Brodrigue2's Blog

Readings in Sound

brodrigue2 — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 04:34:24 +0000

This week in ENGL 516 our readings focused on incorporating the mode of sound the composition classroom. As this is the topic for my project I’d already read most of what we’ve covered. That’s OK because I got to read Comstock and Hock’s article on sonic literacy again (http://www.bgsu.edu/cconline/comstock_hocks/sonicliteracy.htm). This is one of my favorite article on teaching sound in the writing classroom because it really gets at the issue of sound being a real mode of meaning-making worthy of attention. I hope to do something like a sound essay with my students in the future as i think it’s a great way to get students to look outside of the realm of writing words in a row and into composing. Furthermore, sound essays help students think about writing words in a row in a way that other modes don’t. That’s because sound essays help students think about how they use language and speech to communicate and, as we already know, writing shares a complex relationship with speech. Anyway, good stuff in that article.

Project Update

brodrigue2 — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 23:54:21 +0000

Project is going along. I’ve been writing a bit of it and the parts seem to be coming together. I’ve decided to include a discussion about how advertisers use the mode of sound to sell their products. I found a very interesting lit. review on this topic which I think will really help my argument for making students aware of the affect sound has on the body.

I’m probably dropping the idea of actually including some assignments with the piece as it’s just a bit too much to do. Also, I’m not able to really experiment with this stuff in my own class as much as I’d like on account of the end of the semester crunch we’re in at the moment.

Digital Underlife

brodrigue2 — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 23:43:52 +0000

One of the articles we read this week for ENGL 516 was Mueller’s Digital Underlife in the Networked Writing Classroom. The article defined cellphones and out of context use of laptops as classroom backchannels. This definition makes all the texting and use of Facebook students do in classrooms seem like just another form of communication. Of course, most teachers will tell you this is not the case as Facebook use and texting can be a true irritation to the teacher trying to explain directions for an assignment. It’s not so much that students aren’t listening, it’s that we know they’re not listening.

And that’s one of the primary points to pull away from Mueller’s piece. Things like Facebook and Twitter only make all the daydreaming students do more visible. Before students could simply zone out in silence and not pay attention and teachers wouldn’t even know. However, the visibility of these backchannels also makes it seem more likely that students will not pay attention in larger groups. Once one student sees it’s OK to be on Facebook others might do the same. Overall, Mueller’s piece brings up a lot of good food for thought on an issue that is not often productively addressed.

Facebook/Twitter

brodrigue2 — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:25:40 +0000

Our readings in ENGL 516 this week focused on possible uses of Facebook and Twitter in the classroom. One question that many people are asking is whether a teacher should add students as friends on Facebook. Out class seemed to favor keeping students off Facebook accounts; however, there were some dissenters. One teacher used their Facebook account to distribute assignments while others had added students as friends in the past. In my opinion it’s wise to make sure the students your adding is someone you might actually want to make your friend in real life. If the answer to that is no, you probably don’t want them snooping about your Facebook page either.

Regarding Twitter we observed a teacher who uses Twitter as a way to guide lecture. Students Twitter during class and the issues presented are then worked into the lecture. It’s a way for students to ask questions they otherwise might not have been able to. I think this is a good use of Twitter but I’m not sure if it will have much longevity. In this case, Twitter seems to be used to fill a void in teaching that is there anyway. If students aren’t asking questions they want answered they might reconsider why that is. Also, the service Twitter is providing in this case might be better suited to another technology. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing, just something that needs to be looked at a bit more.

how’s the research project going?

brodrigue2 — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:36:51 +0000

The mode of sound in the writing classroom is the big topic for my research project in ENGL 516. A general opinion I’ve run across in a number of articles is that the mode of sound, along with the other modes, should be examined in relationship to other modes. What does this mean? Instead of focusing on a single mode such as the visual, teachers should encourage students to make connections between modes.

I’ve decided to address to address the issue of dealing with truly multimodal texts. My proposal is that through a rhetorical examination of multimodal texts online, students can engage with different modes of meaning-making, including sound. Specifically, I’m going to focus on AdBusters.com which has a number of multimodal video that make pointed arguments against capitalism and globalization. My rhetorical examination of one video will serve as an example analysis. I also hope to include a few specific lesson suggestions at the end of the piece, something like what our class text does.

