It's All In How You Look At It

Well, fall is here. Excellent. It's my favorite season. However, with the gorgeous changing of the leaves, comes the beginning of school years nationwide. This means (due to my chosen profession) I'm surrounded by lots and lots of kids. Kids coughing and sneezing, picking their noses, putting their entire hands inside of their mouths, followed by more coughing and sneezing because the previous kid that was coughing and sneezing has now gotten the rest of the class sick. You see, they do these things and then they touch me. Ipso facto...I am sick. Thank you small children of the world. Other than the fact that it's terrible, I have had a lot of time to watch television (something I also rarely do due to my chosen profession). I had this homework assignment (you're reading it) to learn about 8 critical approaches or lenses to media text. So, with my sick and lazy weekend I sat and watched television in these 8 different ways. Let's talk about what I learned shall we?

The first approach presented in my text for this class is a rhetorical/audience critical analysis. This is always an interesting way to view something. The way that I understood this lens is to look at a television show, movie or commercial (or anything else for that matter) and critique it as to whom it is directed, trying to reach or influence. They key questions I came up with from this analysis were: how does this make or change my perceptions, who is this trying to influence, does it make me change or question my values or beliefs, and do I identify with this? We'll use a commercial for an example. Essentially, commercials generally try to sell you something or in this time of year, every four years, convince you of something. The people that create these commercials know who their target audiences are and may try and manipulate them (no way). So what do you think of John McCain now? I mean other than the fact he looks like an English Bulldog.

The second perspective I looked at was that of a semiotic analysis. This theory focuses on the social and cultural meaning of codes and signs. The meanings to decipher are based upon relationships among an object, its implied meaning, and what it refers to. Believe it or not these meanings have deep roots in our social and cultural ideologies. Do you think it's a coincidence that the Pepsi logo colors are red, white and blue? No, silly! It's the great American soft drink! Or is that Coke? I don't know, I'm more of a Dr. Pepper kind of gal. The second part of this approach is that of a narrative analysis. This view looks at how particular events are depicted in terms of how they function in the show, movie, commercial etc. How do such events help develop the plot, organize the story line, fill in gaps or help predict what's going to happen next? These are questions that take on a narrative perspective. However, due to societal cultural values and norms, a narrative analysis might also ask: what is also left out?

The third analysis is that of poststructuralism. This approach looks at the classic good versus evil, male versus female, black versus white, etc. oppositions and what they represent, mean, and equate. You may not believe this but in media, such oppositions are often stereotypical. No. Oppositions like high/low and light/dark influence both characters and the audience. With a poststructuralist point of view, there are no truths or "exactnesses" (I made that word up). However, it's more likely that things like football are going to be associated with men rather than women, and the latest Dove commercial with women rather than men. Now I'm not just a big fan of that either (I like football, Go Packers!), but at least with the knowledge that such oppositions take place, I am able to see a commercial the way it was "intended" to be seen, and the way I want to see it.

The fourth approach is that of critical discourse. We each have our own discourse based upon our backgrounds and whatnot. We may even have more than one. For example, a doctor has a medical discourse and a lawyer-can you guess it- a legal discourse. Such discourses "define the social and power relationships within a certain culture or community." Thank you Richard Beach. They mold how people see themselves and the world around them. There are discourses of class and of race that actually remind me of a favorite movie I watched over the weekend, My Fair Lady. Okay yes, it's a musical. Whatever. It's fantastic and Audrey Hepburn is classic. Anyhow, she plays Eliza Doolittle and is a poor girl that sells flowers. She takes speech lessons so that she may pass as a lady. Didn't you know, she clearly wasn't a lady before with her incorrect grammar and accent? Eliza sees herself, and is seen, as indecent because of how she sounds and undoubtedly because of how she looks. Only after she has changed her clothes and learned to speak "properly" is she accepted by those around her.

The fifth analysis is a psychoanalytic theory. This idea revolves around the notion that texts are shaped by one's needs, fears and subconscious desires that are apart of their identity. A person's subconscious drive influences what they see and how they interpret meaning. The viewer of a film may attach a dangerous, bad or evil association to a character in the film due to a subconscious fear. Or an audience member may try to become more like a film character because of a subconscious desire.

