Final Project

Weekly Reading #12

"Your Motivations for Digital and Media Literacy" Top Five Ranked for Me:

1. write your own: to show students how science, technology, and society all rely on each other to advance. STEM

2. to increase student motivation and engagement in the classroom

3. to promote creativity and self-expression

4. to support the development of students' content knowledge

5. to modernize the curriculum and make it more relevant to students

Quotes from the chapter:

"It all starts from a place of passion."

Digital and media literacy comes from a place of passion for me. For me, it is the perfect tool to bring out the best in every student, giving them the opportunity create and express themselves in anyway they see fit. This weekend I attended the WVSTA conference at Glade Springs resort and discovered something that integrates the science that I love and the technology I can't get enough of; I am talking about the First Lego League programs. After attending the sessions with Jaime Ford and Todd Ensign, they got me passionate about First. What the program does for students has me excited for the future and what this program can be for students. I hope to work with this program in the future.

"A deep commitment to student voice is at the heart of digital and media literacy."

Student voice is what drives digital and media literacy because it is their voice that gives it life. Their creativity brings out the best in digital and media literacy; projects that can shock and aww the audience in the best ways.

"When it comes to cell phones, educators in some schools are discovering that policies based on respect and courtesy have a bigger positive impact than those based on control and prohibition."

It may seem odd to some educators, but students often use their phones in class to gain a better understanding of what is being lectured. Yes, sometimes they are texting or goofing off, but this is not usually the case; unless they have nothing to do and are not being engaged by the educator. When students look things up for themselves they typically remember the information because they had to go out of their way to understand it. Cell phones have become a great tool in the classroom and let students have all the information of a library at their finger tips. There are also some great educational apps that you can have to students download and use in the classroom. This can also save the educator some money and time.

PSA Video!

To reach my audience I created a video using my sister, who is not a high school student at all, but looks younger, to try to connect to the students. If the message comes from a younger person, then I hope that it will be more well received more students will watch the commercial. The music gives it sort of an older feel, but has classical qualities that set the mood with a political type setting. The persuasive techniques I used were things like: presenting facts that will get the students thinking, only stating the bad things that have been caused and the restrictions to the students by these laws, and giving the students the knowledge that they can reverse their current state in the school. The key part of this PSA, I think, is that it provokes the students and gets in their face to do something.

Weekly Reading #11

In this video Sarah Stuteville talks about how her and her friends are about to graduate college wit ha degree that is "worthless". What they decide to do is to do the one thing they want to do most, travel the world and report on the stories they find the most intriguing. Chapter 8 is all about students using current events in the classroom and talking about different types of news that they want to report on. It is about reporting what the students believe to be news worthy by justifying it in their own way. It is an authentic learning activity because it can be used in any classroom and the students can report on an authentic topic. It can also be of news that takes place as a world news story or even a local news story. What motivated Sarah is that she could report on what she wanted, the ability to have a choice in what you want to do is a powerful method in teaching because it gives the student control over their learning.

PSA Outline

Topic: Student's rights for freedom of expression.

3 Statistics/Facts to be used in my PSA:

• "But it is also the case that school administrators have a far greater ability to restrict the speech of their students than the government has to restrict the speech of the general public."
• "The First Amendment prevents Congress from abridging U.S. citizens' right to freedom of speech; the 14th Amendment extends this limitation to state and local governments."
• "While courts have generally decided the degree to which First Amendment rights apply within schools, some states have taken it upon themselves to pass additional legislation to ensure the protection of students' freedom of expression."

Audience: Students

Weekly Reading #10

"Online pranking videos provide a relatively safe and structured opportunity to explore the ethics of representation"

This is an intriguing idea because we have to take a look at what it means by relatively safe. Does it mean it is physically safe? Does it taking into account the mental safety of the pranker and prankee? Pranks that can seem harmless can cause mental instability for the both parties. The pranker can gain a sense of power that they cannot be touched and this can get them into situations where that is not the case. The prankee can go through an emotional/mental trauma from the prank and be uncomfortable in situations they were once comfortable in. This of course all comes in with the ethics of representation, how the prank is done and what effects are caused to the participants during the prank.

"Self-disclosure is the process by which one person lets his or her inner being, thoughts, and emotions be known to another."

In the book they talked about how self-disclosure can be good and bad in the classroom. It does facilitate discussions and helps them become more real for the students, but it worries me that it will go on too deep of a level and they will reveal things that they shouldn't. Some students can be understanding and not poke fun at the other students when they reveal this personal information, but there are students who relish in the opportunity to abuse this knowledge with social power. I think that it might be good for a one-on-one discussion, but maybe not so appropriate to a group discussion.