Analyzing Mulitomodal Texts

brodrigue2 — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:24:37 +0000

I’m once again kind of switching my project around. One thing I’m looking at is analyzing multimodal texts with sound. I think there’s probably a way to use sound to begin an analysis of a text and still include other forms of meaning making. Many online multimodal texts incorporate visuals and sound in away that works together to make an argument. My project looks like it will be focusing on analyzing sound as a rhetorical feature of an online text. I’m thinking of focusing on one or two “ads” presented by adbusters. This kind of approach will focus my project on something doable in a semester as well as something I can contextualize around other interest in the mode of sound and multimodality as a whole.

Video Games and Literacy

brodrigue2 — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:21:17 +0000

In ENGL 516 this week we talked about video games. Many communication scholars have very recently taken up video games as a form of literacy and as a mode of meaning making. James Paul Gee’s book has been particularly influential in getting people to look at games for their learning potential.

I’m actually quite encouraged by the idea of video games in the classroom. I believe there’s quite a bit there to look at as games are becoming a venue to make truly artful statements. One opportunity I see for video games in the classroom is for students to critically analyze what is happening in a game. I think through an assignment like this they might actually become aware of how to use the tools of rhetorical analysis. In this case, students would already be familiar with the context, a video game they already like, and would then be applying new tools which can be later used to examine other media and modes.

YouTube

brodrigue2 — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:52:49 +0000

Our readings in ENGL 516 this week focused mainly on the Phenomenon of YouTube. Michael Welsch presents an engaging look at YouTube through an anthropologists lens. I actually think his study will prove to be pretty much “right on” in terms of what people will think about when they write the history of early online activity. Welsch presents YouTube as a fun engaging way for people to chat, communicate and comment. However, others see YouTube as a way to kind of replicate bad taste in art. They argue that the stuff on YouTube is pretty much pointless, and, in large part I’d have to agree; thing is, pointless can be fun and, as Welsch suggests, YouTube is kind of like a big dance party, which is…fun!

Another way to read YouTube is to spend some time examining the comments. Some important videos, which the public would normally not have had access to, get posted on YouTube. Brian Jackson’s and Jon Wallin’s make this point in “Rediscovering the ‘Back-and-Forthness’ of Rhetoric in the Age of YouTube.” They argue, in an examination of the “don’t tase me bro’” incident, that some of the conversation that goes on surrounding YouTube videos is a form of dialectic. Now, this might not be the kind of thoughtful dialectic Plato had in mind, but the argument is interesting and certainly something to be aware of. YouTube as place for political revolution is to nice of an idea not to consider.

Reading Sound In Multimodal Texts

brodrigue2 — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:19:46 +0000

Alright, I’ve made some real progress on my project for ENGL 516. What I’ve decided to go ahead with is to respond to articles that ask for a way to include sound in the composition classroom in relationship to other modes, as well as addressing the social/cultural issues of texts, which rarely seem to get pointed out. I’ve got a theoretical frame laid out and contextualized fairly well, what I’m really looking for is a good example of a multimodal, online text that uses sound in an interesting way. What I plan to do is analyze such a text as the main example of how sound can be an approach to reading multimodal texts. I may use the Hillary Cllinton/Sopranos spot that she ran while campaigning for president. It’s a little dated, and the context around The Sopranos is a little bit of a challenge to explain, but in general I could do something with it. I’m still on the lookout for a better texts, any suggestions?

Sound and Language

brodrigue2 — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:05:50 +0000

Regarding my ongoing research project in ENGL 516, I’ve been exploring the connection between sound and writing. Dr. Krause provided me with some good resources to start and I’ve used those to start a bibliography. Right now I feel I’ve got something to write about concerning the connection between sound and writing and I’m searching for a way to tie this into technology. My current idea is to extend my argument concerning sound’s relationship to writing to examining sound’s relationship to the visual. If I can make this connection successful, which shouldn’t be too problematic, I could discuss ways in which multimodal websites include sound not just through sound itself and the act of writing, but through the visual as well. A part of the project could be a reading of some websites which analyzes the these relationships.