I focused on the narrative outline and just wrote notes about what images I wanted because I didn't want to spend too much time on it (I tend to get immersed in that part) -this week I will work more on collecting and creating the images I want.
Digital Story Outline
I'm interested in feedback, please let me know if you have any! Thanks!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Double Entry Journal 12
Chapter 4: Dreams and Nightmares
1. How can documentary video production help prevent the underdevelopment of urban youth minds and spirits?
Documentary video production allows the student to develop critical thinking skills by exploring a subject in that has a personal or community relevance to it.
2. What school-based literacies does documentary video production help to develop?
Documentary video production can help develop reading & writing literacies, as well as research-based literacies. Reading and research are developed through learning more about a subject, which is needed in order to guide a project and write interview questions and narration that is informed. Writing literacies are also developed through the brainstorming and project development (pr-production) phase of a video documentary process. It is also developed in the interviewing phase (developing questions). In the logging phase of a video documentary, the students must also engage their critical thinking skills to differentiate useful information from non-useful information, and must start developing a mental outline for there final pieces.
3. What 21st century skills
does documentary video production help to develop? Provide concrete
examples from the chapter. Use this Wikipedia article to help
you answer this questions.
Critical thinking: when logging the footage of the Dreams project, the students had to decide what was relevant to write down in their logs and what wasn't relevant. Another example - When interviewing subjects, students must decide what is relevant to ask, and makes sense in order to guide their final video.
Creativity and Innovation: Majandra pulling out the video camera and interviewing her father - innovative. The editing process is a creative example. The brainstorming process - the students journaling what to include in their video - an example of the creative process.
Communication & Collaboration: Majandra & Jonathan's talk in the principal's office. Majandra communicated with Jonathan, in order to get him to understand why the topic of Teen Suicide was important. This resulted in Jonathan's collaboration on the project.
Information Literacy: research into the issue of Teen Suicide - evidenced by Julius' question to the boy whose friend committed suicide, asking what his take on more boys committing suicide instead of girls.
Media Literacy: the students had to learn that the media often looks like they are interviewing "on the fly," but in actuality, the questions the media asks are usually preplanned and only made to look spontaneous.
Career & Life skills: Majandra learned interviewing skills and specialized in that area because she wanted to go into Journalism. Jonathan learned flexibility in working on a topic that wasn't his initial choice. Julius learned how to talk to people and listen to them without inserting his own viewpoint.
4. Would you support a documentary video production in school or after-school program in your community? Why or Why not?
Yes, absolutely - and I'd love to be part of it! I have seen documentary video production work by making students think deeper about the issues that influence themselves and their communities. I have also seen them come out of a workshop with a better sense of collaboration and communication, and a deeper respect for hard work and research based inquiry.
Elements of a Digitial Story
Element #1: Know your Audience
I think the audience for both video's was the students & possibly parents - to inform them of something & to reinforce the learning by making a video of the results and process. In the second example, I like the use of text because, for me, I understand things better if I read them rather than if it was told to me. I would have enjoyed hearing more student voices, however, and probably would have added that if I was doing it - like the first example did.
For my story, I plan to use first person narrative. I'd like my audience to be my fellow students, maybe my family (particularly my children).
Element #2: Dramatic Question
Although the first example video 's ending was very cute (with the videomakers waving & saying their name into the camera), I didn't think it did a great job answering the dramatic question "are we making Guam Ugly." I thought it could be better if it showed more places with trash around it (what they showed look just like they went to one place - although this could be wrong).
I love the idea of the surprising ending that makes sense within context of my story. I'm thinking of how I could incorporate that into my story. I'm expecting my dramatic question to be something around culture identity..... I was 20 years old before I realized what culture was.
Element #3: Emotional content
The first example uses depression and feeling of loneliness as its emotional content. The second example uses a mother's wish to learn about her culture in order to pass it on to her children... the universal feeling of inter-generational connection is the emotional content that hooks the viewer. The third example asks "what is a stranger" and it is resolved in a surprising way - strangers look like regular people not the scary monsters the children drew pictures of... they can even look like the teacher.
Element #4: The gift of your voice
Wow - love the first example. The expression the woman had on her face when she talked about licking salt was wonderful. I love the "mountain" people and the "ocean" people content - something wonderful about hearing that from her voice.
