the world W I D E web

           This is an evaluation sheet for an educational website.  The website which I evaluated was www.learningscience.org.  It scored seventy based on the results.

            The virtual world is getting wider and more complex exponentially as time goes by.  The present generations evolve around the era of computers and the internet.  One of the many things that the internet has to offer is a bounty of resources of educational material.  It's just a matter of having the most reliable sites as a resource for instruction or for learning.  It doesn't mean that when a site is on top of the search engine results that it is the most reliable, comprehensive and most appropriate site that you are looking for.  It is essential to search well and to examine first the site if it is duly recognized by the authorities and that the source could really be trusted.  Also, one must not be overwhelmed by the graphics it has and the ads that swarm in the site.  One can easily bombarded by these especially if the your computer is not well protected against malwares like these.   

             In the evaluation chart, many other factors were presented for a researcher to consider before using site.  It mentioned that the domain name should be clear.  It is implied in the chart that it is best to get instructional material from a site which has edu. as part of its domain name.  Of course, another basic thing to consider is the ease of task when searching through the site.  It is best recommended to use a site which is easy to navigate through so that you'll have that cleat organization of facts in mind while searching.  Basically, it is always a good thing if you get things for free, but one must always be aware to cite the sources when using it for another purpose.

              

lights. camera. ACTION!

            Videos, as instructional media, are very useful for skill learning.  A learner may play it over and over again to better understand the content.  But when used inside the classroom for quite a number of learners, the disadvantage of a video is that it has a fixed pace.  All in all, it captures the interest of the learners because of its form.  It can be a live video of a talking teacher or an animation such as this one example from youtube.  The content  of this instructional video is about teaching a child, probably at 4 years of age, on how to count from 1 to 10.  The video's strategy is repetition.  The numbers from one to ten is repeated for several times, displaying different objects corresponding to the number that is being narrated.  The voice of the narrator is clear and the pace is just right.  There is a pattern that is followed in each frame which is shown. In videos like this, it is imperative to consider the cultural background of the child for it is much helpful to use objects or pictures of objects that are familiar to him or her.  The objects may be something that the child has prior knowledge of so that it is easier for him or her to absorb the new information that is presented.  The learner then will not dwell too much on deciphering the unfamiliar objects that he perceives first and concentrate more on the numbers and how to count.

A Peek in Lola Edeng’s Closet: A Spectacle of The Past

                Today at EdTech, a group reported about instructional materials and display.  A type of an instructional material is a Realia.  If a teacher is planning to use a realia, it must be considered that it should be easy to control and is portable.  But there is also another way of showing the students real objects.  Through out of school activities such as trips to museums and exhibits.  This topic reminded me a lot about an exhibit which I attended last July 2009 at the Ateneo Art Gallery.  The exhibit was named "UN/FOLD" by Marina Cruz.

          Who knew a closet of dresses would hold a key to unfold the past?  Well, Marina Cruz does.  Not only did she open the closet for the world to see, but also dug up each intricate detail for the world to know and understand.  The artist’s work revolved around almost a hundred pieces of clothes, mostly dresses, found inside her grandmother’s old closet, which dates back at around the year 1954 up until around 1978.  She had each of the garments displayed and well-organized, photographed and catalogued, and most importantly, exposed of the stories they have to tell.

            The artist showcased a whole bunch of dresses.  It is really amazing how every piece conveys its own story.  The most striking among the pieces were the ones made in duplicate, telling that they were made especially for the twin daughters of Edilberta and Gregorio Rubio, Elisa (the artist’s mother) and Laura.  It was remarkably pleasurable noticing the timeline as the twins grow from their pre-school days until they finish college and start to work.  Through observation of the dresses, and from the notes of the artist, I knew the changes that took place in the physical figure of the twins, like the time when Laura was healthier than Elisa and when Elisa eventually grew fatter than Laura.  Also, I saw the changes in fashion and styles, like different patterns, cuts and other accessories in the dresses. I saw first-hand the kind of material the garments were made of.  Most of the dresses, especially the ones made by the artist’s grandmother, if not all, were made from cloth, which was before used to package chicken food.  Incredibly, these beautiful dresses were made from recycled materials like ‘katsa’ and small excess pieces of cloth sold at the market, ‘retaso’.  Some of the dresses were really gifts and bought done.  Down with the photographs, I knew somehow a biography of the Rubio family, the twins in particular and their other siblings, Helen, Sonia, and Boy.    Seeing and knowing all of these, I had the sensations of my childhood and my elementary days.  I was overwhelmed of how skilled the artist’s grandmother was in making dresses, and how the artist herself came up with the idea of producing art such as this.  Practically this art by Marina Cruz is well elaborated and methodical.  It is very spontaneous yet perfectly controlled.  A work which appeals to the audience not solely by the upshot but mostly by the course of action the artist has done.  To describe it to a person who could not see it would be hard, but through thinking like the artist, it is possible.  The work is about the logical gathering of data about every piece of garment in the artist’s grandmother’s closet from the ones who wore the dresses themselves.  As mentioned, the exhibit comprises the garments, their photographs and their description. 

