Hocks Article: Understanding Visual Rhetoric

Audience Stance: Gives reader sense of urgency to read. Wysocki forms her web pages in ways that allow readers to play with the page and construct their own learning through interaction.


Transparency: We are used to the historical organization of print. This is used on the web too. Simple organization by color and form make it easy for novice web users to read the page.

Hybridity: The interplay between the visual and verbal. Wysocki uses words, phrases,unconventional margins, and pictures together to create a different, yet effective, kind of learning experience for the reader.

"Monitoring Order" uses colors, visual metaphors, graphical repetitions to guide us through the work in a way that is unique to the reader. He/she can insert their own attitude and feelings about the work

Wysocki:
There are two different kinds of order. There is the order that we in our minds set when we read; how we shape the text, understand what we're reading, and move ideas around in our head. Then, there are the conventions of the world that produce order.

I found it very interesting that the simple design of printed book pages was such an issue in the 17th Century England.

She describes the form of the book to be invisible.
According to historical documents, the use of ornaments (those things other than words) are only distracting.
In the telling of McLuhan and Ong then, the visual order of books makes those of us who read desire to be rational, internalized, homogeneous individuals who see the world in a standardized, numerical, scientific, manner. But, also, as McLuhan points out, the way that order has been made transparent has made the design of books and book pages not worth discussing in our general practices—as has been the case in writing classrooms of this century, where at most we learned to give our pages adequate margins and double-spacing and to hand over any other decisions to publishers if our work hit the big time.

The more primitive a people, the more extravagantly they use ornament and decoration. The Indian overloads everything, every boat, every rudder, every arrow, with ornament. To insist on decoration is to put yourself on the same level as the Indian. The Indian in us all must be overcome. The Indian says: This woman is beautiful because she wears golden rings in her nose and ears. Men of a higher culture say: This woman is beautiful because she does not wear rings in her nose or her ears. To seek beauty in form itself rather than make it dependent on ornament should be the aim of all mankind. (69)
This is completely wrong. I agree with Wysocki. I think that ornament helps the visual learners to understand the text. I can't imagine not every including pictures. I can see where they might get distracting if they are irrelevant to the piece. But, in all other circumstances, they are sometimes a vital part.


But all of us should be asking, “what’s it like to read hybrid forms? what demands do they make on writers and readers?” Use your blogs to explore the role of hybrid texts in your life, and to explore what visual rhetoric means in your literate life.

I think think that writing in hybrid forms is still a little difficult for me. Writing for the web is something that I really need to work on. The concept of reading it is a lot more fun to me. I like to click on different links, read different set ups, etc... I don't like reading page after page on the web. Reading the adobe documents just about kills me. It's like proofreading someone's paper. It's not the funnest thing in the world. I just like being in control of my learning. We I read on the web, I really feel like I am because I am able to establish the order of my learning (like Wysocki says).
Visual rhetoric in my life is something that is important to me. I am a visual learner. Seeing pictures, different set ups of text, and like I said earlier, an unconventional way of shaping the text, allows me to not get bored and therefore grasp a better understanding of the text.

Dr. Harrington was right. This article was right up my alley. I really enjoyed what the article had to say. A lot of good points were made. First of all, it's up to us as teachers to engage the students in weblogging. It's natural for us to have an interest in something that is familiar to us. For example, if we are interested in journal or diary writing, we might like to use blogging for that purpose. If we are big poetry writers, then we would use it for poetry. I think it's important to keep this in mind for our students. Maybe we could allow them to express themselves (within limitations of the lesson) in a way that is true to themselves when they blog. Don't simply require a 500 word mininum for their blog, but maybe allow them to express themselves more uniquely; through a poem, through pictures, or through maybe an outline form. I know that this isn't always realistic, but students are more likely to get something out of the blogging experience when they are allowed to do something that may help express who they are. This will make the learning experience more authentic.
We shouldn't just stick to the student's comfort zone, however. It's important to challenge them to think in terms of other genres. Weblogging might be a fun way to get them thinking in a more strategic manner in this sense. It's not just another assignment, but it's something that may be more personal, or vice versa, shared in a way that is different from the usual "show and tell" format. This will involve shy students as well.
I like Blood's definitions of blogging and the purposes for them:

# “blogs” (what we call journals): “short-form journals. The writer's subject is his daily life, with links subordinate to the text,”
# notebooks: “Sometimes personal, sometimes focused on the outside world, notebooks are distinguished from blogs [journals] by their longer pieces of focused content,” and
# filters: “organized squarely around the link, maintained by an inveterate Web surfer, personal information strictly optional” (pp. 6-8).

