I grew up (unlike Sarah who posted before me) with a great love of video games. I had an older brother who influenced me to play and I enjoyed watching him play. I developed a deep love for Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and others.
I thought it would be interesting to take a quick look at the Ngram viewer to see approximately how popular each system was (at least in literature).
The Ngram viewer tells us that the Japanese video game companies are by far the most popular. Atari, the first system to become popular, was created during Japan’s famous “bubble period” (in which the property in Ginza, Tokyo was valued at JPY 90,000,000 or $750,000 per square meter.) Of course, Atari’s presence in literature quickly dropped as Nintendo’s rose to almost the same popularity as Atari had had. Since then, at least in literature, Nintendo’s popularity has never been surpassed. It is also interesting to check out the height of popularity of Sega, Playstation and Xbox. I personally was never interested in Playstation or Xbox, but I thought I was an anomaly; I was shocked to find that Playstation’s popularity in literature was so low! It makes me wonder which, if any, video game consoles our classmates have owned.
For those who know their video games, you know that the technology advancements of original Nintendo compared to the current Nintendo Wii are huge! It went from a very low quality visual and basic controller to a realistic and 3 dimensional graphic with a motion sensitive controller. Even the characters in the games, which have been updated as or more often than the consoles, show a huge amount of digital evolution. A great example of this are the following images of how the Nintendo character “Mario” has changed since he was created.
……….
If you have a chance to answer this question, please do; I would like to see if our class can compare to the results of the Ngram viewer.
Which, if any, video game consoles have you owned?
Which one do you prefer and why?
Joe. Housing Japan: Real Estate Market Japan, Real Estate News. http://housingjapan.com/2011/11/10/a-history-of-tokyo-real-estate-prices/ Accessed Nov 26, 2012.
Next Alex. SOng “Super Mario Bross Remix” http://www.jamendo.com/en/search#qs=q=super mario Accessed Nov 26, 2012.
So the link below will take you to an online storage site where you can download and watch a photo-essay/memoir that I originally did as my “auto-geography” for EPSE 308. It has a basic soundtrack and narration, and I fashioned it using Windows Movie Maker. It is kinda big (200 mgs) and it is an .wmv file so you will have to view it using Windows Media Player or some freeware player like the VLC media player. I am not entirely happy with the narration part as the sound levels are a bit wonky sometimes but all in all it turned out okay. This was the first time I have ever used the software so I’m cutting myself some slack. The rationale for doing this artifact ties in with the last creative piece I did using Prezi: I think it’s important if we want to teach video/film specifically and multiliteracy in general that we be as proficient as we can be with this sort of software. As well, putting together these projects is a good way for us to practice the craft of video editing ourselves ie visual grammar seems rather abstract until you are really doing it. Movie Maker makes crafting a video fairly easy, but it has enough bells and whistles that your students will be able to hone their skills without unduly taxing them.
NOTES:
– The title of the piece is a quote from Parker Palmer, a very progressive American educator (the person who first coined the phrase was another famous American educator, John Gardner).
– Also there is a section that references Robert Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”, and much of what comes after is an extension of the basic metaphor at the heart of that book.
– You will be prompted for a password – it is watch:
One of my projects last summer was to only read books and watch films/television that were recommended to me by kids/teens who visit me at work. I decided to go to the “experts” to inform my reading and viewing for pleasure needs over the summer season. I wasn’t disappointed.
There is one young woman (15) who is constantly giving me list of things “[I’ve] got to read!” And she checks up on me, so I have to follow through! She asked me to read her the first book in her favourite Young Adult series, Pretty Little Liars. (Sara Shepard).
I was super judgemental and knowing the covers well (very similar to the Gossip Girl series) I decided to “cheat” and sign out the DVD instead of any books in the series. I took home the 6 discs telling myself I would force my way through the first episode (while I folded some laundry) so I could speak to the young woman about the characters, but I am embarrassed to say I watched the entire season in a week. I stayed up way past my bedtime to get through that first season and put my name on the wait-list for the not yet available second season.
I was hooked.
