A post mortem-DST

       Yesterday's presentations made me realise the little amount of time we have spent to get to know one another. Everyone in the class has a unique story to tell; stories that have to do with their personal lives and their concerns about particular issues in general. That's the power of Digital story telling! It gives us the platform to tell the audience stories in our own perspectives in our own ways using various semiotic modes. Some of the beautiful things I have discovered include love for own children and the amount of time we have spent to treasure their childhood period with us, feelings we have towards our grandparents, leaders, our hometown and culture, aware of the dichotomies of perspectives we have for different issues or concepts, and  aware of the latitudes that we have to do through in order to achieve a particular goal. The whole process of authoring the DST  produce a sort of gestalt sense  to its owner. Memory plays as one of the semiotic modes to make sense of whatever that is going on in the DST.

    I'm going to miss this module! The approach taken by our two professors is certainly different from those that I have attended before.
    

My theme

In response to Eulalia's comment,



Tks for the two cents, Eulalia. Dr T's words really struck me.. just like in any text types, we have to have a targetted audience... who we would like to impact most. I have been thinking to write something from a child's perspective. You know.. as mothers, we always have the challenge of getting our children what to eat on their plate.. but children nowadays are very choosy.. most of the time, mothers like me tend to give in. So from here, it inspired me to write something about  what a child at age as young as 5 years old would like to have/be when they grow up, knowing the challenges ahead .As such, I came up with this theme in mind.. "What's on my plate?" The target audience will be mothers and mum's to be. THe others may learn something from it.. hopefully.

Design for meaning.. still thinking!

  We have learnt some basic elements of a good digital story and we have been flourished with a number of great examples of DST that hopefully will inspire us to produce one of similar or at last near-similar quality. Well, it's easier said than done. Definitely, not an easy one for me. I love telling stories to children and I have learnt some story-telling techniques.. oops , but not  DIGITAL...had a hard time thinking of one.

When I started planning for my DST, the first question that struck my mind is;

What is the story that I wish to share?
Two choices I have are: About my learning journey or About two different generations. To play safe, I gather that maybe I should choose one of these and have the other as a backup plan. I spent several weeks, trying to visualise how my story will be like.

The second question that struck my mind is;
Do I have enough resources to carry out one of my choices. I don't have that many photographs. Most that I have are those of my family. OK, fine. I managed to select a few, go to some places and have some good shots... I went through those in the computer and realised that  I need more to make a good story. I browsed through the internet to look for some to supplement the few that I collected and I started to story-board mentally. 

While I was sharing my idea with one of our classmates, Dr Towndrow threw  me one question:  Who is my audience going to be? That question stalled me. The choice that I have made is very personal to me and not many will share the same thoughts that I wish to bring across through my DST. So.. I put aside both my choices and thought of a new one.. a view coming from a third person's perspective.... The process go through another new cycle : ( 

After reading the article by Hull and Nelson (2005), and browsing through the pages of Ohler (2008), I am glad to know that I don't have to know much about digital imaging/editing or embed  original /great video clips in my DST or fear of any copyright issues.I can either use whatever photos/ free copyright pictures/ videos in the internet/ get some 'professional' assistance for any technical glitches. The initial challenge now is to have a story line that will impact the targetted audience... then other elements come in.

Other questions that follow are:

What colours do I want to feature in my DST so that audience can feel the emotional impact/ mood and not just its beauty or its creativity?

What font should I use for some of the texts that I wish to include in my DST? I am aware that  some fonts may convey a particular message to the reader.

Whose voice should I use? My voice or someone else's?Will the voice that I use have any impact on my targetted listener? How will the tone be like? Angry? Happy? Sad? Disappointment?

Do I need to use any kinds of transition/ animation in my presentation? How will these transition add effect to the message/ meaning that I wish to bring across to my viewers? Well, Randy's "Lfe N Ryme" does not have much animation/ transition effect, yet it managed to bring meaning to its design. The use of 79 still images, lyrics or spoken-word poem and a background music are enough to create a DST that one can admire. THat guy is CrEAtIve! HE managed to braid and orchestrate all into one meaningful DST(Hull and Nelson, 2005).

What sort of music background do I want to use? Religious, contenporary, jazz, children's song, rock or ..? I am still contemplating. Got one in my pocket.. but that is meant for my first planned DST. Have to look for another suitable one now.

What software should I use ? Mac i-movie/ Windows movie-maker or maybe a video-editing software? I know some basic function of all these stuffs....but it doesn't help much.. really! I need time to 'study' these!

Whatever it is, so far these questions are still haunting my mind. I am still collecting resources and I can only frame a story-map/ story-line  once I get all the resources that I feel necessary = ^

Are video games worth playing?