The sixth analysis is a feminist perspective. One focus is the sexist portrayal of women as well as men in media texts. Women are often sexualized or have female norms defined for us that are often negative or unrealistic. The media has a tendency to represent men and women based on current cultural and social customs or beliefs. Because such social and cultural constraints change, so do the gender representations. Media texts also play into characteristics that men and women are "supposed" to have because they are supposedly more feminine or more masculine.

The seventh perspective is an postmodern analysis. This theory compromises the modern notions of fact, truth and reality. It is hard to decipher what is true and what is false (who is to say that anyhow), and some say media in itself is a reality. There are plenty of films out there that distort reality. Don't reality shows actually do just that? Postmodernism, in my opinion, can be seen in at least two ways: as a parody or an actual critique of a system of values and beliefs. I guess I argue that one in return does the other. Regardless, it's all about questioning.

Lastly, I learned about the postcolonial approach. This looks at how colonial or imperialist ideas of the world we live in are portrayed in different texts. My text for this class had a great example of how the media often represents third world countries, or previously colonized areas as the "other," essentially not like us, non-European. The "other" is always more dangerous, mysterious, and primitive. Often times in media, the "others" are stereotyped and portrayed in a sense that reflects our own insecurities and our shortcomings. Wouldn't you like to be Muslim in our world right about now? A postcolonial approach provides an alternative view on how we see our individual roles in the world.

"You Can't Take A Picture Unless It's Already Gone."

For this week I viewed a television commercial and a scene from a television show and analyzed them in terms of composition, lighting, editing, camera shots, and sound and how they portray relationships, narrative development, and representations.

I first looked at the series finale of one of my favorite shows, HBO’s Six Feet Under. For those of you whom do not know what this show is about (shame on you), it’s a dark and dramatic, yet comedic look at a dysfunctional L.A. family that runs a funeral business.

The final episode is about Claire leaving L.A. and moving to New York. It opens with a medium shot of Nate Fisher, the eldest brother whom recently passed away, against a white screen. He is dressed in a white suit and is lip-syncing and dancing. The shot is underexposed to make his blank surroundings seem perhaps heavenly, or emphasize the fact he is dead. The scene cuts to an extreme close up of his singing the words “I just want to celebrate another day of life.” We then see several frames of extreme close up shots that then move back out to medium shots of him singing and dancing, and back to an extreme close up of his face. This sequence happens several times, moving from an ECU to a medium close shot, to a medium shot, back to a medium close shot ending with another ECU. This part of the scene finishes with a camera zoom in on his opening and singing mouth.

It then transitions to the only daughter, Claire, waking up in bed. The music previously sung by Nate is now the music from her alarm clock that has woken her up. Perhaps this is done to try and make Nate’s death seem unreal, or just a dream. The camera pans across her room. The lighting is much darker in her room in comparison to the opening scene. The camera pans across her bedroom where we see her dead brother Nate sitting in a chair, allowing for a two shot of Nate and Claire. The shot becomes an over-the-shoulder shot of Nate. He talks to Claire and tells her to get up as everybody is waiting for her. The camera zooms in for a close up on Claire. We can see she is thinking deeply as if weighing heavy decisions.

The scene transitions with a cut and pan of the Fisher home. We get a full view of the large sign in the front yard that read Fisher and Sons, Funeral Directions. There is a cut to a long shot of Claire in the driveway. Her mother Ruth walks in front of the camera allowing for an over-the-shoulder shot of Claire. It changes from a two shot to a three shot when her brother David appears next to Ruth. Then there is a reverse angle as now we can see Ruth and David’s faces. Everyone is saying goodbye. There is a medium close shot Claire crying and hugging David.

Cut to a medium close shot of Claire and her mother. Then there is an over-the-shoulder of Claire, cut to a reverse angle of Ruth crying. “I don’t want to go,” Claire says. Quickly there is a cut to an over-the-shoulder where we see Nate. “Yes, you do,” he says. We go back to another over-the-shoulder shot of Claire facing the front of the house, where we see the rest of the family walking out the front door. We see Claire hugging and saying goodbye to her nephews. There is a reverse angle back to the family, followed by a medium close shot of Claire and her brother-in-law Keith hugging.