"A survey of social-media-using women ages 18-34 shows that 26% get up in the middle of the night to read text messages and 21% check Facebook during the night."

This quote just knocked me off my socks because it just seems absurd. I just can't imagine something being sent to me or on Facebook that I would need to check it in the middle of the night. I am not sure if it is because they wake up and use the bathroom, so they then check it before going back to bed. That situation is a little less surprising, but is still odd that they feel the need to check these media sources. I just wonder how this affects the restfulness of the people checking these media sources. If I had to guess, it probably affects their performance in school and at their work.

Media Deconstruction

• I agree with the claims made in both of the deconstructions, but not completely. 

• The Century Link ad gets it's message across, but as for it being a cover up, that is what a commercial is. A commercial is a short clip that makes your product look desirable even if it is not; the experience with the product is also individualized and some people may actually enjoy the product. It is typical for companies like Century Link to provide mediocre service and have some problems with their service. I like to think that these companies are not running at the top of their game every second of everyday just like any other normal human being. 

• The Alltel ad doesn't really promote racism or stereotypes because those opinions are created by the viewer of the commercial. Also, they could have just put a group of college students in that room that like to party and achieved the same goal without using a different ethic group. The ethic group they choose did give some comic relief because what they were doing made the viewer feel joy while the group of people were having fun. So, I think that it can be interpreted as racist if you take it that way and the family who is housing them does seem to have discomfort, but it might be just because that is not what they enjoy doing, which makes it just a personal preference and not an issue of race. Stereotypes are formed by viewer as well towards a certain race, but in this video the people in that room do not all look Hispanic to me.

•  My interpretation of the Century Link commercial is that it is a typical telecommunications company that that is stating that they too have the ability to connect everyone through the internet and phone services, in a large amount of places across the globe. This is slightly different from the other interpretation because I think they are doing the same thing every other telecommunications company is doing which is trying to get consumers to buy their product.

• My interpretation of the Alltel commercial is that phone plans are too expensive, but Alltel can offer an affordable option over it's competitors. My interpretation is slightly different because I don't play into the racism or stereotype part of the ad and take it more as comic relief that is provided and that it doesn't have to do with the race of the people performing the action. 

Weekly Reading #9

Chapter 6: Protection and Empowerment

"Media makers are not the enemy. Their job is to create stories that compel our attention, because attention is the commodity that has value in the market-place."

I think that this is a great concept to teach to student because they tend to blur the lines. After seeing something in a movie or TV show students are prone to reproduce the action because they think it will make them look "cool" in the eyes of their peers like it did in the movie/TV show. Having the students understanding and discussing why it is or is not a good idea to repeat these actions can help deter them actually performing the actions.

"Instead, she introduced a comparison-contrast activity in her health class to encourage all her students to examine their own sense of connectedness to various media personalities and reflect upon the contradictory messages about gender, race, and identity offered up by the mass media and celebrity culture."

This sounded like a great activity to do with students because it not only has students see what mass media does to a person's image, but also can help all the students come to a common understanding and get rid of misconceptions. Debate is normally a good tool to help students get to this common understanding and get all the information from all of the participants out in the open.

"Viewers are punked by stealth marketing when they interpret these messages as simple entertainment and are unaware of their persuasive."

This stealth marketing was eye opening because I don't know if I have actually seen these ads. This can be a good or bad thing for me because that means they are either not reaching me or are stealthed so well that I didn't notice their existence. I wonder if this is related to things such as product placement where it is not pointed out, but it is noted that the actors are using specific products. Something as simple as one of your role-models where Levi jeans; you may notice that they are wearing that type of jeans and thus feel a need to also wear those jeans because your role-model wears them.

Magazine Cover

The cover has a large title that has surrounded by some lightning bolts to imply that this is a magazine that reacts quickly to stories. It also gives the feeling that the magazine deals with next level content is always ahead of the curve. It has a simple bar-code along with the month and year it was published. The price of the magazine is listed on the cover and has the currency type to show that his is a magazine made in the USA and primarily sold there. I used a lot of different colors for the different texts so that each would eye-catching and make the reader want to look at all of them. This was complemented with different fonts styles as well to give each statement their own unique feel. Size was also a large factor in the text; the more important information is presented in larger fonts. The statements are all about making a better student that is on the next level of education compared to the competitors. The photos show that the common core not only gets the students thinking on a higher level, but also has them collaborating on creative project that is also on this higher level with the advanced materials they are using in the picture. The laptop and paper that the students are using is what gives the photo the advanced level feel. The laptop itself is a technological advancement that a lot of schools do not have access to and the paper looks important, but is it hard to tell what it actually represents. The paper being so hard to determine what it is makes it look more advanced than it may be because if the reader doesn't know what it then it is probably beyond them and thus on a higher level. I have inserted a question into the picture on the left to get parents to see how critical thinking that is going to be used with their students could also benefit them, this includes the parents in the learning which can give them the feeling that they are leveling up with their child. I used a plain blue background so that the text and photos would pop out more and not blend in with the busy background.

