While I now appreciate the complexities of comics and graphic novels it wasn’t until recently that I truly became aware of the advanced art. As a child I came across Calvin and Hobbes every so often in the Sunday paper, but never knew anything beyond the mutiple genres that I’m aware of today. Looking back I cannot help but think about the learning experiences that I missed by being unaware of these types of works.
Just like many of my new media interests, my appreciation stems from conversations with students over the last few years. More and more, I’ve seen kids engaged in graphic novels and comics between classes and sometimes, yes, even in class. When asked if reading for school or pleasure the response is typically, “for pleasure”. Of course, this answer would excite any educator (maybe not if the reading took place during class). More so, it provides the opportunity to consider the value of integrating such sources in the classroom.
As educators, whether in a school, library or other information setting, it is our responsibility to try to find ways to meet students’ interests. With increased popularity of comics and graphic novels we have the chance to tap into students’ interests and engage them in new ways of understanding and interpreting the world. That’s right; comics and graphic novels can foster critical thinking!
As some may question the legitimacy of graphic novels and comics in this era dominated by standardized testing, which tests traditional texts, we must consider the benefits of such nontraditional sources to prove these skeptics wrong. As Carol Tilley presents in Reading Comics, these works, just like standard text, share certain structural elements. These elements make comics and graphic novels unique, complex literatures, which entail special skills to read and navigate. These components demand students to have “conversations” with the text and engage in a more active way that requires students to make predictions, connections and inferences. For many students, when confronted with traditional text, these tasks seem daunting but because of increased interest in comics/graphic novels, as well as the openness they seem to create, the tasks become less threatening. As students develop these skills with comics and graphic novels they will transfer such abilities to understanding other types of literature and mediums of information. Although this should not be used as a sole motivator or reason for using graphic novels and comics in the classroom it does provide an important consideration and justification for skeptics.
Although using graphic novels and comics in the classroom may not help ALL students, they especially provide opportunities for struggling readers and English language learners, a growing group in American schools. Curiosity about this led me to the article Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban High School by Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher. The case presented here explored a group of struggling readers and ELL students in an impoverished San Diego high school. With the goal to design an illustrated story, the teachers involved used graphic novels as a tool to engage students in the writing process. The instructors believed that “the limited amount of text would allow students to read and respond to complex messages with text that better matched their reading levels.” Their predictions certainly ended up being correct. As student engaged with the graphic novels the instructors were able to build discussion centering on skills such as determining tone and mood, as well as vocabulary/word choice, sentence structure, and, overall, ways of expressing an idea. Using these discussions and mini-lessons for scaffolding, the instructors were able to get students to produce works that went beyond their reading/writing level—quite a difficult feat. I'd recommend that article to understand the actual process and for ideas about integrating graphic novels in your classroom.
Examples like the one stated above are not unique. As I mentioned, I have been trying to incorporate comics and graphic novels increasingly in the classroom. So far, I’ve used them to help in student understanding of the Neolithic Revolution, political revolutions, and the Holocaust. As we promote student learning we must consider all resources available. A graphic novel or a comic can quite possibly serve as impetus for student inquiry, understanding and success. Why not try giving them a shot in the classroom?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Librariantics and Manga/Anime Reviews
None of the following is my work, but a classmate of mine in Fantasy Literature and Media for Youth created it as an intro to manga and anime for newbies, and he gave me permission to post it here in response to the post about comics' and pop culture's roles in promoting reading. The author is Ted Anderson, and he also just recently started a blog, Librariantics, where he's also intending to review manga and anime series (here's the first, for Peach Girl). He is extremely knowledgeable about this form, so his blog is worth a look!
TED’S ANIME AND MANGA COURSES
Level 101: What’s with the big eyes?
Cowboy Bebop (anime) Action. Some violence and nudity. Teens and up.
Bounty hunters in the year 2071 make their way across the solar system, hunting criminals and running away from their various tragic pasts. Regarded as one of the greatest anime of all time, and the series that got Ted into anime in the first place. Highly recommended. (Also by the same crew, and also highly recommended, the series Samurai Champloo, about wandering samurai in 17th-century Japan set to a hip-hop soundtrack, and the series Michiko and Hatchin, about a fugitive femme fatale and the daughter she gave up ten years ago on the run in South America.)
Yotsuba&! (manga) Comedy, slice-of-life. Nothing objectionable. All ages.
Five-year-old girl Yotsuba has an insatiable love of life and boundless energy, and her infectious curiosity pulls in everyone around her. Effortlessly charming and wonderfully drawn.
Ranma 1/2 (manga and anime) Romantic comedy. Mild violence and nudity, both mostly comedic. Teens and up.
Probably one of the most famous anime exports of all time, Ranma 1/2 follows Ranma Saotome, who has the unfortunate curse of transforming into a girl when splashed with cold water, and back to a guy when splashed with hot water. Very hilarious, completely over-the-top (ever seen figure skating turned into a martial art? how about flower arranging? or tea ceremony?).
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (manga and anime movie) Sci-fi, drama. Violence, nudity, dense philosophical musings. Teens and up.
This manga was written and drawn by Hayao Miyazaki, whose Ghibli Studio also produces some of the best-known (and just plain best) anime films of the past twenty years. Centuries after the Earth has been poisoned by man’s wars, the few remaining civilizations eke out a living at the edges of freakish jungles populated by gigantic insects. And when one of those civilizations gets their hands on some of the weapons that almost destroyed the human race the first time, it’s up to the princess Nausicaa to save the world. Gorgeous artwork and heady musings on life, nature, and war make a fantastic combination.
Lovely Complex (manga and anime) Romantic comedy. Nothing objectionable. Tweens and up.
Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Otani have been schoolmates for years, and their constant bickering has made them into the school’s best unintentional comedy duo. But when Risa starts falling for Atsushi, she’s got no idea what to do. Part of the problem? She’s a full half-a-foot taller than he is, and completely self-conscious. Light-hearted and wacky. Look up information on the Kansai dialect before reading or watching—you’ll thank me later.
Kimi ni Todoke (may be called Reaching You or From Me to You) (manga and anime) Romance. Nothing objectionable. Tweens and up.
