So, what is literacy?

SO, what IS literacy and why should we bother teaching it to our students.

A full clip cannot be found online, but if you get the chance... watch the whole episode.

NBC's Community, "Introduction to Film"


Here's a hint of why... a short movie "made" by one of the main characters, Abed, who suffers from an inability to communicate and connect with people due to Aspergers.



After his dad watched this video, he tearfully told his son that he never blamed him for his mother leaving. Abed responded, "you didn't have to". His dad then decided to pay for his son's film class (which he initially rejected as useless) if it helped his son to be understood.

without an audience, it doesn't mean a thing

"A text cannot speak for itself; it needs a reader as well as a writer."
Daniel Chandler, "Text and the Construction of Meaning"

Measuring: What's the easy way?

"This view is becoming more widely accepted today, and few teachers of
English would deny that the individual’s ability to read and enjoy literature is
the primary aim of literary study. In practice, however, this concern tends to be
overshadowed by the emphasis on whatever can be easily systematized and
measured."
Louise Rosenblatt, "The Acid Test for Literature Teaching"








VS

Advertisers and Literacy: The Pioneers

"Advertisers understand how to reach youngsters (and really, just about anyone) far better than educators." Erin Riesland, "Visual Literacy and the Classroom"

Mad Men - Martinson's Coffee Pitch from Jacinto Wong on Vimeo.

Knowing the rules lets you exploit them!

"Know the rules before you can break them."

1:45 - 2:20

How to Approach a Text?

"Texts and the construction of meaning"
Daniel Chandler

Objectivist: Meaning entirely in text ('transmitted')
SUDOKU: self contained



Constructivist: Meaning in interplay between text and reader ('negotiated')
HEAVY RAIN: modern video game in the style of "choose your own adventure books"




Subjectivist: Meaning entirely in its interpretation by readers ('re-created')
CALVINBALL: the rules are up to the player!

Society & Communication

"Multimedia, or new media, is changing the way society communicates." Erin Riesland, "Visual Literacy and the Classroom"