My point in using this as an example of print to television/film adaptations, is that its an efficient way to stay “on trend” with what youth are reading. I make sure to watch all of the DVD’s of books that are popular that I don’t have the time (or inclination) to read. I can watch a few of the Harry Potter/Twilight films and be able to discuss these series with young people. In our busy lives, I find this to be a useful way to keep up with popular culture in the lives of young adults.
I wanted to share with you a useful tool I found while searching for campaign related lesson plans. It’s an online tool to create a “Persuasion Map”. (I found it in a lesson plan: Propganga Techniques in Literature and Online Political Ads.) I thought it may be useful for those of you in Socials, too.
Over the years, United Colors of Benetton has released a series of controversial ad campaigns in order to create awareness about certain social justice issues. The most recent ad campaign from their “Unhate” series depicts manipulated images of world leaders kissing to promote world peace. Until 2000, the man behind the camera for Benetton, Oliviero Toscani, revolutionized the purposes of advertising by combining commerce with social awareness as exemplified in the images above. In Lesley S.J. Farmer’s “I see, I do: Persuasive Messages and Visual Literacy”, she encourages educators to give students the tools to interpret images in a critical way since “mass media producers who understand the language and connotations of visual literacy can manipulate images to elicit desired responses” (Farmer 30). Such critical analysis of images is valuable when reading advertising that is targeted at the consumer’s bank account. However, I find that the process becomes more complicated and challenging when presented with the startling images of the United Colors of Benetton ad campaign.
“Shockvertising” becomes a double-edged sword when the image repulses rather than invites the very consumers or audience that the advertisement is targeted at. Critics have labeled Toscani’s ad campaigns as “shock advertising” due to the shock value used in his images to bring about awareness of social justice issues. It was rumoured that Toscani left the company in 2000 following uproar towards Benetton’s ad campaign surrounding the death penalty in the U.S. Department stores began boycotting Benetton’s products, which led to Toscani’s departure from the company. In a recent interview with CNN, Toscani stated that a shocking photograph does not exist, but rather “there is shocking reality that is being reproduced through photography to the people who aren’t there.” His statement left me questioning the challenging issues that arise in analyzing these images. When does reality become “too real”? Why does reality or “true” depictions of different subjects disturb us?
Depicted against Toscani’s distinct sparse white background, the advertisement that shows a newborn in its most real and unwashed state at birth was the most “shocking” image to me. The image was included in Benetton’s 1991 AIDS ad campaign to raise awareness of child deaths due to the disease. While some have claimed that it was one of the most natural and real depictions of life, the image still remains startling, unreal, and repulsive to me. Though eye-catching, I am not sure that the image invites me to soberly consider the issue of child deaths and AIDS. However, I find that Toscani must be doing something of value as he claims that “people get shocked because they aren’t really civilized yet, because they don’t want to belong or face the problem of civilization. Maybe it’s the duty of the photographer to shock them, bringing in front of them something that they probably don’t want to look at” and “there they are and you have to come down with yourself.”
Wow. This has been an instance of getting lost on the World Wide Web. (But also a fine example of how we must examine our sources, critically.) I start with the article we are supposed to read, and end up doing searches for “Google images pro-life signs”. How? Here we go…
The Farmer article led me to the Centre for Media Literacy website; which is a fabulous resource for educators. For those of you who haven’t checked it out, there are some useful tools for us.
Their definition of Media Literacy is important, as it pertains to us, as educators. But they also share a Canadian definition, as published in Media Literacy Resource Guide:
“Media Literacy is concerned with helping students develop an informed and critical understanding of the nature of mass media, the techniques used by them and the impact of these techniques. More specifically, it is education that aims to increase students’ understanding and enjoyment of how the media work, how they produce meaning, how they are organized, and how they construct reality. Media literacy also aims to provide students with the ability to create media products.” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 1989).
Ok. That is what I expected to see on this site. But then I started looking at their archives…
Their site hosts articles from their previous incarnation as a print journal Media and Values. I started reading an article from 1977, “Are We Afraid of Media Technology” and realized that the “we” was the voice of Catholics and that the “moral” in the title was one of Christian morality. The article was interesting, in terms of the timely call to their readership to use technology to help in their “education”. The author asks: “Do media manipulate? Of course they do. All the more reason for us to get involved. Our pro-life apostolate should include sensitivity to how media manipulate humankind. How can we protect ourselves and others from this manipulation if we don’t have the data? We must be media-aware.” (Forde-Plude, Frances, 1977.)