Example two included the children reading their story & singing the background music which really made it feel like a child-directed story vs. if an adult would have read it. The written word also gave the feeling of the video being more like a story-book.... and interesting choice.
Element #5: The soundtrack
I can see using old-time, traditional, music as a soundtrack to my digital story....
Element #6: Economy
What a great idea - to create story's from pictures and record them into movies - love it. For the most part, the images stayed on the screen just long enough and followed the story nicely.
Element #7: Pacing
The basketball team (and the teachers) made me laugh! I would have liked some of the photos towards the end paced faster.... but my ultimate criticism is that - I want to see more!!!
I think the audience for both video's was the students & possibly parents - to inform them of something & to reinforce the learning by making a video of the results and process. In the second example, I like the use of text because, for me, I understand things better if I read them rather than if it was told to me. I would have enjoyed hearing more student voices, however, and probably would have added that if I was doing it - like the first example did.
For my story, I plan to use first person narrative. I'd like my audience to be my fellow students, maybe my family (particularly my children).
Element #2: Dramatic Question
Although the first example video 's ending was very cute (with the videomakers waving & saying their name into the camera), I didn't think it did a great job answering the dramatic question "are we making Guam Ugly." I thought it could be better if it showed more places with trash around it (what they showed look just like they went to one place - although this could be wrong).
I love the idea of the surprising ending that makes sense within context of my story. I'm thinking of how I could incorporate that into my story. I'm expecting my dramatic question to be something around culture identity..... I was 20 years old before I realized what culture was.
Element #3: Emotional content
The first example uses depression and feeling of loneliness as its emotional content. The second example uses a mother's wish to learn about her culture in order to pass it on to her children... the universal feeling of inter-generational connection is the emotional content that hooks the viewer. The third example asks "what is a stranger" and it is resolved in a surprising way - strangers look like regular people not the scary monsters the children drew pictures of... they can even look like the teacher.
Element #4: The gift of your voice
Wow - love the first example. The expression the woman had on her face when she talked about licking salt was wonderful. I love the "mountain" people and the "ocean" people content - something wonderful about hearing that from her voice.
Example two included the children reading their story & singing the background music which really made it feel like a child-directed story vs. if an adult would have read it. The written word also gave the feeling of the video being more like a story-book.... and interesting choice.
Element #5: The soundtrack
I can see using old-time, traditional, music as a soundtrack to my digital story....
Element #6: Economy
What a great idea - to create story's from pictures and record them into movies - love it. For the most part, the images stayed on the screen just long enough and followed the story nicely.
Element #7: Pacing
The basketball team (and the teachers) made me laugh! I would have liked some of the photos towards the end paced faster.... but my ultimate criticism is that - I want to see more!!!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Week 11 - Double Entry Journal
1. What are your concerns about teaching young people to make videos about social problems?
A few concerns: first, that adults (teachers, administrators) influence what is said or addressed about that social problem. two, that the depth of understanding about the social problem isn't deep enough. three, the young people don't contribute enough solutions to the problems - and it can come off sometimes like they are just complaining without being proactive about a solution.
Questions about Chapter 2:
A few concerns: first, that adults (teachers, administrators) influence what is said or addressed about that social problem. two, that the depth of understanding about the social problem isn't deep enough. three, the young people don't contribute enough solutions to the problems - and it can come off sometimes like they are just complaining without being proactive about a solution.
Questions about Chapter 2:
1. Name a social issue specific to the Appalachian region that you
think young people in your community would or should address.
Environmental concerns:I think it would be really interesting to explore the difference between mountain top removal and underground mining, and how those differences (or lack of distinction between the two) impact economics, political dynamics and environmental concerns. I'd also be interested in seeing young people's perspectives on climate change and coal mining - particularly those who benefit economically from coal mining.
2. Find an online resource you might use to scaffold community-based video production process.
I'm not sure what is meant by "scaffold" in this context, but I found a website with some curriculum available: http://justthink.org/curriculum/ (The Hidden Heroes curriculum is really good - I've used a version of it in a past workshop).
3.
Choose one of the following perspectives; teacher, parent, or community
member. From your chosen perspective, would you be supportive of a
school program that engaged students in community-based video
production? Why or Why not?