The media language techniques that I used in the magazine cover were: grammatical techniques, idiomatic phrases, and alliteration.

The media persuasion techniques I used were: association, explicit claims,  intensity, new, and symbols. I used association by stating that common core will "level up" their students mind, since leveling up is a good thing consists of obtaining and unlocking a higher state of being. Explicit claims were used by stating the price of magazine and in the statement, "A deeper understanding". The statement was neither true nor false, but suggests that it will give you a deeper understanding. Intensity was used in the statement, "Cooler Creative Classroom" because cooler is a comparative in that it is saying this cooler than other creative classrooms. The common core concept itself is a new idea which gives it the new technique. Symbols are seen with the two pictures on the cover. The first on the left side says that it will get the students mind thinking and the picture of the students on the right are working together on a creative project with a laptop that suggests that these students are being extremely creative and advanced in their work.

Weekly reading #8

“It was a process that I came to understand as having three phases: romance, precision, and generalization.”

This quote is directed at the way someone falls in love with learning. This process describes the process well and is exactly how I feel about the things I love. It does not only have to apply to a subject like Biology or English; it can be applied to anything you love, even a person you love. It can work this way because one gains an emotional involvement and then develops a need for precision where the two develop a common language and understanding of each other. Lastly, generalization of using the romance and the precision to explore new knowledge of each other and ways that are serviceable in a particular context or setting. This quote speaks the truth about learning and anything else that you could love.

“When adolescents have communicative power, it is inevitable that they will say something that makes adults uncomfortable.”

When students speak out like this there is a good and a bad side. The good side being that they give a new and fresh perspective on what the adults are saying and can see the hypocrisy in what they do. The bad side is in how they sometimes present these findings in a crude or vulgar type manner that takes away from the point they are actually trying to make. Teaching students that saying something that might make an adult feel uncomfortable is completely acceptable, but to do it in a way that it does not take away from the stance they are taking.

“Using creativity and imagination, as if working for an advertising agency, each students developed a way to ‘sell’ the element by using image composition tools to create propaganda poster.”

The idea for this project grabbed my attention immediately because of how fun it sounded. It made me wish that I was chemistry certified, but at least I am general science certified so maybe I can fit it into a general science class. I totally agree with how they say it will give students a reason to look deeper into their elements and elements of other students. If they have a good pitch or even a bad pitch students will want to look into the elements to “fact check” the pitch. Fact checking has grown largely in the adolescent community since the introduction of smart phones where students can Google for information and find out if what someone is talking is true or not in seconds from it coming out of their mouth. This makes other students want to become more accurate with their statements or they must enhance their ability to cover the truth.

Magazine Deconstruction

Authors and Audience:

• Who produced this document, and for what purpose?
• theblaze.com. It was produced to tell the “truth” about the material in their magazine.
• When was this produced, and what was it's historical context?
• This was produced in May 2014 which was only 4 months ago. The context is that common core is going to ruin our kids future and our own..
• Who is the target audience?
• Parents, because of the use of the word our that claims possession on the kids.

Messages and Meanings:

• What are the messages communicated?
• The messages are communicating that common core is going to threaten our kids future as well as our own. There are also featured articles at the top of the cover that seem to show a leaning towards christians. This makes the magazine feel more like a religious magazine and sends the message that this is what the christian community thinks.
• What techniques are used to attract and hold attention?
• The different font types grab your attention, the picture of the students and the words being in all of their thought bubbles as if the children are thinking this.
• How might people interpret this message differently?
• Some may interpret this message for what they want, which is that the common core will threaten their students and our future. It can also be interpreted as a religious bias towards education because of the christian basis the magazine appears to have.
• Who might benefit from (and who might be harmed by) this message?
• The parents may benefit from reading the article because they will learn about the common core, but it is probably biased to send a negative message. This can in turn harm the children because of the degree the parent may go if they take the common core as a threat and not read the article just to learn what the common core is and is about. The child could potentially be pulled from school and might receive a lower education, this is not to say that they will ,but it may happen.

Representation and Reality:

• What information or perspective is left out of this message?
• The perspective of the educator is left out of this message and is geared to the parents.
• Is this an accurate and credible representation?
• No, because in the title of their website is says breaking news and opinion. This means that opinion is a large part of their material and makes them less credible when delivering information.
• How does this reflect the perspective or bias of its creator?
• Being opinion base allows for the creator to say whatever they want on the subject which puts a major bias on the material.