Sawako Kuronuma’s long black hair and creepy demeanor have earned her the nickname ‘Sadako’, after the ghost-child of The Ring—but deep down she’s just shy, awkward, and unintentionally weird. Everything changes when popular classmate Shota Kazehaya takes an interest and tries to draw Sawako out of her shell. Unbelievably sweet and charming, this new series is one of the standouts of 2009.
Level 201: Oh, those wacky Japanese!
Nana (manga and anime) Drama, romance. Nudity, drug use. Teens and up.
Nana Osaki is an aspiring punk singer who leaves her boyfriend to find herself. Nana Komatsu is a hopeless romantic who comes to Tokyo to find her true love. The two end up sharing apartment 707 (‘nana’ is also the Japanese word for the number 7) and falling into a tangle of fame, love, and rock-and-roll. Possibly one of the finest manga or all time; definitely high on Ted’s list.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan (anime) Action. Comedic nudity and some suggestive language. Teens and up.
Simon has lived all his life in an underground village, but the day he discovers a strange robot buried in the earth is the day everything changes. Along with Kamina, his over-the-top, sword-wielding partner, and the busty sniper Yoko, he sets out to save the world. Actually, ‘over-the-top’ is a pretty good phrase to describe this entire show. Imagine giant robots fighting each other. Now imagine them fighting a giant robot that’s the size of a city. Now imagine that robot fighting a robot that’s actually the moon. And it just get crazier from there.
Azumanga Daioh (manga and anime) Comedy, slice-of-life. Nothing objectionable. All ages.
It’s hard to talk about the plot of this series, because there really isn’t one. Six girls in high school and their various wacky interactions. No romance, no crushes, in short, no boys. The manga came first, but the anime might be easier to understand; the musical cues make the subtle humor a little less subtle. (By the author of Yotsuba&!)
Haibane Renmei (anime) Fantasy, drama. Nothing objectionable, but highly abstract and ‘talky’. Late teens and up.
In a walled city in an unknown country, there are the Haibane: young girls and boys born with miniature wings sprouting from their backs and halos above their heads. They are born in cocoons, they live apart from the normal people, and they have no memories of their lives before. And they each have their Day of Flight, when they leave for the world beyond the wall. Highly fascinating series, though very slow-moving—not for action junkies.
Ghost in the Shell (manga, 2 anime movies, anime TV series, movie based on TV series) Sci-fi, action. Nudity and intense violence. Late teens and up.
In the near future, anyone can be a cyborg, the internet is everywhere, and information is everything. The special forces of Section 9 take on terrorists, rampaging robots, hackers so good they can erase themselves from people’s eyes on the spot—the bleeding-edge criminals. The manga is probably a good place to start; the first movie is considered an anime classic and spurred a wave of interest in anime in America, but it’s also densely philosophical and sometimes hard to understand. The more recent TV series is more action-heavy, but doesn’t sacrifice big ideas for the sake of explosions.
Ouran High School Host Club (manga and anime) Comedy, slice-of-life. Nothing objectionable. Tweens and up.
Haruhi Fujioka, student at the ultra-elite Ouran High School, is pulled into the Host Club, where beautiful young men entertain high-class girls with money to burn. One small problem: she’s a girl, too, but nobody knows it. It parodies cliches of anime romantic comedies—each of the other Host Club members cater to a specific audience of young girl—so it’s good to have a background in this kind of material first.
Tekkonkinkreet (manga and anime film) Action. Violence. Teens and up.
The orphans Black and White make a life in the sprawling metropolis of Treasure Town, fighting off gangs and weirdos of all stripes. When the local yakuza come in to turn the city into an amusement park, Black and White are pulled into a dark, strange world where they might have to give up their innocence just to keep their lives. Visually distinctive and wonderful.
Paprika (anime film) Sci-fi, drama. Nudity. Late teens and up.
When an experimental device that lets the user travel into others’ dreams is stolen, the dreamworld and the real world start to blur together, with dangerous consequences. It’s up to the icy Dr. Atsuko Chiba and her impish alter-ego Paprika to keep reality together. A visual tour de force from revered director Satoshi Kon. (Also check out his psychological thriller Perfect Blue and comedy Tokyo Godfathers.)
Level 301: No, seriously, what’s with the eyes?
Neon Genesis Evangelion (anime) Action, psychological thriller. Violence, nudity, sexual situations, suggestive language, intense psychological weirdness. Late teens and up.
Fifteen years after the world was almost destroyed, the futuristic city of Tokyo-3 can only be defended from the alien Angels by the gigantic Eva robots and their teenage pilots. But as these teenagers start to crack under the pressure, and as an enormous conspiracy comes to light, things start to get weird. Enormously complicated: this series has had academics puzzle over its mysteries for years. Personally, I think it’s overrated, but it’s definitely had an impact on the anime industry.
Revolutionary Girl Utena (anime and manga) Fantasy, drama, romance. Nudity, mild violence, psychological weirdness. Late teens and up.
The teenage girl Utena is attending Ohtori Academy when she gets pulled into the strange world of the Duelists’ Club, where the winner of the duels gets the honor of being ‘engaged’ to the mysterious Rose Bride, a silent, seemingly passive young girl. A strange, gender-bending, post-modernist take on the Western fairy tale, if you put in the effort, it’s endlessly interesting.
Genshiken (manga and anime) Comedy, slice-of-life. Mild nudity and mild suggestive language. Teens and up.
The college students of the pop culture club have their infights, their crushes, their relationships and their interactions like any other group, but they see it all through the lens of anime and manga. For that reason, it’s good to have a thorough grounding in the tropes and cliches they reference, though anyone can get the relationship aspects of the show.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (anime) Sci-fi, comedy. Suggestive language. Teens and up.
Haruhi Suzumiya is an overexcited, obsessive teenager searching for the mysteries of the universe: time travelers, aliens, and psychics. She forms a club of mostly unwilling ‘volunteers’ to search for them, but there’s a twist: the other club members are time travelers, aliens, and psychics. And Haruhi, unbeknownst to her, is God. She can change reality on a whim, and it’s up to them to keep her from accidentally destroying the universe. One of the most critically and commercially successful anime of recent years, in both Japan and the US.
FLCL (may also be listed under Furi Kuri or Fooly Cooly) (anime) Sci-fi, action, comedy. Suggestive language. Teens and up.
