Broadening Our Definition of "Text"

Remember in class when I defined "text" as anything we are examining? In this week's discussion, we are going to examine a "text" that has no words: a painting! I know this may be new for you, but let's try it!

As we analyze this painting for meaning, we should use the same strategies we use for conventional texts. We still pay attention to the artist's intended meaning, we still search for evidence that supports our interpretation, and we still explain how that evidence got us to our interpretation.  In other words, we still use S-E-E!

What kind of evidence does a painting have? Well, visual evidence!!! Pay attention to the following details:

• colors - are they dark? vibrant? cheery? moody? calming?
• imagery - what symbols or metaphors might you see? do any of the images strike you as meaningful?
• brush strokes/texture - does it seem smooth, for instance, or is the paint thick so that you can see the brush strokes? Why? What does this add to the painting?
• how the artist catches your eye or leads your eye
• what is the artist trying to represent?

This is a painting you have probably seen before. It is entitled "Scream," painted by Edvard Munch, a Norwegian artist, in 1893.

What do you think Edvard Munch intended this painting to mean? Cite specific details from the painting as "evidence" to support your statement.  Remember, two paragraphs, acknowledge your classmates' viewpoint, and USE EVIDENCE!

Video Game Violence

As we researched our topics and began planning for our Argument Essays, I learned quite a lot about my topic: violent video games.  Normally, this discussion focuses on how violent video games affect young people, aged 17 and under -- the kids who can't buy the "Rated M for Mature" games.  However, I became interested in how video game violence affects players of all age groups.  Why are kids the only people we think might be "impressionable"?  Certainly, many young people are more mature than old people!

Let's examine the debate: Do violent video games cause aggressive behavior?

PRO: In an article from Time Magazine entitled "Little By Little, Violent Video Games Make Us More Aggressive," Alice Park examines some new research that "suggests hours of exposure to violent media like video games can make kids react in more hostile ways" (Time.com).  To find out more about the link between violent video games and aggressive behavior, click here: Little By Little

CON: In another article from the BBC, "Aggression from Video Games Linked to 'Incompetence,'" Dave Lee reports that new research says, "Feelings of aggression after playing video games are more likely linked to gameplay mechanics [winning or losing] rather than violent content" (BBC.com).  To find out more about their study, click here: Aggression Linked to Incompetence

I know many of you were passionate about this topic in class, so I want to give you the opportunity to voice your point of view now.  Remember, your response should be at least two paragraphs in length, you should acknowledge your classmates' comments, you should incorporate textual evidence to support your point of view, and you should, as always, be polite and respectful of one another's views.

In the News: The Spotted Owl Conundrum

In an article for television station KCET, reporter Chris Clarke examines the current debate over spotted owl habitat in California's burned Sierra Forest. The owls have begun living in the burnt trees from the catastrophic Rim Fire; however, logging companies want to remove the trees while they are still useful as wood.  Further, many fear the burnt trees increase the risk of more fires. The Federal Government has already given permission to logging companies to collect the trees, but Environmentalists are now blocking it in the courts.  Here is his article: "Spotted Owls Using Burned Sierra Forest Slated for Logging"

This is just one article about this topic.  There are many all over the internet -- including television news stories -- your evidence can come from any source you choose.  Just be sure to cite your source (i.e., tell me where your evidence came from.)

What do you think?  Should the habitat be preserved for the spotted owl, or should the burned out trees be cleared away to save the area from potential fires? Use evidence from the article to support your perspective. Remember the S-E-E response format for using evidence!  Thank you all again for maintaining polite discourse with your classmates.

Topic: Tablets or Textbooks?

Portions excerpted from “Should Tablets Replace Textbooks in K-12 Schools?” via http://tablets-textbooks.procon.org/

    V.

