importanceofmedialiteracy

2006-12-13T21:09:00.000-06:00

One of my new favorite genres is the fake newscasts-particularly those of Jon Steward and Stephen Colbert. Below is a summary of my presentation of my piece on the "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I chose this genre, because even though it is not a new idea to poke fun at newscasters and politicians, the factis that these type of shows are fairly popular now with young audiences who normally are not interested in politics.

Slide One: Title: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart-has a pic of him at his desk on one side.

*News Program Spoof: set is designed to imitate nighly newscast.
* Point of the Show "a nightly half-hour series unburdened by objectivity, journalistic integrity or even accuracy". (taken from the Daily Show website)

Slide 2:Set-up of the Daily Show
*Show begins with Jon reporting on the news of the day, with his own biases and point of view clearly reflected in the reporting. Uses actual news clips in his monologue.
*In most programs, Jon adds in a correspondent who is on the field reporting on either the main story he is focusing on or a recorded story, with the correspondent’s own prejudices and spins clearly reflected in the reporting. The correspondents are in character and are resources for Jon to aim more jokes at. The questions that are often used by the reporter is to confuse or possibly anger thosewho are responding to the questions, to make a thinly veiled point or to elicit a laugh from the audience.
*Has a featured guest, usually an author,political figure or other figures in the news media.

*The “Seat ofHeat”-Jon asks a question which is supposed to make the guest somewhat uncomfortable. Depending on the guest, this also maybe a moment where they shine if they can handle the joke.

Slide 3: Observations of the Daily Show:
Liberal perspective- does a lot of”Bush-bashing” Audience-tend to be liberal, young men and women. Claims to be a ”reality-based look at news, trends, pop culture, current events,politics, sports and entertainment with an alternative point of view.”

Purpose-to entertain, maybe even make us be more critical of news media and to be aware of who is reporting the story and what perspective do they want us to believe.

2006-12-13T20:55:00.000-06:00

Well, as a social studies teacher, primarily teaching Civics and Psychology, there are two approaches that I would take. I taught some concepts of media studies when we did our political party and media unit. I would start with basic persuasion techniques and vocabulary, then had them practice applying different techniques to types of advertising that is found in popular magazines. I would also lecture on and have them practice identifying implict messages found. Then step by step, we applied them to advertising that took place during the election. The students were able to identify political persuasion techniques and the effect they were supposed to have on the viewers. They were able to connect them to the politcal party stances that candidates took, and we fact-checked some of the commercials that were aired. At the end, they did some campaign spoofing of their own. Overall, it was a great experience, and the students really enjoyed it. In psychology, we talke about persuasive techniques, and get more into theories of persuasion and the psychologists who contributed to the field.

2006-12-13T20:54:00.000-06:00

Shows I watch: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, The Simpsons (once in a while)-Comedy Central. -Viacom

Stations I listen to: The Current, Drive 105, Cities 97 (owned by Disney, Clear Channel). I think most concerts I go to are probably sponsored by Clear Channel. Music I buy is from iTunes, and come from Sony,Def Jam, Maverick and smaller independent studios.

Newspaper-Star Tribune-Gannett?

Internet access-Earthlink-not sure who owns it.

Corporate controls what messages are revealed, what products are preferred, even what policies and laws would be "acceptable" or "correct". I know that what ever media Iam exposed to limits the information that is out there and that often that the entire story about an event or product is not really told. I think this is something that I am much more aware of now, than before. It scares me in a way, because I often do wonder what are they trying to hide.

2006-12-13T20:52:00.000-06:00

Music..I can't pick a genre!

I grew up listening to a variety of music, from rock to ranchera (Mexican folk music). So I listen to pretty much everything now, except country..although my taste tend to run in the rock mode more often than not. I love going to concerts, and I will see any act at least once. My favorite concerts were U2 and Ani DiFranco. I also like Dave Matthews, Prince, some hip-hop and dance, and pop. I listen to the Current, my cousin is DJ Don Cuco, who has a show on Saturday nights from 12-2 a.m. (shameless plug!), Cities 97 and have my own CD mixes. I love downloading music, and am hoping I will get an iPod for Christmas. My guilty pleasure is pop music, especially from the 80's and 90's when I was growing up.