As a parent, I would absolutely support a school program that engages students in community-based video production. For one, it would be important for me to know that my child is being exposed to a larger community beyond just the school. It is also important for me to know that my child is being taught how to be a proactive producer of media (and not just a spectator). I would also support this within the school because I believe that video production is a form of literacy that can deepen my child's cognitive abilities and depth of knowledge.
Quote:
"Some students claim to distrust information reported by any students - including the electronic and print news media - other than someone in their neighborhood. Their problem is not knowing how to gather and make sense of information is therefore compounded by their difficulty in knowing how to decide what and what not to believe. And second, they often voice a deep sense of hopelessness and pessimism that any amount of learning or community involvement could make a difference in the social conditions that shape their lives." (Goodman, 2003)
My attention was thoroughly captured while reading Chapter two of this book. I enjoyed reading about the process of making Young Gunz, and I enjoyed Mr. Goodman's analysis of the young filmmakers' learning process. However, when I got to this passage, I realized I might as well be reading about the adult students in my class. I underlined many other passages in this chapter that related to them as well, but this was the first. I was especially drawn to the "hopelessness and pessimism" part because with the election coming up, I have been talking a lot about the electoral process and was surprised to hear not one of them was planning to vote.
The difficulty in knowing how to decide what and what not to believe also rang true. Later in the Chapter Mr. Goodman writes that his students assess the reliability of street information based on their personal connection to the source. This seems to ring true for the lower income rural adult students I work with too. It is interesting to me, because the reliability of information is almost always linked back to the source of information, however the "personal connection" is tricky. I think of this in terms of the internet because computer literacy is something I teach. Part of this literacy is teaching students how to decipher if a website is reliable or not. Most of my students have a hard time figuring this part out - especially if they are unfamiliar with the website (which I guess could be seen as the "personal connection"). Personal connection can be tricky because although you trust that source, it might not be accurate. For example, Wikipedia is usually accurate, but can't be trusted to always be right and isn't an acceptable research website.
Additional Resource:
This is the place I used to work that does community-based video production with Appalachian youth. I haven't kept up with what they've been doing much in the last few years, but around the time I was there youth produced videos about prescription drug abuse, Appalachian music, living wages, stream quality, coal-mining, LGBT acceptance and dialects/accents of Appalachian people:
Source:
Goodman, S. (2003). Teaching youth media: A critical guide to literacy, video production & social change. NY: Teachers College Press.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Week Ten - Activity 1
1. A positive event from my childhood:
My grandmother moved in with my family when I was 4 years old. She was much older than other grandmothers of children my age because she had my father when she was 35. My father was almost 30 when he had me, so that made her about 65. 65 now doesn't seem that old, but at 4 years old, 65 was ancient. She never wore hair-dye, so she looked like a grandmother. She also had a hard, but good, life. She worked at a lot of service jobs, and had Scoliosis bad, so she was always bent over which made her look like she had a hump on her back. When she married at 19, she was 5'7" but she had shrunk to about 4'10" by the time she died at the age of 88.
I remember she always cooked. My parents both worked, but she was home when we would get back from school. She would make us grilled cheese sandwiches. She loved to bake, and would make lots and lots of cookies during the holidays. Unfortunately, these cookies were old-world cookies with funny names and funny, adult tastes. She would make almond cookies and balish, strudels and potica. She was famous for her potica. Potica is a Hungarian nut-roll with walnuts and lots (and lots) of sugar. When I was a teenager and had an opportunity to go to Europe for a few weeks one summer, my grandmother and mother baked Potica's to sell and paid for my trip that way. I should have helped, said I would help, but didn't. I never really baked Potica's with my grandmother. It wasn't until after she died that I started baking Potica with my mother. It started as a sure-fire way to make extra cash during the holidays, one year we made enough to fly four people to Florida, but as I did it, and loved it, It turned into a way to honor my grandmother and, I hope, I hope, a way to show her my appreciation for always being there for me.
2. A negative event from my childhood:
I remember middle school being particularly traumatizing to me. I am the only girl among three brothers, as a child I was assertive, outspoken and bold. When I hit middle school, and puberty, things changed drastically. I NEVER spoke up in class or even raised my hand, I was shy and introverted. I had a small group of friends, but not the close knit group I had in elementary school. As far as a detail.... hmm, I remember being picked on a lot, although I don't really remember why - I imagine it was because I was an easy target because I didn't speak up.
