As this blog is home to not one, but FOUR courses since coming online during the Spring term of 2008, there were MANY grains of sand to go back and sift through for this week's assignment! However, while sifting through my postings across CI 5475, CI 5150, CI 5472, and CI 5461, I feel as though I have isolated TWO distinct areas of development that I would like to briefly focus on:1.) Considering effective integration / utilization of visual rhetoric principles.
2.) Considering appropriate attribution regarding appropriated multi-modal content.
1.) Although insightful and well done, I feel that my EARLIER postings demonstrate a weaker understanding of the effective integration / utilization of visual rhetoric principles. Before I go any deeper, please quickly review post 4/8 from CI 5472 (Summer of 2009), paying special attention to my integration of text and images:
http://rickleefilipkowski.blogspot.com/2009/06/ci-5472-post-3-media-representations-of.html
As you might notice in the post linked immediately above, my earlier use of text and images was relatively formulaic and "disconnected." In other words, I would follow a fairly regular pattern of presenting a point via text, illustrating it via image on the following center-justified line, and repeating the process. Although at times effective, I now perceive frequent "disconnects" between my central ideas presented via the TEXT, and how subsequent IMAGES worked to further reinforce, challenge, and / or clarify my initial points.
However, as I reflect on MORE RECENT postings across CI 5475 and CI 5150, I perceive a more intentional, effective, and otherwise "connected" integration / utilization of text and images. To illustrate this develop, please view the following MORE RECENT post from CI 5150, again paying special attention to my integration / utilization of text and images:
http://rickleefilipkowski.blogspot.com/2009/12/ci-5150-week-12.html
In contrast to my EARLIER posts where you may perceive visual meanings to be rather "dissociated" from textual meanings, I feel as though my ability to effectively "streamline" and otherwise integrate / utilize images with / alongside text to further reinforce, challenge, and / or clarify my core ideas is continuing to improve. As you might notice in the post linked immediately above, I am beginning to not only vary my pattern of how I integrate / utilize images with text, but consciously consider HOW and WHY different images and design orientations work to reinforce, challenge, and / or clarify points I initially make via text.
2.) Across my EARLIER postings, I notice that I tend to appropriate MANY images and videos from other sources, yet do not pay much (if any!) attention to accurately / correctly citing this appropriated multi-modal content. To illustrate this attribution abuse / neglect, observe how an EARLIER post from CI 5472 does not provide a single citation for ANY of the multi-modal content appropriated throughout:
http://rickleefilipkowski.blogspot.com/2009/06/ci-5472-post-71-studying-culture-of.html
Since the start of CI 5475, I have began to increasingly consider the implications that providing accurate citations (or not!) has when appropriating others' multi-modal content. Although I still really have no idea how to accurately / truly cite and give credit to the "new," multi-modal texts that I appropriate, I feel as though I am at least beginning to take a step in the right direction by utilizing "IMAGES USED" and "WORKS CITED" sections in each post where I a.) post original URLs for each image used, b.) provide hyper links to each image, and C.) provide complete MLA or APA citations when "compatible." For example, please view the "IMAGES USED" and "WORKS CITED" sections in the following blog entry:
http://rickleefilipkowski.blogspot.com/2009/12/ci-5150-week-12.html
Although this sort of attribution is most likely grossly insufficient (as well as probably illegal!), I still consider it a point of personal development in this course as I plan to continue to consider and explore issues of digital rights management, digital intellectual property rights, digital copy rights, and how said concepts are either "compatible" OR "incompatible" with print-based precedent.
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If I were to incorporate ePortfolios into my future classes (which I certainly plan on doing), I can imagine said integration to occur during a larger unit and / or lesson on effective uses of visual rhetoric principles per diverse and unique intended purposes and audiences. For example, while teaching a hypothetical section of upperclassmen nearing entry to post-secondary academia and / or the job market, a specific sort of formative or summative assessment that I have in mind could look something like
1.) assigning students / having students self-select unique, diverse purposes for creating an ePortfolio (e.g., college admission, job interview, high school graduation requirements, and so on)
2.) identifying potential audiences that students' ePortfolios will be exposed to
3.) selecting and utilizing elements of visual rhetoric to effectively convey identified purposes and appeal to identified audiences.
During this sort of overall unit and / or lesson, students would then be required to self-select and integrate artifacts in creative, diverse ways that engage multiple intended purposes and engage multiple intended audiences. Furthermore, I can imagine such a unit and / or lesson being debriefed by having students
1.) present their work to the remainder of the class to further teach other students how unique intended purposes and audiences require unique, creative uses of visual rhetoric
2.) Further reflect on their ePortfolio drafts by engaging
A.) WHAT specific personal artifact(s) they self-selected
B.) WHY they self-selected said artifact(s)
C.) HOW they integrated said artifact(s) into the larger portfolio to effectively convey intended purposes and appeal to intended audiences.
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Across all of the technologies that we have explored throughout this course, RSS FEEDS and SOCIAL BOOKMARKING TOOLS have significantly changed the fundamental ways by which I consume and manage information.
RSS FEEDS / READERS
I perceive RSS feeds / readers to be a teacher's Godsend, beautifully working to take a significant amount of "leg work" out of micromanaging various sources of information. Where previous information consumption and management paradigms dictate that I must go to the information, RSS feeds / readers completely turn the tables as desired information of personal / professional interest is sent directly to ME! Frankly, it really brings a tear to my eye (and the sad part is that I'm not really kidding!).Where it could potentially take me a lot of time and energy to search out and discover when my personal / professional colleagues publish desired information (e.g., INDIVIDUALLY going to each blog, website, wiki page, twitter feed, and so on and so forth only to have my time and energy wasted if no new information has been published!), my Google RSS reader notifies me the moment information becomes available! For example, as you can see via my CI 5475 folder, my classmate's work COMES TO ME the moment new information is published. Notice how there are 0 unread post updates in my RSS reader. I'll let you in on a little secret; there is nothing new to read because I've quickly identified and managed updates relevant to my needs / interests the moment that they came in!
In short, I perceive this technology as a literal "must have" during my future teaching career. Where I could waste valuable time and energy searching through literally HUNDREDS of students' / colleagues' blogs, websites, wiki pages, twitter feeds, and so on, continued use of RSS feeds / readers will allow me to sit back, relax (yeah, right!), and watch as the information I need pours in!
SOCIAL BOOKMARKING TOOLS
I perceive social bookmarking tools such as Delicious and Diigo to be similar teacher "must haves" as such tools effectively fulfill one of Beach, Anson, Breach, and Swiss's (2009) five ways to grow as a digital writing teacher - joining online communities devoted to teaching digital writing (219). In addition to utilizing RSS feeds / readers to subscribe to blogs, wikis, and podcasts, teachers can create and participate in existing online social bookmarking communities in which members actively identify, annotate, and SHARE information useful to digital writing instruction.
As the internet can be virtual "no man's land" of information, social bookmarking tools allow communities of teachers to assist each other across time and space with finding information relevant to their unique classroom contexts. If the cliche that "two heads are better than one" holds true, social bookmarking communities exponentially increase the number of "heads" involved in identifying relevant information! Again, it's really a beautiful thing. In short, I plan on continuing to reap the benefits of, as well as contribute to, various social bookmarking communities that will help me continue to consider the personal and professional issues that I am most passionate about.
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