I am having a hard time picking a favorite song, I have so many. Currently I have 3 that I am trying to chose from: 1st choice: U2's "Beautiful Day". I can't think of a more inspirational song to play when I am trying to get pump up for my day. Particularly the lyrics at the end..remind me that despite all the ugly things that are going on in this world, there is still beauty to be found.

U2's "Beautiful Day"
The heart is a bloom
Shoots up through the stony ground
Theres no room
No space to rent in this town

Youre out of luck
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck
And youre not moving anywhere

You thought you found a friend
To take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand
In return for grace

Its a beautiful day
Sky falls you feel like
Its a beautiful day
Dont let it get away

Youre on the road
But youve got no destination
Youre in the mud
In the maze of her imagination

You love this town
Even if that doesnt ring true
Youve been all over
And its been all over you

Its a beautiful day
Dont let it get away
Its a beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Teach me
I know Im not a hopeless case

See the world in green and blue
See china right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out

It was a beautiful day
Dont let it get away
Beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Reach me
I know Im not a hopeless case

What you dont have you dont need it now
What you dont know you can feel it somehow
What you dont have you dont need it now
Dont need it now
Was a beautiful day.

2006-11-15T20:37:00.000-06:00

Documentary

A documentary that I have always been interested in making is based on a teacher's 1st year. I think that the public would have a better idea of the kinds of pressures and responsibilities that teachers handle on a daily basis. It would also illustrate that often we are not adequately preparing our future teachers for the amount of responsibility and paperwork that is expected of them. I remember my 1st year and it was hell, quite simply. I often did not get home until 9:00 at night, fell overwhelmed the majority of the time and did not enjoy teaching at all. Plus, I dealt with difficult students and parents, and was the only one in my building teaching my subject matter, so I often felt alone. Student teaching was a breeze compared to my 1st year, and I wished, and thought later on, that if we want to encourage more people to become teachers and to stay in teaching, we should rethink and perhaps redo how we introduce those new to the field during their first year. (I can't remember, but isn't the statisitic is that 1/2 of all new teachers leave within the 1st five years?) Why is that? I think it has to do with the fact that they are not adequately supported and are thrown the same responsiblities that veteran teachers face. It is a recipe for disaster. Often young teachers work in tougher conditions, such as urban or poor districts, which provide their own challenges, and have yet to develop the skills they need to deal with various classroom situtations. I am hoping that it will provide a better understanding of the responsibilities of the teaching field, inspire ideas in how community members, parents and school administrators could be more supportive of their most valuable resources, their teachers.

I would start with following several students teachers as they are midway in completing their student teaching. I would have them (journal, by camera) how they feel about teaching in general, what kind of responsibilities do they have as student teachers and following them through the job search process. Ideally I would like to have a cast that would include new teachers in several experiences: urban, suburban, rural and those placed as substitutes in various school districts. I would interview them at the beginning of the year-winter break and at the end, with shadowing them at different times of the year for a day ( a day in the life of ...) that would include attending meetings, extracurricular activities, grading. I would also interview some veteran teachers and administrators, to get a perspective of the school environment that the teachers are placed in.

Difficulities I anticipate would be liability and legal issues surrounding student privacy, so figuring out ways to get around those would be the biggest challenge. Having the participants get used to the cameras, so that as they get used to their presence, they become more natural. Being honest about their feelings as new teachers and not worrying if their jobs will be at stake.

2006-11-02T18:04:00.000-06:00

Picture of Hunter with Deer (can't upload)-check partner Mary V page

John Smith hates rural Minnesota. John Smith wants to take away your guns and supports fishing and hunting restrictions. He voted against the Minnesota Save the Farm Act in 2004. He once stated that “snowmobiles are only fun if you’re stupid.”

But can there be a Minnesota without our rural areas?

