Noden's Image Grammar

For my Image Grammar strategy demonstration, I presented the "Experiment with Forms" strategy, which asked students to create one form of writing (such as poetry or a skit) from another form of writing (such as a news article). Although I felt that my presentation went well, I would have loved to present another strategy that I think would serve as an amazing form of summative assessment. If I would have been able to teach this strategy for longer than one day, I would teach the strategy "Mix Forms with a Multigenre Research Paper." This is a project that is similar to one that I completed during my Freshman year at Kent State University, for which I worked in a group to create a research report about the "going green" movement, which was supplemented by a website and a presentation.

I feel that by asking students to present their research in a non-traditional fashion, they would be able to develop communication skills that would help them in the future. Additionally, I believe that this is a great way to assess students while considering that many people struggle with test-taking. Finally, by asking students to either create a T-shirt or video presentation (to name 2) to accompany their research, educators prepare students to use several forms of the media. Thus, this type of project would be an excellent way to foster responsible, informed users of visual technology while challenging them to work creatively as well as through thorough, valid research.