Text:

• The logo for The Blaze magazine
• The Blaze moto “Truth Lives Here”
• advertisement for theblaze.com
• picture of students working and thinking the feature article “Collective: Common Core’s threat to our kids, our freedom and our future.”
• Previews for other articles in the magazine on the top of the cover.

Subtext:

• The students are concerned that common core with threaten their future and the freedom and future of their parents.
• students think common core is threatening
• common core threatens the future
• Our freedom will be taken away by common core
• Nothing good can come from common core

Language of Persuasion

• Bandwagon
• Association
• Fear
• Plain folks
• Extrapolation
• Slippery slope
• Symbols
• Group dynamics

Weekly Reading #7

The media literacy activity described in the chapter are examples of literacy practices support the Common Core shifts: complex texts, grounded in evidence from texts, and building knowledge. It accomplishes the complex texts shifts by having the students grow their vocabularies through conversation, some direct instruction, and a little reading for background knowledge. Grounded in evidence from texts is seen in the activity when they are looking at the magazine covers they have to make observations and base them on readings of what was happening in that time period. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction is the keystone in this activity. This is a history class which is nonfiction, looking at views of Martin Luther King Jr. and comparing them to the views of Obama today are rich in correlating history to current events.


What do you like about the Common Core?

I like that the Common Core focuses on teaching across the curriculum and having students connect what they learn in the classroom to everyday experiences. By far the best part is getting students more into the critical thinking aspect of learning and pushing students to go further.

What concerns do you have?

The only concerns I have are not with the Common Core itself, but with the receptiveness of teachers who are given these standards. Teaching across the curriculum I think will be a real struggle for some educators because they don't want to have to learn all this new material about something that "isn't their subject."

Find another media text that supports your stance.

NEA Today

Use the critical questions to deconstruct this media text.

Authors and Audience:

Who produced this document, and for what purpose?

The document was produced by NEA (National Education Association) to state six ways the Common Core is good for students.

When was this produced, and what was it's historical context?

This was produced in May of 2013 when Common Core debates were heating up.

Who is the target audience?

The audience are parents and skeptics of the Common Core.

Messages and Meanings:

What are the messages communicated?

The messages are that the Common Core is good for students.

What techniques are used to attract and hold attention?

They give out six pros for the Common Core and avoid any cons for the plan.

How might people interpret this message differently?

Some people will interpret the message as the Common Core as a good thing with no faults and some will interpret this as a cover up for all the bad things the Common Core will cause.

Who might benefit from (and who might be harmed by) this message?

It will comfort parents and educators, but may harm the Common Core because of rumors that could be spread of those things being a cover up for what would really happen.

Representation and Reality:

What information or perspective is left out of this message?

The cons are what is left out of this message.

Is this an accurate and credible representation?

For what is stated it is a credible representation, but is probably biased because it it on the National Education Association website.

How does this reflect the perspective or bias of its creator?

Since it is on the National Education Association website there is probably a bias towards Common Core.

Digital Story Final Draft

A Little Something Extra I Want to Share

This is one of the people that I follow on gaming streams that I really admire. He posted this video last night and I thought it was so inspiring that I would share it with everyone. If you look at the comments on his video they show exactly what he is talking about.

Digital Story Rough Draft

If you guys could leave comments on how to improve this video please do! It is looking pretty rough right now.

Weekly Reading #6

“So he created an assignment where students made short informal speeches about familiar topics and then took questions from the audience.”


I really liked that the instructor made this assignment to help students with their public speaking. When I was doing my student teaching at North Marion High School I had a class that was co-taught with another student teacher. SInce neither of us were using the Biology/Chemistry class for our action research we decided to do something new to us, a PBL (Project Based Learning) unit. At the end of our PBL we had students do a presentation and it would have helped to do that informal speech assignment to get the students more prepared and comfortable presenting. I hope that for my next PBL or other assignment with a presentation component.


http://www.techtimes.com/articles/16147/20140922/winds-of-change-no-breeze-may-play-havoc-on-insect-food-chain.htm



1. The author of this article is Rhondi Lee with Tech Times. The purpose of this article is to show that climate change will affect a lot more smaller factors that can pile up and change food chains.


2. What drew me into this article was the title: Winds of change: No breeze may play havoc on insect food chain. This might not be catchiest title, but it seemed intriguing to me. I really just wanted to know how it would play havoc on the insect food chains.


3. I think that most people will see this as only affecting the insect food chains, but if the insect food chains change then it will intern change all the food chains because insects are large source of food for larger animals. If there is suddenly more of one type of insect in an area the predator for that insect will also increase in population in that area, thus changing the food chain in that area.


