12 Graphics to Illustrate Mapping Media to the Curriculum

By Wesley Fryer in Tips August 2, 2012

This evening I spent several hours drawing on my iPad using the wonderful app, Brushes. Since I do NOT consider myself to be much of an artist, digital or otherwise, this was an unusual activity for me. I need twelve different graphics which can serve as icons for my continuing eBook and website project, “Mapping Media to the Curriculum.” (I’m still trying to decide if I’ll call this “Mapping Media to the Common Core” or stay with “Curriculum.” Instead of a text-dominated index of the twelve different media projects I’m highlighting in this project, I want to have a visual version which I can utilize in a website, a mobile app, and in a forthcoming eBook. Here’s what I came up with tonight. I had initially offered the challenge (and opportunity to make money) of drawing these to the now-8 year old illustrator of “Playing with Media,” but I think she was overwhelmed by such a long list. (Plus school started today for OKCPS.) This is now on the homepage of maps.playingwithmedia.com. After drawing these with a Rocketfish stylus (my favorite of the 4 or 5 iPad styluses I’ve tried to date) I cropped the images on my iPad using the Skitch app, and uploaded them to Flickr using PhotoSync. While I have never felt my drawing skills are very strong or good, I’ve absolutely LOVED the game Pictionary since college. (We used to play it on speech/debate tournaments.) I love Pictionary because I find it artistically freeing: The goal of the game isn’t to create great artwork, it’s to communicate. I adapted that same ethic of attempting effective communication (even if the pictures look like they were created by a 1st grader) in this picture series. I definitely think if there’s a possible masterpiece here, it’s the drawing for “Puppet Video.” (NOT!) I’m thinking at some point in the not too distant future, I’m going to put a project out for bid on a site like Guru.com for a freelancer to create badges I can utilize for an accompanying Mozilla Badge Project option for “Mapping Media to the Curriculum.” Until then, I’ll be using these images. If anything, I hope by creating and sharing these amateurish drawings I’m following my own advice in “playing with media!” I definitely had fun learning more about ways to use the Brushes iPad app! Please keep in mind “Mapping Media to the Curriculum / Common Core” is an ongoing / evolving project and isn’t finished by any means. I still have several of these media project pages to develop, and I’m eventually going to add more media to each one including accompanying tutorial videos. I do hope to have a fully functional version of this site ready by the end of the month, when I’ll again be working for Yukon Public Schools (in Oklahoma) as an “innovative instructional coach for Common Core.” I’m thinking we can redefine “digital literacy” (or follow the example of David Warlick and just say “literacy”) by focusing on these specific, twelve media project options in schools. A literate learner today should be able to create many of these and share them both safely and effectively online with others. A VERY literate learner can create and effectively share all twelve. What am I missing from my list that should be included?