Want a Puff from My SIG?

For a few years now I've been pondering starting up a SANE SIG with NCTE. That would be a "Sequential Art Narratives in Education" Special Interest Group associated with the National Council of Teachers of English. I chose the "SANE" acronym, which I also use on my blog, to be intentionally subversive. "Some people might think it's crazy to use comics in the classroom, but it's actually quite SANE" (yes, I am a corn dog).

I've gotten some info from NCTE about how to start one up. Basically, they need a certain number of folks (NCTE members or potential members) who would be interested. Then some official documents are drawn up about the mission of the SIG (to examine issues associated with literacy and sequential art narratives; to propagate and inform others about scholarship on the subject; to offer support to existing and potential literacy/comics scholars and educators, etc), officers are named, etc. Dues are collected and the amount is based on membership numbers. Members of the SIG meet at the national conference and host SANE-related sessions.

There are currently other SIG's in NCTE that could make a claim to include SANE work, but I feel strongly that it can support its own group.

So, my question to you is, would you have interest in this? If so, maybe leave a comment saying so with your name and institution or a way to get in touch with you, and/or drop me an e-mail at jbcarter2 [at] utep.edu.

If there's sincere interest, maybe I'll start organizing something for us!

Gutierrez Sees Comics as Preferable Medium For Teaching Media Literacy

Montclair, New Jersey media specialist and comics creator Peter Gutierrez has gained my attention and the notice of the NCTE Inbox for his words about using comics to teach media literacy. Posted on the Diamond Bookshelf website in the "School Articles" section, the piece "make[s] the argument for revisiting comics as an inherently effective teaching gateway to a variety of media as well as a means to address broader issues of process and the role of media in society."

Compelling, and completely agreeable to the views of EN/SANE world, it may be read in full here.

OK, I'm off to send Mr. G an e-mail about my SANE SIG idea....