4. This article is from a scientific point of view and that climate change is happening, some may believe that it is not. It is about a study that was conducted with one area having the wind blocked to simulate climate change and an area with regular wind.


5. As far as I can tell it doesn't seem like there is any related information that was omitted from this article. I think it should have more information about how much the wind has slowed and is slowing in the form of a graph to show how fast this is happening.



Deconstruction will help students have a better understand of the article because they will have to look into the article much more than they ordinarily would. This will also help students find bad science, making sure the logic with the study is sound and that it makes sense what they are doing.

Note Card Confessional

Addressing the seven Elements of Digital Storytelling

Storyboard:

Point of View: I want the story to be from my point of view. This is a digital story about ourselves so I think that would be appropriate.

Dramatic Question: I think my dramatic question should be: “I was eight years old when I received my first gaming console.” “How did this change his life?”

Emotional Content: My story does have a happy ending with some sore parts in the middle. I want to put a mix of videos and slides in my digital story to make it more dynamic and give a more emotional feel. Seeing the storyteller also helps the viewer feel like it is more personal and having a real conversation with them.

Soundtrack: I would really like to include game music from my favorite games in the background to express how much they have affected my life. Games have all the same pieces a great story does so I can still use the game music to change the tone.

Economy: I am hoping that I can keep my story short enough and will probably have to do several versions to get it correct. I will definitely write out my main topics to guide my topic and don’t go off track.

Pacing: The pacing will probably be the hardest part since I want to use video and pictures. Switching between the two media types might make the video seem fast paced and the pictures slow.


Name: Sean Harwell
Title of Digital Story:: Role-playing for Life

Pict:





The Narration:


Video games have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and have shaped the man I am today.






My first console was a Nintendo 64 that my grandmother got for my brother and I.






Ever since that day I have been enthralled with video games and that led me to select a friend group that loved them too. PS these were not my real friends.






Being a pretty big geek/nerd I got picked on a lot which caused me to get into fights. It didn't help that I was the smallest kid until the 11th grade.






College was my safe haven where I was able to avoid the bullies and find larger groups of nerds like myself.






After a couple years of finding all kinds of people just like me I felt at home in this new world.






I eventually found my way to teaching to help students learn and to get to bullying at its core. I fell in love with teaching students during my clinicals and student teaching.






The extra curriculars that I get to participate in now , such as going to the Greenbank Observatory, have been some of the most exciting experiences in my life and I have met the most wonderful people during those adventures.

Reflecting on our Love/Hate Relationship with Media

Interesting Ideas: 

Rafe: I love the fact that humans have always sought a way to communicate beyond there own existent life span. In this we get a sense that all want to be educators... rationale... The storyteller: writes (all forms, poems, odes, sonnets, prose, lyrics...), the singer: sings, the composer: composes, the painter: paints ... for what?? to educate the consumer on what an emotion looks like, feels like, and sounds like. I love that media has the ability to evoke an emotional response we didn't know we were going to experience.

Corey: Ever feel like you've invested two hours of your life and soul to a movie, only to have an ending so terribly bad that you kind of feel like Mike Tyson punched you in the stomach and bit off your ear, then informed you that he no longer loved you and was moving out? That.

Jaime: I once listened to one of my favorite tv shows on radio. It was a neat experience because I felt that I was using a sense that often gets ignored. I was able to use my own imagination to build the scene.

Jessica: I dislike feeling "addicted" to social media at times. I feel like it takes up too much time. I also dislike trying to work around copyright laws and respect them (which is important to do as a role model for students). I would not have thought of that aspect offhand, I got inspiration from the others here who posted about copyright.

Option #1:

Digital Media is my favorite of all of the types of media. It is quick to respond and can help people do things that would take months to do in minutes. After reading a lot of the comments on this topics I noticed that there is a fair bit of dislike for the amount of time it consumes in our daily lives. I do agree that some things do take a while to complete, but this is more about how people feel like we are all addicted to digital media. If it is an addiction why can't one simply break the habit like any other type of addiction? It is similar to that of a drug addict complaining that they want to stop, but just simply need it so they cannot. The types of digital media that people are addicted to are not the kind that might be necessary and are they not in their own way informative? It just hurts me to see people reacting to digital media as if it is a drug forced on them they can't escape. Maybe this comes from my intense love for digital media and I see none of it a real waste of time. I am more cultured and aware of current events because of these "addictions". The only part I hate about digital media is that big companies can start to ruin it for everyone, but that happens in everything. Also, the amount of time it takes to do some tasks is a tad annoying, but with newer technology it will become less of a problem and is really not much a problem now, just an annoyance. 

