Naruto and Pinocchio

Both graphic novels were pretty good in my opinion; however, it never occurred to me to think about all of the minor similarities and differences between them. First off, the narration for Naruto is non-existent. All story development is done through other dialogue and illustrations. And in Pinocchio there are no narrations save for two interludes of alternate storyline that advance the story a bit more by providing back-story. Thought and word balloons are also the same in each graphic novel. Pinocchio seemed to have no thought-bubbles, though, while Naruto had quite a few more instances where the characters would speak to themselves. Both graphic novels were lacking in captions as well. Emnata are far more prevalent in Naruto where characters will always exhibit an emanata during excitement or confusion. Expressions dominate the majority of Pinocchio instead of emanata. The lettering that each comic uses fits the feel of the story. Pinocchio's text is small and somewhat shaky, which better conveys the dark feel to the comic. Naruto has a very simple and plain text except for when characters have extreme outbursts of emotion. At that point, the text becomes bold and large and exaggerated. The sound effects in both comics are similar, simply being bolded and more exciting statements applied to extreme action.

In a more visual look at each comic, we see that the characters in Naruto are made with lots of soft lines and excessive detail, except when any character becomes exasperated or filled with lots of emotion, at which point they will over-exaggerate the size of their heads and facial features which are all made of simple shapes. In Pinocchio, the characters are made of hard lines and angles with dark shading and expressionless eyes and faces. In Pinocchio, the presence of an object is his ever-growing nose, which he uses to fight the vampires. In the beginning portion of Naruto, this object was the scroll of lessons that was stolen, and throughout the entire comic it was the hitai-ate or headband that signified that Naruto was a full-fledged ninja. Characters in both comics had no icons to signify them or to show their presence all through the stories. Scenery in Pinocchio was limited to whatever was right around the characters and it was filled with shadow and made of simple shapes. Naruto was highly detailed and filled with descriptive illustrations and lots of very fine, minute drawings. The depicted action in each was very similar, however. Both used busy panels and blurred movement lines, as well as descriptive facial expressions and lots of illustrations of carnage such as spewing blood or ripped clothing. All action depictions were external, though, since no characters had the time alone in the books to make internal conflict with themselves.

The borders and gutters in Naruto are always thin and thick, respectively. In Pinocchio it is the same, but due to the dark in the panels, the gutters stand out as whiter and more defined. The panels in Pinocchio are always perfect squares and arranged in geometric patterns. In Naruto, the panels are the same, though there are more open panels. Pinocchio only has a very few open panels, as well as only having a very few splashes. In Naruto, splashes that even span two pages are far more abundant. The presence of bleeds in both comics is very few to none, most characters are kept to the action inside one frame at a time. Naruto focuses on having more close-ups, head shots, and head-shoulder shots than Pinocchio does. The characters in Naruto have more detail and expression to show in each closeup as opposed to the mostly blank expressions and empty eyes of the Pinocchio characters. Full-figure shots are more prevalent in Pinocchio as opposed to Naruto, where full-figure shots only make dominant appearances in panels depicting fight scenes. Naruto also holds more long shots, which help to display the intense detail and multitude of characters. In Pinocchio, long shots are less present because there are fewer characters, thus no need to use a long shot to fit them all together. Being very rare, there are no reverses in either comic, though in the scenes in the forest with Naruto and his fellow characters, there are times that it can be misconstrued.

