1. Semiotics
Semiotics is concerned with everything that can be taken as a sign. A sign is everything which can be taken as significantly substituting for something else. This something else does not necessarily have to exist or to actually be somewhere at the moment in which a sign stands in for it. Thus semiotics is in principle the discipline studying everything which can be used in order to lie. If something cannot be used to tell a lie, conversely it cannot be used to tell the truth; it cannot in fact be used 'to tell' at all. I think that the definition of a 'theory of the lie' should be taken as a pretty comprehensive program for general semiotics.
-Umberto Eco, Theory of Semiotics, 1976

2. What is Semiotics?
It is the theory of signs and symbols and the study of their use in conveying meaning
It involves the production of signs, communication through signs, the systematic structuring of signs into codes, the social function of signs and finally the meaning of signs
Semiotics concentrates on three main areas:
The study of the sign itself
The systems into which signs are structured and organized
The social and cultural contexts within which these signs operate. 
Semioticians have developed a variety of theories for classifying and describing the relationships between signs and their meanings, or in other terms, between the "signifier" and "signified.”

3. Ferdinand de Saussure (1857 - 1913) - Swiss linguist
- considered one of the founders of semiotics 
believed semiology or the science of how signs influence
social life would investigate the correlation between the
nature of signs and their governing laws/rules.
signs can take many different forms such as words, sounds,
gestures, images and objects. 
- used linguistic concepts as a way to explain semiotics. 
- believed speech represents the most important of all signs systems and is the most influential communication system.
- believed linguistics would become a division of social psychology.

4. Saussure's Two-Part Model of The Sign
 - The signifier refers to the form the sign takes (i.e. word or image)
 - The signified refers to the concept which the sign represents. 
- Signification represents the relationship between the signifier and signified or how the two elements interact with each other. 
- The arrows in the diagram represent signification. 
- refers to the psychological constructs created by the signified and signifier
- It is both the signifier and the signified which make up the sign. (Chandler)

5. Other Key Points from Saussure
Two basic Saussurean principles: 1) The arbitrary nature of the sign--The sign’s value is arbitrary based on social convention as determined by the link the signified and signifier or the idea and the sound. 2) The linear nature of the signifier--Auditory signifiers are measured based on the dimension of time. Therefore the signifier is linear in nature. Two Terms Saussure famous for: 1. Langue refers to the abstract system of conventions and rules of a given signifying system such as language. This system exists independently of the users. 2. Parole refers to the act of speech.  
(Bryson)

6. Charles Sanders Peirce (pronounced "purse") 
"the most original and versatile of American philosophers and America's greatest logician"
                                                                                                                               -Paul Weiss
Educated as a Chemist and employed as a scientist for 30 years.
Intermittently employed in various scientific capacities from
Peirce enjoyed his highly influential father's protection until his death in 1880
His employment exempted Peirce from having to take part in the Civil War

7. Peirce cont.
All thought is in signs, issuing in and from interpretation, where 'sign' is the word for the broadest variety of conceivable semblances, diagrams, metaphors, symptoms, signals, symbols, texts, even mental concepts and ideas.
—Peirce 1868.
Peirce believed that there were three basic elements in semiosis
1. A sign (or representamen)
2. An object (or semiotics object)
3. An interpretant (or interpretant sign)

8. Charles W. Morris
Pragmatics is that portion of semiotics which deals with the origin, uses, and effects of signs within the behaviour in which they occur; semantics deals with the signification of signs in all modes of signifying; syntatics deals with combinations of signs without regard for their specific significations or their relation to the behavior in which they occur
-Charles Morris
Morris’ semiotic theory established a claim that symbols have three types of relations
1. Syntactics -the study of relations of visual elements within text to each other
2. Semantics -the study of relations of visual representations to referents
3. Pragmatics -the study of relations of visual representations to conditions of their production and use