3. A particular event that stands out from my teenage years:
When I got my driver's license. I couldn't wait to get it, I signed up for my temps as soon as I could, took my drivers ed class immediately and took the drivers test as soon as I was eligible. I remember the first time I got to drive by myself. It was a day or two after I passed my test and I drove my Mom somewhere to drop her off. One rule my parent's had when I was learning to drive was that the radio had to be off. I understood why, it was for my safety - to cut down on the distractions. I dropped her off and started the 15 minute drive home. I got about 5 minutes into the ride when it hit me that I was alone, the car was quiet and I had my drivers license! I turned on the radio, thank you very much, and loved the freedom - and defiance - of it!
4. A vivid/important memory from my adult years:
Driving into Kentucky for the first time. I was on my way to eastern Kentucky where I was to spend the next three months interning during my college years. I didn't know what to expect from the job, nor from the area. I didn't know anything about Eastern Kentucky or Appalachia... hell, I still pronounced it Apple-Aye-shon because that was how I was taught in school. The only thing I remembered about being taught about Appalachia in school was that it was a mountain range in the eastern U.S. That's it. Nothing about the rich culture and traditions. nothing about the streams and forests, nor about the coal that came from those mountains that powered our lights and what that meant to the people who lived in that region - for better and for worse. I had no idea that the term "hillbilly" had multiple meanings and was largely embraced and celebrated. My only experience I had with hillbillies was my grandfather, who called himself one while he cussed and farted in public (much to my embarrassment). I remember driving to eastern Kentucky, unsure of how to handle the winding, two lane, 55 mph roads, and unsure of what to expect. I remember embracing the idea of having no expectations. I started my work, scared but open to whatever happened.
This internship was supposed to be my required "cross-cultural" experience I needed to graduate. I at first thought - what a joke, kentucky is my "cross-cultural" experience? It was pretty early into the experience when I realized that I had no idea what culture even really, really meant until that time. I could clearly see how spanish culture differed from mine, for instance, but it wasn't until I experienced the subtle but strong difference in Appalachian vs. the northeastern middle American culture I came from, did I understand what culture was or how persuasive and encompassing it was.
5. A turning point in my life:
I guess I have to turn back to my Kentucky experience for this one. I always wanted to make movies as a kid, and I always thought I'd end up in New York or some other big city. I never in a million years dreamed that I would fall in love with the mountains. I was supposed to stay 3 months in Kentucky for my internship, I ended up staying 9 months that first stretch. I fell in love, both literally and figuratively, and ended up returning to Kentucky 9 months later to live and work. I married the mountain-raised man I fell for, had my first child in the mountains. Along the way I discovered a passion for education, having taught young Appalachians how to make media so they could offer an alternative view of their culture. I realized that mainstream media was co-opting and exploited a true, but incomplete part of this culture for commercial gain and money.
My grandmother moved in with my family when I was 4 years old. She was much older than other grandmothers of children my age because she had my father when she was 35. My father was almost 30 when he had me, so that made her about 65. 65 now doesn't seem that old, but at 4 years old, 65 was ancient. She never wore hair-dye, so she looked like a grandmother. She also had a hard, but good, life. She worked at a lot of service jobs, and had Scoliosis bad, so she was always bent over which made her look like she had a hump on her back. When she married at 19, she was 5'7" but she had shrunk to about 4'10" by the time she died at the age of 88.
I remember she always cooked. My parents both worked, but she was home when we would get back from school. She would make us grilled cheese sandwiches. She loved to bake, and would make lots and lots of cookies during the holidays. Unfortunately, these cookies were old-world cookies with funny names and funny, adult tastes. She would make almond cookies and balish, strudels and potica. She was famous for her potica. Potica is a Hungarian nut-roll with walnuts and lots (and lots) of sugar. When I was a teenager and had an opportunity to go to Europe for a few weeks one summer, my grandmother and mother baked Potica's to sell and paid for my trip that way. I should have helped, said I would help, but didn't. I never really baked Potica's with my grandmother. It wasn't until after she died that I started baking Potica with my mother. It started as a sure-fire way to make extra cash during the holidays, one year we made enough to fly four people to Florida, but as I did it, and loved it, It turned into a way to honor my grandmother and, I hope, I hope, a way to show her my appreciation for always being there for me.