Dan Jones is an avid hunter and fisherman. He grew up on small farm in Wilmar, Minnesota. He will create and support initiatives that help family farms sustain themselves for the next generation. As an outdoorsman, Dan Jones will fight for your right to use our great state resources any way you want.

Dan Jones, for the Greater Minnesota.

2006-10-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

Media Ethnography.

For my media ethnography, I chose to observe my mother and my sister watching the television series, "Project Runway". The main reason why I chose to watch them watching this show is because I know it is the only show they watch in common. My mother and sister have very different taste in other television shows, as well as in other aspects of their personalities, so for them to sit in a room and actually get along while watching a show is a unique occasion.

When I interviewed them before the show started, my sister's favorite shows were reality based television shows like Bridezillas or Supernanny. My mother is a die-hard Lifetime Movies fan, especially around the holidays and she also enjoys watching Law & Order and ER. My sister does not care for these shows, so she is usually never around when my mother is watching TV.

While they were watching the show, I noticed that they communicated and agreed more while the show was on. They had an interactive role in their television watching, by making comments about the contestants and their designs. My sister and mother compared and discussed what they would wear or wouldn't wear. During the commercials, the TV was muted, because my sister claimed the commercials were too loud and they continued their conversation. It was interesting to note this, because when they are viewing television separately, the television is never muted. Television, especially this show with a commen interest for them, fashion, was a tool they could agree upon and experience together that led them to converse about other topics.

2006-10-12T15:44:00.000-05:00

I am only able to upload 2. I chose the portrayal of teachers, primarily because I was interested in what I would find. The African American teacher I found was rare and common at the same time. Rare that it was an African African teacher, but common that it would be an elemetary educator. Most portrayals I found were of elementary teachers, white and older, and often very badly dressed!

2006-10-04T22:59:00.000-05:00

Critical Discourse Analysis: Race and Gender-Hip Hop Music Videos-Ludacris

For my analysis, I chose hip-hop videos which star the musical artist, Ludacris. I chose these videos, particularly for their appeal to my students. My interest as a grad student is to focus on media and media influence on adolescents. In this analysis, there were some common portrayals that I feel may be detrimental to my students.

African American Males are portrayed as over-sexed and often the pursurer of the women in the videos. They are not looking, in most cases, for a serious relationship, but to have as many sexual relationships with as many different women as possible. The language they use is urban ebonics, which is filled with profanity. The lifestyle they should want to pursue is one of a player, possibly as a musician and to obtain as much material wealth as possible. At the same time, there is a reflection of the urban "ghetto", like it is a place to reminesce about. Your value in the "ghetto" is determined by how close to your roots you stay (like what neighborhood you came from). To put it plainly, how street smart and savy you are, you prove that by what language you use, what clothes you chose to wear and how well you are known.

For African American Female, the portrayal is not flattering. At best, they are an attractive accessory for the artist. At worst, they are portrayed as vehicles for sex, to be used, manipulated and to be disposed when the males tire of them or when they dare to complain of not being treated as equals. They are often referred to as "bitches" or made referenced to as whores. They should not mind that you are not in a monagamous relationships and her only function is to either be your accessory or for your pleasure. Her body is not her own, it is the property of the male.

Unlike Ludacris, who does not see anything wrong with these portrayals, I believe they perpetuate very negative stereotypes of African Americans. Many of the stereotypes that I listed about are based in historical portrayals of African Americans, that were developed by whites. As a educator, I see the impact that these portrayals have on my students, and they are disturbing. Many of my students have a hard time distinguishing the "reality" portrayed in the videos and in real life, it is reflected in the goals they have for their own lives and how they relate to each other as men and women.

