The Process

After reading several pages on the Visual Rhetoric website and discovering more about images and the theory behind photography, I found myself really grappling with Roland Barthes's comparison of photography and death. I had always thought of viewing a photograph as a chance to relive a moment in time rather than the capturing of a moment that cannot be relived. I began thinking more about this his idea while considering its relationship to the wide range of images we use today--from advertisements to online scrapbooks. In the sense of a pure raw image, I think Barthes was correct in stating that with photography we freeze time but reliving this second becomes impossible hence it is the death of a moment. But if we start thinking in the sense of a multimodal world, then I think we can use these moments in time as a part of our ongoing process.  We use these raw images to build new images and they become apart of a living and breathing creation that is subject to change at any time.

In education, the emphasis on the final product often pushes students towards this same idea where they capture the assignment but find no need to return to the product. With multimedia assignments such as the ones mentioned in  Chapter 6 of Crafting Digital Writing, students are getting a chance to physically see the process behind the product. Smagorinsky in The Dynamics of Writing Instruction places emphasis on the process as well: "We need to teach them how to do so rather than simply give them assignments and show them the models of end products" (Smagorinsky 185). The world constantly uses images and words--recycling, repurposing, and rebuilding them for whatever the need may be.  Students need to be given the tools so they can do the same, so they can understand the process behind the product and so they can take part in the world's exchange of images and words.

In Chapter 6 of Crafting Digital Writing, a Hicks creates a focus around video texts—how we can view them as mentor texts and how we can teach students to generate their own video text.  In a world beaming with visual stimuli, students should know the path to successfully creating and compiling their own visual stimuli, which will help them better understand the purposes behind the craft. Hicks states, “Your [the teacher’s] goal, like that of all good writing teachers, is to guide your students through the composing process” (Hicks 105). He goes on to state that this process can be messy, so I think its important to help students organize this process that works best for them without stunting their creativity.  The structure can be hard to master but just like writing, crafting multimedia texts require constant revision and sharing. As Christopher Micklethwait states on the Visual Rhetoric website, “Graphic design is a communicative practice characterized by the mixed use of text and images, organized spatially on a grid with various rhetorical goals ranging from political propaganda to more mundane forms of publicity such as commercial advertising and product packaging” (Micklethwait). Students should learn to have purpose while crafting, to be selective, and to work with an audience in mind. There will inevitably be a product at the end of the process but students should know that their work does not die when the grade is calculated. Their work should represent a moment—their moment—that can always be enhanced and revisited in order to produce a product that satisfies their purpose.

For my DLN, I am excited that I also am able explore this process further. The process is not something that just the students should partake in.  Teachers should be exploring the process as well. They should be guiding their students on their journey to the end product but they should also be exploring their own process.  I think this important because the process is always changing and if its not always changing then at least there are about umpteen different directions you could take. I have completed a few video projects before but never class--always on my own. So, I'm excited to see how I can apply what I have already learned and also so I continue to learn about what is out there and how I can use it to my benefit. 

I thought long and hard about my argument and, honestly, it's still an underdeveloped idea waiting for a spark of genius to vamp it up. My DLN began as a quick write about how I changed as writer as soon as learned to not think so much about the grading process behind my product. I think I want to continue this idea because its something that I still struggle with. If I could do away with all grading, I would. John Jone's "Image as an argument," helped me to imagine my argument in a more complete way. Not only do I have to find images that support what I have to say, but I also need to consider the elements of these images--angle, lighting, purpose, etc. While searching for images, keeping this idea in mind has helped me to be a little more specific with my search, which can be hard when the internet is just a database full of pages and pages of images. 

Revising and Reflecting

Before Revision: 

In class, she exhibits a less concrete relationship with reading.  When Mr. Ginsberg assigns in-class reading, he allows students to read alone or with a partner. She usually reads stories alone and finishes work before most of her classmates.  When finished, she is usually close enough to another group of girls to start conversation. Instead of working on her individual novel like the class is required to do, she begins distracting others.  The way she approaches her individual reading shows that she considers her in-class reading as separate from her out-of-class reading.  Mr. Ginsberg usually gives guided reading sheets to go alongside the assigned text, which may prompt Deanna to consider her in-class readings, which have all been short stories so far, as work she needs to quickly complete so she can engage in other activities that may be more important to her, such as socializing with friends. To me, it seems that she considers her individual reading as something that she can take her time on and work on outside of school. Instead of reading her individual books during class time, she would rather save the reading for when she is “at home” and “get[s] bored” (D. Sanders, personal interview, September 10, 2013). 