When Naota is hit in the head by a guitar-wielding, Vespa-riding woman with pink hair, that’s weird enough. When strange alien robots start sprouting from his forehead the next day, things start to get downright psychotic. Prepare for mile-a-minute pop culture references (a whole sequence animated in South Park style? why not?) and inexplicable wackiness; dropping acid before watching would be redundant.
And here's his addendum for librarians:
Also, I should mention two more series, only because they're of interest to library students.
Read Or Die (three-episode direct-to-video series, followed by a 26-episode TV series with a different set of characters) Action, comedy. Some mildly suggestive costumes. Teens and up.
Yomiko Readman is the world's greatest bibliophile, spending every last cent she has on books. But she's got two secrets: first, she's a Paper Master, able to telekinetically control sheets of paper and turn them into any kind of weapon or tool imaginable; second, she's a secret agent for the British Library, helping to track down the rarest manuscripts in the world. The first, three-episode series is about her adventure facing down a group of clones of historical figures who want to make the entire world commit suicide using Beethoven's secret masterpiece. The second, 26-episode television series is about a different set of characters, three Paper Master sisters who operate a detective agency out of Hong Kong and get embroiled in a secret war between the British Library and their Chinese counterparts that could destroy space-time itself. In case you can't tell, it's pretty weird.
Library War (anime) Action, comedy. Violence. Teens and up.
In an alternate-history Japan, the Media Betterment Committee is legally authorized to perform censorship raids on bookstores and libraries throughout the country. However, libraries are also legally authorized to defend their collections--if necessary, by force. Iku Kasahara joins the library militia in order to protect intellectual freedom, accidentally falling in love with her commanding officer along the way. Worth seeing just for the idea of gun-toting librarians. Don't miss the episode where Kasahara goes on a secret nighttime mission to acquire the last remaining Japanese-language edition of Farenheit 451.
TED’S ANIME AND MANGA COURSES
Level 101: What’s with the big eyes?
Cowboy Bebop (anime) Action. Some violence and nudity. Teens and up.
Bounty hunters in the year 2071 make their way across the solar system, hunting criminals and running away from their various tragic pasts. Regarded as one of the greatest anime of all time, and the series that got Ted into anime in the first place. Highly recommended. (Also by the same crew, and also highly recommended, the series Samurai Champloo, about wandering samurai in 17th-century Japan set to a hip-hop soundtrack, and the series Michiko and Hatchin, about a fugitive femme fatale and the daughter she gave up ten years ago on the run in South America.)
Yotsuba&! (manga) Comedy, slice-of-life. Nothing objectionable. All ages.
Five-year-old girl Yotsuba has an insatiable love of life and boundless energy, and her infectious curiosity pulls in everyone around her. Effortlessly charming and wonderfully drawn.
Ranma 1/2 (manga and anime) Romantic comedy. Mild violence and nudity, both mostly comedic. Teens and up.
Probably one of the most famous anime exports of all time, Ranma 1/2 follows Ranma Saotome, who has the unfortunate curse of transforming into a girl when splashed with cold water, and back to a guy when splashed with hot water. Very hilarious, completely over-the-top (ever seen figure skating turned into a martial art? how about flower arranging? or tea ceremony?).
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (manga and anime movie) Sci-fi, drama. Violence, nudity, dense philosophical musings. Teens and up.
This manga was written and drawn by Hayao Miyazaki, whose Ghibli Studio also produces some of the best-known (and just plain best) anime films of the past twenty years. Centuries after the Earth has been poisoned by man’s wars, the few remaining civilizations eke out a living at the edges of freakish jungles populated by gigantic insects. And when one of those civilizations gets their hands on some of the weapons that almost destroyed the human race the first time, it’s up to the princess Nausicaa to save the world. Gorgeous artwork and heady musings on life, nature, and war make a fantastic combination.
Lovely Complex (manga and anime) Romantic comedy. Nothing objectionable. Tweens and up.
Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Otani have been schoolmates for years, and their constant bickering has made them into the school’s best unintentional comedy duo. But when Risa starts falling for Atsushi, she’s got no idea what to do. Part of the problem? She’s a full half-a-foot taller than he is, and completely self-conscious. Light-hearted and wacky. Look up information on the Kansai dialect before reading or watching—you’ll thank me later.
Kimi ni Todoke (may be called Reaching You or From Me to You) (manga and anime) Romance. Nothing objectionable. Tweens and up.
Sawako Kuronuma’s long black hair and creepy demeanor have earned her the nickname ‘Sadako’, after the ghost-child of The Ring—but deep down she’s just shy, awkward, and unintentionally weird. Everything changes when popular classmate Shota Kazehaya takes an interest and tries to draw Sawako out of her shell. Unbelievably sweet and charming, this new series is one of the standouts of 2009.
Level 201: Oh, those wacky Japanese!
Nana (manga and anime) Drama, romance. Nudity, drug use. Teens and up.
Nana Osaki is an aspiring punk singer who leaves her boyfriend to find herself. Nana Komatsu is a hopeless romantic who comes to Tokyo to find her true love. The two end up sharing apartment 707 (‘nana’ is also the Japanese word for the number 7) and falling into a tangle of fame, love, and rock-and-roll. Possibly one of the finest manga or all time; definitely high on Ted’s list.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan (anime) Action. Comedic nudity and some suggestive language. Teens and up.
Simon has lived all his life in an underground village, but the day he discovers a strange robot buried in the earth is the day everything changes. Along with Kamina, his over-the-top, sword-wielding partner, and the busty sniper Yoko, he sets out to save the world. Actually, ‘over-the-top’ is a pretty good phrase to describe this entire show. Imagine giant robots fighting each other. Now imagine them fighting a giant robot that’s the size of a city. Now imagine that robot fighting a robot that’s actually the moon. And it just get crazier from there.
Azumanga Daioh (manga and anime) Comedy, slice-of-life. Nothing objectionable. All ages.
It’s hard to talk about the plot of this series, because there really isn’t one. Six girls in high school and their various wacky interactions. No romance, no crushes, in short, no boys. The manga came first, but the anime might be easier to understand; the musical cues make the subtle humor a little less subtle. (By the author of Yotsuba&!)
Haibane Renmei (anime) Fantasy, drama. Nothing objectionable, but highly abstract and ‘talky’. Late teens and up.
