Week 2-journal post

Week 2-Journal Post

    It took for a few reads of Chapter 2 to truly digest the meaning on the semiotic theory.  Once I had a clearer understanding that according to Kress and Van Leeuwen that semiotic theory is the theory of the interpretation of meaning, basically the understanding of how humans interpret imagery. As I continued through the chapter I felt that I could relate it to through my prior coursework in Communication Sciences in the 1990's prior to the internet. Much of my coursework was focused on communication campaigns in underdeveloped countries with a high rate of illiteracy. Imagery is just as or as powerful than the written word and through the semiotic theory we can understand how powerful imagery can be. 
   To better understand semiotic theory you must understand the interactive participant and the  represented participant.  Kress and Van Leeuwen describe the interactive participant as those who create the images or who are viewing the images.  The represented participant are the participants who constitute the subject matter. In the case of the image 2.1  which was used in an Australian primary school text book (Oakley et al., 1985) where one graphic is of a neutral representation of aboriginal tools and the other a more personal interactive representation of Aboriginals holding up wooden weapons while British hold guns.  The represented participants in the neutral representation of weapons are the Aboriginals and in the more personal and interactive image the represented participants are both the Aboriginals and the British. In this case the Interactive participants are Australian primary school students.  By using imagery The Aboriginals are characterized as primitive and less advanced than the British who colonized them.  
   Propaganda pieces are a great example of semiotic theory, before TV and the Internet were a mainstay the use of propaganda imagery was prevalent in everyday life.  Iconic WW2 propaganda posters are still recognizable today.  Images were used throughout the war effort to aid in conscription before the draft and to encourage women to join the work force.  The example below of the woman dressed in a navy uniform is one of my favorite propaganda pieces.  The US government information office being the interactive participants in this piece and the young men of the US. 









 Resources

Kress, Gunther & van Leeuwen, Theo (2006) Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. New York: Routledge.  

Oakley, M. et al. (1985) Our Society and Others, Sydney, McGraw-Hill

Week 1 Journal Post


"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).

When reading this quote I was reminded of my first job working in publishing in the late 90's.  I worked for Book of the Month Club (BOMC) which many might remember their Sunday paper advertising  campaigns of Buy 6 Books for a $1.  I was one of the first employees in their online division. BOMC   knew they needed an online presence but were unsure how it would coincide with their traditional book business and how their customers would react.  As time went on discussions of e-books took place.  The discussion of many meetings would the digital form of a book ever replace a real book.  This was the dawn of e-commerce and no one would was thinking there would be i phones or i pads. The business decision was to stay an e-commerce site for their customers to purchase traditional hard cover books.  Unfortunately they didn't accumulate to the changing world and how the written word has been affected.  Kress describes on page 6, of Digital Literacies  how writing is affected by four factors:
1) Texts are multi-modal and images are appearing more with writing.
2) Screens are replacing the printed page, for a business like Book of the Month Club who didn't adapt their business model, revenues and customer loyalty have decreased.
3) Social Structures and social relations are undergoing changes in structures of authority. No longer are textbooks, newspapers and news stations the authorities.  Web 2.0 and the ability for collaboration has brought about bloggers who at times have become authorities.  The ability to publish and social networking has brought about new notions of expertise according to Wilbur on page 6.
4) The act of reading and writing has changed into a digital form.  The consequences of this shift are profound as discussed in a business sense in the Book of the Month Club but also in how the children of today will learn.

After reading Chapter One in Lankshear & Knobel regarding Functional Literacy I have been thinking how much this term has changed with the advent of Web 2.0 and easier access to digital resources.  Functional Literacy is defined as when an individual has acquired the knowledge and skills in reading and writing which will enable him to engage effectively in all activities which literacy is normal assumed in his culture and group (Gray, 1956 :24) As discussed on page 7, in Chapter One being functionally literate is considered the minimum or a survival literacy..  One who is considered functionally literate has the ability to survive with the basics and be able to obtain employment, health care, and other services at a lower level.  The question is how has the percentage of the functional literate diminished with the advent of the internet and more obtainable access to digital resources.  Has the availability and lower cost of smart phones and smart technologies enabled those who once were once considered functionally literate to gain knowledge and skills via digital resources that they would of not had access to before the digital age? On 12/2/14, NYC announced a $1 million donation from google which would provide  New York City libraries with lend-able wi-fi devices which could be checked out.   Are today's children of the function literate parents whose grew up in the 1980's going to change the statistics for those considered functionally literate due to their access to digital resources both at home and at school?


Gray, W.S. (1956).  The Teaching of Reading and Writing, Paris: UNESCO.