           My own children love playing video games; they have computer games (on CDs), internet games, X-box, Nitendo, Game Boy and their parents' handphone games. At one time, I was damn worried when they got hooked to these games and were not able to balance their time between studies and games. I have heard  a counsellor saying that when one plays games online, their brain works differently and they 'll need time to adjust their brain cells and prepare for studies. And since then, I control their access to these games and it  works! After some time, they got tired of some of the games like pokemon, Digimon, Harry Potter, Naruto and what  not. Most of the games work the same way, I suppose. As a player taking up the role in the game, he/she just needs to fight and choose the right weapon to get his/her way through the game until he/she succeeds. I guess, the choice of game is very important. If not, you'll just be wasting time sitting in front of the console when you have other better things to do. WELL.. those thoughts struck me before I started playing the video games myself (not the handphone games of course)!!!
        I  played an X-Box "Warrior" game with my boys. I just pressed the buttons that are available on the game console and 'beat up" my opponent as bad as I could (at the same time, reminding my sons not to behave likewise, and that, this is just a game..lol). Well.. I lose of course. The boys are smarter.. they learnt the movement strategies fast enough and  able to manipulate the character and defeat their 'mummy'. They have 'mastered' the semiotic domains (at least some) of the game or rather..  its internal design ( Gee, J., 2003). They have learnt to situate meanings of elements (images, actions, symbols...) through the experience of playing the game. Another amazing example is the X-Box Fifa 2010 game. My son knows how to kick a ball but not playing ball with a group of players, like soccer. Ever since I introduced him this game, he was quick to learn the strategies involved in the game by taking the role as 'a manager' of one of the soccer teams esp; Manchester. He knows the names of the players now and able to identify the strength of some of the players (through this game). He was also able to apply the skills learnt 'on the screen'  when he plays with his friends in soccer games at school. Well... this shows that he is thinking and learning at the same time as he plays the game. He has become one of the critical learners as mentioned by Gee. 
         Well the choice of game played is really very crucial .... but what about the recent news regarding a couple who played video game and left their baby unattended and not survived? The choice of game is good, I must say..it's about good childcare!

Sharing an analysis of three adverstisements on Singapore Navy recruitment in year 1983.

Source:  30^th Anniversary, Navy News Special Edition, Onwards and Upwards With the Compliments of the Republic of Singapore Navy   (printed in black and white)

The three advertisements shown, had been used during the Singapore Navy recruitment exercise in 1983. An analysis of these advertisements will done based on theories put forth by Cheong (2004) to identify the ideologies embedded in these advertisements and strategies used to entice school leavers into joining the working force as a Naval officer.

In advertisements 1 and 2, the primary announcement is displayed in Arial Font and capital letters on a darker background, contained in a rectangular box. This is to foreground an important message to viewers before they proceed to other parts of the advertisement. Its importance is further stressed with the presence of a thick line below the box. This similar line can also be seen below the emblem ‘ Navy. Be a part of a vital force’. This particular feature is also present in Advertisement 3.

The fact that the announcement is  located at the upper left corner of the advertisement is meant to be directive and it provides a sort of reading path for viewers. The message embedded co-contextualises with the biggest picture placed at the  centre of the advertisements.

For   A1, the message

//At sixteen, we think you’re ready to handle more than a pen.//

  Theme          Rheme

co-contextualises with a massive picture of a ‘warpoon missile’ which holds the shape of a pen.

For A2, the message

 //If you’re an average school leaver//, //do not attempt any of this.//

   Theme                                                                  Rheme

 co-contextualises with a picture of a naval driver just emerging from the water, holding a weapon.

Both messages and pictures ideationally cohere one another and carry some challenging connotations. The messages, for instance, have  themes directed to school leavers aged 16 and rhemes which construe ideas that challenge the viewers to measure their capability in terms of age and the real world experienced by a naval officer. In other words, if they are sixteen and if they dare to handle more dangerous items, they could then consider applying for the job. And, if they are just average school leavers who do not fit the physical and mental requirement of a naval officer as pictured, they should back off.

Unlike in A1 and A2, A3  has a primary announcement which covers more than half the size of the  advertisement. It does not explicitly co-contextualise with the pictures below it. However the size of the print itself foregrounds the message that tells about the depth of the sea that a navy has to undertake. The primary announcement also presented in Arial Font and capital letters, carries two messages;

//Forget what you learnt in Physics.// and

//The pressure is always greatest at sea level.//

 The first message is made of an imperative clause and it is telling the viewers that learning physics is theoretically nothing compared to the practical nature of a navy’s life. ‘Real’ physics can only be learnt in Navy. The word ‘pressure’ can assume different meaning. It may refer to the stress and high expectation of a naval officer, other than the intensity of the deep sea. This announcement is given a linear presentation from top to bottom, which is unlike the ones in  A1 and A2.

The main motif foregrounded in the themes embedded in the messages found in the three advertisements is interpersonal, rather than ideational as the texts engage ‘you’ the viewers to consider the challenges put forth in the life of a naval officer. 