In Naruto, the characters all elicit the same methods of exaggeration with their faces and bodies, as well as the size and font of the text when speaking. Pinocchio's characters don't exaggerate anything much besides a few nonchalant facial features and very smart one-line quips. In Naruto there is empathizing that is done with Naruto from his master Iruka because they were both orphans. There is also empathy given to Naruto from the Lord Hokage. In Pinocchio, our main character is essentially always alone because no one can empathize with him, nor does any other character express a wish to do so. The mood set in Pinocchio is that of darkness and revenge. We also catch a sense of loneliness and despair. In Naruto, the mood is that of adventure and trial, as well as undertones of secrecy and wishfulness. The simplicity in Pinocchio is the idea of “Find vampires; kill vampires.” The complexity is that Pinocchio's father has become a vampire and now plots against his son. In Naruto, the simple ideas are that of becoming a ninja and fulfilling a worthwhile life. The complex is that Naruto is the embodiment of an evil-monster-spirit that once terrorized the village he lives in. The irony in Naruto is that he is fighting to become the same kind of ninja that once fought and embodied the fox-spirit that resides within him. The irony in Pinocchio is that he is fighting against monsters who are controlled by his father and can offer him a life since they, too, are not human. The realism in Pinocchio is that we all have battles we must fight alone and even if we are given help from others, it is still our battle and must be faced by only us. The realism in Naruto is that we all have demons inside of us that we must fight to control, and hopefully we can do so enough that one day we may rise far above the depths that the demon can threaten to pull us to. The order in Naruto is in the form of the ninja order of his village, the Shinobi. The disorder comes mostly from Naruto with the inclusion of his fellow Shinobi-in-training. They are not as skilled or structured as the rest of the Shinobi would wish, and thus, they are a form of chaos to the world around them. In Pinocchio, he is his own order, having a set doctrine of being a just savior of the town by slaying the vampires. But he is also a form of disorder for the vampires. They, too, have their own order that they adhere to, and by killing them, Pinocchio disrupts that. In Pinocchio there is a juxtaposition with the characters whom fight against the vampires. Considering that Pinocchio is made of wood and can kill the vampires with his nose, he is vastly different from Canpanella, the magical fairy. Different from both of the others is Cherry, the only human. He not only lacks any significant powers, but he is also drastically taller than the other two party members. In Naruto the three students, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, all have vast differences while being forced to work together. Naruto is wild and unpredictable, as well as being unserious and untethered to important things. Sasuke is dark and brooding, but always cool-headed and witty. He is never quick to act and seems to care about nothing. Sakura is bubbly and very girly, but also tormented by her love for Sasuke and her hate for Naruto. The relationships present in both are oddly similar. Naruto and Pinocchio both have no family and very few friends, if any. They are both outcasts from the societies that they have been thrown into, but are ultimately good people and unsung heros. The comics and their protagonists also share the same points of view. They follow a social outcast as they try to connect to society around them in even a small way, all while doing what they can to protect them and find who they are. Both are orphans with plots in life that they must deal with alone. Most importantly, they both believe that they must accomplish something great and important in order to have a complete life.

Reflection

The best way I can describe my experience in this class is “mild.” I was really excited to start this class and learn more about how to use multi-modals in the classroom. I really enjoyed coming to the class, and the experiences we had in class. I loved the Cleveland Film Festival, but I think that was because I really liked my film rather than the experience as a whole. I hated Little Brother and the graphic novels. Although they would be good to use as a reading choice or to keep in the classroom, but personally I would not enjoy teaching them at all. I LOVED OUR FILM TEXT. It was a simple and enjoyable read. While reading, I constantly kept finding videos that related to the text. (Clearly, as seen with the quotes and videos on my blog.) I really enjoyed the LOST class lesson, and how we could apply multiple films, or television shows in the classroom and discuss them with the technology, or critique them in a technological perspective. I thought that many of the articles we read for blog posts were very repetitive. Although how Facebook was created, there is only so much about Facebook and how the technology surge is changing lesson plans without reading similar information. Although I thought the amount of blogging we needed to do was extremely tedious, I did enjoy reading everyone’s “Pleasure Reading” or extra posts. Most interestingly, I liked watching the spoken word poetry from Sarah and Mat’s musical history. Also when discussing LOST, I love that many of us posted blogs about that as well. When it comes to incorporating technology into the class, I kept thinking to myself  “We learned a lot of this in Educational Technology,” but like any other great class and teacher multi-modals offer us now a choice. We learned the different sites, and capabilities a classroom can have in order to a student to learn. As of now, I would like to use a wiki in order to post assignments, and notes for those who are absent in class. I really enjoyed the wiki project and out of all of our multi-modal adventures this semester, this is the main one I would like to continue to use.  I feel the main problem of using a lot of technology in the classroom, is the fact that use of multi-modals is fully dependent on the area. If students are from a poorer area, laptops, films etc are not as available as other schools. As educators, we need to make sure that although teachers can use multi-modals as a way to connect to students, but we must make sure that they are learning.