2. A negative event from my childhood:
I remember middle school being particularly traumatizing to me. I am the only girl among three brothers, as a child I was assertive, outspoken and bold. When I hit middle school, and puberty, things changed drastically. I NEVER spoke up in class or even raised my hand, I was shy and introverted. I had a small group of friends, but not the close knit group I had in elementary school. As far as a detail.... hmm, I remember being picked on a lot, although I don't really remember why - I imagine it was because I was an easy target because I didn't speak up.
3. A particular event that stands out from my teenage years:
When I got my driver's license. I couldn't wait to get it, I signed up for my temps as soon as I could, took my drivers ed class immediately and took the drivers test as soon as I was eligible. I remember the first time I got to drive by myself. It was a day or two after I passed my test and I drove my Mom somewhere to drop her off. One rule my parent's had when I was learning to drive was that the radio had to be off. I understood why, it was for my safety - to cut down on the distractions. I dropped her off and started the 15 minute drive home. I got about 5 minutes into the ride when it hit me that I was alone, the car was quiet and I had my drivers license! I turned on the radio, thank you very much, and loved the freedom - and defiance - of it!
4. A vivid/important memory from my adult years:
Driving into Kentucky for the first time. I was on my way to eastern Kentucky where I was to spend the next three months interning during my college years. I didn't know what to expect from the job, nor from the area. I didn't know anything about Eastern Kentucky or Appalachia... hell, I still pronounced it Apple-Aye-shon because that was how I was taught in school. The only thing I remembered about being taught about Appalachia in school was that it was a mountain range in the eastern U.S. That's it. Nothing about the rich culture and traditions. nothing about the streams and forests, nor about the coal that came from those mountains that powered our lights and what that meant to the people who lived in that region - for better and for worse. I had no idea that the term "hillbilly" had multiple meanings and was largely embraced and celebrated. My only experience I had with hillbillies was my grandfather, who called himself one while he cussed and farted in public (much to my embarrassment). I remember driving to eastern Kentucky, unsure of how to handle the winding, two lane, 55 mph roads, and unsure of what to expect. I remember embracing the idea of having no expectations. I started my work, scared but open to whatever happened.
This internship was supposed to be my required "cross-cultural" experience I needed to graduate. I at first thought - what a joke, kentucky is my "cross-cultural" experience? It was pretty early into the experience when I realized that I had no idea what culture even really, really meant until that time. I could clearly see how spanish culture differed from mine, for instance, but it wasn't until I experienced the subtle but strong difference in Appalachian vs. the northeastern middle American culture I came from, did I understand what culture was or how persuasive and encompassing it was.
5. A turning point in my life:
I guess I have to turn back to my Kentucky experience for this one. I always wanted to make movies as a kid, and I always thought I'd end up in New York or some other big city. I never in a million years dreamed that I would fall in love with the mountains. I was supposed to stay 3 months in Kentucky for my internship, I ended up staying 9 months that first stretch. I fell in love, both literally and figuratively, and ended up returning to Kentucky 9 months later to live and work. I married the mountain-raised man I fell for, had my first child in the mountains. Along the way I discovered a passion for education, having taught young Appalachians how to make media so they could offer an alternative view of their culture. I realized that mainstream media was co-opting and exploited a true, but incomplete part of this culture for commercial gain and money.
Double Entry Journal #10
1. Do you think topics that center on "frustration with official
power" and "attraction for mass media fantasies would differ in rural
communities from those that inner-city teenagers focus on? How? Give
some examples.
No, I don't think it would differ all that much. I think what might differ is the form the "official power" takes. According to the author students he works with want to talk about police-youth relations, youth crime, violence and police brutality. What the "official power" looks like might change in a rural community - perhaps less police centered and more school administration and community/church leadership frustrations. I think topics such as prescription drug abuse, unfair treatment within schools, the seemingly inability to voice/see alternate viewpoints in a school (athletic vs. artistic students), GBLT issues within a community might be more relevant to rural students.
2. How do traditional social institutions and mass media work to silence inner-city kids?
Traditional social institutions silence inner-city kids by telling kids how they should or shouldn't behave in society and school and punish them as criminals. Mass media silences kids by co-opting their culture of defiance and marketing it to them (and to larger society).
3.
What is your reaction to the statistics presented under the heading
"And Justice For Some?" Do you think the system in intentionally
organized to disadvantage urban youth of color?
