H: Nothing, or at least virtually nothing, is happening--which is somewhat the point.

O: Because I find this sight--which I see every day--profoundly telling and depressing.

T: That we are largely illiterate when it comes to the design of schools and the grounds. Most people don't give it a second thought as they pass by (usually in cars). The just "see" a "school". They don't really "SEE" it, or the bleakness of it. (chain link fencing, somewhat neglected grounds, forlorn "play" structures, etc). Again, the image is intended as a metaphor, not a literal representation.

O: Again, by forcing us to pay attention to things we tend to overlook or not notice. We need to "see" beyond what we normally take for granted if we're ever going to be able to make profound changes.

H: An unbelievable amount of signage trying to communicate massive amounts of information in a very restricted space. The density of the information makes it virtually illegible.

O: 1) To situate the school in its urban context, and 2) to suggest that we "read" the urban environment in very complex ways.

T: Literacy is as much visual as it is text-based. We "read" the urban environment every day without paying attention to what we are "seeing" and "reading". The image provides a context within which the school ostensibly functions.

O: To deconstruct the urban environment and force people to actually LOOK at things they normally pay very little attention to--to NOTICE, an to realize the gulf between "naturalized" seeing without noticing and "self-aware" seeing WITH noticing.

Do we need to stay on top of things to make sure they don't go into a state of decay?

Terry

I think your viewpoint here is interesting. If I was to walk by this school, I too would fail to see the bleakness of it. Much of our current school design is taken from what's happened or worked in the past; we do need to be able to create new environments that are suitable for today.

I feel it is not easy to look ahead and in different places; it's certainly a challenge.

Terry

First of all, that is a ridiculous amount of signage in one area. This is a great example to compare this to the amount of information we are expected to process. How do we do it? Is it too much? What's important and what isn't? Is some of it repetitive?

It's one thing to look at things, and it's completely another to notice what's beyond the surface.

I think that a lot of students feel overwhelmed by the amount of information coming at them, as I know I certainly have. Are there certain items I need to devote more time to? How do I determine what is important and what isn't? This is certainly a literacy in itself.

Before starting this program, I really only considered literacy to be a text-based idea. In almost completing my second year, I have learned that is certainly is as much visual as it is text-based. This is the changing face of literacy in today's world.

Terry

This image brought forth feelings of anxiety and confusion. Travelling to a new city or country may offer challenges. Having to read signs and images such as the one's in the picture is difficult. This picture had me thinking of our ELL population, and the literacy challenges they must experience when coming to a new country.

I have to say this image made me think a little more deeply about how I ‘see’ this school and school design in general.  The focus on the chain link fence reminded me of a penitentiary, not a place of learning.  Walking by this school, I focus almost entirely on the building itself and the positives of it so it is refreshing to look at it from a broader perspective.  Similar to what Lindsay said, is it more important to spend time and money on learning resources for inside the school or on the aesthetics of the school?  I would say it is important to keep up both but perhaps the CBE has a different opinion.

The way you’ve captured this scene is interesting.  How can a person be expected to process that amount of information?  It is most certainly overkill and the caption is perfect.  It is true that we become so desensitized to certain signs in the urban environment that we don’t see them anymore.  The online world is similar in a way, where we need to sift through massive amounts of information and learn to ignore the unnecessary information (ads, junk email, etc.).  An overwhelming task, but an important skill to be learned in order to function in today’s society.