February 21

Today, we wrote about and discussed whole and small group discussion.  Our class has been having trouble with whole group discussions because very few people participate.  Also, when we come back from small group discussions, many of the groups continue to have side conversations instead of listening to the whole group discussion.  We discussed some reasons people may not feel comfortable talking in whole group and encouraged everyone to feel more comfortable and confident talking in whole group.  In addition, we talked about how we need to be more aware of listening to each other and not having  side conversations.  We also played two games and talked about how those games imitated effective or ineffective discussions.

Then, we talked about how to proceed with the Exploratory Proposal.  Most people ended up writing an argumentative essay (defending their opinions) instead of explaining what the three authors believed.  The class voted that, instead of rewriting the paper, Megan will graded on completion.  The paper is now worth 50 points (instead of 100) and each person will receive 10 points for each of the following:

• MLA Citation (Works Cited and In line)
• 4 pages minimum
• Used quotes or paraphrases from 3 authors from class
• Asked questions about the readings
• Posted to Blackboard and the blog on time

Then, we chose one of the comics or photos we brought and brainstormed by answering the following questions:

• Label each image in the photograph or comic
• Make notes about the distance between things.
• Make notes about the differences in sizes.
• Makes notes about the background.
• Note any empty or white spaces.
• Make notes about the words (types of words, color and position of words, etc.)
• Mark anything else you see.
• Make notes about the appeal.  Is it directed toward logos, ethos or pathos?
• What does each thing you marked down mean?  Why is it there? W hat does it do to the picture or comic?
• What is the main idea or argument of the photograph or comic?  How do you know?

We also talked about the organization of the visual analysis.  It should be organized in the following way:

1. Comic or Photograph #1
• What do you notice/see (Describe what is in the picture)
• What does each thing mean? (Interpret each images or feature)
• What is the main idea or argument of the photograph or comic?  How do you know?
2. Comic or Photograph #2
• What do you notice/see (Describe what is in the picture)
• What does each thing mean? (Interpret each images or feature)
• What is the main idea or argument of the photograph or comic?  How do you know?

Other notes about the paper:

• Do not feel obligated to include an introduction or conclusion.  If you don't have a reason for the introduction or conclusion (other than because you think it "should" be there), don't write them.
• Stick to third person for this paper.

Homework:

• Post your first draft of the Visual Analysis to your blog.
• Bring 4 hard copies of your first draft to class on Tuesday.