Brainstorming my Digital Story

The one topic that I kept coming back to when thinking about my topic was video games. Why? Because they have pretty much shaped my entire life. Since that Christmas when my grandmother bought my brother and I a Nintendo 64, against my mothers wishes, I was hooked. After that I still played some sports, but video games shaped me to want to hangout with people who enjoyed playing games as much as I did. This has shaped my life into the kind of person that I am because of the people I picked from then on to hangout with and I went into that social group. It did not always affect me in a good way because people considered us the nerds that they would pick on, this caused me to get into a lot of fights at school. The social group I was in though seemed to be a lot more free flowing and letting you be you, I felt like I could be me with them. It also gave me the push towards education because I want to help those students who are outcast and struggle because of it. The older I got the more and more into the nerd culture I became involved, I started going to conventions which opened their world to me. This is a lot like the video I picked from Reel Works, but I connected to that video in an intense way and want to do my version that goes deeper into that realm.

Week 3 Reading and Discussion

This reading was very helpful in giving me insight on how to use media texts in the classroom without worrying as much about it being taboo. A lot of the strategies are to make sure they are clean and to set ground rules for showing the media texts with the class. There were a few examples of the class transgressing, but they were able to counter it by making it into a part of the lesson. I really enjoyed the part that talked about not alienating any of the students by grouping them all together. It seems like that would happen a lot and I am pretty sure that I do that myself, even though I know they are all their own unique person. I am still unsure about the full extend to using media in the classroom and weary of picking the wrong topic, because science is a controversial topic itself. The best way to link media and science is to show how what we learn in class applies to the real world, which is very important, but I want to talk about how it will apply to the future and how science may help us get there. The unknown is always a scary and exciting place that does bring up controversy. I would just like to know more about how I can talk to students about these types of articles from the media that are experimental and how to pick articles that will not cause offense.

Week 3 Activity #3

Vanessa Clay

I thought this video was a great video that makes you look back on your life and reevaluate it. I like that it was culture based and explained that different cultures exist even in short distances away. The only weakness that I think this video had was that it was only pictures and didn't vary, I would have liked to have seen maybe a video clip that was integrated. This is not to say that the picture were not good, I thought the choice in pictures was great and there certainly was enough pictures to go around.

Jared St.Brown

This video was very personal and explained just who Jared is and how he got to be that way. I enjoyed hearing about how his grandfather and father both had a lot of influence on him. The things that could have been better with this video would be: a little music at the beginning and end, pacing of the pictures to be consistent, and I have to know what the heck that word is!

Amber Haller

I thought this was a great video, the music and pacing was great. The video told a wonderful story about how her mother inspired her to pursue higher education. The only weakness that I saw with the video was that the music never changed, I know it was a tragic story, but I think that some parts could have used a more upbeat type of music.

Week 3 Activity #2

My Write to Draw

Point of View: The point of view is from a student named Max, his voice is the one heard in the video.

Dramatic Question: What is his write to draw? And what is Billy?

Emotional Content: Happiness, friendship, sharing, and realization. I relate to this because having something that you are good at and being recognized for it is something that everyone wants. Having a passion for that talent makes it even greater.

The Ptarmigan

Point of View: The point of view from a student named Siobahn and it is her voice in the video.

Dramatic Question: Will she capture of the Ptarmigan?

Emotional Content: humble, guilt, regret, and hope. We do things that we regret all the time and are always hopefully that the decision we probably should not have made will come full circle and correct itself.

Named

Point of View: The point of view is from a man named Michael, it is his voice in the video.

Dramatic Question: How do we understand our name?

Emotional Content: enlightenment, love, frustration, and regret. Having someone that you love means sacrifice and even though we might not understand the reason they have for wanting something, doesn't mean that we should cast it out.

Week Three Activity #1

Element #1: Take a look at the two examples and see if you can identify the purpose behind each story. What is the point of view in each? Whose voice do you hear?

The first video shows how to harvest Pa' akai, which I am assuming is a cultural resource for the authors culture. I can hear the voice of a few different children explaining how the process takes place. The children are laughing so I can infer that this is an enjoyable activity and embrace it in their culture.

The second video is of an elementary school's science project that appears to be an almost self sufficient fishery. I think the purpose of the video is to show the great things students can accomplish at a school that will inspire and give them the opportunity. The point of view is from the whole school I would guess, but the voice is that of the teacher.

Element #2: See if you can find a dramatic question in the examples for this section. A dramatic question is posed by the narrator at the beginning of the story to create tension and draw in the audience. A dramatic question is usually not an actual question that the narrator poses; rather, it is an intriguing statement that causes the viewers to ask themselves a question.'I was seven years old when I met my father' is an example of a dramatic question. It hooks you in and motivates you to listen to the story until its conclusion. Is the question resolved in each movie or are you left without a resolution?

