50 Shades of GIFs: The Pedagogical Potential of Animated Interpretation

This presentation considers the classroom possibilities for the use of GIFs in connection to classroom reading. Though it lingers on the opportunities for a literature classroom, it also considers how peer review, grading, or other comp related practices might also repurpose .gif related behaviors that are happening in non-academic environments.

The presentation begins with a discussion of Katrina Passick Lumsden’s review of 50 Shades of Grey, in which she used .gifs to vividly capture her retroactive reactions to passages. The project then offers examples of similar animated metaphors in other settings, such as chat, course notes, etc. Finally it will conclude with a brief application of George Lakoff’s “Metaphors We Live By” and an open consideration of the potential results of applying such a strategy in the classroom.

[gview file=”https://fs.wp.odu.edu/mmize/wp-content/uploads/sites/479/2017/03/50ShadesofGIFs.pdf”]