what
are i-Images? i-Images
are artfully created images of big subject-matter ideas. In essence,
i-Images are advertisements. Advertisements, of course, have been
around forever and have been used to get people to buy things,
do things, think certain ways, and so on. However, this kind of
advertisement has the goal of "selling" big ideas from
the school curriculum. What makes i-images unique is the use of
the art of advertising to invite students to see and experience
their world differently. i-Images are not your typical boring,
literal posters that you might already find in schools that picture
Kermit the Frog reading a book, or a picture of Einstein sticking
his tongue out. Instead, i-Images are provocative, alluring, and
cool in the same way as advertisements found in youth culture.
Just as an i-Pod is made cool in its advertisement and in its use,
so might a big idea from school also be cool.
We
were recently asked how i-Images differ from the inspirational
posters often seen in business offices or the educational posters
typically decorating school hallways. We are all familiar with
the poster of geese flying in V-formation with accompanied by the
word "Teamwork"
in big, serious font. Similarly, we have all seen posters in schools
promoting "Respect". "Reading is Fun", or "Just
say No to Drugs." By most standards, these image are artfully
rendered and express important ideas.
An
image in an i-Image to the degree that it...
Expresses
an idea specific and important to a particular subject-matter.
The idea that "A few themes recur over and over in literature" is
more specific to a particular subject area than "Teamwork", "Respect",
or even "Reading is fun."
Changes
our perception of our world. To know that "Plants
are the only organism on Earth capable of producing their own
food" can affect how we think about conservation issues,
make decisions at the grocery store, or simply appreciate the
beauty of Nature. If ideas are lenses, then our world takes
on greater meaning and significance when seen through the ideas
of i-Images.
Inspires
the imagination - a feeling of "what if?"
Trivia and
"Factoids"
are often used to catch our attention in newspapers, television,
and movies. The fact that "Titanic cost X million dollars
to produce" may make grab our attention for a moment, but
this feeling is probably unlikely to go anywhere. On the other
hand, a factoid such as "The average American is more wealthy
than 95% of the people in the world" may inspire us, if only
for a moment, to dwell on the idea as it illuminates something
new about other aspects of our lives. Of course, we are aware that
the extent to which we are inspired is not only a matter of the
idea itself. How the idea is presented is also critical. Nonetheless,
it helps to have a powerful idea to start with.
i-Images
can be displayed anywhere other visual advertisements appear. Magazines,
newspapers, and web sites are obvious choices. Also, movie theaters,
sports arenas, and other public venues are also popular places
to find printed advertisements. In schools, i-Images can be displayed
in hallways, bulletin boards, and public LCD displays.
what
cool is not. An
image can be eye-catching and make us say "cool." After
a few minutes, we may have forgotten all about it and not think
of it ever again. We are after a different, more enduring kind
of cool. We are interested in the kind of experience that is cool
because it sparks the imagination, and changes us in some small
but lasting way. In fact, it is not really the idea or the image
that is cool. It is this experience - where our world looks different
because we have been seized by a big idea - that is cool.
what
an idea is not. A
vital quality of ideas, especially big ones, is that they make
us see and experience the world in new ways. An idea is not a factoid
or a bit of trivia. Thus, even the exciting fact that a tablespoon
of ketchup contains a teaspoon of sugar is not necessarily an idea.
However, it can become an idea if it leads to us to think, feel,
or act differently. The more we are inspired to think, feel, and
act differently, the bigger the idea. i-Images are about big ideas.