After Revision

In class, Deanna does not show the same excitement she has for reading as when chooses her own texts outside of class.  When Mr. Ginsberg assigns in-class reading, he allows students to read alone or with a partner. Deanna usually reads the stories alone and finishes her classwork before most of the other students.  Usually when finished, she moves to another group of students and begins a conversation and even though she is finished with her work, she becomes a distraction for her peers. Students are required to read their individual novels when they are finished with their coursework, but Deanna has told me that she would rather read her novel "at home" when she "get[s] bored" (D. Sanders, personal interview, September 10, 2013). This behavior shows she considers her in-class reading as separate from her out-of-class reading, and she would rather not combine these two atmospheres.  One reason for the construction of this boundary may be the assigned worksheets that go along with the in-class readings. These worksheets give her a finish-line. When she finishes the worksheet, she can then move on to more instantly gratifying activities such as socializing with her friends. When she finishes the worksheet, she no longer wants to engage with the text.  Deanna considers in-class reading as a chore that takes up her time while she considers her individual out-of-class reading as a task she can complete at her own pace.  The classroom has a bell that signifies an end, but at home there is less rush and more room for flexibility. 

Readings Reflection: 

In the "How to Write an Outline" Blog, I really loved that the author reminded us we have to stop trying to create a certain outlining formula and start thinking about our readers.  Forgetting about the reader is truly one of my faults as a writer. My mind goes a million miles every minute. When all of the jumbled up thoughts finally land on my paper, I let out a huge sigh of relief and move on.  I might read over it and think "Yea, that makes sense to me," but I rarely ask if the reader (who has never encountered my whirlwind of a thought process) will understand. I like how the writer of First Year Comp states "The goal of academic writing is to reach a reader with your knowledge," which is really the point of all writing. We are sharers but we can't successfully share unless the reader understands what we are trying to share, so we have to keep our readers in mind while we write. I think it would personally help me to get my ideas on paper, and then break down my thought process so the readers will understand how I came to a certain conclusion. 

The only way to improve my reader-awareness is to continuing writing.  There's really no way around it.  Cindy O-Donnell-Allen in "The Best Writing Teachers Are Writers Themselves" recognizes that we  as teachers must continue to write so we will know "the writing process inside out, [so] we can support our students' work in authentic ways." I remember my favorite English teacher wrote with us everyday during journal time. She would share her journals and we would listen, amazed at her writing talent.  Even though we thought her writing was flawless , she would often tell us that what she needed to work on or that a certain piece was not her best because of x, y, and z. She delved into the writing process with us. She modeled how we should continually work to improve even when we thought there was nothing wrong. Her example inspired us and I hope to inspire my students as well, so I can help to contribute to the writing "revolution." 

Case Study Outline

General Information

• Pseudonym: Deanna
• Student at Cedar Shoals High School
• 15 year-old African American female
• In Mr. Ginsberg's 9th Grade Collaborative English class
• Brief overview of personality in the classroom
• Has a loud personality when conversing with peers
• Can come off as rude or aggressive when in a situation she is not happy with
• Pull examples from classroom observations
• Polite and respectful when conversing with "authority-figures" and is thoughtful with responses 
• Pull examples from classroom observations
• pull examples from interviews
• Brief overview of family background
• religious background
• Note to self--obtain more information when possible
• survey
• questions

Literacy Background and Current Literacy Practices

• Observations on Reading Behaviors
• discuss reading selections
• discuss in-school vs. out-of-school reading practices
• pull examples from interviews
• discuss reading comprehension
• can fill out a plot diagram with ease
• does not like reading out loud
• references from "Adolescent Literacy: Myths & Realities"
• pull examples from student work
• Observations on Writing Behaviors
• discuss her opinion of herself as a writer
• discuss her idea of "real" writing
• example essay
• does not follow five paragraph model
• can find focus and expand on her idea
• tends to be repetitive 
• discuss struggle to use what the school considers "Standard English"
• uses slang/incorrect grammar/"text talk" 
• writes how she talks
• references from Nieto's "Culture and Learning"

Revelations and Recommendations

• discuss role of literacy in student's life (in-school and out-of-school)
• discuss what she considers her favorite classes
• what does she like/dislike about class 
• what writing and reading occur in each class
• discuss what she considers her least favorite classes
• what does she like/dislike about class
• what writing and reading occur in each class
• freedom in classroom vs. structure
• options on how to better help Deanna with writing practices
• references from "Writing Conferences"
• references from Fletcher's "Craft Lessons" 
• discuss book options
• YA literature vs. canonical literature

Lingering Questions

• How can I better teach the writing process to someone who has the creativity but has not mastered the structure? 
• Explore reading comprehension and how it affects being able to put words onto paper.
• How do you grade writing such as this? 
• references from Spandel's "Creating a Vision" 

Me vs. The Blank Page

The blank page and I have always had a constant struggle. While everyone in class is writing away, I'm staring at the computer screen, trying to ignore all the fervently typing fingers tapping on the keyboards. My mind doesn't go blank; instead, millions of ideas start crowding my brain until I find myself going through all the multiple scenarios and paths I could possibly take when I finally decide to put pen to paper. I construct a perfect sentence, then a few more, then a paragraph or two until the entire story is written out in an organized little file in my mind.  Sounds great, right? Well, it is until I finally try sorting this file out on actual paper. A few sentences come out unharmed while the rest dissolve away, and then I start the thinking process all over again--the frustration builds.

