1. Copy and paste a quote from each of the chapters that
causes you to have a strong reaction (agreement, disagreement, confusion...)
and explain your reaction.
Both of these changes, from language to image and from
page to screen, represent fundamental shifts in how we perceive the world and
communicate meanings, and the modes and resources available for representing
what we know (Serafini, pg. 30, 2014).
To me
this was just a little reality check. We
have to open our eyes and realize what fast paced world we are living in
today. Our children are going to
perceive the world and communicate in ways we never imagined when we were
children. I agree with this statement
because we use images to express ourselves, our thoughts, our moods, and others
interpret how we are feeling. I realize
more now that we have to not only have to be ready for the shift we have to get
on board with the change and be comfortable with this new perception and means
of communication within our classrooms and instruction!
The use of one mode or another is “guided by socially
determined intentions and realizes group interests, subjective points of view
or ideological stances” (Serafini, pg. 45, 2014).
I
was a little confused with all the terminology at first. Modes, multimodal, and multimodality threw me
for a loop. I understand that we post
things intentionally targeting specific audiences, for a purpose, and to get
our thoughts or feelings across to others.
We aren’t verbalizing our thoughts particularly but using images as food
for thought and representation.
A symbol is not a symbol until someone interprets it as
one (Serafini, pg. 62, 2014).
I know that when we see certain symbols we automatically
relate them to specific places or people.
I suppose I agree that these symbols were meaningless until someone made
them a logo, advertisement, or sign to signify representation. We relate the golden arches to McDonalds,
red roses to love, and crosses to Christians.
These symbols have been conventionalized and we make the assumption of
the connections and their meanings to one another.
2. Find an image, symbol or motif and upload it to your
blog.
Photo captured from: en.wikipedia.org
3. Conduct a content analysis:
What do you see?
I see two circles with the
letters V and W inside.
What is the image about?
It is an emblem representing the
Volkswagen make of automobile.
Are there people in the image? What are they doing? How
are they presented?
No, there are no people in the
image.
Can the image be looked at different ways? Explain how
the image might be interpreted from two diffferent socio-cultural perpsecitves.
Which perpective is dominate?
Yes, I think the image could be
construed as just a design consisting no letters just lines and spaces. If I were from a country that did not make or
sell Volkswagens I may not know what the symbol meant. I may think it was a design someone had drawn
and it wouldn’t have a meaning to me. I
do know what that symbol represents and I believe that majority of American’s and
others across the world where Volkswagen cars are made and sold would be able
to tell you what this symbol represented.
So I feel my cultural perspective would be dominate in this case scenario.
How effective is the image as a visual message.
This image is a visual
message. It signifies to you that this
specific automobile with this emblem symbol was made by Volkswagen. The image has a direct connection to it’s
maker.
4. Conduct a visual analysis: Use the Chapter on Elements
of Art, Design and Visual composition to assist your visual analysis.
How is the image composed? What is in the background, and
what is in the foreground?
The image is composed of circles
and lines. The background is the blue
and the foreground is the white.
What are the most important visual elements in the image?
How can you tell?
The most important visual
elements in the image I would think are the V and W in the inner circle. I can see those letters just looking at the
symbol they pop out to me.
How is color used?
There are two colors blue and
white. The white is the inner circle and
the letters indicating the make of the automobile and the blue is just the
contrast color to make it appealing.
Can the image be looked at different ways?
No.
What meanings are conveyed by design choices?
The Volkswagen was built in
Germany in 1938. Volks means people and
wagen means car, therefore the English translation is “people’s car”. The letters VW were put in a circle design
and signify the automobile maker “Volkswagen”.
References
Serafini, Frank. (2014). Reading the Visual: An Introduction to Teaching Multimodal Literacy. Teachers College Press: New York, New York.
I agree with your statement that a symbol is not a symbol until it is interpreted as one. This is a very true statement. Often, people expect others to see things that they don't always see due to not having enough prior knowledge in that particular area. As an educator, you need to remember this due to the fact that your students will come from so many different backgrounds and you may have to fill in prior knowledge that you would think a student at that age would have. This was a great statement!.
ReplyDeleteBritney – I like how you remind us that the children of “today” are going to look at the world and communicate in ways that we could have never dreamed of when we were their age. Although we all have utilized images to express ourselves (moods, thoughts, etc.), our student have a broader range of images and methods to choose from; this complicates communication for BOTH them and us! As you stated, we have to be able to shift and adapt; however, we also have to be able to help our students make sense of this myriad of means of communication available to them in order for them to effectively communicate.
ReplyDeleteI feel I disagree with the statement “a symbol is not a symbol until someone interprets it as one”. The person who created the symbol had an image of what it was supposed to be when it was created. Now how people interpret that symbol will all be individualized and I completely agree with what you stated as to why you agree with it as significant symbols like McDonalds. I like how we both saw this quote different but I still agree with what you wrote!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your quote about a symbol is not a symbol unless it is interpreted. Even though the person that made the symbol had a vision in mind, doesn't mean everyone is going to view it that way. We do associate certain symbols with certain things because that is what we were taught, but if you have no idea what the person was going for when they created the symbol then you will view it differently.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great discussion about the importance of interpretation in visual literacy. When companies create logs they often have focus groups to tell them what they think the image means and then make adjustments to make sure that the symbol appeals to the majority of the audience they are targeting. Even then, the logo/symbol/image can be interpreted differently.
ReplyDeleteFor example, if you examine the history Volkswagen you would learn that Adolf Hitler took over the product ion of Volkswagons in 1933. As was common with much of the production in Nazi Germany during the war, slave labor was utilized in the Volkswagen plant. The company would admit in 1998 that it used 15,000 slaves during the war effort. German historians estimated that 80% of Volkswagen's wartime workforce was slave labor.Many of the slaves were reported to have been supplied from the concentration camps upon request from plant managers.
I suppose people with family members who who worked as slaves in Volkswagen factory might view this image differently. This is a good example of how socio-cultural histories influence individuals interpretation of symbols.