My reaction to the statistics is that I'm not really surprised. I'm not sure I'd go as far to say that the system is "intentionally organized" that way, but I do believe that it has been institutionalized this way for a long time and has its roots in fear and racism.
4. Link to an advertisement or commercial that you consider to be influenced by hip-hop culture?
http://youtu.be/Ul63nCoYhBc -- interesting because it seems to be marketing to 20 something white men who watch football - but uses hip-hop to do so, which must be because the style of hip-hop it features (heavy use of auto-tune) appeals to middle class white men of a certain age.
5. What dangers to young people do you see in the relentless marketing of "cool"?
Positive decision making can be affected by the marketing of "cool". Young people may choose to make a decision that is anti-thesis to their goals and wants in life because of the influence of "cool". The other danger is that young people trying to avoid and "one-up" the marketers find themselves in more extreme situations.
6.
What is your reaction to the research that shows youth violence in
decline? Do you still think that is the trend in 2012? Find some
statistics to support your answer?
Yes, I do.
Juvenile Arrest Rate Trends
Internet Citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available:
http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/JAR_Display.asp?ID=qa05200. October 16, 2011.
The juvenile arrest rate for all offenses reached
its highest level in the last two decades in 1996, and then declined 36%
by 2009.
Juvenile Arrest Rates for All Crimes, 1980-2009
| Note: Rates are arrests of persons ages 10-17 per 100,000 persons ages 10-17 in the resident population. |
[Text only] [Excel file]
- In 2009, there were 5,804 arrests for every 100,000 youths ages 10 through 17 in the United States.
- The overall juvenile arrest rate was lower in 2009 than in 1980.
Internet Citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available:
http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/JAR_Display.asp?ID=qa05200. October 16, 2011.
7. Why is it important to let youth speak for themselves and their voices to be heard?
They can offer an alternative perspective, and a more correct view of urban youth than mainstream media.
8.
What prevents Urban Youth from articulating their own
lived experiences in ways that might be productive? Do you think this is
problematic in rural areas like West Virginia? Do you think rural youth
are victimized by mass media in ways that are different than Urban
youth? How?
Urban youth, and Appalachian youth which includes the rural areas in West Virginia, have a cultural history of oral communication. They also have a modern-day culture that include visual communication. Visual and Oral communication is the primary form used out of school, while print communication is used in teaching. This gap disinterests and disengages the student from the process of learning, which also prevents the student from learning the vocabulary that is necessary to articulate their own lived experiences in the dominant media of the white middle class. Rural youth are victimized by mass media in similar, but contrasting, ways as urban youth. Rural youth are depicted as overweight and unhealthy, as "backwards," racist, unwelcoming, drug addicted and "rednecks."
The lack of vocabulary - which in public schools is the the vocabulary of the white middle class.
9. According to the author, what is the best way to address the literacy challenge?
Experiential learning, with more emphasis on oral and visual communication - which is the communication these students use more out-of- school. Also more exposure and learning opportunities from people who look the same and sound the same as these students.
10. Why is the skill and drill approach to literacy instruction ineffective?
The vocabulary skill and drill approach uses is the vocabulary of the white middle class, separate from and in direct opposition to their culture and experiences. This approach detaches and disinterests the student from teaching in print communication they receive in traditional school.
11.
What should schools offer to improve literacy instruction for Urban
Youth? Do you think this strategy would also benefit student of
the Appalachia region whose literacy rates are similar to those of youth
in the inner-city?
Experiential learning opportunities in oral and visual communication, and instruction from people who look and act like themselves. Yes, I think this strategy would also benefit students from the Appalachian region.
12. How is the process of reading changed by media?
The idea of Literacy is changing because young learners are now "reading" a variety of non-print communication. The use of both visual and aural senses allows for a greater understanding and recall of what they learned.
13.
According to the author how might the imbalance between inner-city kids
strong command of oral and visual language be used to improve
print-based language? Do you think this would also work for low-literacy
kids in the Appalachia region?
