and how much of it is interpreted on a subconscious level?

The article talks about how important it is for students to be aware of visual manipulation, and suggests multiple different ways of introducing projects aimed towards this in the classroom. Bearing potential class compositions in mind, what are some possible difficulties that may present themselves, or how might these activities where students are producers need to be adapted?

Some digital images are edited so well that it is impossible for the average person to tell if an image has even been altered. Do you feel that critical viewing should only be applied to photos that have been altered? Or should we assess and evaluate all visual images regardless of editing?

How can we incorporate learning about visual elements and principles and understanding different cultures’ visual coding systems into subjects like English and Socials

How can teachers teach students about what makes an image persuasive in relation to their particular teaching subject?

What are the most important aspects teachers should be aware of when creating technology rich activities for students to explore visual images?

(Ashley & Co.)

The book Visual Persuasion: The Role of Images in Advertising, by Paul Messaris, informs the reader about the ways that advertising communicates messages by using images, which, unlike text, can convey a message that is implicit. Images can mimic the visual world and serve as photographic proof that something has happened; they can elicit emotions by simulating the appearance of a real person or object; and images can establish a link between the product and some other image. By bringing out emotions in people, the images used in advertising can create a message that is impressionable, memorable, and sustained; when information is paired with emotion the neural pathway that is created in the brain is made stronger, which causes an increase in the impact and memorability of the message. Emotion in advertising can be linked to the human need for love, to love and be loved. One example of this emotional reaction is the desire to be loved and the fear of inadequacy that results from not measuring up to the norm of feminine beauty that the media presents as an essential component to falling in love. Women want to be loved, and in order to be loved the media sells to them the idea that they need to attract men in specific ways. Advertisers create a beauty norm, which is one that is nearly to impossible to attain because the norm is presented by specially selected models who fit the norm, and who vigilantly monitor their weight and appearance in order to maintain it. Most of advertised images are photos shopped, furthering the standard o beauty from the appearances of the female population. By creating this idealized beauty standard, the advertisements communicate to girls that they need their products to help them achieve it. This creates fear in women, believing that they do not measure up and are not beautiful, since they do not look like the models in the photos. In order to attract someone and be loved, women feel that they need to change and look more like women in the photos, creating a consumerist society of females that will buy products and keep the companies in business.

It is important for people to critically view images, because by engaging with them and thinking about what the messages are trying to communicate to us, we are able to put an end to becoming passive recipients of the message. When viewers confront the image and critique it, we no longer accept the message unconsciously, but receive it the way we want to. At this point we can get past the false message that a celebrity endorsed cigarette add presents to the viewer, communicating that allure and beauty comes with smoking, and understand it as a misrepresentation of what smoking does to the body and that this add is created to persuade us to buy the product. If an image is presented to us enough times it will become the norm. An example of where this could occur is with the “gang-rape” like ads produced by Dolce and Gabanna and Calvin Klein to sell clothing. In both scenarios there is a group of partially undressed men on top of a woman, some keeping her restrained, and some others acting as bystanders. Once this type of image is repeated enough times, people may consider it the norm; people can learn than male sexuality is about domination and that females enjoy being dominated by men. Since this add projects sexuality and normalcy, people will want to buy clothes to appear sexy and will not have qualms with the images or the message since it is now normal. Once we say  that “everyone is doing it”, or “buying it”, than we know that we have bought into the norm, and we have given up our freedom, are following the trends, and are no longer making a decision about the message we have received. To regain autonomy over the message that we will receive, especially one with sexual themes, we can picture, not ourselves, but a female friend, spouse, or family member, in the place of the girl being dominated by those guys. We have then personalized the girl and made her less of an interchangeable model, an object of the photographs message, but a human subject being dominated. Another way to think about these situations is to think about how a child feels about being dominated, e.g. being tied up or hurt; a child’s reaction to bondage and pain is fear and discomfort; bondage and pain has been made sexual through images; the new message is that pain is kinky and that girls like being dominated is created. Thinking about a child’s reaction to these circumstances shows us that these experiences of pleasure are not inherent to humans, but ones that have been made normal or acceptable through the messages projected by advertisements. People desire to create their own ideas about life than to accept ones that have been created to persuade them to think a certain way.

Posted by Kara Campbell

Works Cited

Messaris, Paul. Visual Persuasion: The Role of Images in Advertising. California: SAGE Publications INC, 1997.

“Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women”. Youtube. 12 March 2010. Web. 6 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTlmho_RovY>

Both Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher touched on some very interesting points when discussing “the power [that graphic novels] have for engaging students in authentic writing”(24). Throughout the article, Frey and Fisher both praised graphic novels for being able to motivate and interest students in their writing and participation. However, the impression that I received from the reading was that “engaging students” seemed to be one of the only “positive” factors being emphasized concerning the use of graphic novels. In fairness, this article had one main objection which was to talk about how graphic novels, anime, and the Internet could be used to enhance students’ reading and writing ability, but there were moments when it seemed as if Frey and Fisher were still putting down these very types of literacies.

As a matter of fact, please take a look at the following quote:

“Having begun with the idea that graphic novels were comic books at best and a waste of time at worst, we now realize the power they have for engaging students in authentic writing”(24).

For me, this quote does not portray graphic novels in such a “good” light as it claims to do. For instance, is it stating that graphic novels are not a form of “authentic writing?” Are graphic novels only good for the purpose of motivating and getting students interested until they are able to venture off and do some of the “real” and “authentic” writing stuff? Unless one is using graphic novels for the purpose of “engaging students in authentic writing,” it is not a waste of time, but if one replaces a novel with a graphic novel, would that be deemed acceptable? I do not mean to suggest that the article was completely condescending towards the use of graphic novels, but that this is something that does come into question occasionally.

Please consider the following quote:

“Using graphic novels to scaffold writing instruction helped students practice the craft of writing and gain necessary skills to become competent readers”(23).

For me, this statement hints at this idea that graphic novels are good for students as a “starting point,” but that it’s nothing that students can go further in within their education. This is something that I disagree with, which is why I would love to read another article by Frey and Fisher revolving around their thoughts on the other positive factors that come into play with the use of graphic novels in classrooms.

On a more positive note, I really enjoyed the fact that Frey and Fisher chose to recall a moment where they learned from their own students. They wrote, “We were unfamiliar with the term Gosu but learned that it is a Korean gaming term that means expert. Minh explained that to be named Gosu is the highest honor in Internet interactive games”(24). This reminded me that we as teachers are constantly learning as well, and that we take on the role of both teacher and student in our day-to-day lives.

In conclusion, I think that this article was very positive in the sense of how it showed graphic novels to be a positive tool for classrooms where there are many students who struggle with the English language. However, I think that this article needs to also remind readers that there are many other functions to how useful graphic novels, anime, and the Internet can be within a classroom besides its role to simply engage students to learn about “authentic” writing, and mood and tone.

References

Frey, N. and Fisher, D. (2004). Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban High School. The English Journal, 93(3), pp. 19-25.

– Kaya Strzalkowski

The second half of the twentieth century saw the introduction of television and its transition into the Internet. With it a generation of people grew up with images being in consistent conjunction with the stories in our lives. In coalition with this technology has quickened our access to information and desire to connect our thoughts to images. I would argue more so than any generation before us, we are one that imagines self-created images less yet is more visually flexible. As a member of one of the first generations to grow up with the internet, I can understand how some students desire to be presented with not only words but images as well.

The article “Using Graphic Novels, Anime and Internet in Urban High Schools” by Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher articulates the authors practice of introducing images in order to support student’s writing. The students involved in the class were predominantly ELL and struggled with writing. Through the use of images as writing prompts, the students slowly became more comfortable with the writing process. I found it particularly interesting that as the students practiced they became more experimental and successful with their sentence length and word choices. Towards the end of the article the authors explain of their final assignment with the students, where they are asked to write in conjunction with images. I found this particularly appealing as I see this to be a good way for ELL learners to convey some of their ideas even though they can’t always articulate them. By telling a story in this way I feel the challenge of writing seems more manageable.

The article was written in 2004. Students today are much more attached to technology than those a decade ago. While the article mentions use of the internet for the projects, there was very little of it in comparison to a class today. If one were to do similar projects today it would be important to remember that students have an even greater attachment to images, but more importantly, video. While I like the idea of using graphic novels/stories for writing prompts, I would like to extend these ideas to using video, perhaps silent, to have students generate dialogue and explanations for stories. If technology and resources permit, it would be great to possibly have students act out their own short stories on video. Writing would of course still be significant, but it would be an adaptation to an ever-changing literature world.

It is important for English teachers to clearly articulate that English is not simply a study of books that were written a century or more ago. It should be clear that English is thriving and around us constantly. It is not just a language and for communication, but a chance to think creatively, argue your ideas, interact with others and develop yourself. With a changing world that seems to just keep speeding up, it is significant that students of today are flexible enough to adapt to the world of tomorrow. Fortunately there are many ways to approach the teaching of English, and the use of images can be a helpful tool.

Dalyce Firby

Question:

Is it more important to teach the classics or how to think?

What ways can we use images to teach English?

Works Cited

Frey, Nancy and Fisher, Douglas. “Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban High School.” The English Journal 93.3 (2004): 19-25.