It seems to be an open-ended definition that allows for some creative space. Blogs seem to be more personal, and that's what she points out here. In the class I am teaching, I see students use their blogs for obvious academic purposes, but I also see them use it personally. It's human nature for them to include their personal experiences, life-lessons, and personal reflection onto their blog. That's what makes it so great! Their learning experience has become for than just something that they can regurgitate. It's something that they will hold onto, remember, and will actually mean something to them.

One thing that the article points out is the fact that weblogs can be used not only personally, but communally as well. We communicate with our students through the weblogs. You can tell that the students sometimes hold back information when they are explaining personal situations to us. Other times, we see those students that tell all. It depends on the student's personality and their willingness to share how they feel and what they know.


The purposes that we use the blog for will make or break the usefulness of the blog. For example, if like one teacher, we use the blogs strictly for note-taking or for research, some students might not be able to justify the usefulness of the blog as a tool for learning. However, if we allow them more space to use the blog how they feel is necessary for them (granted, with limitations) then we are more likely to see positive results.

I was amazed to see how many people were unfamiliar with blogging only 4-5 years ago. Print journals were more common then. I remember journaling in 2002, with Xanga actually. Many of my friends used them as well. I don't remember using them academically; this is new to me as of the past year or two. Journaling for personal reasons, however, was definitely not that uncommon.
3 top reasons for keeping a blog
1. Emotional value
2. Keeping a record of one’s own life
3. Intellectual value
Overall, students also found weblogging to be a motivational factor when it came to their own education. I found that to be very interesting. If we could use a tool like this to motivate our students, then why not use it? My only fear is, like any other print or technology, when will weblogging die out like many other tools? I’m sure that the overhead was once a useful technology that helped to motivate students because it was a different way to read and to see things (than a typical textbook version). Blogging isn’t really that new; so are we far off from this happening or am I just crazy?
It does not surprise me that most students preferred to use the blogging as a journal since most people like to talk about themselves. This is definitely something to remember as a middle/high school teacher.
Simply being online while doing research or blogging, students have the opportunity to save many things onto one page. They are able to note different websites if they want and combine notes from other blogs. It’s almost a management tool that could become very helpful to them if used correctly.


Okay, I just have to say that if one of my students said this, I would be the proudest teacher in the world:
One student was quite articulate about the ways in which the technology de-centered the class, although the comment did not focus much on the technology:
“Writing on the weblog, whether it was for an assignment, or just a note to the class, was different than writing things in class. In class, if a professor asks the students to write a response to some reading, or an idea, the only ones involved in the process are the student and the professor. Weblogs allow the entire class to communicate, and this made me feel like my education was not just in the hands of my professor, but was a collective effort of everyone in the class.”

Okay, the myspace article has got me going. I don't think that chat rooms and online communities will ever die out. I also don't think myspace will. Any online community like this has it's privacy issues and downfalls. Facebook has been around for awhile too, and there have been privacy issues like that. Do people think that educated people aren't creepy stalkers too? Pictures can still be stolen. I think this article is bias. I didn't like it. I do think that myspace will continue to grow. People are going to come and go as they please. It doesn't matter what the website is.

Hourihan and the Pew Internet Project study look at the social networks created by bloggers. What kinds of social networks do you participate in out of school? Hourihan talks about blogging as a “native format.” Do you consider yourself a “native” writer on a blog or any other new technology? What are the writing styles/elements that are native to the web? And how do those styles contrast with what you see valued at school?