9. Let hear it from someone else...

10. How does semiotics relate to the learning settings?
Semiotics is one theory that can explain the human process of the meaning making in the learning environment. It’s the bridge between psychological theory and educational theory.
Its a framework for understanding the ‘connection-making of meaning making’ 
Peirce’s theory can help teachers to ‘read’ students thoughts more accurately and effectively.
Learning involves the interaction of a universe of signs, objects, and interpretants while a student’s concepts move closer and closer to their ‘final’ interprantants.
Peirce expresses the importance of ‘something stopping us from doing the usual’ -that is, we should search for something that makes us acquire ‘a habit of changing habits’. In visualizing the knowledge structure as an explicit tool, concept mapping can be a method that encourages the student to acquire ‘a habit of changing habits’.

11. Peirce cont.
The Peircean semiotic paradigm is organized around three elements
Firstness -involving hypothesis. Brings in the students qualitative ideas and beliefs. Instinctive feelings, making assumptions. Secondness -brings in the world of verbal and non verbal signs that the student has already assimilated through experience. It brings in the world of personal experiences and uses ‘facts’ in verifying hypotheses. The goal is generalizations. Thirdness -(‘updated’ meaning) is an attempt to describe how meaning is elevated to the level of generality and how the human mind moves through the reasoning process. The ideas of thirdness gives tools (meaningful concepts) for assessing the qualities that binds ‘firstness’ to ‘secondness’

12. Looking at a specific learning strategy...
Concept mapping
Concept mapping allows students to apply more of their intellectual abilities in making reasoned assumptions by helping them to identify and visualize the complexity of the thinking process.
For teachers, applying Peirce's semiotic paradigm to concept maps allows them to track student's conceptual development. It provides a detailed model of how the reasoning faculties develop, step by step, in relation to the connecting-making
The moments in learning when concepts are ‘updated’ can be caught by the free-style concept mapping. This process works naturally within the Peircean semiotic paradigm and the abductive reasoning dimension; the natural rhythm of learning is rarely linear, being more a matter of one step forward and two steps back. The foundation of Peirce’s semiotic paradigm makes it a suitable theoretical framework for use with concept mapping in clarifying concepts and tracing meaning-making and connection making in learning. Students are encouraged to take past experiences into account in  ‘updating’ to more precise meanings of their concepts. Emphasizing the intuitive aspects of the meaning-making process.
-M. Kankkunen

13. What does the class think?
2. How is technology affecting educational communication when viewed from this perspective?
ICT needs to be able to promote engagement of learners in abductive reasoning
Examples of technology which incorporates semiotics:
- VRMath - incorporates semiotic principles to teach 3D geometry (Yeh)
 - Inspiration, Kidspiration, SmartIdeas - concept mapping
- Assistive Technologies such as Boardmaker, Writing with Symbols, Clicker5
What does the class think?

14. Proloquo2go
Cutting edge technology which is having a huge impact on education:
Proloquo2go - Augmentative and Alternative Communication tool
Minutes episode on Autism and the Proloquo2go

16. Colin

17. References
Bronson, M.E., (2011).  Ferdinand De Saussure--Course In General Linguistics. Retrieved November 5, 2011 from
Chandler, D. (2005). Semiotics for Beginners. Retrieved October 9, 2011 from
Fan, J-P., (2006). Charles Morris’s Semiotic Model and Analytical Studies Of Visual and Verbal Representation in Technical Communication. J. Technical Writing And Communication, v36 (n2) p
Ferdinand de Saussure (2011). Retrieved October 9, 2011 from
Kankkunen, M., (2001). Concept Mapping and Peirce's Semiotic Paradigm Meet in the Classroom Environment. Learning Environments Research, v4 (n3) p
Midtgarden, T., (2005). On The Prospect Of A Semiotic Theory of Learning. Educational Philosophy and Theory, v37 (n2)
Yeh, A. (2004). Toward a Semiotic Framework for Using Technology in Mathematics Education: The Case of Learning 3D Geometry. Retrieved Nov. 6, 2011 from 
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