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1. Just starting with my exploration 3 as a base for my project. Revising info.

2. Describing modes, trying to remember what each one means.

3. Describing why i picked the layout and background that I did.

4. Just found music on YouTube that fits my Prezi, waiting for it to download and attatch

Austin Phimmasone

English 101, P.4c

Mr. Drobny

17 November 2014

Reading Response

Multiple Media’s of Text

In Anne Wysocki’s writings, she depicts the idea that text can be translated into images and how they correlate with each other and complement each other in the reading/ writing process.  In the line “learning to compose visually is learning to observe well,” she sums up many of the ideas of her piece. Another main idea is that all texts are visual in nature.  We all connect writing with images and Wysocki furthers the meaning and study of imagery and goes into more depth about this talent we all have unitentionally developed.

She goes into depths to describe how our own personal imagery and imaginations shape the way that, we as individuals, read and follow the storyline of novels and texts in general.  She also analyzes external influences that alter the way that we read and how there is politics and economics utilized behind text production and availability that alter the way our society acts and responds.

Imagery is something that is just a tool for us, as people, to use and harness to further our grasp of understanding and memorization of the pieces of text that we read.  This tool is used through the connection between letters and mental visualization that creates new bridges and connections between physical descriptions in front of you, transcripted in text and imaginative-cerebral actions.

Austin Phimmasone

English 101, P.4

Mr. Drobny

9 November 2014

Exploration 2

Star Wars Theme Remix

For my Exploration, I remixed a song that I believed to be commonly known and easily recognizable.  I took the Star Wars theme song and implemented a twist.  I combined a distinguishable and classic tune from the beginning of our generation and modernized it.  I used two sources, gave it reasoning, and composed it to fulfill its’ intent of creation.

Using the remixing tool, wubmachine.com, I generated the remix.  I searched the song using soundcloud.com and attatched the song to the wubmachine mixer and added dubstep influences and altered  a classic, orchestra dispositioned song into a new-age remix.

My intention of remixing this song was to modernize it and to revive and reignite old memories and connect them with today’s influences.  I want people to hear it and think of their childhood and the media influences of then and think of now and the influences and what’s new and “in” today.  I want to spark a connection between now and then and make others reflect on how things have changed and evolved.

Austin Phimmasone

English 101, P.4

Mr. Drobny

12 November 2014

Reading Response

Understanding the Manga Hype

Manga.  A word derived from the japanese language, meaning comic strip or coming books.  

Manga is a graphic-novel comic with some literary content and value. Today, manga has become very popular in the US, which is evident by the new record setting amount of sales.  In this article, authors describe the multimodality of these comic’s literacies and further examine how they can be used to facilitate and teach in classrooms.  

The authors describe the movement and it connects and makes sense that it is getting more popular among young adolescents and schoolchildren in the US and is a genre related to the “new Literacy”.  Times are changing and so are interests.   Similar to texting and social, this hype produced by the manga is producing a new way for today's adolescents and schoolchildren to connect and communicate based on their similar interest of manga and the closely related anime fans.  Based upon the amount of young people in the US reading/viewing these manga comics, it is analyzed that this new-age form of literacy could be used as a learning tool to young people that are much more inclined to get attached to the pictures and physical views of the action they are reading.  Although this could be a beneficial from this aspect, from another, this could potentially lead to loss of imagination and innovation and the imagery that comes with traditional reading. But, referring to the TED talk we watched the other day, it is possible that “Innovation comes from the outside, not the inside.”  We will likely soon see where this new-found “hype” takes us.

Austin Phimmasone

English 101, P.4

Mr. Drobny

11 November 2014

Exploration 1

Meme Analysis

The meme that I chose to analyze and discuss was one relating to school and I thought it would fit my current situation as I just took a math test that I thought I did decent on but generally when I think that I usually bomb it.

The goal of this meme, like any other contextual or interpersonal meme, is to evoke some emotion and some inner connection based upon previous experience with the topic.  It is something that most people can relate with as they have most likely been in this position as, I am in the same situation as myself.  This meme gives individuals something to relate to and with and more specifically, kids that are in the middle school to college range. What makes this meme contagious and replicable is the amount of young adults that can relate to this and the picture fits the words perfectly.

