Porter, B. (2006, May). Beyond Words: The Craftsmanship of
Digital Products. Learning and Leading with Technology, 28-31. Retrieved
November 10, 2012, from ISTE. www.ISTE.org
What: In the article Beyond Words by Bernajean Porter she
describes how important it is for students in the 21 century to not only have
narrative skills but multimedia skills as well. She describes hoe images are
important because people process visuals better than narrative text. She says
students should have skill in creating things such as a photo essay. The photo
essay uses photos to ensure understanding. The next thing she says is that
sound is just as important as the pictures. She says sound should not be just
background noise but it establishes tone, feeling, mood, and emotional context
of the story. She also says that voices should not just be reading of the
narrative but using a variety of tone and pith to keep the audience captive.
She says the next important thing is the design of the product. She says using
technology is an art form. She says the design is an extension of student’s
ideas and imagination. It is just as important to have good design that doesn’t
take away from the main message of the project.
So What: this becomes extremely important in the 21 century.
Students need a variety of multimedia to use and master because visual for the
new age of learning. Because students can learn better by visual then reading
it is important to be able to use the technology at hand to correctly convey
the message at hand.
Now What: As I become more and more learned on technology
available for students and teachers I will do my best to incorporate these cool
technology applications into my classroom. I think it is important that
students learn not only writing skills but also it is important to learn how to
use the technology available to them. It is also important for the students to
make sure the bells and whistles of technology do not
take away from the main points of their project or paper.
Charles, good post with a couple of well made points. In accordance with people being better able to process visuals than narrative text, the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" continues be as true today with the advent of digital technology as its always been. I don't think there would be much argument about the importance of sound to a picture or video. One can simply turn off the sound while watching any section of a favorite show or movie, when no talking is occurring, and they will quickly be reminded of the value of sound.
ReplyDeleteCharles, great synopsis of this article. It is so very important for us, as future teachers, to learn how to use visuals such as the ones described in your article to better teach our students. I really like how you describe how important sound is to creating a visual project because anyone knows that words can be so informative but when one sees visuals and hears sounds accompany those visuals, they learn faster and better. Good job of explaining how important it is for us to learn this new technology in order to create more informed students.
ReplyDeleteCharles,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have gotten the point that the article was not just that it was possible to use the technology correctly, but that students can be taught how to do it in an aesthetic manner. They can use pan and zoom to make images appear more dynamic or use multiple audio tracks to "illuminate" the tracks and set the tone.
Dylan T Boggs
Charles,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that visual is the new age of learning. This is very important to understand as a future teacher. Students will need all the exposure they can get to keep up with the fast pace of technology.
Thank you for your summary Charles! I did not read Beyond Words, however, it seems as if Beyond Words highlighted some of the same points as the article I read; I read an article entitled Digital Video Goes to School. Like the author of the article that you read, the authors of Digital Video Goes to School, explained that children today live in a visually stimulating world, and that although technology should absolutely be incorporated in the classroom, it should only be used to assist the teacher in teaching students the curriculum, not replace the curriculum. I like that the author of the article you read discussed the importance of sound. I feel she is exactly right; music and tone of voice can definitely enhance the audience’s engagement. I too, hope to use these available resources, when I become an educator.
ReplyDelete