            The most important part of the work would be the line of investigations the artist did about the garments, leading to the surfacing of the series of events that took place in the lives of those who wore the dresses, those who sewed them and those who has relations to the family, present in the time being.  She made interviews and further analysis corresponding to the interviews she made.  The actual uncovering of the past concealed in those dresses is essentially the heart of this work of art.  I think the artist made this work like a spur-of-the-moment. It was unplanned, plainly unstructured.  It was born through actual curiosity.  And much sooner in the process, the artist transformed this spontaneous act to a more planned manner, thereby producing such a work that is well thought-out.  If I had a chance, I would ask the artist how she thought of an efficient kind of presentation to exhibit the garments.  Another question would be, did the idea of making a plain old wardrobe as a work of art, as seen today, come to you with no doubt regarding the possibility of making it happen? Have you had any doubts, that the data gathered might be insufficient?

            “Un/fold” reminds me of the past.  It reveals how the people before have their clothes uniquely designed and made for them, unlike today, people already buy ready-to-wear (RTW) clothes, except by some circumstances given.  Another would be the passing on of clothes to younger siblings.  I remember that one of the dresses the twins had had patches. And the artist noted that it was most probably worn by Sonia or Helen, the younger daughters.  It also reminds me of early superstitions and beliefs.  Lolo Goryo strictly instructs his children to wear white dresses when attending to the church.  Ironically, little children are allowed to wear colorful clothes, for the bare reason that it is good to look at.  This clearly suggests the early transition from ancient cultural beliefs to modern thinking.

            The exhibit by Marina Cruz reminds me of an exhibit in the National Museum about early settlers in the Philippines, particularly the Muslims.  There, the clothes and accessories of these early Muslim settlers were displayed.  Both exhibits tell a story about those who wore the clothes, how they lived and why the clothes seem as they are.  Both were a product of research, the difference is that Marina got the information directly from the persons involved, while the research team of the museum got data from previous researches in a theoretical manner.  In Marina’s work, the actual garments talked about are there, they are the real deal, while at the museum those clothes are only copies of the real thing, since those garments were not really preserved up to this time.  Those seen in the museum shows only what the early Muslim settlers might have possibly looked like. 

            Marina’s “Un/fold” is an exact mirror of real life, practically because it imparts the story of real people, who are, the artist’s mother, aunts, uncle, and grandparents.  The dresses project a story of a typical Filipino family after the World War II.  What interests me most of this work is the process of unfurling every minutiae and detail in every piece of garment from lola edeng’s closet, and renovating it to become as one piece of art capturing a wide horizon of the past and making it known to the world.         

Visual Literacy: A World of Captured Moments

Our world is full of signs and symbols.  In a spontaneous manner, we make use of symbols to communicate our own thoughts to others and to interpret the thoughts that others would address to us.  In our everyday life, we are bombarded with a lot of these symbols, from traffic signs, ads and billboards to books, newspapers and magazines, to movies, graffiti, brand logos, product packaging and t-shirt designs.  Indeed these varieties of representations are present in whichever way we could think about.

From all the symbols around that we are exposed to, the most deliberate, complex and specific way of representation is through the text.  In addition to that, the text is not only limited to the printed word.  Books, manuals, electronic or web pages, and other ‘reading’ materials may contain images or pictures in them.  In fact, there are, what we call, picture books which can be identified by the name itself.  Furthermore, reading is not constricted to the notion of mere printed words, for words are but symbols and somehow pictures or images also hold a variety of symbols, ranging from the most distinct and specific, to the more broad systems of meaning.  The system of symbols that we use today, which we call the alphabet came forth from a development of writing.  In the first stages were the pictures, then picture writing, depicting a certain situation, and then pictographic writing for interpreting a series of events wherein the Egyptian’s hieroglyphics is an example, next in line is ideographic writing which makes use of unique signs and symbols to depict whole situations or events, and lastly, alphabet writing which we use today.