Publishing for the K-12 school market is an $8 billion industry, with three companies - McGraw-Hill, Pearson, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - capturing about 85% of this market. Tablets are a $72 billion industry with 42% of US adults owning a tablet. As tablets have become more prevalent, a new debate has formed over whether K-12 school districts should switch from print textbooks to digital textbooks on tablets and e-readers.

Proponents of tablets say that they are supported by most teachers and students, are much lighter than print textbooks, and improve standardized test scores. They say that tablets can hold hundreds of textbooks, save the environment by lowering the amount of printing, increase student interactivity and creativity, and that digital textbooks are cheaper than print textbooks. 

Opponents of tablets say that they are expensive, too distracting for students, easy to break, and costly/time-consuming to fix. They say that tablets contribute to eyestrain, headaches, and blurred vision, increase the excuses available for students not doing their homework, require costly Wi-Fi networks, and become quickly outdated as new technologies are released.

What are your thoughts?  Should we switch to tablets for instruction, or should we keep textbooks?  Use textual evidence from the article above and the stats below to support your statements.  Do NOT use personal experience!  Anecdotal evidence is not strong or valid support for your perspective.  Use the S-E-E response format to help you get started.

Here are some stats on the pros and cons of using tablets v. textbooks to help you support your statement.

Pros:

1. Tablets help students learn more material faster. Technology-based instruction can reduce the time students take to reach a learning objective by 30-80%, according to the US Department of Education and studies by the National Training and Simulation Association

2. Tablets can hold hundreds of textbooks on one device, plus homework, quizzes, and other files, eliminating the need for physical storage of books and classroom materials. The average tablet contains anywhere from 8 to 64 gigabytes (GB) of storage space. On the Amazon Kindle Fire, for instance, 1,000 books take up one GB of space.

3. Print textbooks are heavy and cause injuries, while a tablet only weighs 1-2 pounds. Pediatricians and chiropractors recommend that students carry less than 15% of their body weight in a backpack, but the combined average weight of textbooks in History, Mathematics, Science, and Reading/Language Arts exceeds this percentage at nearly all grade levels from 1-12.  According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, during the 2011-12 school year more than 13,700 kids, aged 5 to 18, were treated for backpack-related injuries. 

Cons:

1. Many students do not have sufficient home internet bandwidth to use tablets. Students "need home broadband to access digital content and to complete Internet based homework," according to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, but about a third of Americans – 100 million people – do not have broadband internet at home.  A 2010 FCC survey found that nearly 80% of K-12 schools reported broadband connections that were "inadequate to meet their current needs.

2. People who read print text comprehend more, remember more, and learn more than those who read digital text. The brain interprets printed and digital text in different ways, and people generally read digital text 20-30% slower than print.  According to Pulitzer Prize winning technology writer Nicholas Carr, peer-reviewed studies show that reading hyper-linked text may increase the brain's "cognitive load," lowering the ability to process, store, and retain information, or "translate the new material into conceptual knowledge."

3. Tablets have too many distractions for classroom use. Students may pay attention to apps, email, games, and websites instead of their teachers. 87% of K-12 teachers believe that "today’s digital technologies are creating an easily distracted generation with short attention spans."  Four-fifths of students aged 8 - 18 multitask while using digital media.

Class Blog Guidelines

Hello, Class!

In order to ensure we have productive discussions on our class blog, I want to set out some guidelines.

1.) Every Friday, I will be posting a new topic. You must respond to this topic in the comments section of the post at least once by Monday. You may comment more than once if you think of more ideas to share or want to respond to something someone else said.

2.) When you respond, please ONLY use your first name and last initial. Do not use your e-mail address or any other identifying information. Who knows what sort of creepazoids are out there!

3.) Always be polite and respectful to one another.  It is okay to disagree -- that is what makes a discussion dynamic, interesting, and purposeful. If we all agreed, there'd be nothing to discuss!

4.) Your responses should be at least two full paragraphs in length.  If you're inspired to write more, write more!  I love it! :)

All the Best,

Ms. Mansour