I participate in Myspace, Instant Messenger, and Hotmail. I am a big fan of myspace. I check it a few times a day and definitely read other people's blogs. I've written several blogs as well. It's funny, because Hourihan talks about these types of web sites as being a different way to organize our ideas.
"When we talk about weblogs, we're talking about a way of organizing information, independent of its topic. What we write about does not define us as bloggers; it's how we write about it (frequently, ad nauseam, peppered with links).

Weblogs simply provide the framework, as haiku imposes order on words. The structure of the documents we're creating enable us to build our social networks on top of it -- the distributed conversations, the blog-rolling lists, and the friendships that begin online and are solidified over a "bloggers dinner" in the real world."
I never really thought about it that way. I had to read this statement over and over again to really understand what she was trying to say. But it's not about what we write because, like she said, there are blogs used as diaries, blogs used for the weather, and blogs used for the news and political resources. What we write about doesn't characterize us as bloggers. It's about where we're writing. It's a way of organizing our thoughts and sharing them with the world, or a community.
I do consider myself a native blogger. I was on instant messenger pretty much when it began; the same with myspace. I feel like I am one of those people who understands the language of the technology. Using words like, "b/w, lol, lmao, etc..." are common to use in situations like these. Short, incomplete sentences, deep thoughts, or just a description of your day are common things to see on blogs like these. Talking on instant messenger is like talking on the cell phone. Your expressions, such as happy or sad faces, and the sounds that you make can be expressed in caricatures and phrases. It's always seemed so natural to me. My mom, however, does not understand this concept. She used to have instant messenger when I lived in TN so we could communicate easier. I didn't have a cell phone at this time, so phone cards were my only other option. She would write out long paragraphs to tell me a story. I used to get so annoyed with the wait, and then to only find that she wrote me a story....ugghhh. Communities like these tend to be more focused on the short, simple phrases and sentences. If you are going to try to tell a long story, at least break it up into sections.
I think that these types of options are becoming available in schools. I don't, however, see the short, sketchy phrases entering the classroom full fledge quite yet. Especially being in an English classroom, teachers are still stuck on the correct grammar and sentence usage for these kids. I, however, see this type of communication entering the classroom like ebonics did. It's a new language.

What motivates people to write outside of school? How does motivation to write get encouraged by different writing technologies? (what does blogging to to encourage people to write, for example? What kinds of writing seems to be encouraged or valued on the blogs you may read, for example?)

I think that communications like I listed above motivates kids because it's fun. They get to talk about themselves, which is a huge characterization of our middle school and high school students. They can also talk to their friends, see what people have to say about them and their pictures, movies, writings, etc... They get attention, which they may feel a lack of elsewhere. They can meet new people, create false identities, and experiment in a secretive way that only they know about. It's kind of exciting for them. It's something that they can call their own.

I think in this way, we should allow these types of technologies into our classroom because students can still get attention from other classmates. They can get responses to their thoughts and feelings about a text. I believe that this is motivation enough for our students.

When I read blogs, I see a lot of free writes, however; I see a lot of poetry and creative writing as well. I see a lot of people post or write songs and create music along with it. It's a way for them to express themselves creatively. Why not allow our students to do the same thing?

What kinds of graphics do you read regularly? (signs, comics, graphic novels, illustrated magazines, newspapers…?) What is the relationship between words, graphics and ideas in what you like to read? what words and graphics have you written with?

I read a lot of magazines (Parenting magazines, health magazines, the newspaper (Indy Star, Lebanon Reporter, billboards on the way to school, emails with graphic concentrations, etc...) I read to my daughter everyday as well. In fact, we are reading a story right now that is about a group of toys who are trying to discover who they really are. It's kind of like toy story. They don't realize that they are just toys. They express their feelings and their fears. It's cute. The pictures in it really get your attention (like the stuffed rabbits in the washing machine). They talk about being sent to the vet and having to drink medicine that smells like perfume. They are then stuck in a big machine with water and are spun round and round. You don't realize what they are talking about until you see the picture of a washing machine. It's hilarious. I even laughed out loud at that one.
I think that graphics enhance our visualization (for those of us who are visually challenged). It gives us a picture to analyze as we read a story. I think that children need these at first because they don't know how to imagine at such a young age. This builds on their imagination and makes them ready for bigger stories with deeper meanings.