Shake the Dust (Spoken Poetry)

The following links are my favorite spoken word poets. Spoken word poetry is a something that is sparking interests again but most forget that this is how most stories and language were told and passed on. Old English and Middle English literature became a major movement of epic poetry performed out loud. The Anglo-Saxon time frame brought many oral traditions such as biblical sermons, epic poetry such as the heroic poem Beowulf, and biblical paraphrases such as The Lord’s Prayer. Back then this was the norm. It did not have a specific title, or people did not expect a standing ovation when finished. This is how people were educated and entertained. Now we call it Spoken Word Poetry. Spoken word poetry refers to works or performances that consist solely or mostly of one person speaking as if naturally, but yet most tend to have a musical tone to them. Spoken word poetry really came onto a modern map is when spoken word became more correlated to narration or speaking as the person would in conversation, as shown in the song "Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)" by Baz Luhrmann. As they became more popular, spoken word poetry became an outlet for those who wrote poetry and created a way to express it. I really enjoy the fact that all the poem I have came across are topics or discusses material that seem to jump off the page and hits the emotions of any person. Not only does it entertain, but it also informs, educates and inspires. What I really like is the difference between the two poets is how they perform their work. For example: Shake the Dust by Anis Mojgani rarely every speaks with his hands unless he is really making a point or he has come to the highest, most intense moment in the poem. On the other hand, Sarah Kay’s If I Should Have a Daughter is more theatrical and motions and defines each verse with her body. It is when she stands still and speaks slower is when the poem becomes more intense. In both videos, they discuss that their writing is a piece of themselves like a body part. Their writing is a part of themselves that becomes gifts to the world that are to shape how people think. During the times of epic poetry, again, their works were parts of themselves but as our professor said in class, the authors were using it to shape literature. In the end, all poetry will be remembered by someone. Words, spoken, written, performed or all three affect someone.

Twisted.....

I am a part of a Twisted group for the Facebook project and I just finished the book last night. The beginning and the middle were both very interesting and kept my interest, but I HATED the ending. It was so abrupt and sudden, it seemed like Anderson wasn't sure how to end the novel so she simply just cut it off.

What I really liked about the novel is that it was one of the first books I read, that had the point of view from a male character. There were points in the novel I stopped and asked my boyfriend "Do 16 year-old boys like this way?" In case you were wondering, they do. I really liked that dramatics and intense plot that kept the book an easy read until a part in the novel where Tyler has his world begin to crash....again. I can't decide whether this is poor writing, Anderson wanted the reader to feel the same anguish that Tyler has when suffering through this, or if the Anderson likes to dwell in her character's pity.

Musicals!

So lately I've been watching a ton of musicals or watching shows with music in them. Right now it is The Sound of Music. I love everything about this movie: Julie Andrews, the time period, and the strength of the family as the world crumbles around them with the birth of WWII. And I think it's really interesting that music becomes so timeless. Even today, a 1965 movie is still loved and watched by all generations. Also just finished season six of Grey's Anatomy! It is quite clear that any artist that gets to have one of their songs on Grey's is starting their breakthrough! Whoever is the soundtrack director of that show defiantly gets a round of applause. I began thinking about my Wiki and Romeo and Juliet and I'm starting to like the lesson plan of having the students make soundtracks of the novel or unit more and more! It's a great way for them to connect to a text in a way that reaches to their lives personally.

Public or Perish

I really enjoyed this article but I was have to reiterate the fact that I hate reading a screen constantly. I need to have the physical relationship with a book (touch, hold it, turn the pages.) But with electronic books on the rise, will books get cheaper? This makes me think that more and more books will become cheaper for a student or teacher to buy for a classroom library. Also as technology increases in the classroom, clearly teachers are going to have to learn how to use them, and is this going to go into interviews when hiring new teachers. Yes, they need to be equip with the latest technology, but let's not forget the tools that can help a student's reading level and even further test taking skills. Because as of right now, government tests are still coming into classrooms on paper.