In a walled city in an unknown country, there are the Haibane: young girls and boys born with miniature wings sprouting from their backs and halos above their heads. They are born in cocoons, they live apart from the normal people, and they have no memories of their lives before. And they each have their Day of Flight, when they leave for the world beyond the wall. Highly fascinating series, though very slow-moving—not for action junkies.
Ghost in the Shell (manga, 2 anime movies, anime TV series, movie based on TV series) Sci-fi, action. Nudity and intense violence. Late teens and up.
In the near future, anyone can be a cyborg, the internet is everywhere, and information is everything. The special forces of Section 9 take on terrorists, rampaging robots, hackers so good they can erase themselves from people’s eyes on the spot—the bleeding-edge criminals. The manga is probably a good place to start; the first movie is considered an anime classic and spurred a wave of interest in anime in America, but it’s also densely philosophical and sometimes hard to understand. The more recent TV series is more action-heavy, but doesn’t sacrifice big ideas for the sake of explosions.
Ouran High School Host Club (manga and anime) Comedy, slice-of-life. Nothing objectionable. Tweens and up.
Haruhi Fujioka, student at the ultra-elite Ouran High School, is pulled into the Host Club, where beautiful young men entertain high-class girls with money to burn. One small problem: she’s a girl, too, but nobody knows it. It parodies cliches of anime romantic comedies—each of the other Host Club members cater to a specific audience of young girl—so it’s good to have a background in this kind of material first.
Tekkonkinkreet (manga and anime film) Action. Violence. Teens and up.
The orphans Black and White make a life in the sprawling metropolis of Treasure Town, fighting off gangs and weirdos of all stripes. When the local yakuza come in to turn the city into an amusement park, Black and White are pulled into a dark, strange world where they might have to give up their innocence just to keep their lives. Visually distinctive and wonderful.
Paprika (anime film) Sci-fi, drama. Nudity. Late teens and up.
When an experimental device that lets the user travel into others’ dreams is stolen, the dreamworld and the real world start to blur together, with dangerous consequences. It’s up to the icy Dr. Atsuko Chiba and her impish alter-ego Paprika to keep reality together. A visual tour de force from revered director Satoshi Kon. (Also check out his psychological thriller Perfect Blue and comedy Tokyo Godfathers.)
Level 301: No, seriously, what’s with the eyes?
Neon Genesis Evangelion (anime) Action, psychological thriller. Violence, nudity, sexual situations, suggestive language, intense psychological weirdness. Late teens and up.
Fifteen years after the world was almost destroyed, the futuristic city of Tokyo-3 can only be defended from the alien Angels by the gigantic Eva robots and their teenage pilots. But as these teenagers start to crack under the pressure, and as an enormous conspiracy comes to light, things start to get weird. Enormously complicated: this series has had academics puzzle over its mysteries for years. Personally, I think it’s overrated, but it’s definitely had an impact on the anime industry.
Revolutionary Girl Utena (anime and manga) Fantasy, drama, romance. Nudity, mild violence, psychological weirdness. Late teens and up.
The teenage girl Utena is attending Ohtori Academy when she gets pulled into the strange world of the Duelists’ Club, where the winner of the duels gets the honor of being ‘engaged’ to the mysterious Rose Bride, a silent, seemingly passive young girl. A strange, gender-bending, post-modernist take on the Western fairy tale, if you put in the effort, it’s endlessly interesting.
Genshiken (manga and anime) Comedy, slice-of-life. Mild nudity and mild suggestive language. Teens and up.
The college students of the pop culture club have their infights, their crushes, their relationships and their interactions like any other group, but they see it all through the lens of anime and manga. For that reason, it’s good to have a thorough grounding in the tropes and cliches they reference, though anyone can get the relationship aspects of the show.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (anime) Sci-fi, comedy. Suggestive language. Teens and up.
Haruhi Suzumiya is an overexcited, obsessive teenager searching for the mysteries of the universe: time travelers, aliens, and psychics. She forms a club of mostly unwilling ‘volunteers’ to search for them, but there’s a twist: the other club members are time travelers, aliens, and psychics. And Haruhi, unbeknownst to her, is God. She can change reality on a whim, and it’s up to them to keep her from accidentally destroying the universe. One of the most critically and commercially successful anime of recent years, in both Japan and the US.
FLCL (may also be listed under Furi Kuri or Fooly Cooly) (anime) Sci-fi, action, comedy. Suggestive language. Teens and up.
When Naota is hit in the head by a guitar-wielding, Vespa-riding woman with pink hair, that’s weird enough. When strange alien robots start sprouting from his forehead the next day, things start to get downright psychotic. Prepare for mile-a-minute pop culture references (a whole sequence animated in South Park style? why not?) and inexplicable wackiness; dropping acid before watching would be redundant.
And here's his addendum for librarians:
Also, I should mention two more series, only because they're of interest to library students.
Read Or Die (three-episode direct-to-video series, followed by a 26-episode TV series with a different set of characters) Action, comedy. Some mildly suggestive costumes. Teens and up.
Yomiko Readman is the world's greatest bibliophile, spending every last cent she has on books. But she's got two secrets: first, she's a Paper Master, able to telekinetically control sheets of paper and turn them into any kind of weapon or tool imaginable; second, she's a secret agent for the British Library, helping to track down the rarest manuscripts in the world. The first, three-episode series is about her adventure facing down a group of clones of historical figures who want to make the entire world commit suicide using Beethoven's secret masterpiece. The second, 26-episode television series is about a different set of characters, three Paper Master sisters who operate a detective agency out of Hong Kong and get embroiled in a secret war between the British Library and their Chinese counterparts that could destroy space-time itself. In case you can't tell, it's pretty weird.
Library War (anime) Action, comedy. Violence. Teens and up.
In an alternate-history Japan, the Media Betterment Committee is legally authorized to perform censorship raids on bookstores and libraries throughout the country. However, libraries are also legally authorized to defend their collections--if necessary, by force. Iku Kasahara joins the library militia in order to protect intellectual freedom, accidentally falling in love with her commanding officer along the way. Worth seeing just for the idea of gun-toting librarians. Don't miss the episode where Kasahara goes on a secret nighttime mission to acquire the last remaining Japanese-language edition of Farenheit 451.
Civ III and Multimodal Literacy
Alright, I’ll admit that my view of literacy is very narrow. It’s probably my age, not that that is an excuse, just fact. I am open minded enough to admit that through reading others’ responses to my blog on video games (Civilization III and the Classroom) and through the readings for this class, I’m getting a clearer picture.