Week 7 e-learning-An analysis of a multimodal text

Take a look at the digital story created by Adam Chester who works in the Arts industry as /songwriter/arranger/conductor in Los Angeles. His digital story is based on real communication experience he has  with his mother.

This presentation   http://www.vidlit.com/sushi/         runs for 3.51 min and I will only focus on some aspects of the presentation accompanied with related screenshots. Some the aspects refered here are: 

(1) use of visuals  to explain the text or vice versa

(2) the font 

(3) transition from one frame to another

(4) voice charaterisation, to name a few.

I will also analyse briefly the impact of each aspect to viewers and readers.

The title sounds metaphorical. As we know, sushi is half-cooked food. So a mother's worry is natural as she fears that eating such food may harm her son. But that's not the point here... She's trying to imply the idea that her son is inexperience and may not be prepared to go to a new state, away from her.

I like the way the author introduces his topic. See below;

Frame 1          Frame 2      Frame 3        Frame 4

Frame 1 can be refered to as 'index' (refer to Hull and Nelson's article, 'Locating the semiotic power of multimodality) 'followed by a short text in Frame 2. Both frames carry similar message - not to eat sushi, presented in different modes. Frame 1 is presented as a symbol at first but it becomes indexical when the next frame is shown; the red colour used in the first resembles the colour of the text 'love mum' in the second frame. The author's voice comes in the third frame to introduce the focus of the presentation followed by an image of him and his mother. After few frames, however, the author creates a social distance between both of them, with Frame 9  directly adressing viewers with the 'author's gaze  and 'want something from the viewer' and Frame 10 positioning the viewer as an observer only and 'offer the represented particpants as 'information' to be taken in by the viewer.' (Kress and Leeuwen, 2006, p.250) The text in both frames are also intentionally presented in such manner (frame 9- in the form of certificate and frame 10- a set of rules/ instructions) (See below)

Frame 9                         Frame 10

Another interesting aspect is the use of font/orthography  in most of the frames. Although there are some inconsistencies in the use  text font on some of the visuals presented (could be intentional) especially when the content of the letters are recalled, the author ensures that 'mum's signature remains cursive and 'authentic  (just like most signature appears to be). However, I notice that the 'mom' signature is not cursive in Frame 2. I think the author is trying to present the authorative figure of mom in the latter. Interesting!

There is also wonderful juxtaposition of images in some of his presentation with the use of different modes: moving visuals, drawn pictures, photos and many more. Some have text on black/white background to foreground the message given.

  

 Some of the visuals presented (esp the letters) are accompanied with audio recorded sound of his mother's voice that gave a strong impact on the readers/ viewers. The text read by the 'mother'  represents the voice of an authoritative figure, but the images that illustrate the text serves a sort of mockery to all that are said. Examples:

The third frame is really trying to tell the viewer that he is still his mother's baby. And the fourth one probably trying to tell that all his mother's words are like music to him ( notice the music audio that accompanies this digital story!)

I love this masterpiece. The author has successfully use humour to present his mother's love for him. If I am given a chance to analyse this futher, I would like to use the framework below (taken from Terry D. Royce in his article, 'Synergy on the page: Exploring intersemiotic complementarity in page-based multimodal text.' )

Multiliteracies.. a window to critical learning

     The term 'literacy' is no longer restricted to reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. With influx of various kind of  media, both print and non-print, literacy now covers viewing and representing. Well, that's the least effort that our education authority tries to do... and I suppose the maximum effort that 'they' could try is to finance whatever is necessary to make 'their' 'dream' come true. Mmm ... Those six language areas mentioned are depicted rather too generally. But are they enough to prepare our learners to become multiliterate- digitally literate, visually literate and what not? 
    Let's recall the term 'multiliteracies' coined by the London Group as shared in our class. Based on what I have understood, it refers to an approach or 'pedagogy' (the Art/ Science of teaching) to  literacy. Correct me if I am wrong. Students need to be multiliterate in order to prepare for the changing lives ahead. We are no longer situated within a single community.. we belong to different communities. Let's look at the chat column in the net, for instance, people from different communities (diverse cultural background) communicate with one another anonymously. They share a common space but I believe, with a particular selfish interest. Those who are not critical enough may easily fall prey. They become powerless. 
    Dr Towndrow shared.. in the past,  the power to put meaning to something belonged to selected few. Those who have access to print control information and assign meaning to it. It's kind of linear. People are merely receptive. Now this power has dissipated to the lot. More people have access to print and with multimedia, especially, they get more powerful. They use the media to impose meaning onto others. So, it's necessary to be multiliterate now... to be able the understand the linguistic, audio, visual, spatial, gestural and multimodal meaning of a particular 'information' presented. Very challenging indeed! Are we ready?