Claire announces she wants to take a picture of her family. Here the show cuts to a two shot of Claire and Nate standing right behind her. Then it cuts to a long shot of the family in front of the house. The audience sees what Claire’s picture would look like, and then backs to a medium shot of Claire. This is her final goodbye.

The end of the scene shows the audience a cut to Claire in her car, and an extreme close up of Claire doing each of the following: starting her car, opening a cd, putting it in the stereo, and putting the car in drive. We then see a long shot of her driving out of the driveway. Cue sappy music. There is one last long shot of the house and her family standing on the porch, waving goodbye. That’s it for Six Feet Under.

The lighting in this scene is very natural. They are outside and the light is bright, perhaps to signal the early morning. We hear lots of atmos and effect sounds like cars driving by and birds chirping. The cars in the shot tell me she is leaving.

One cannot help but notice the overload of medium close, close up, over-the-shoulder, and reverse angle shots in this scene. This is done so that the audience gets to see the emotion coming from each individual’s face, as well as see their reactions to others, and their points of view. Every time there is a medium close shot, it is of two people hugging and crying. The reverse angle shots almost always show someone’s reaction to the words shared when someone has to say goodbye. Generally the close ups are of Claire crying.

These shots were obviously chosen deliberately to show the real relations between the characters, and their honest emotions. Six Feet Under is an emotionally charged show about real people, real problems, and real feelings. The way the camera equally captures each character’s thoughts and feelings and then compares or relates them to another’s via over-the shoulders or reverse angles makes it more real. It also helps develop the theme and tone of the show: make the most of life, embrace it…screwed up or not…because everyone dies eventually.

This scene is extremely effective at portraying the true relationships between the characters. They love one another, will be missed and everyone is sad that Claire is leaving their home. With so much time and effort spent on hugging, crying and saying goodbye, the audience knows this is not going to be a short weekend trip. We know that this is more permanent, and somehow closes this part of the story. It keeps us hanging on; wanting more even though we know this is it. It makes us cry (you lie if you say it doesn’t), we realize that we’ve become attached to these people too and share the same emotions. It always brings us back to that common ground, no matter how different, we are all human.

I would love to work on a film unit in my classroom to look at just these things. How does film portray us as human beings? How do we relate to those we see on television or on film? I would love to use this show, about family, and maybe compare it to another show such as Dexter, which is about a serial killer. How are the characters portrayed? What are their common qualities? What are their differences? I would love to also take a look at the use of different shots, and also to examine why they are used. What does a particular shot show us as the audience? What was the director trying to do here? What do they want us to understand? I think an assignment just like this would be very valuable. A shot by shot analysis of a scene to dissect it for content. It would be great to teach the vocabulary necessary for this assignment in my classroom, and then have my students evaluate two film scenes looking at tone or theme. I would also love for my students to create their own films or commercials and have their peers critique them on the elements learned.

Finally, I present a shot by shot analysis of a Pepsi commercial that used to be on television. You may find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31pEZWaIhr0

Shot One: Establishing shot of a young boy walking down the sidewalk in a neighborhood. This establishes the location and player.

Shot Two: Long shot of boy walking.
Again, proves the young boy is the main character in which the commercial is centered around and gives us a closer look at presumably his, neighborhood.

Shot Three: Long shot of a market storefront in the neighborhood.
Here we see the other player, a soda machine. It’s front and center.

Shot Four: A high angle shot from the soda machine looking down upon the boy.
The machine looks huge and shows us that the boy has many soda choices.

Shot Five: A medium shot of the point putting coins into the machine.
He has made a choice to buy a soda. But which one?

Shot Six: Long shot of the boy standing in front of the machine making his soda selection. We can’t see what he has chosen. Somewhat suspenseful for a soda commercial.

Shot Seven: Extreme close up of the can that the machine has dispensed.
Here we see that the boy has chosen Coke. At first we think this might be a Coke commercial.

Shot Eight: Extreme close up of the boy’s feet in front of the soda machine.
He places the can of Coke on the ground next to his feet. This makes us wonder what the heck this kid is doing. We keep watching.