I am not a graphic reliant person, however, I do think that they help give personality to the text or the website. I do have graphics on my myspace page. In fact, I have a graphics enhanced background. I have pictures of my daughter, husband, family, and friends. I have a few glittery things as well. I think that it helps express who I am. However, I think that too many graphics make the page overwhelming. I have seen this with some of my friends' sites. I think words are important. There needs to be an even mix.

Computers have transformed and will continue to transform writing instruction.
Computer technology is much too central a feature of 21st C. literacy, environment, culture, economics to pretend that it merely augments pedagogy. Electronic literacy has already transformed writing instruction. Software already teaches. It's our job to teach with it and against it. (p.44).

Web 2.0 applications

google Adsense (what makes ads appear on some blogs in relation to content)
http://deli.cio.us (compare my bookmarks.com)
digg.com (tagging content)
technocrati.com (tagging content in blogs)
stumbleupon.com (recommending websites)
google documents (creation/editing)

I learned about this website tonight. I can use it to download pictures. I want to remember it for my classroom b/c it's a place that my students can find quality pictures for presentations and projects.

How, specifically, have you been changed by your experiences of technologies? What do your digital literacies lead you to expect in school? What kinds of literacies do your teachers expect in school? What kinds of technology experiences have seemed useful to you in your previous schooling?

I have changed in that I have become dependent on something that I am usually not dependent on. I can't go through a day without my cell phone or my computer b/c they are both my connection to the world, my family, and education. 5 or 6 years ago, I couldn't say this. Technology wasn't as important or necessary for my everyday life as it is now.

I expect that my digital literacies will be enhanced in my students. I will learn new things that I didn't know and will be challenged evermore. I look forward to learning from my students b/c I think it's as important to learn in the classroom as a teacher as it is to teach our students. I believe that this is where the gap is closed b/w teacher and student.

In school right now, oncourse, blogs, and journaling have become a necessity. Many discussions, emails, and important information are posted online that I must participate in daily. I think the internet has allowed a lot easier access, but it also allows for more work on the weekends. I have teachers that post homework that they may have forgotten to assign the week before, on a Saturday. I hate that! However, I think that the quality of education has definitely changed over the course of my college career for the better.
Amanda

I enjoyed both texts this week. They both had some interesting things to say.
Ferris First:

I like that this article talks about how we as readers have to be interactive with the text when we read electronically. It makes sense, b/c we choose what to read when we search the web. There are usually hyperlinks to follow, and we choose which ones we want to use and read. When we get there, it’s our choice to skim and scan. This all makes sense to me.
I guess I just look at traditional text the same way though. I see it as interactive in that we have a choice if we want to read it or not, if we would like to skip through and read certain parts, if we want to turn the page, etc…. The main difference is that electronic text tends to be faster and easier to maneuver in some cases.
The language of electronic text is indeed different. There was a part in here talking about how traditional writing is thrown out the door when we start using abbreviations like BTW, LOL, etc… This is so true in the world of electronic writing.

Barron
(some of these are quotes that I thought were important and insightful, others are just thoughts)
When we write with cutting-edge tools, it is easy to forget that whether it consists of energized particles on a screen or ink embedded in paper or lines gouged into clay tablets, writing itself is always first and foremost a technology, a way of engineering materials in order to accomplish an end. Tied up as it is with value-laden notions of literacy, art, and science, of history and psychology, of education, of theory, and of practicality, we often lose sight of writing as technology, until, that is, a new technology like the computer comes along and we are thrown into excitement and confusion as we try it on, try it out, reject it, and then adapt it to our lives—and of course, adapt our lives to it.

Only then does the technology come into its own, no longer imitating the previous forms given us by the earlier communications technology but creating new forms and new possibilities for communication. Moreover, in a kind of backward wave, the new technology begins to affect older technologies as well.

