Vanessa

Vanessa's Page

I really liked Jason Ohler’s perspective on communication in his article “Art Becomes the Fourth R.” In response to the fear that words will disappear with art as a form of communication, he says, “Instead, we will see text clearly for the first time by understanding how and when it offers us the best vehicle to achieve communication in relation to other communication options.” I like this perspective. Text won’t go away. But “art” allows us to communicate sometimes with greater depth, meaning, and emotion. It might help us find meaning, inspiration, insight, and to compare and contrast. Ohler refers to art being used in the everyday classroom and being called “business communication.” How true is this! How do businesses advertise! How to they pitch ideas? How do they entertain? How might they present information at a conference? How do they find new employees? How do they TEACH? Ever since I was little, I’ve heard the saying, “A picture is worth 1000 words.” I think it’s an old saying. Artists have known it for a long time, and it seems like finally society and teachers are catching on! I also like the reminder of Howard Gardner’s multiple forms of intelligence. We all do learn differently. Art helps students express themselves in the form of intelligence that works best for them, therefore, greatly increasing their learning. Amy: I was just reviewing Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences when I did my Lit Review. You are right that research have been telling us for a long time that kids learn differently and need different things to help them understand. Differentiation is a newer name for an old idea. Since it is such an important educational topic perhaps it just needed to be re-packaged to be re-energized! Carrie: I agree that the multiple forms of intelligence is huge! No longer are classrooms where a teacher stands in the front of the classroom lecturing and students need to memorize and spit out information.
 * Journal Response to Activity 1: **

Audra: "Business communication," I agree, it's very true. There are so many images throughout my life that I can still remember today, that have painted a picture and instilled that moment in time in my head for forever.

In response to the article: There is a picture of a man digging through a trash can, and in the article they mention that many different meanings can be derived from this picture. If I was using this image in my class, although I would like my students to find their own meaning from the photo, I would also take it one step further. If the information is known, I think it is important to talk about when the photo was taken. What was going on at the time, in the small scale (where the photo was taken), in the large scale (the world). Do we know anything about the author? Some of this information might help us find more depth in the picture. The two go hand in hand. The picture adds depth to the facts as well as the facts add depth to the picture.
 * Journal Response to Activity 2: **

In response to what criteria I would look for when selecting a photo: I would look for a photo that carried emotion, because when we feel, I think we learn better and it brings an experience we are learning about to life. I would look for a picture, that if possible, I knew something about where or when it was taken and who it was taken by. I would look for a picture that could be interpreted more than one way, as this would add depth, give us something to discuss as a class, and cause us to see something from multiple perspectives as well as question our own thoughts.