Shot Nine: Long shot of the boy in front of the machine. He is looking for more coins for more soda.

Shot Ten: Extreme close up of the boy putting more coins in the machine. He’s buying two sodas?

Shot Eleven: Extreme close up of the boy pushing the Coke button again. He must really like Coke.

Shot Twelve: High angle shot looking down on the boy from the machine. We can see one Coke can on the ground, and the other Coke can just dispensed from the machine. The boy is putting the second can on the ground next to the first. What is he doing?

Shot Thirteen: Extreme close up of the two Coke cans on the ground, with their Coke labels facing out. This ensures we see that they are Coke cans. We see the boy stand on top of the two cans.

Shot Fourteen: Long shot of the boy standing on cans in front of the machine. He reaches up.

Shot Fifteen: Extreme close up of the Pepsi button on the machine. He pushes it. OMG, he used the Coke cans to get to the Pepsi! Clever!

Shot Sixteen: Extreme close up of Pepsi can just dispensed from the machine. The label faces out. The boy grabs it.

Shot Seventeen: Long shot of the boy walking away from the machine with the Pepsi in his hand. We can see the two cans of Coke left on the ground, in front of the machine.

Even with all those choices, he chose Pepsi. He was willing to pay for Coke to get to the Pepsi. He was willing to work hard to get the Pepsi, and was willing to literally walk over the competition to get what he wanted. Then end shot shows us the slogan of “The Joy of Pepsi” and the Pepsi label to reinforce it. There was a very soothing, casual acoustic guitar playing in the background. You can hear other kids in the neighborhood playing and yelling. The lighting was natural and gave it a lazy day of summer feel. Of course with this young boy’s thirst quenched by that refreshing Pepsi he worked so hard to get!

Because Unfortunately, "Because I Say So," Is Not Enough

School districts, especially those struggling to make AYP, often focus their energy and funding on core subjects and methodology intensified on the “basics.” This focus, in return, leaves little to no room for developing curriculum that is not traditional or standard. Sad. Naturally the first things to go are the arts. While language arts, my particular content area, is within those traditional and necessary subjects, it is only so if it is considered “English.” The subject of English has taken on the characteristics that of including grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing, etc. However, the English class I want to teach, of course includes such characteristics, but is definitely not limited to that. English does not have to be simply “basic.” It can and should include these basic elements, but it should be creative and innovative. Media studies is an excellent way to incorporate the new with the old. Students will develop new literacies, while further developing their “basic” skills.

The current school district, for which I am employed, truly lacks the resources for new technologies. We have basic computers and software, but new resources are not actually what we need. A lot of the issues surrounding the technology in our building are due to lack of education of the technology at hand. This absolutely includes the student population. To a large number of students at this school, computer, cell phone, video and Internet literacy (as well as a host of others), is almost foreign. Yet, each class is required to have computer time for 30 minutes, three times a week. What are these kids doing in there? Do they have the necessary skills to benefit from this computer time? What is interesting here, although not surprising, is that each child in this school (seriously) is overly consumed by and involved with computers, the Internet, television and the movies. They’re kids, they live for this stuff. Especially now seeing as this generation has been dubbed the “media generation.” There is no escaping this. Since these students are already engrossed in media, why in the world should we not teach them about it, how to use it, and how to learn from it?

The current curriculum for language arts in my school is a reading program aimed at advancing “behind” readers into their grade level. A curriculum like this is by the book, must be followed to a “T,” not flexible. Boring. And it is boring to these students. However, it does seem to be producing results attractive to the school board, and the kids feel good about their progress too. But seriously..this is not all we should offer our students a means of language arts. The reading program is dull, repetitive and not engaging at all. I know, I teach it. Sorry. If it is “necessary” that we teach this program for the good of our students, can we not at least integrate something into it to make it more fun, engaging and creative for our students (and the teachers for goodness sake). I truly believe connecting media studies with the program would be extremely beneficial.

