Fortune and Moran Responses

Ron Fortune’s response to Kress focuses on how instructors can teach how the visual and verbal relate to one another. He argues that the tradition view of this relationship is either illustration (the visual illustrates the verbal) or explanation (the verbal explains what is seen). He argues that there are more relationships than just these two. He notes Kress’s notion of the “semiotics of synesthesia.” This seems to refer to the simultaneity of the visual and the verbal. However, Fortune never explicitly lays out other relationships. I began to think transitions in writing, which represent relationships between ideas. What would a cause-effect visual / image relationship look like? Maybe it would look like this: a verbal message “Global warming is real” with a picture of some of the effects. Other relationships could consist of similarity, difference (even irony), exception, etc.

While I believe Moran has a point when he highlights the important of the oral, I believe that technology has enhanced discussion in some ways. Moran argues that Kress’s move from print to image has helped us to ignore the importance of the spoken word. He argues that voice and class discussions will be thrown out of English classrooms. I wish he would have said more on listening because I think this is such an important feature of communication that is often ignored. I know for me it has been a relationship skill that I’ve had to develop. I find it difficult sometimes to not jump in with my thoughts before the other person has finished. Also, finishing other people’s sentences is not necessarily the best way to show that you’re listening. In any case, Moran emphasizes the importance of the oral, especially in discussions, and how it may be being displaced by a focus on technology and the image. However, if we embrace technologies such as threaded discussions and chats in the classroom we might note some unexpected outcomes. One that I’ve heard and experienced is that threaded discussions really help to give more introverted students the chance to express themselves with less anxiety. I’ve seen quiet students make really long posts online and never say a word in class. This is not to say that oral performance is not important. I know for myself, being a more introverted student, that it is a challenge for me to speak out in class. It really does go against my typical way of being. However, threaded discussions may offer students the opportunity to see that their contributions are meaningful, which may encourage them to speak in class.