Firestone

In a previous class we discussed that there are four main ways of constructing a lesson plan and using learning theories. In a perfect educational world, all four of the theories combined in the classroom would create the ideal lesson. It can accommodate each type of learner that could walk in the classroom. However, as the education system rise and fall towards economic standpoints and government decisions, a learning process must be narrowed down. In my mind I see test preparations in one learning theory and using multi-modals in another.

As English language arts is a subject with multiple components, it can be quite difficult for students to grasp. Language as Expression learning theory seems like to most beneficial way to accommodate all students. This type of learning style focuses solely on them, and how they want to focus on the class. Choice is such a strong element for students today, and Language of Expression emphasizes this more than any other theory. Multi-modals can be a major piece in this. Students can choose how they want to learn by using the technology they grew up on. This can be such a strong tool for a teacher simply because multi-modals and choice is already being used as an ally in the classroom to get the students’ attention, but then adding on choice they can immerse themselves fully causing them to learn so much more. Students are much more likely to make themselves more engaged in the topic or book because it is something that they are interested in. If this theory would be taken even further to the grading policy, if students create their own rubric they tend to grade themselves much harder than teachers do. If they fully engage themselves in a project, by creating their own rubric not only do they understand what they are being graded on, they can expand their critical thinking. This theory is very versatile, for any type of writing style or function. Countless lesson plans can be created because students can create their own lessons and use the teachers as guides. Students can express themselves as a learning process individually or as a group effort. Multi-modals can be easily thought about in trying to connect a book with a greater idea, furthermore bringing those idea to life. But when multi-modals can a student’s writing ability, that is when multi-modals are being used to their full extent. Language as Expression incorporates previous models, so teachers can see what students have already learned, what they are learning, and what they need to focus on in the future because of their choices.  Furthermore, in my experience, students tend to work better when they are given choices, because it seems that teachers trust them and believe in their intelligence.

Language as Artifact is a learning theory, as a student, I really enjoy. I like to be talked to, where I can take notes and answer homework questions. Multi-modals can be used in this learning theory but not in the same aspect as Language as Expression. In my experience, multi-modals are used in this theory as a resource to prove a point or give examples. But there is no greater thinking that what they are watching. This theory may be beneficial for students who need a bigger push into the written world. Language as Artifact helps students get to a certain point in the English critical thinking. This theory is very formulaic and works towards standardized teaching. As we, as teachers, are told to teach toward a test and with tests there is only one correct answer.  This is exactly what the Language of Artifact is; lectures in which there is only one correct answer.  The main problem to this theory is that this is the theory that is most commonly used, and in result the reason why students cannot adapt critical thinking skills. Most college freshmen have more problems in College Writing courses because they were not taught how to come up with critical ideas on their own and prove them through text resources. Teachers make writing formulaic for our students to remember to ensure the maximum amount of points for the students in the writing sections. We, as teachers, are fully at the wall when it comes to creative teaching. To prove we are good teachers we much teach towards a test.

For me the challenge is combining test preparation and multi-modals. As stated above, it can be done but personally a teacher needs to think about their students learning styles and how they like to learn. Test preparation is very formulaic, and therefore using multi-modals can be a great tool that teachers use in order to keep the student’s attention. In my classroom I would rather use multi-modals to help the students learn the information and then transfer test preparation as a good test taking skills. When combining the two I would want the students to critique other students in their test taking abilities by watching videos for example. Have the students answer questions such as: What did they do right? What should they have done to help them learn?  

I did not see much test preparation at Firestone. They taught for what the students were learning right now, rather than for what the government is looking for in a standardized test. When tutoring my student, it was quite evident that he was taught test taking skills but when I was observing I did not see teachers going over said skills.  My student knew about underlining important pieces of text, and he began to learn about reading questions before reading the related text. But if I were his teacher I would have used multi-modals as a way to help him expand his knowledge on thinking critically about the text. I would like to use songs, movies, and TV shows they he (or my students) enjoys that way it will hold their attention but then I as an educator can expand their thinking. 

Standardized Test Tips for Teachers