These two workshops, sponsored by the Centre for Research in Young People’s Texts and Cultures, are recommended for student teachers, educators, and others interested in young people’s texts and cultures, picture books, and cross-media literacies. Please email n.hamer@uwinnipeg.ca to reserve a place in the workshops. Light refreshments will be provided.
“You get to BE Harold’s Purple Crayon”: The Limitations and Opportunities of the Picture Book App for Mobile and Interactive Platforms
October 22, 2:30PM to 5:15PM
Room 2D12
This is a hands-on workshop with Naomi Hamer, assistant professor in the Centre for Research in Young People’s Texts and Cultures. It will explore the design and development of picture book apps using theoretical and methodological approaches from game studies, social semiotics, and New Literacies Studies. The workshop will examine the opportunities and limitations offered by these apps for informal and classroom-based learning, often in conjunction with the use of print picture books. Additional information about useful review sites, links and other resources will be distributed and discussed.
Picture Books as Performance
November 7, 2:30PM to 5:15PM
Room 3M57
This is a workshop with special guest Kari-Lynn Winters, assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at Brock University, who is also a picture book author and playwright. Engagement is created through a range of semiotic interactions–images and words, but also through modes of performance, such as gestures and digital media. In light of these kinds of interactions, this workshop will explore how educators may connect with children in order to develop semiotic and critical practices, and to participate in developing their literate communities. Check out http://kariwinters.com for more information about Kari-Lynn.