Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Toward New Media Texts
When I was handed this enormous stack of paper and asked to read and respond to it, I thought to myself, "Wow, this looks incredibly boring." And... I was right. However, the fact that this document made me want to bang my head against the wall proved one of its own points: Literacy in the form of words on paper is quickly becoming outdated. Although I love novels and many other forms of written text, I am usually much more engaged in more visual forms of literacy. In this chapter, Ms. Selfe explains that, "if our profession continues to focus solely on teaching alphabetic composition- either online or in print- we run the risk of making composition studies increasingly irrelevant to students engaging in contemporary practices of communicating." I absolutely agree. In a society controlled by movies, the internet, and video games, simple black words on white paper will do little to excite the students of today.
As Ms. Selfe explains, there are many reasons why teachers shy away from these contemporary forms of literature. They may not feel competent in it, they may not value it, or they may just be comfortable with what they already know. I believe that many teachers simply do not value media texts. Written text has always been considered the ultimate form of literature, with media texts used only as supplementary texts. This is probably because reading requires students to experience vivid, descriptive language and use their imaginative skills to view the story or message that is being conveyed. When students view visual texts, that picture has already been painted for them.
Kress and van Leeuwen are quoted as having stated, "By adding a focus on visual literacy to our existing focus on alphabetic literacy, we may not only learn to pay more serious attention to the ways in which students are now ordering and making sense of the world through the production and consumption of visual images, but we may also extend the usefulness of composition studies in a changing world." In the past, writing has been considered as putting pen to paper. However, I have learned that although reading was considered calling out words, to actually read something entails so much more than pronouncing the words correctly. The sole purpose of reading is to make meaning. Similarly, I believe that the sole purpose of writing is not to create words on a piece of paper, but to convey meaning. Therefore, teachers should consider including more visual forms of literacy in their classrooms.
As Ms. Selfe explains, there are many reasons why teachers shy away from these contemporary forms of literature. They may not feel competent in it, they may not value it, or they may just be comfortable with what they already know. I believe that many teachers simply do not value media texts. Written text has always been considered the ultimate form of literature, with media texts used only as supplementary texts. This is probably because reading requires students to experience vivid, descriptive language and use their imaginative skills to view the story or message that is being conveyed. When students view visual texts, that picture has already been painted for them.
Kress and van Leeuwen are quoted as having stated, "By adding a focus on visual literacy to our existing focus on alphabetic literacy, we may not only learn to pay more serious attention to the ways in which students are now ordering and making sense of the world through the production and consumption of visual images, but we may also extend the usefulness of composition studies in a changing world." In the past, writing has been considered as putting pen to paper. However, I have learned that although reading was considered calling out words, to actually read something entails so much more than pronouncing the words correctly. The sole purpose of reading is to make meaning. Similarly, I believe that the sole purpose of writing is not to create words on a piece of paper, but to convey meaning. Therefore, teachers should consider including more visual forms of literacy in their classrooms.
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