A couple dramatic questions in this example was the throwing of trash out of the back of the truck and showing the extent of the trash. The question is not resolved, but instead makes you want to find the answer and do something.

Element #3: See if you can identify the emotional paradigms behind these stories.

The emotional paradigms I saw in these stories were: depression, anger, solidarity, rejection, love, kindness, and compassion.

Element #4: What impact that the voice plays on the overall effect of the story.

Voice gives the story passion, the person telling the story gives it life. The voice of the storyteller is using can sway the story is viewed by the audience.

Element #5: What impact does the music have on the emotional content or purpose of the story?

Music sets the tone of the story, it changes the mood. A story with an epic sound track can make you feel like they are on an adventurous quest, while the same story with joke noises and funny music can turn the story into a comedy.

Element #6: Look at the examples in this section and consider the decisions the authors made about length of clips, types of transitions and sequence of events. Are you able (as a viewer) to fill in the missing pieces? Give an example?

The videos had the pictures in different orders and all told a different story about the girl. This made it hard to know what was really happening in the story. The first two videos were similar in that they were both about the girl getting her own living space, but the third video used a lot of different images and it was a story about reading a novel to her children. This made it pretty much impossible for me to fill in the missing pieces because I had no idea what was truly happening. Jumping from story one to two was not bad and I was getting a picture of what might be going on, but the third story through all of that out the window when the new story line and images were revealed.

Element #7: How does the narrator use their voice to pace the story? Give a specific example.

The narrator uses their voice to pace the story by giving a sense of urgency when they speak more quickly. In the video the students speak quickly to give the video a sense of urgency because earthquakes are a danger where they live and they need to learn how to be safe now.

Reading and Discussion #2

Explain some of the benefits of youth filmmaking for learning in and out of school.

Youth filmmaking for learning in school is a way for students to express themselves and share with others what they might ordinarily not share because they are shy and are just not very good socially. It gives all the students a voice to tell who they are and adds a more exciting learning environment rather than having worksheets and lectures. Out of school the students are able to spend their time doing creative things at home and getting inspiration from their surrounds. Going out and doing their favorite activities while collecting materials for their films. This also gives the filmmaking process a better feel of being fun and less like homework.

Digital Storytelling and Reel Works

http://reelworks.org/videos/legend-of-christina-single-player/

1.What do you like about the digital story?

The thing I like about this digital story is that I myself can connect to what she is talking about. I myself are a gamer and in high school was in her shoes; with age I did grow out of playing games as much, but it is still a relaxing and enjoyable activity that I participate in. The communities that she is talking about in the video are real and are growing larger every year.

2.What did you learn from the digital story?

In this digital story I learned more about myself and how I used the same tools of escape and joining those virtual communities to meet with people who share the same interests. It is important to belong to a community, no matter what type; it is a support system for you and everyone needs that in their life.

3.What surprised you about the digital story?

I was surprised that she did not feel more lonely in a community dominated by males. This is not a bad surprise, but I felt like she might feel more alone in the community.

4. How did the digital story provide an example of how digital storytelling can build self esteem, help young people voice an opposition to social problems, or create an alternative to stereotypes of adolescents typically portrayed in mainstream media?

This digital story helps build self esteem by letting the student express her opinion on gaming as a community. Stating that she is not alone and that this is not just a solitary activity that means she has no life. The mainstream media does look negatively towards gaming and more positively towards more active activities like sports.

5. Do (or how do) these digital stories provide evidence of that these young people are engaged in analysis of their own culture?

This shows analysis of her culture by her ability to see what the stereotypes, why they have formed, and knocks down misconceptions that the media has made towards her culture.

6. Do (or how do) these digital stories support a healthy respect for multiculturalism and diversity?

In the gaming community it is very multicultural because it incorporates the world. There are people from all over the globe playing these games that interact on a daily basis. This is a community that thrives in multiculturalism and diversity by never excluding anyone from joining them.

Reading and Discussion #1

Consider the following excerpt:

In 1969 to be exact--educational philosopher Neil Postman delivered a speech at the National Convention for the Teachers of English frankly titled “Bullshit and the Art of Crap-Detection.” In his speech, Postman stressed the need for teachers to engage students in thinking critically about the bombardment of corporate advertisements and political plugs they faced on a daily basis, underlining the reality that virtually “all human communications have deeply embedded and profound hidden agendas,” particularly messages heavy with commercial and political ideology, which are “saturated with bullshit.” Postman told educators, “As I see it, the best things schools can do for kids is to help them learn how to distinguish useful talk from bullshit. I will ask only that you agree that every day in almost every way people are exposed to more bullshit than is healthy for them to endure, and that if we can help them to recognize this fact, they might turn away from it and toward language that might do them some earthly good.”