By widening and deepening the definition of literacy to include oral and visual language and teaching those within a school would help bring an inner-city teenager to greater success within the classroom and the work world. It would also help the inner-city teenager be able to express themselves and insert their experiences and viewpoints into the mainstream which would ultimately improve print-based language for all. Yes, I think this would absolutely work with low-literacy kids in the Appalachian region for all the same reasons it works with inner-city teenagers. The culture of Appalachia is based in oral traditions and the modern-day American culture is based in visual communication.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Double Entry Journal #9
Quote:
"Mass communication in our contemporary culture might arguably bear greater similarity with the late 10th century, when there was a revival of the image, not the word..... theologians used church paintings, sculptures and the very church buildings themselves as a form of collective communication to teach the Bible to the unlettered masses.... Within the context of our 21st-century media culture, the language of images also tells stories and teaches lessons about the order of things. However, today's symbols are most commonly used to teach that the promise of salvation is brought about through material acquisition instead of spiritual devotion." (Goodman, 2003)
Extra Resource:
http://www.ithaca.edu/chartres/learn/glass/glass_master.html
Response:
I wanted to respond to both the quote I chose from the text, and the additional resource I found this time, because I was really struck by the comparison the author brought up. It made me recall my trip to Europe as a young teenager, and the beautiful, awe inspiring cathedrals I visited while I was there. The stained glass windows that adorned these cathedrals were just amazing, much older and much much more elaborate than I had ever seen in this country. I remember being taken aback by them and learning that these elaborate stained glass windows were developed with the intention of education in mind. They depicted bible stories at a time when very few - the most wealthy and most powerful- knew how to read the actual bible. The images conveyed the stories that the leaders of the church wanted the congregants to know.
This led me to an online search to look for examples of stained glass and what continually came up in my web searches was the Chartres Cathedral in France, which dates back to around 1200 ("United nations educational," 2009). The glass and architecture of this cathedral is beautiful. It is awe inspiring, and I can clearly see how it made a person feel as if they were in the presence of something greater while within that space.
Unfortunately, I fear that the modern day equivalent of the Chartres is something akin to Disneyworld. I feel when we look at pictures of these amazing stain glass windows, we are seeing the 12th century's version of glossy, colorful magazine covers and advertisements. The places being built today that give people a sense of amazement, (eyes up.... mouth agape) are places like Las Vegas, amusement parks, football stadiums, fancier shopping malls. When I think of modern-day icons and symbols, I think about logos such as Gucci's and Apple's. When I think about bright, colorful beautiful images, I think about advertisements - billboards, posters, and commercials.
Critical media literacy allows the viewer to understand that these modern-day media images - albeit beautiful and awe-inspiring - are manipulating the uneducated, often into spending their money on something they only think they need. Much like the 1200s, the wealthy and powerful - media moguls and corporate giants - control what the populace sees. The unfortunate part is that today the message the corporate media is sending is that happiness is only acquired through material goods.
Additional Questions:
1. According to the author, what is the main reason school have ignored engaging student with critical media literacy. Schools, along with the system of global media, both want young people to "be passive and willing vessels for a prescribed set of knowledge and skills." Media wants students to be consumers, schools want students to be orderly and not question authority and systems. Critical media literacy teaches students to question the authority and meanings they read around them, and this might lead to a question of school's authority. Furthermore, the author argues American schools are factory-schooling, where a supervisor (the principal, the teachers), expect total obedience from the worker (the student). Critical media literacy encourages and seeks community collaboration between teacher and student, and this disrupts they typical structure of a school system.
2. Define critical media literacy. Studying media with a critical eye towards the power dynamics and economics at play within the media by identifying the codes and constructions media uses to manipulate the viewer.
3. How can film making or digital story telling support the goals of critical media literacy? By creating media, especially film & digital stories, students (people!) learn the countless choices and decisions made throughout the process of producing a piece. The act of producing media leads students to understand more thoroughly the ways in which media can manipulate the viewer because they themselves will be manipulating their footage to get the story they want out of it.
4. Why does teaching media literacy become more complicated as student become consumers of news? News is a business, which makes money by increasing market share via increased viewership. For this reason, news has relied on spectacle and students have "grown up in a culture that has normalized the notion that entertainment is news and news is entertainment."
5. What is the difference between learning through the media and learning about the media? Learning about the media includes being critical about the message and the pro-consumer bent the media is teaching you. It is about being aware of the codes and constructs the media uses. Teaching through media is just about using media as a vehicle to teach a set curriculum - like watching an educational film about water quality in science class.
Sources:
Goodman, S. (2003). Teaching youth media: A critical guide to literacy, video production & social change. NY: Teachers College Press.