So interesting; right? When you think of the highly influential and “successful” pro-life print campaigns that commenced during this period of social and political perspective shifts on this topic during this era. (Roe v. Wade in 1973, and the first March for Life in 1974.) I then did a Google search to see just how successful media “education” on this subject has been, and found hundreds of images and sites dedicated to this political/religious stance online. So, their call to use media technology for “educating” was definitely heard and acted upon.
The author ends with this proclamation: “Media are at the very core of learning systems today; they’re not “extras.” Encourage visual literacy programs in our schools. This doesn’t mean that we downgrade reading books. We must be aware, though, that people also “read” visually. A vigorous national communications thrust is needed in the Church. However, grass roots media use is vital.” (Forde-Plude, Frances, 1977.)
Back I went to their website. The “About Us” tab doesn’t link to any information mentioning their Christian background and influence to the organization, however, a “is the Centre for Media Literacy Christian?” Google search gives multiple websites for Christian organizations who site the CML as a resource for information on faith-based media literacy.
It’s so very interesting how organizations choose to represent themselves through their online presence. And very critial that students know how to ask questions about their sources of information.
I want to provide you with a link to the Graphic Novel I brought to share with the class today. I believe it to be a very benificial resource for educators.
These graphic novels, based on Shakespearean plays, are based on the No Fear Shakespeare series which has the original text juxtaposed with modern, colloquial English (parallel texts). This popular series has now expanded to include the Graphic Novel versions (written ONLY in modern English, without accompanying Shakespearean, or parallel text format.)
Much like the tantalizing version of Romeo and Juliet introduced to us this evening during Kiran’s presentation, this text is an appealing and accessible way to introduce a widely taught, but often difficult to connect with, text.
Of course, there are pros and cons to teaching texts without their original language. Although we would not be using this version to teach Shakespeare’s language, the plot still unfolds the same as the original, with the action occurring in the same Acts and Scenes, so there is still “authenticity” to reading this modernized text. (And let’s remember: people in Shakespeare’s day weren’t reading his plays; they were watching them!)
If the students read this text, or are introduced to the play through this format, then educators can focus on the concepts in the play, significance of Shakespeare, teaching literary devices, etc. But first we *have to get the students committed to the text*; these graphic novels are an exciting way to do this.
I wanted to share this series of Graphics with you because we all know that Shakespeare can be challenging to read (not to mention teach!) so I feel like any resource that makes his works more engaging and accessible should be shared.
I have a bookshelf. And it neatly boasts a modest display of books that I have purchased or that others have been given to me over the course of my adulthood. I believe that the books reflect both my literary likes and dislikes as well as potential likes and dislikes. I love owning books I have read or have yet to read. I never fear purchasing a book only to find that I didn’t enjoy it – perhaps it comes from a place of wanting to own that experience as well. However, I will admit there isn’t a single “unconventional” piece of English literature on my shelf.
When we were assigned to read a graphic novel, I felt uneasy. But I found comfort in the excitement I felt when I spotted the one titled “American Born Chinese”. Neither an “ABC” nor a “CBC” (commonly used initials in Asian communities), but still Asian-Canadian, I am always either on the look out for or excited to see representations of Asians in a North American context. I am eager and curious to see how Asians are being represented in various media forms, be it in movies, TV shows, novels, and now even graphic novels. In particular, when I watch a movie or TV show, I’m always quick to notice the “token” Asian actor or actress, and to observe the ways they are represented in the film or TV show. More often than not, I find that in mainstream media, Asians are rarely cast in lead roles, unless the film has to do with some form of martial arts or Asian cultural history.
