ddd sent me this story from the New York Times about the proliferation of mapping tools. I've been working on some assignments using Google's new My Maps function and Flickr's geotagging.

There are probably infinite ways these tools can be used in writing classrooms, but the assignment I worked up involves having students map a border that shapes their own life. This assignment was inspired by the book that first-year writing students at UT will be reading this year, The Devil's Highway - a book that explores U.S./Mexico immigration policies. I've worked up an example map that explores a border in my own life (that border is I-35, the highway that divides "East Austin" from Austin) - I plan to use this as an example for students. You can see that map here.

Google's "My Maps" is really easy to use. All you need is a Google Account, and you can point and click your way to a pretty detailed map. You can embed video, images, and audio in maps, and you can draw shapes, insert markers, and draw lines. Very, very easy. I'm currently developing a workshop on mapping assignments for our CWRL orientation, so I'd love to hear about any ideas people have.

Derek points us to Mojiti, a cool way to add annotations (thought bubbles, text, effects, etc.) to YouTube videos. It's pretty easy to use, and could make for some interesting mashups.

Rodney sent me this article in the Washington Post, The Eye Generation Prefers Not to Read All About It:

Because visual literacy is not required in schools, she says, "this generation's ability to assign meaning to the visual texts of others is passive and still needs a great deal more work. They are easily manipulated as students, consumers and citizens."

In other words, students today need to be taught, through images, how to think critically.

This is a familiar refrain, right? Well, last week I was reminded of how really OLD this type of argument is. I was watching Blackboard Jungle - a film that did a lot to create the category of "Juvenile Delinquent" in the 1950s. The story has been redone a great deal in recent years. Higher Learning comes to mind. But, more to the point, Blackboard Jungle was trotting out this "visual learners" argument in 1955. One of the ways that the teacher in the film reaches his students is by showing them a cartoon and then having them analyze the stories. After having such success with these leather jacket wearing hooligans, other teachers ask him what he's doing differently. I wish I could find the exact quote, but he explains that "kids these days" are visual learners...that you have to meet them on their own terms if you really want to reach them.

Over at Viz, UT's visual rhetoric site and blog, we've recently issued a call for contributors. Check out the call and consider signing on as a regular or irregular contributor if you have a serious or passing interest in visual rhetoric and/or visual culture (both broadly defined).