I was startled to read in NCTE’s Summary Statement, part of our readings for this week that, “Multiple ways of knowing” (Short & Harste) also include art, music, movement, and drama, which should not be considered curricular luxuries.” That registered with me, more than other articles on this subject did. If I think of literacy as a “way of knowing”, then it can encompass music, art, video games, and comic strips. I can know a variety of things from any of those mediums.
I am beginning to see that people have various talents and express themselves in ways that best display those talents. The understanding of the consumers of those products also varies. If literacy is a way of knowing something, then one can gain literacy by using or producing in any of these mediums. In addition, if we develop our critiquing skills in each medium, we can better understand those who “speak” through those various mediums.
I also read this week that exclusive emphasis on digital literacies is not the answer either. It’s too limiting. Using digital technology all the time just for the sake of using it is counterproductive. This kind of emphasis would limit students’ access to other modes of expression. A better approach is to use the medium that will best express what the producer is trying to convey.
So, for instance, maybe the subject matter of a complex video game is not the only valid reason for it to be in a classroom. I am starting to see the value of role playing as a literacy in itself. Through play, one can try out different personas and work out differences with others who are playing the game. In a game like Civilization, moral and ethical values can be worked out as well as developing decision-making skills. When I think of literacy as “ways of knowing”, my view of being literate opens wide.
Today, in the Chicago Tribune Live! Section (yes, I still read my news in paper form), Christopher Borrelli wrote about a new genre of books, the mash-up. This specific book is called Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. Seth Grahame-Smith also wrote Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, another mash-up. Now, this does not exactly fit into the multi-modal category but it is a mix of genres – biography and vampire stories. And furthermore, this is just the kind of book that I would have dismissed out-of-hand before this class. The obvious value, one of many, I’m sure, is that teens and adults that would not read straight history, might pick up a mash-up simply because it has zombies and vampires in it. I am starting to see, however, the literary value of the mash-up simply because it is one “way of knowing” for the producer and the consumer.
I was startled to read in NCTE’s Summary Statement, part of our readings for this week that, “Multiple ways of knowing” (Short & Harste) also include art, music, movement, and drama, which should not be considered curricular luxuries.” That registered with me, more than other articles on this subject did. If I think of literacy as a “way of knowing”, then it can encompass music, art, video games, and comic strips. I can know a variety of things from any of those mediums.
I am beginning to see that people have various talents and express themselves in ways that best display those talents. The understanding of the consumers of those products also varies. If literacy is a way of knowing something, then one can gain literacy by using or producing in any of these mediums. In addition, if we develop our critiquing skills in each medium, we can better understand those who “speak” through those various mediums.
I also read this week that exclusive emphasis on digital literacies is not the answer either. It’s too limiting. Using digital technology all the time just for the sake of using it is counterproductive. This kind of emphasis would limit students’ access to other modes of expression. A better approach is to use the medium that will best express what the producer is trying to convey.
So, for instance, maybe the subject matter of a complex video game is not the only valid reason for it to be in a classroom. I am starting to see the value of role playing as a literacy in itself. Through play, one can try out different personas and work out differences with others who are playing the game. In a game like Civilization, moral and ethical values can be worked out as well as developing decision-making skills. When I think of literacy as “ways of knowing”, my view of being literate opens wide.
Today, in the Chicago Tribune Live! Section (yes, I still read my news in paper form), Christopher Borrelli wrote about a new genre of books, the mash-up. This specific book is called Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. Seth Grahame-Smith also wrote Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, another mash-up. Now, this does not exactly fit into the multi-modal category but it is a mix of genres – biography and vampire stories. And furthermore, this is just the kind of book that I would have dismissed out-of-hand before this class. The obvious value, one of many, I’m sure, is that teens and adults that would not read straight history, might pick up a mash-up simply because it has zombies and vampires in it. I am starting to see, however, the literary value of the mash-up simply because it is one “way of knowing” for the producer and the consumer.
Me...a comic book creator?
As a graduate school student for the past three years, I have been required over and over to write. This process has been about stating a point and backing it up with research. However, this semester I have been immersed in stories. I get to take a storytelling class as well as a young adult literature class and these classes have activated a creative side of my brain that has been dormant for a long time. As I approached the task for this week to create a storyboard/comic of a life experience, I felt much more excitement for this assignment than the standard scholarly essay.
I saw the benefits of Mutlimodal Literacies firsthand. As I created the comic strip I thought of my writing in an entirely different way. I was visualizing the event, imagining the arc of the story, and enjoying the process. The National Council for Teachers of English Multimodal Literacy statement has this as their first point: "integration of multiple modes of communication and expression can enhance or transform the meaning of the work beyond illustration or decoration." My little sketch of dogsitting for friends is scribbled on a piece of scrap paper and the illustrations are of the quality that it is hard to determine who is the person and who is the dog, but this form of expressing an idea really enhanced and framed my story in a new way. When I tell stories, I usually can create a good setting and draw the listener into the tale, but the ending always falls apart. However, with this story created in comic strip form, I am communicating a whole complete strong idea with a solid beginning, middle, and end. Creating comics is a brand new experience for me, and I can how it would have been beneficial in classes like social studies or English. Overall, the visual and narration aspects combined engaged me in the creative process and allowed me to create something that had more interest and meaning for me.