Why did I go through and still go through this long, tedious, and frustrating strategy? Because, like Anne Lamott in "Shitty First Drafts," I had "fears that people would find my first draft before I could rewrite it" (Lamott 2). I didn't want teachers to correct all the mistakes that I knew I could fix. When I was in high school, I started my papers weeks before everyone else and still stayed up all night writing (not editing) the day before it was due. If a teacher had asked me to turn in a rough draft, I probably would have looked at them as if they were the crazy ones. A first draft? No. My sentences are perfect when I write them down. I had become such a perfectionist that I wouldn't allow myself to change a single word. How could I change what I had been constructing for so long in my mind? Getting my papers back with just a grade, a few vague comments, and a comma in the place it should have been didn't help the situation, either. As I was reading "An Overview of Conferring," I realized that, as teachers, we cannot just "fix or edit the student's writing." You could have put red ink all over my paper and that would have never helped me with my writing process. When we take the time to confer with students about their writing, we need to "teach the student one writing strategy or technique he can use in a current piece of writing and continue to use in future writing" (3). If someone had forced me to write a draft, I would have been annoyed but there's a chance someone could have helped me to make writing a progression rather than a sheet of paper I threw away after it was graded. I had no writing strategy other than "go through it in my head until I'm too frustrated to think anymore, then write it down."

When I got to college, I realized I couldn't write like this anymore.  I had multiple English classes, multiple novels, and multiple writing assignments. I learned pretty quickly I didn't have time to combine and recombine words in my head until the wires of brain began to fry. So, I started writing my first first-drafts. It was a struggle, but I realized that you must "start by getting something--anything--down on paper" (Lamott 2). Through trial and error, I found it was helpful for me to physically write my thoughts on notebook paper. There was something about typing that was too final, but writing with a pencil seemed perfectly harmless.  Whatever works, I told myself. As I began typing up what I had written down, more ideas began to flow; they came effortlessly.  Writing became cathartic rather than frustrating.  I had a teacher who once told me that writing into the night is one way to get an assignment done; but, if you want a piece of work you can be proud of then you need to finish with enough time to step away, forget about it, and come back with fresh eyes; and, if you want to create a work of art then you need to finish with enough time to do this several times. I finally learned a strategy to serve this perfectionist mind of mine.

Case Study Interview #2

For my second interview, I decided to post the conversation as closely as it occurred. I had a few comments here and there that I don't mention, but I've kept all of her words because I think it's important to see when she expands on certain things and after which questions. 

Me: What’ve you read in school over the past two weeks? 

Student: I’m reading The Precious. It’s my individual reading book for Mr. Ginsberg’s class. I’ve been reading it in class when he gives us time to read.

Me: Have you read in any of your other classes? 

Student: We don’t really read in any of my other classes—Not for-real reading.  We do like worksheets and stuff.

Me: So, what is for-real reading? 

Student: Like books and short stories. You know, when the teacher gives you time to read something in class.

Me: Have you done any reading at home?

Student:  At home I get bored and read my book (The Precious) some more. I read from page 59 to 73 last night...I started The Color Purple before, but I didn’t like it.

Me: Why didn’t you like it? 

Student: It just wasn’t for me. The words were small, and it just wasn’t me.

Me: Have you read anything other than books, like stuff online?

Student: I’ve still been reading magazines like last time. I like reading about the Kardashians and celebrities and stuff. I get on Facebook sometimes, but not really.

Me: Is there any other social media sites like Twitter or...?

Student:  Instagram, instagram is my favorite.

Me: How about writing? Have you written anything over the past two weeks?

Student: We write in every class. Every class has you writing.

Me: What kind of stuff do you write?

Student:  Like worksheets and questions like in Mr. Ginsberg’s class when you have to read and then write what you think about it.

Me: Are there any writing assignments you are working on right now?

Student: I don’t think so. We just do little writing stuff in my classes.

Me: Have you done any writing at home in the past two weeks? 

Student: Not really.  I made a grocery list, but that’s all I can think of.

Me: What about any of your social media sites like Facebook or Twitter? That’s considered writing.

Student: No. Not really. I post on Instagram, but I don’t always put words with my pictures. 

We ended here, so she could finish her group work. Before she left, she told me she would tell me how she was doing with The Precious.