1. To what extent do you agree with Neil Postman?

I agree with Neil Postman fully, every day is that passes by is another day where you are surrounded by companies trying to get you to buy their product. Most of the time these ads that you are, as Neil said, “saturated with bullshit.” Teaching students to be able to see through their ploys and tactics to grasp the true meaning of the “bullshit” and make their own decisions.

2. Neil Postman delivered this speech in 1969. How do you think he might feel about "the art of crap-detection" now given recent advancements in digital technologies?

I think Neil would feel an even greater need for his “crap-detection.” The amount of ads has increased to the point where it is almost impossible to escape them. The Internet has become an almost central hub for ads, along with phone games that show them constantly.

3. Then watch this video and post your reaction to your blog. What did the video make you think about or feel? How does it support Neil Postman's concerns about "crap-detection". Then, tell us how this video effects your understanding of why it is important to teach CRITICAL media literacy and not just MEDIA literacy in-and-out of school. Support your response with three quotes from the reading.

This video made me think about how everything that we see is orchestrated for how the creators want you to see them and not how they are in reality.

This video supports Neil Postman’s concerns “crap-detection” by showing that things are not always the way they seem.

Critical media literacy would help students see what the real message behind any type of media. “Critical media literacy involves cultivating skills in analysing media codes and conventions, abilities to criticize stereotypes, dominant values, and ideologies, and competencies to interpret the multiple meanings and messages generated by media texts.” (Kellner, D., & Share, J.) Students are constantly being bombarded by the media in almost everything they encounter and have become very involved with social media which has had probably the largest impact on students on a daily basis.

Social media has become the prime source for most media and product placements. Teaching students to view this media critically can help them see through the bias and misconceptions that are they are faced with everyday. “Critical media literacy builds on (…) analysing media culture as products of social production and struggle and teaching students to be critical of media representations and discourses, but also stressing the importance of learning to use the media as modes of self-expression and social activism.” (Kellner, D., & Share, J.) This is what social media can become in instead of what is currently happening. Showing students how to take the social media and turn it into more of a way of self-expression and social activism.

It is already heading in that direction, but in the past has suffered from others scrutinising the work of others. “Critical media literacy not only teaches students to learn from media, to resist media manipulation, and to use media materials in constructive ways, but is also concerned with developing skills that will help create good citizens and that will make individuals more motivated and competent participants in social life.”(Kellner, D., & Share, J.) Which is what has been a big problem in the past with cyber bullying. Students need critical media literacy so that they can not only learn how to express themselves, but to teach them the morals and ethics of media.

Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2005). Toward Critical Media Literacy: Core concepts, debates, organizations, and policy. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 26(3), 369-386.
Evidence Chart

Introductory Post

The Never Ending Voyage



Homepage Video Questions


1) Why is teaching media literacy important?

To help students analyze the media to see it for what it really is.

2) What do you want to learn about teaching media literacy? 

I want to learn what materials are appropriate to use in the school for students and how to get them thinking critically towards media.

3) What concerns do you have about teaching media literacy?

 My main concern is find age appropriate material to analyze with the students. This is important to me because I don’t want the parents being angry with me , even though just doing media literacy might enrage some parents.

4) When are assignments do in this course?

All assignments will be posted by Sunday midnight and MOST will be due the following Sunday by Midnight. Occasionally due dates will vary if the assignment requires feedback from peers or myself for completion.

5) What are the rules for late assignments? 

LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY: You must contact me within 24 hours of missing a due date for an assignment. I will provide you with an opportunity to receive partial credit for a late assignment as long as you communicate with me in a timely manner. If you DO NOT contact me within 24 hours you NOT receive points for that assignment.

6) What is the best way to contact me? 

Please do not hesitate to contact me for any reason related to the class! You may contact me through gmail (dllb123@gmail.com). Please consider using the video chat feature if you see that I'm online. You may also call me on my cell phone 304-319-3777.

7) Should you work ahead?

**Check with me before working ahead. I tend to change readings and detail of assignments based on the needs of student in the class.

Introductory Post

My name is Sean Harwell and I am originally from Nashville, TN, but my family moved to Charleston, WV when I was 5 years old. I am currently a graduate assistant for Dr. Deb Hemler at Fairmont State University and taking courses for my Digital Media, Learning, and New Literacies degree. In this class I expect to learn how to help students think critically towards digital media and how to help them create their own way of expressing themselves through digital media.