I saw the benefits of Mutlimodal Literacies firsthand. As I created the comic strip I thought of my writing in an entirely different way. I was visualizing the event, imagining the arc of the story, and enjoying the process. The National Council for Teachers of English Multimodal Literacy statement has this as their first point: "integration of multiple modes of communication and expression can enhance or transform the meaning of the work beyond illustration or decoration." My little sketch of dogsitting for friends is scribbled on a piece of scrap paper and the illustrations are of the quality that it is hard to determine who is the person and who is the dog, but this form of expressing an idea really enhanced and framed my story in a new way. When I tell stories, I usually can create a good setting and draw the listener into the tale, but the ending always falls apart. However, with this story created in comic strip form, I am communicating a whole complete strong idea with a solid beginning, middle, and end. Creating comics is a brand new experience for me, and I can how it would have been beneficial in classes like social studies or English. Overall, the visual and narration aspects combined engaged me in the creative process and allowed me to create something that had more interest and meaning for me.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Reluctant Board Gamer
While Sarah wrote about her resistance to video games, I have to admit that, before some of our readings and the great talk by Professor Dubin, I was snobbish about not all board games, but certain kinds. I have some friends who are extremely into board games (one of them attended a big board game convention called Gen Con in
For me, I like games that are quick to learn and don’t take hours to play. Perhaps that has changed as I have aged; as a kid, my sisters and I used to play marathon games of Payday (one round through the board is a month, and we would decide to play several years in one sitting), for example, and not have a problem with it. On the other hand, maybe it is just my natural impatience with complicated tasks (the reason why I never learned to play bridge, despite several attempts by my mom and uncles to teach me). Whatever the reason, I have trouble getting on “board” (sorry) when my friends want to play more extended/complicated games like Livingstone (which I also didn’t like since you have to play the part of a British/Scottish imperialist/missionary robbing Africa of its precious resources – politically/morally icky, even though it’s “just a game”), Power Grid (I know Professor Dubin said it was good and so did my friend who went to Gen Con, but building a power grid in Germany? I’m sorry, but to me, even the cover looks boring! Check it out!), Arkham Horror, or any other game where I have to learn the rules for a whole entire world in order to play and every game lasts for hours and hours.
Although I personally don’t know if I will ever totally get into games like these, I started to understand the interest in them more after reading the Buckingham article (Buckingham, David. "Game Literacy in Theory and Practice." Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia 16: 3 (2007)) and hearing Professor Dubin’s talk. I guess I hadn’t thought much before about the social world created in playing these games and the richness of the narratives that are central to so many games. As an English teacher, you’d think I would be drawn to the games with multiple characters and complicated narratives; I was struck by Buckingham’s observation that in games there is the added component of being able to manipulate the characters and, in some cases, change the narrative, making us not just observers in this world (as we are when we read a novel) but also actors in the world. In addition, I think I was also discounting the social aspect of game playing; as Buckingham reminded me, “Literacy practices [of all kinds] are embedded in social contexts and social relationships; they involve forms of social action that have social purposes and consequences. . . individuals do not create meanings in isolation, but through their involvement in social networks, or interpretive communities, which promote and value particular forms of literacy.” In game-playing (whether online or in person), this social element – this community learning together – is so much more transparent than the social network required for me to understand The Great Gatsby when I read it. I could see where the transparent dependence on a group in game-playing to learn and understand and progress could be a really positive developmental experience for students and adults. Also – since, as Buckingham says, “literacy is not merely critical but also creative” – I love the idea of exploring what you could learn by creating a game yourself – some of the skills would be similar to those required to write a story, but it draws on so many other skills as well (the spatial set-up of the board itself, the rules, the logic, etc.).
In other words, I think I need to give Power Grid a try. I can’t promise I’m going to start hanging out with my friends at Chicagoland Games (also known as the Dice Dojo) where, according to a Chicago Tribune article, “they don’t close until the game is over,” but I do have a newfound appreciation for the relevance and richness of game-playing.
How Comics & Pop Culture Make a Reader
At a teacher conference the year my son was in kindergarten, the teacher expressed concern over his reading ability and talked of a possible referral to a reading specialist. He was learning, but at a slower pace than others. Of course all sorts of alarm bells went off, but I tried to not to overreact. This was also the year that Mo Willems' Elephant a
nd Piggie books were making their debut -- what great timing! These books are simply the best early readers I've ever seen. They are true early readers, with very limited text, very simple illustrations and usually blank backgrounds (less distractions I think). Plus, the stories are funny and clever, with loads of child appeal. The illustrations are cartoon style, and the characters speak and think in balloons -- just like comic strips use. The background colors of the balloons correspond to the color of the character (pink for Piggie, gray for Elephant). This is simply brilliant – it makes is so clear to a young reader who is saying what. The typeface is large and larger or expressive when needed to convey emotion. Motion lines and emanata are frequently used. It seems so obvious when I review these books, but yes, they are comics. And if it wasn’t clear enough, when searching for an illustration so that everyone could see this for themselves, I found an Elephant and Piggie comic in comic strip form from Mo Willems’ blog:
Post Mo Willems, where does a young reader turn? I’m not sure, as mine has taken a varied and probably unusual path. Pokemon was allowed in our house because it was a game my son could play with his older brother and they did play it together for extended periods of time. To play the game, one has to be able to read. On a car trip over Christmas break in first grade, my son read the Pokemon Handbook for several hours. I mean total absorption. I’m pretty convinced that Pokemon was a major step on his way to literacy. Peer pressure was a great motivator as well. He was aware that others were reading the Magic Tree House books and really wanted to try them. Yet his speed of decoding didn’t always allow for full comprehension. So we checked out the audio version and the print version and he listened first (something you can do in the dark of those early winter days stuck in a car) and then read the books. This repetition wasn’t boring for him, but rather facilitated his reading them on his own.
Currently
he’s in second grade and one of his favorite series this year has been Jeff Smith’s Bone books. He discovered these in his elementary school library, though in the public library he has to go to the YA section two floors up from the children’s section to get them. He knows he can’t just pick up any books from the YA Graphic Novel section though! This has led me to start searching for graphic novels and comics for younger readers. My Neighbor Totoro was a wonderful discovery – accessible, enjoyable, age-appropriate (he is only 7) and it keeps the Japanese format – reading from back to front, right to left. This feature only added to the appeal for my 
son and is great at raising an awareness of another culture, another way of doing things.
If you know of great graphic novels for the elementary age, I’m still looking for titles and always welcome suggestions. I have found two great websites for educators/teachers/librarians on graphic novels and comic books. One is The Graphic Classroom, which is created by a teacher and is all about incorporating graphic novels into the classroom. Another is the Good Comics for Kids blog from School Library Journal. I feel like this is only the tip of the iceberg though . . .
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Poetry of Comics
I had never thought about comics as analogous to poetry before reading the article “Reading Comics,” by Carol Tilley. After the very first mention of poetry, though, where she compared the variation of panels to the poetic line breaks and punctuation, I saw how reading comics and reading poetry have so very much in common. Perhaps my analysis is too simplistic, and maybe some ideas are stretching the connection a bit much, but this is where my mind went!