Interpreting these symbols, pictures and images in particular, need a specific type of literacy which the experts identify as Visual Literacy.  Being visually literate deviates from the traditional description of a literate person.  Traditionally, a literate person is described as someone who could read and write.  In visual literacy, the person reads images, graphs, symbols, et cetera; and writes in form of using various forms of visuals as well. Visual literacy has been defined as:

"The ability to decipher, interpret, and express ideas using images, graphics, icons, charts, graphs and video."

A visually literate person on the farther end is someone who has the ability to interpret and understand messages from visuals, to create and make visuals and also has the ability to use these visuals.  Reading maps and directions could measure if one is visually literate.  This type of literacy is often involved and integrated in other types of literacies.

A specific example that signifies visual literacy is editorial cartooning.   A vital part of a newspaper is the editorial, which also includes the editorial cartoon.  The editorial cartoon is a vivid portrayal of a political or social stand through caricatures and sketches.  As an image, it showcases a metaphor as a way to express an artist’s or the newspaper’s stance regarding on a current political or social issue.

                 The purpose of the editorial cartoon is to inform and represent ideas.  The meaning which the cartoon intends to convey to the readers is only bridged if the reader is visually literate.  This pertains also to the aforementioned integration of visual literacy to other types of literacies.  Knowing the issues in areas of politics and society, the reader acts as someone who is politically literate.  Once the reader picks up and starts reading the newspaper, he gains the consciousness of the importance of print and how it relates to him and the society.  He takes note of the points raised by the different sides and therefore acquires enough knowledge, organizes the facts and then formulates his own opinion.  Thus, he becomes critically literate.  The same process happens when a reader stumbles upon an editorial cartoon.  Upon seeing the editorial cartoon, the reader identifies the issue being delved upon by the image.  Then he recognizes the biases and stereotypes represented and implied by the drawn metaphors, he conceptualizes and creates his own biases with the issue, and then he would compare and analyze them.

                In our society, the newspaper is readily available and cheap. It’s proven to be an effective resource and get oneself informed of the present situation of the country and the world.  In the Philippines, there is a huge setback when it comes to the efficiency and availability of instructional materials such as textbooks and digital media.  Not all schools could gain access to the internet and technologically advanced resources.  Due to this imminent lack, a few teachers and educators have improvised their way of teaching.  One to mention is Leonila Liberato, 62, an English teacher at the Talomo Central Elementary School, Davao city.  She made use of editorial cartoons as a means of teaching critical reading.  She emphasized the idea that most of the students today are visual learners, therefore editorial cartoons may serve as an effective way to motivate students to learn by fostering and maintaining the attention of the students and to elicit active participation in classroom discussions.  Liberato says:

“…students are encouraged to be acquainted with the current issues happening in our country today. This also promotes higher order of thinking among the students.”

According to Angela Wong and Cheung Wing Jum, students learn 83 percent by sight, 10 percent by hearing, 4 percent by smell, 2 percent by touch and 1 percent by taste.  They referred to visuals as communication devices that serve as concrete referents to spoken or written word.  The use of visuals simplifies complex and ideas to make them easy to remember.

The interpretation, creation and usage of images incorporate value in aspects like proxemics and spatial relations.  During instruction, certain visual elements must be taken into consideration.  As stated, visuals may be comprised of pictures, illustrations and graphics.  When preparing the visual, the teacher must take into account the level of realism of the material.  The correctness of the interpretation of the visuals depends mostly on the experience of the learner with the information.  One of the guidelines is that the visual element must match the text that goes with it.  Also, visuals must not be used for decorative purposes.  The alignment of the elements is important for the relationship among the elements to be clear.  The shape of the visual and the verbal ornaments can be arranged in a shape familiar to the learner.  The balance or the weight of the elements must be equally distributed on each side of the vertical and the horizontal axis.

The element of appeal is equally important to ensure that the visual captures and holds the attention of the learner.  There must be the element of surprise.  It could be an unusual animation or a change in size, a catchy phrase or rhyme.  Second is texture which adds more to the illusion that the visual is real.  Third is interaction, where the students get to manipulate the visual.  An example would be the virtual dissection of a frog which I experienced during high school.

Visual literacy is the type of literacy which we humans developed ever since the ancient times from cave paintings and hieroglyphics to the modern ways in printed or digital form.  The young mind acquires and learns the skills to be able to become visually literate basically through the environment where they are exposed to. In a complex society, the young mind is bombarded with signs and symbols.  It is only a matter of correct interpretation and manipulation of these images so that the young mind gains awareness of the value of the knowledge which these symbols bring about.

Guro ka? Artista ka!