The visual message is conveyed by a cartoon character that is looking very undecided, concerned and unsure of what to think.  That’s the exact suspicion, emotion, and feeling that is aroused in people after they think a test is too easy because it either was really easy or they did everything wrong.  In addition, the character isn’t just any character out of any cartoon, it’s out of a cartoon that targets kids aged 14-20, the exact demographic age group that this meme would be directed to and the only one that could currently interpersonally connect with the meme.  Also, not trying to generalize and say everyone is like this too much, but the kids that watch those kinds of shows, often don’t care as much about school and the character is one that appeals to them greatly because they probably spend more time watching this guy than studying for their math test, indirectly leading them to feelings of uncertainty and allowing them to make a stronger connection.

Austin Phimmasone

English 101, P.4

Mr. Drobny

9 November 2014

Reading Response

Online Memes, Affinities, and Cultural Production

This article, written by Michele Knobel and Colin Lankshear, dissects the meaning of meme and how it applies to and relates to internet and then goes even deeper into the effects and how complex the idea has become.  A meme, traditionally “an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, especially imitation” but with the recent internet culture shift and new, never-before seen levels of communication and global connection has become more of a “humorous image, video, piece of text, etc. that is copied (often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by Internet users.”  

Our new-age tendencies and utilization of the internet and the social media that is offered to us through websites, such as Tumblr, has altered the traditional idea of a meme.  I can see this in my own personal experiences, back when I was a lot younger and everyone wasn’t so “mainstream” the memes were thrown around amongst our small elementary groups and depending on the people that used it, that dictated whether it was “cool” or not.  Nowadays we live in a world where we are all connected and what is “cool” depends on what the icons and famous people do and the most known and popular kids are doing.  I see everybody trying to be like someone else and the influence from social media and the “inter-net,” I believe is the direct cause.  I think that it is causing people to lose their individuality and become "basic".  That’s why I refuse to have social media other than for school purposes.

Austin Phimmasone

English 101, P.4

Mr. Drobny

5 November 2014

Reading Response

Texting and Writing

This article, by Michaella Cullington, is very similar to the previous one in the essence that is discusses the effect(s) of texting on today’s students writings.  It again, analyzed the possible positive and negative effects of the new literature on writing and how it could alter writing in the future.  After analyzing it from positive and negative opinions, Cullington went and researched it herself.  Her findings were not surprising; she found that the effects of texting and “textspeak” had “a minimal effect on student writing.”  A statement that stood out to me was “It showed students do not believe textspeak is appropriate in formal writing assignments.”  This tied back to Clive Thompson’s article and the ideas and concept of kairos.  I personally know and use the idea of kairos everyday in my life and it is a skill that is necessary for people to effectively communicate.

I personally think that texting does affect writing, but I also believe the effects are minimal and that the benefits of the new levels of encouraged writing and literacy outweigh the minimal, unobtrusive negative effects.  I think that it connects young adults and allows us to all communicate at the same level and communicate more effectively.  Even if the effects right now may be minimally detrimental in communicating in times that we need to be so-called formal, at some point in the future, it could connect everyone and allow everyone to communicate naturally and more fluently and more confident.  I think it’s all about perspective.

Austin Phimmasone

English 101, P.4

Mr. Drobny

4 November 2014

Reading Response

The New Literacy

In Clive Thompson’s article, he examines the way literacy is changing, but unlike most critics of the new-age literate revolution, Clive welcomes it and sees it from a different perspective because it is something new and is encouraging writing and “young people today write far more than any generation before them.”  And it has also been found that, by examining writing, the influence of texting and social media isn’t even there in student’s papers.  Also, the newfound ways to communicate have given people the ability to connect and communicate more effectively and efficiently.  It has also helped our generation become “adept” at the skill of kairos.

I know and see the effects of kairos in my everyday life.  The ability to talk to friends then switch to being able to talk to teachers and anyone else is invaluable.  It is a tool for us to all become more effective in communicating and texting and other forms of similar communication have helped us develop that skill to almost perfection.