First of all, you need either training or a lot of reflective experience to really understand them. I remember reading poetry for class in school; a lot of it seemed pretty dumb to me (much like many comics do). Some of it probably was (just like some comics likely are), but some of it I probably just didn’t have the training or experience to really understand, and I probably missed out on some insightful stuff because of it. I never took a class just on poetry, and the smattering of instruction I did have dealt mainly with conventions of poetry, not the language or art of it. There is probably common symbolism I have misunderstood, styles I rejected out of hand, methods I didn’t comprehend—things that have kept me from not only understanding the poem itself (or the poet who wrote it) but similar techniques and references in other forms of literature and media. Comics are much the same way. I never got into comics as a child (beyond the “funny pages” my grandmother saved for us out of her Sunday paper every week—which we read and then used for wrapping paper!), and, although I have become interested in graphic novels in particular through my youth literature classes, I still struggle to read them as fluently and with as deep of comprehension as I am able to do with other forms of writing. They look easy—simplistic—just pictures, just words—but they are not (at least, not the good ones).
Additionally, there are a variety of types, and just because you appreciate and understand one type doesn’t mean you like them all. I like haikus, rhyming verse (generally funny), and poetry about nature. I don’t like sappy poems, poems with unfamiliar rhythms, and poetry so vague that I think the author must have been on something. Then there are comics: Mary Worth, for example, or Rex Morgan, M.D. (both still going!-- http://www.seattlepi.com/fun/comic.asp?feature_id=Mary_Worth, http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/rmorgan/about.htm). Weekly comic strips that were, frankly, soap operas. I hated them. They were boring. And I only read them if I ran out of cereal boxes and shampoo labels and –really- needed something to read. The colors were dull, the people were too realistic, the storylines unbearably slow to unfold, and, frankly, not funny. Not at all. That’s what I liked in comics at the time, although now I’ve branched out to appreciate clever comics and graphic novels about a variety of topics (but mostly history with which I’m already familiar—The Murder of Abraham Lincoln, for example—and current issues—like Persepolis and American Born Chinese). I liked The Far Side, Garfield, Zits…and now Baby Blues and Unshelved. The art is different, the contents are different—but so am I. My tastes have changed not only as I have aged and have new experiences but also as I have been exposed to and taught about what is available out there. I still have comics and graphic novels I don’t like, but I am now able to read them and (usually) understand what’s going on!
Finally, there is the comparison between different devices they each use. Like the article said, poetry has line breaks and punctuation where comics have a variety of panels. Comics have frames where poems have stanzas. Where poems use imagery to produce visuals that aren’t there, comics have gutters. Balloons show character’s thoughts and speech in comics, and poems often use different punctuation or fonts to signify those words. In a poem, you may have to pay attention to verb tense or point-of-view to decide if the narrator is interjecting, and comics have narrative boxes for information not contained in the dialog. Just like comics, poetry often also uses typography to enhance a mood or convey an idea, most specifically in concrete poetry. (But can you imagine the difference between a love poem printed in soft, curvy script and the same one printed in bold, angular letters?) A comic has motion lines, and poetry uses line breaks and page placement to convey motion. Where a comic might use emanata (some of her examples were the light bulb or the anger cloud), poems use imagery again--this time in the form of language about color, rhyming, assonance, or alliteration—to give us ideas about the characters. And, of course, there are style differences within the form that create different feels and looks and appeal to different people.
So, comics are like poetry. Who would have thought?
First of all, you need either training or a lot of reflective experience to really understand them. I remember reading poetry for class in school; a lot of it seemed pretty dumb to me (much like many comics do). Some of it probably was (just like some comics likely are), but some of it I probably just didn’t have the training or experience to really understand, and I probably missed out on some insightful stuff because of it. I never took a class just on poetry, and the smattering of instruction I did have dealt mainly with conventions of poetry, not the language or art of it. There is probably common symbolism I have misunderstood, styles I rejected out of hand, methods I didn’t comprehend—things that have kept me from not only understanding the poem itself (or the poet who wrote it) but similar techniques and references in other forms of literature and media. Comics are much the same way. I never got into comics as a child (beyond the “funny pages” my grandmother saved for us out of her Sunday paper every week—which we read and then used for wrapping paper!), and, although I have become interested in graphic novels in particular through my youth literature classes, I still struggle to read them as fluently and with as deep of comprehension as I am able to do with other forms of writing. They look easy—simplistic—just pictures, just words—but they are not (at least, not the good ones).
Additionally, there are a variety of types, and just because you appreciate and understand one type doesn’t mean you like them all. I like haikus, rhyming verse (generally funny), and poetry about nature. I don’t like sappy poems, poems with unfamiliar rhythms, and poetry so vague that I think the author must have been on something. Then there are comics: Mary Worth, for example, or Rex Morgan, M.D. (both still going!-- http://www.seattlepi.com/fun/comic.asp?feature_id=Mary_Worth, http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/rmorgan/about.htm). Weekly comic strips that were, frankly, soap operas. I hated them. They were boring. And I only read them if I ran out of cereal boxes and shampoo labels and –really- needed something to read. The colors were dull, the people were too realistic, the storylines unbearably slow to unfold, and, frankly, not funny. Not at all. That’s what I liked in comics at the time, although now I’ve branched out to appreciate clever comics and graphic novels about a variety of topics (but mostly history with which I’m already familiar—The Murder of Abraham Lincoln, for example—and current issues—like Persepolis and American Born Chinese). I liked The Far Side, Garfield, Zits…and now Baby Blues and Unshelved. The art is different, the contents are different—but so am I. My tastes have changed not only as I have aged and have new experiences but also as I have been exposed to and taught about what is available out there. I still have comics and graphic novels I don’t like, but I am now able to read them and (usually) understand what’s going on!
Finally, there is the comparison between different devices they each use. Like the article said, poetry has line breaks and punctuation where comics have a variety of panels. Comics have frames where poems have stanzas. Where poems use imagery to produce visuals that aren’t there, comics have gutters. Balloons show character’s thoughts and speech in comics, and poems often use different punctuation or fonts to signify those words. In a poem, you may have to pay attention to verb tense or point-of-view to decide if the narrator is interjecting, and comics have narrative boxes for information not contained in the dialog. Just like comics, poetry often also uses typography to enhance a mood or convey an idea, most specifically in concrete poetry. (But can you imagine the difference between a love poem printed in soft, curvy script and the same one printed in bold, angular letters?) A comic has motion lines, and poetry uses line breaks and page placement to convey motion. Where a comic might use emanata (some of her examples were the light bulb or the anger cloud), poems use imagery again--this time in the form of language about color, rhyming, assonance, or alliteration—to give us ideas about the characters. And, of course, there are style differences within the form that create different feels and looks and appeal to different people.