            Sabi ni teacher Yna, "Teaching is 45% preparation and 55% theatre"

            Totoo nga naman.  Ang trabaho ng isang guro ay nagsisimula bago pa man siya pumasok ng paaralan.  Mula sa paghahanda pa lamang ng lesson plan hanggang sa paggawa at pagahahanda ng mga kagamitan o midya na gagamitin hanggang sa pagtuturo mismo ng materyal at pagsusuri ng nakuhang kaalaman ng mga estudyante ay tiyak nga namang hindi nalilimita ang isang guro sa apat na sulok lamang ng paaralan.  

           Sa araw-araw na pagharap ng isang guro sa kanyang klase, ay kailangan niyang umarte upang mahikayat ang mga estudyante niya sa kung ano mang paksa ang kanyang nais ituro.  Kailangan siyang maging kapani-paniwala bilang isang tagapagpamahagi ng impormasyon at kaalaman.  Kung ikukumpara sa isang teatro, ang mga estudyante ang mga tagapanood at ang guro ang tagpagganap o artista na pinapanood.  Subalit may malaking pagkakaiba ang pagtuturo sa pag-arte.  Sa teatro, may script na istriktong sinusunod.  Kung ikukumpara ay may script din naman ang isang guro, ang kanyang lesson plan, hindi ba? Ngunit, nagkakatalo ang dalawang ito sa punto ng presentasyon at mismong programa.  Sa teatro, hindi kasama ang mga tagapanood sa mga magtatanghal, samantalang sa isang silid-aralan, maaari ring maging tagapagganap o guro ang isang estudyante.  Kumbaga, hindi lamang natututo ang mga bata mula sa guro ngunit pati na rin mula sa kanyang kapwa mga estudyante. 

Communication Theore-eh-eh-eh!

 adapted from "Telephone"-Lady Gaga

Hello, hello classmates you called?
We can’t hear a thing

W[e] may have communication problems

Here, you see, see

Wha-wha-what did you say

wanna know the theories

Of communication, start with

Shannon-Weaver

Sha-shannon weaver

Sha-shannon weaver

The mathematical model of Shannon weaver

This model is in linear format to begin with

With five components and

The first is information source

Then up next is the transmitter

sends signals to the channel

Receiver decodes the signal

To  the destination

Keep callin’, keep callin’

We just think you wanna know more!

‘bout Shannon-Weaver, Tubbs and Schramm

Keep callin’, keep callin’

We just think you wanna know more!

About their models of communication.

Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh

c’mmunication theoreh!
Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
the-o-reh!
Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
c’mmunication theoreh!
Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
You can call all you want

But there’s always noise

An interference with the message

Entropy, redundancy

Channel capacity

Are the key concepts of this model

You can call all you want

But there’s always noise

An interference with the message

Entropy, redundancy

Channel capacity

Are the key concepts of this model

Schramm’s model is a two way process
a derivation of Shannon-weaver’s

It still has the encoder

And also the decoder

In fact there were more key concepts

Like feedback from the sender

And the field of encounter

All of these as factors

Now about Tubb’s model

‘tis  also a cycle

Where the communicator

Gets two roles to play

The sender acts as the receiver

And vice versa

Just like Schramm’s model

It is a two way process

 a two way process

a two way process

Just like Schramm’s model, It is a two way process

Keep callin’, keep callin’

We just think you wanna know more!

‘bout Shannon-Weaver, Tubbs and Schramm

Keep callin’, keep callin’

We just think you wanna know more!

About their models of communication.

Keep callin’, keep callin’

We just think you wanna know more!

‘bout Shannon-Weaver, Tubbs and Schramm

Keep callin’, keep callin’

We just think you wanna know more!

About their models of communication.

Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
c’mmunication theoreh!
Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
the-o-reh!
Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
c’mmunication theoreh!
Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
Now you know many things

models and theories

Shannon and Weaver’s, Schramm’s and Tubb’s!

So y’ all better listen

Cause we’re doin’ all the singin’

Only brought to you by the crammer’s club!

Now you know many things

models and theories

Shannon and Weaver’s, Schramm’s and Tubb’s!

So y’ all better listen

Cause we’re doin’ all the singin’

Only brought to you by the crammer’s club!

The Crammer’s Club!

The-t-the Crammer’s Club!

So y’ all better listen

Cause we’re doin’ all the singin’

Only brought to you by the crammer’s club!

The Crammer’s Club!

The-t-the Crammer’s Club!

So y’ all better listen

Cause we’re doin’ all the singin’

Only brought to you by the crammer’s club!

          For an extra presentation for our report on the Communication Theories, I made alterations to Lady Gaga's "Telephone".  We sang this in front of our class after our group discussed about the communication theories with the aid of a power point presentation.  :)