2006-10-04T22:56:00.000-05:00

Using the same scene as in the previous analysis (or pick a different scene from a different film/video/show), and the scenes before and after that scene, analyze the editing techniques being used in those scenes. How is the editing being used to convey meaning, relationships, narrative development, and themes? Review sample shots and film technique at:

Editing techinques: Saving Private Ryan-Omaha Beach

The editing techinques being shown during this scene are point of view shots and lots of low angle shots. The meaning behind these scene is to illustrate the battle from the perspective of the men who were fighting that day. I noticed that there are very few pan shots taking place, and usually those are shown to illustrate the magnitude of the battle. The High angle shots are primarily used to show the perspectives of the German soldiers and possibly to show who is dominating the fighting. The scene after the battle is quiet, an unsettling silence, as if to give the audience the chance to take in the violence it has just witnessed. You can tell the men who survived, have bonded. They are seen talking with one another in low tones, and trying to figure out what to do with themselves and their grief. The men are not very open about it, and it is implied through the others silence, that open grief is not acceptable. But having endured this event, the intimacy of the men is portrayed by a lot of close up shots.

2006-10-04T22:47:00.000-05:00

Film Clip: Saving Private Ryan

I chose the Omaha Beach scene to analyze. Primarily why I chose this clip is that it sets the emotional tone of the movie. Spielberg has this scene nearly at the beginning of the movie and it is emotionally intense and vividly violent. It starts with lots of close ups, of the hands shaking, faces full of apprehension and fear, soldiers vomiting and it is not clear if it because of sea sickness or nerves. Then the scene pans out to other soldiers in the other transporters, possibly to show the scale of the attack and to emphasize the unity of that apprehension and fear, reminding the viewers that these were very young men who were sent to war.

The positioning of the camera for the most part is at the eye level of the soldiers and during most of the scene the camera shots take place from the perspective of the soldiers and how the invasion of Omaha beach looked through their eyes. The color in the scene is muted, more of a black and white, with tints of color, except for the red, probably to emphasize the blood that was spilled on that day.

The sound editing emphasizes the noise of the bullets and explosives over anything that is said. In fact, there is not much said during this scene, as almost to mimic the shock that someone would have when they encounter a horrifying scene. There would be no words that you could say about such a scene. As part of that scene, there is a close up of Tom Hank's character, in which the sound is muted, to emphasize this character trying to comprehend what they are seeing, which is a common technique filmmakers use to illustrate the haze of the mind.

2006-09-14T16:48:00.000-05:00

Class Assignment:
Our current curriculum, in the social sciences for our school district is a back to the basics approach. Under the previous learning standards, the Profile of Learning, the emphasis was on research and critical thinking skills that students needed to learn to be able to be successful in life outside of school. The curriculum focused less on reciting and memorizing facts and emphasized more on strategies students could use research skills to obtain information in our ever changing world.
Our new social studies standards today focuses mainly on memorizing events and facts and instilling patriotism in our students. The new requirements of understanding our past and having factual knowledge is valuable. In one sense, we want ensure that our population is educated in their own history, and to be aware of the triumphs and the tragedies that others have endured so that they are not repeated. We also do not want a public that is ignorant of its history or of the impact of their actions on the rest of the world.
However, it seems that we are more concerned about whether or not our students know who the presidents are and not really concerned about how they obtain that information.
Our students writing skills need desperate improvement, and in order to improve this, our students need to learn basic writing, editing and analytical skills. I understand the fear or the addition of media literacy as something else the students must learn. However, I believe learning media literacy and writing skills can work. Learning media literacy skills is not just a necessity, it has to be a requirement for our youth. We often compare our students ability to do math and to read and write with other nations, but we are not concern of whether or not they are learning the technological tools and techniques to help them be competitive and successful in the working and academic world. Using and learning through technology and media is a skill that can no longer be put on the bookshelf, we are doing a serious disservice to our students by ignoring it's importance.
Media literacy can be applied across content areas. For example, there are ways to incorporate media literacy into the social studies curriculum. The skills of media literacy are universal in the sense that they are essential to the facts that we want our students to know. You could have students conduct online research on an historical event and compare the separate perspectives that are presented. Students could carry on classroom discussions and contribute thoughts on the day’s topic by writing blogs. You could view documentary firms and critically analyze the arguments that the filmmakers present and discuss representations, propaganda. Students would also learn basic etiquette for the new techonology. They could communicate with other students about their topics that do not attend their schools These are just a small sampling of what students could do with learning how to use and use media in a constructive manner.