So, comics are like poetry. Who would have thought?
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Reluctant Gamer
I have to say that before this class, I had a very negative view of video games. I saw them mostly as time wasters and destroyers of creativity. I think that it was because I had never been successful playing most video games even going back to my family’s first system, Nintendo (jealousy perhaps?). In my mind, traditional tabletop games and video games never seemed to have the same merit. Again, I believe this was because I spent my childhood playing traditional board games and having great success and fond memories of these toys. So I recognize now that my viewpoint was skewed by my own personal experience and failure to find my own niche within the gaming world.
This being said, I have grown to see a different side of video games. It started when I viewed the video of game creator Will Wright, describing his video game called Spore. This creator of The Sims and SimCity definitely sees the power that video games can have, when done mindfully. Spore is essentially a video game that explores the topic of evolution through player created creatures in a fictional universe. At the beginning of his speech, he brings up his Montessori schooling and how it inspired him to create toys that sparked discovery. His video game Spore essentially is a 21st Century Montessori toy which helps players explore and discover extremely profound philosophical questions and advanced scientific principles. I love the goal that Will Wright had when creating this game: to help players better understand long-term thinking and planning. This is a complex idea for more than just kids. I know plenty of adults that can barely think past their own impulses when they should be able to self-control and think about their future (know anyone that has thousands of dollars in credit card debt, but simply must have that new pair of shoes?). In this game, players become invested in their characters because they have created them. They get to see how the world evolves by changes to the flora, fauna and environment.
I love the idea that Will Wright has employed Montessori methods in his game design. I first became interested in Montessori principles after my cousin was sent to such a preschool. At a family party, I began to have a discussion with him, expecting the typical responses of a four year old. I was shocked to find him extremely articulate, polite and inquisitive (He described in detail his love for the Star Wars movies and favorite characters, his preference for the horchata at El Famous Burrito and used please and thank you more times than I could count!). When I questioned his mother about her secret powers in parenting, she responded that Montessori was the main reason for his success. I began to research like crazy. If only all of my students could become so well-rounded as this child! I learned that essentially, the Montessori method was a pedagogy that emphasized student independence in learning. The goal of the teacher is not to preach concepts and memorization, but rather to facilitate individual learning and discovery within each student. Games and toys specifically designed for teaching concepts help students discover knowledge on their own terms and in their own time frame. The goal is to help students fall in love with process of learning and teach them that focused attention and perseverance pays off in the end.
Although I was never raised in a Montessori setting, I feel that I have grown up with that same desire to learn more about the world. I think that perhaps the reason I loathed so many video games was because they seemed so pointless. Simply getting to the next level did not interest me. I did not care about winning this way. I wanted games that challenged to think, and most games went too fast for careful contemplation. However, at the on-campus day, I began to find a world of puzzle games that have truly intrigued me. My new favorite is Red Remover which forces the player to figure out how to remove the red squares while saving the green ones. Part of the learning process of the game is failure (and I have failed many, many times!), a process which Montessori recognized was essential to learning. This game requires such concentration and planning on my part that when I pass a level I feel immediately elated and cannot wait for my next challenge. It has also forced me to reconsider my position on gaming. Although I still believe that some games have more merit than others, I no longer believe that all games are evil. Baby steps...
This being said, I have grown to see a different side of video games. It started when I viewed the video of game creator Will Wright, describing his video game called Spore. This creator of The Sims and SimCity definitely sees the power that video games can have, when done mindfully. Spore is essentially a video game that explores the topic of evolution through player created creatures in a fictional universe. At the beginning of his speech, he brings up his Montessori schooling and how it inspired him to create toys that sparked discovery. His video game Spore essentially is a 21st Century Montessori toy which helps players explore and discover extremely profound philosophical questions and advanced scientific principles. I love the goal that Will Wright had when creating this game: to help players better understand long-term thinking and planning. This is a complex idea for more than just kids. I know plenty of adults that can barely think past their own impulses when they should be able to self-control and think about their future (know anyone that has thousands of dollars in credit card debt, but simply must have that new pair of shoes?). In this game, players become invested in their characters because they have created them. They get to see how the world evolves by changes to the flora, fauna and environment.
I love the idea that Will Wright has employed Montessori methods in his game design. I first became interested in Montessori principles after my cousin was sent to such a preschool. At a family party, I began to have a discussion with him, expecting the typical responses of a four year old. I was shocked to find him extremely articulate, polite and inquisitive (He described in detail his love for the Star Wars movies and favorite characters, his preference for the horchata at El Famous Burrito and used please and thank you more times than I could count!). When I questioned his mother about her secret powers in parenting, she responded that Montessori was the main reason for his success. I began to research like crazy. If only all of my students could become so well-rounded as this child! I learned that essentially, the Montessori method was a pedagogy that emphasized student independence in learning. The goal of the teacher is not to preach concepts and memorization, but rather to facilitate individual learning and discovery within each student. Games and toys specifically designed for teaching concepts help students discover knowledge on their own terms and in their own time frame. The goal is to help students fall in love with process of learning and teach them that focused attention and perseverance pays off in the end.
Although I was never raised in a Montessori setting, I feel that I have grown up with that same desire to learn more about the world. I think that perhaps the reason I loathed so many video games was because they seemed so pointless. Simply getting to the next level did not interest me. I did not care about winning this way. I wanted games that challenged to think, and most games went too fast for careful contemplation. However, at the on-campus day, I began to find a world of puzzle games that have truly intrigued me. My new favorite is Red Remover which forces the player to figure out how to remove the red squares while saving the green ones. Part of the learning process of the game is failure (and I have failed many, many times!), a process which Montessori recognized was essential to learning. This game requires such concentration and planning on my part that when I pass a level I feel immediately elated and cannot wait for my next challenge. It has also forced me to reconsider my position on gaming. Although I still believe that some games have more merit than others, I no longer believe that all games are evil. Baby steps...
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