United nations educational, scientific and cultural organization. (2009). Retrieved from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/81
"Mass communication in our contemporary culture might arguably bear greater similarity with the late 10th century, when there was a revival of the image, not the word..... theologians used church paintings, sculptures and the very church buildings themselves as a form of collective communication to teach the Bible to the unlettered masses.... Within the context of our 21st-century media culture, the language of images also tells stories and teaches lessons about the order of things. However, today's symbols are most commonly used to teach that the promise of salvation is brought about through material acquisition instead of spiritual devotion." (Goodman, 2003)
Extra Resource:
http://www.ithaca.edu/chartres/learn/glass/glass_master.html
Response:
I wanted to respond to both the quote I chose from the text, and the additional resource I found this time, because I was really struck by the comparison the author brought up. It made me recall my trip to Europe as a young teenager, and the beautiful, awe inspiring cathedrals I visited while I was there. The stained glass windows that adorned these cathedrals were just amazing, much older and much much more elaborate than I had ever seen in this country. I remember being taken aback by them and learning that these elaborate stained glass windows were developed with the intention of education in mind. They depicted bible stories at a time when very few - the most wealthy and most powerful- knew how to read the actual bible. The images conveyed the stories that the leaders of the church wanted the congregants to know.
This led me to an online search to look for examples of stained glass and what continually came up in my web searches was the Chartres Cathedral in France, which dates back to around 1200 ("United nations educational," 2009). The glass and architecture of this cathedral is beautiful. It is awe inspiring, and I can clearly see how it made a person feel as if they were in the presence of something greater while within that space.
Unfortunately, I fear that the modern day equivalent of the Chartres is something akin to Disneyworld. I feel when we look at pictures of these amazing stain glass windows, we are seeing the 12th century's version of glossy, colorful magazine covers and advertisements. The places being built today that give people a sense of amazement, (eyes up.... mouth agape) are places like Las Vegas, amusement parks, football stadiums, fancier shopping malls. When I think of modern-day icons and symbols, I think about logos such as Gucci's and Apple's. When I think about bright, colorful beautiful images, I think about advertisements - billboards, posters, and commercials.
Critical media literacy allows the viewer to understand that these modern-day media images - albeit beautiful and awe-inspiring - are manipulating the uneducated, often into spending their money on something they only think they need. Much like the 1200s, the wealthy and powerful - media moguls and corporate giants - control what the populace sees. The unfortunate part is that today the message the corporate media is sending is that happiness is only acquired through material goods.
Additional Questions:
1. According to the author, what is the main reason school have ignored engaging student with critical media literacy. Schools, along with the system of global media, both want young people to "be passive and willing vessels for a prescribed set of knowledge and skills." Media wants students to be consumers, schools want students to be orderly and not question authority and systems. Critical media literacy teaches students to question the authority and meanings they read around them, and this might lead to a question of school's authority. Furthermore, the author argues American schools are factory-schooling, where a supervisor (the principal, the teachers), expect total obedience from the worker (the student). Critical media literacy encourages and seeks community collaboration between teacher and student, and this disrupts they typical structure of a school system.
2. Define critical media literacy. Studying media with a critical eye towards the power dynamics and economics at play within the media by identifying the codes and constructions media uses to manipulate the viewer.
3. How can film making or digital story telling support the goals of critical media literacy? By creating media, especially film & digital stories, students (people!) learn the countless choices and decisions made throughout the process of producing a piece. The act of producing media leads students to understand more thoroughly the ways in which media can manipulate the viewer because they themselves will be manipulating their footage to get the story they want out of it.
4. Why does teaching media literacy become more complicated as student become consumers of news? News is a business, which makes money by increasing market share via increased viewership. For this reason, news has relied on spectacle and students have "grown up in a culture that has normalized the notion that entertainment is news and news is entertainment."
5. What is the difference between learning through the media and learning about the media? Learning about the media includes being critical about the message and the pro-consumer bent the media is teaching you. It is about being aware of the codes and constructs the media uses. Teaching through media is just about using media as a vehicle to teach a set curriculum - like watching an educational film about water quality in science class.
Sources:
Goodman, S. (2003). Teaching youth media: A critical guide to literacy, video production & social change. NY: Teachers College Press.
United nations educational, scientific and cultural organization. (2009). Retrieved from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/81
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