So threatening was the typewriter to the traditional literacies that in 1938 the New York Times editorialized against the machine that depersonalized writing, usurping the place of “writing with one’s own hand.”

Morse refused Bell’s offer to sell him the rights to the telephone patent. He was convinced that no one would want the telephone because it was unable to provide any permanent record of a conversation.

Of course the telephone was not only a source of information. It also threatened our privacy. One early fear of putting telephones in people’s homes was that strangers could call up uninvited; people could talk to us on the phone whom we would never wish to converse with in person -- and no one predicted then that people selling useless products would invariably call at dinner time. Today, as our email addresses circulate through the ether, we find in our electronic mailboxes not just surprise communications from long-lost acquaintances who have tracked us down using Gopher and other Web browsers, but also unwelcome communiqués from intruders offering get-rich-quick schemes, questionable deals, and shoddy merchandise. Even unsolicited religious messages are now circulating freely on Netnews groups.

Computers were designed to handle complex math problems, not to be used as word processors, which they are now for some of their main purposes. This at first was an issue when people tried to type on the computer and it would beep at them when they typed too fast.

In the new computer age, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not. You have to use your common sense and do a lot more research at times to make sure that what you’re reading or researching isn’t fraud. There are many instances of this online, so be careful what you are looking at.

We know what literacy used to mean...for women, it was not expected, but was a form of confidence and pride for those who wanted it. Today, it's essential, but how we use it now is the question.

"And the literate ability at the end of the 20th century may be best measured as a person's capacity to amalgamate new reading and writing processes in response to rapid social change." (p.651).
p.s. I learned a new word here: amalgamate: to combine or unite

"the ability to earn a living has become increasingly bound up the ability to read, document, and traffic in symbol systems generally."

Literacy in society today moves on whether you're ready or not.

Ruling institutions control literacy: The work force, economy, politics, etc...

"By the end of the 19th century, literacy was no longer regarded as an avenue to morality, but rather as an indication of moral behavior itself." (p. 654)

There are religious issues to think about when it comes to literacy as well. In Christianity, interpretation of the Bible is crucial for understanding, meditation, and closeness to God. This was an issue for AA's during the time of the slave trade. Literacy at that time was perceived as a respective position, and they were not respected. Yet, their Christian roots required this skill and necessity to sustain true life and purpose.

Literacy as an upward mobility...moving on past the 19th century on into the mid 1900's. Literacy was seen as a necessity to be proper; for manners. To be able to communicate effectively to whomever you were speaking with.

Technology begins to infiltrate through media like radio and tv.

During the War, things like the digital computer, atomic bombs, and different technologies began to develop. The demand for literacy was ever increasing at a rapid rate.

Literacy has now turned into a sign of professionalism

Scribner
Social Literacy, not individual
Literacy varies upon region (can write your own name, can memorize a sacred text)
adaptation, power, grace
Adaption:
Functional Literacy...what it takes to function in society (focuses on individual)
computer age...importance in education and the job field
literacy may be increased for some and decreased for others: creating a social gap
appeal to individual to improve their functional skills

Power (focuses on community)
literacy can change social class, politics, and community as a whole
"If literacy has not emerged as a priority demand,should government and private agencies undertake to mobilize communities around this goal?"
To have a more literate society

Grace
Memorizing the Koran; taking it in...makes you literate and holy
An illiterate person is incapable of learning new things?
meaning and significance to life
cultural factors: is this tradition of reading and book literacy important to everyone
Vai Script: in this society, no one has a literacy responsibility, but to be literate in two texts of the Vai Script, is to be impressive and looked highly upon. It's a state of admiration
Vai Script: record-keeping for marriage, death, genealogy, administrative purposes, taxes, etc...
keep diaries

What is ideal literacy in our society? (adaptive, empowering, and self-enhancing)

Literacy depends on the purpose...personal/independent needs in some circumstances
At other times, it is communally important according to the strict regulations of society and the job force