There were many interesting things that struck me in this graphic novel, but what I could relate to on a personal level was the idea of Jin dating the stereotypical all-American, yellow-haired white girl or white boy in order to validate his assimilation into “white culture” or the erasure of his “Asianness”, which comes into magical fruition when he gets his wish of turning into the handsome white boy from the nerdy Asian boy he once was. When I was a teenager and a new immigrant to Vancouver, I used to tell my friends (and even myself) that I would never date an Asian because I convinced myself that they were unattractive. (What a racist I was!) At one point, I was convinced I was going to marry a Backstreet Boy. But deep down, I felt that dating a white person would somehow solidify my cultural identity as a “Canadian”. Thankfully, I grew out of that and learned how completely misguided I was. Therefore, it’s refreshing and interesting to observe these perhaps cultural-specific, yet universal identity struggles that many youth experience depicted in Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel in an accessible and humorous manner.
Reading this graphic novel reminded me of a YouTube video “Yellow Fever” that I would like to share for your viewing pleasure, which pokes fun at racial stereotypes in a similar vein that Yang’s story did. I’m glad that LLED 368 has given me what I feel is a safe and comfortable space to explore literature that I too often steer away from. My initial prejudices about graphic novels as trivial and reductive texts have been effectively debunked, and it’s now a safe bet that they will be making a debut appearance on my colourless bookshelf.
here is a worlde reading of one my poetry projects. because i consider “the common english words” to play a pivotal role in the work, i decided it should be included. the word “Her” actually appeared more frequently in the text, than “the.” In the attached picture i was able to cut out “the” so to put more emphasis on the other words. this alternative method of actually ‘reading’ my own poetry brought forth many aspects of the work that i either was not aware of, or would not admit to. for instance, my choice of words prove the work to by quite lyrical. In some sense even clique.
in the following picture, i removed the “common words” and was surprised to see a few things. to begin with, the months that are part of the poems chronological titles seem to play a larger role in this reading. now i see the work to be a lot more confined to a temporal framework that i had assumed.
my preoccupation with the human frame, also, easily comes through, with words such as: body, eyes, face, hand, arm, arms, legs, cheek, hair and so on.
another aspect that surprised me was a domestic undertone, with words like brother, father, sister, and mother, which i had otherwise not intended nor noticed.
the first rendition of the words, including the common words, it self looked like a poem. i unfortunately lost the image, but it even made syntactic sense.
In “Visual Aspects of Media Literacy,” Paul Messaris discusses the importance of acquiring visual literacy – or the ability to critically examine visual messages. Messaris provides two views of visual literacy, an optimistic and pessimistic one. Positively, visual literacy can broaden an indvivual’s knowledge base and the tools they can utilize to express their own creativity. However, a negative outlook expresses the concern that visual literacy can be nothing more than a way to resist the messages inherent within visual media. Nevertheless, visual literacy is required to understand the subtext within advertisements, films and photographs. Messaris terms the connection between a visual and its subtext “analogical” and states that an analogical representation does not need an clear simiarity between the picture used and what it is meant to symbolize. Moreover, an analogical representation is not confined to abtract concepts. Analogical representations could be used for visualizing quantitative information, such as within graphs, creative interpretation, or conveying controversial messages. Moreover, unlike verbal language, visual language does not have a common set of rules and often needs to utilize words to clarify its messages, such as lines in films that state the passage of time or words on advertisements, such as slogans. Considering the heavy presense of visuals in media, it is importance for educators an scholars to be visually literate and teach visual literacy.
While reading Messaris’ article, I found myself agreeing with his claim that it is necessary to teach students to be visually literate. Looking back on some of my own experiences, I realize visually literacy is not just important so that students can understand the subtext under what is being represented in media, but also so they know how they represent themselves in social media. For instance, social media sites – such as Facebook and Pinterest – rely heavily on visuals to create interest. In most cases, the first thing an individual sees before “friending” someone on Facebook is a profile picture. In this instance, the profile picture is a visual summary of an individual and therefore, it is important for students to realize how they are representing themselves online. Teaching visual literacy is significant in increasing ot just a students understanding of the world at large, but also themselves in relation to social media.
-Kiran Heer
Work Cited: Messaris, P. (1998). Visual Aspects of Media Literacy. Journal of Communication, 48(1), 70-80.