We as educators should be worried about students acquiring the skills seen as “basic,” but that does not mean the way we teach them has to be. For example, instead of each child having to write a 5-7-sentence paragraph response on paper to what they have read for reading class, why don’t they keep an ongoing Internet blog of responses? See, when you keep things electronically, there is no justification for “I forgot it on the bus,” or “I lost it.” Not to mention that I would not then have 25 papers to keep track of. Not only would students have the opportunity to use the technology and media they crave, but also they can use it for educational purposes. My guess is some of them may even forget they are doing their dreaded homework because they are enjoying what they are doing all while learning about new literacies and practicing an essay format. If done right, teaching about media and it’s technology can incorporate foundation courses and necessary skills.

The population and community I work with is very interested in media and technology, and I think education on and of such technology could only be beneficial. Honestly, it’s like killing two birds with one stone, if you will. I want my students to know the “basics” of language arts. Seriously, comma splices are terrible. Knowledge of such skills is essential in and out of the classroom. Media studies can further develop such skills. Such studies only encourage critical thinking. Essentially, isn’t this what we are after? Media studies can incorporate creativity and innovativeness with any subject matter. What if instead of writing papers and turning them in only to receive them back covered in red ink, could turn into a wiki that is accessed by all members of class containing feedback from peers?

I won’t bore you with statistics; truth is I would probably mix up the numbers anyhow. However, it is undeniable that media today consumes children. Children spend more than 25% of their day watching T.V., movies, playing on the Internet and what have you. Anyone want to place bets that that percentage is going to go up? Come on, I have student loans to pay. Nowadays, children often access more than one media outlet at a time. They multitask. If we are so concerned about literacy, why don’t we incorporate new and upcoming literacies into the mix? What a well-rounded education! Doing so is a fantastic way to reach out to students and engage them in what they need to know. It doesn’t have to be boring. Incorporating media studies is a great way to address these new, unavoidable literacies. It is because they are unavoidable that it is in fact important to address them. Our students need the appropriate skills to navigate and intelligently interpret what is going on in the world. By teaching such skills, students are using invaluable critical thinking skills that can be adapted to almost anything, inside or outside the classroom. An education that is applicable and relevant to the outside world is what everyone deserves.

Media studies is the perfect complement to “basic” education, it only further develops traditional and standard language arts curriculum. A media literacy content would prove to engage children in what we actually want them to learn, not deter from it. Media studies are relevant, applicable, and important. It builds necessary skills, allows for more critical thinking and viewing of the world around us, and encourages and embraces different learning styles. Let us not forget it also encourages creativity.

What do I want and hope to learn from this course? I would like to learn appropriate yet, creative ways to use media in the classroom. How can I adapt lessons in language arts in such a manner, and what kinds of tools can I, and my students use?

Media Literacy Education, Yes Please and Thank You- An addendum

So..sometimes when I read things I think I interpret them in an incorrect way (is there really a way to correctly think). It turns out I have a knack for interpreting most of what I read in an entirely different way than intended. This often gets me into trouble. It's also why I'm terrible at math. However, I also feel it's why potentially I'm a decent writer, and even better at "reading" literature and art of all types. At least I like to think this "alternativeness" of mine affords me this strength. Luckily the whole idea around media studies is interpreting and expressing things in one's own light. Right? Or have I done it again?

I'm currently taking a class on teaching media literacy. This blog is my representation and reflection of the coursework for the class. This class mainly discusses the importance of incorporating new literacies, in alternative ways, into and among student curriculum. This course is entirely online and is my second online class experience in my academic career. I'm new to online classes and I'm terrible at them (getting better), but I'm trying and I'm learning (the point right). Speaking of educational alternatives. Online classes. Excellent. Then you mix online with media studies and you can see how I may have screwed up, right? When it comes to interpreting what is assigned, in this class I think I have "pulled an Erin," if you will, and incorrectly understood what the hell was going on. :)

So..let me bend your ear for a bit on what I now think I'm supposed to do. Aren't you lucky? Take two:

For class we were asked to watch a few political videos (excellent), and discuss their implications and what have you. Battlefield Minnesota was a fantastic film in which the creators interviewed major politicians in Minnesota. The message: become politically educated and get out there and vote (gosh darn it). The film was completely appealing (at least it should be to anyone as the message is important), mostly because of it's excellent, authentic hip-hop accompanied by pertinent information. However, the real seller for me was Walter Mondale playing d.j. Seriously. How could you pass that up? Also, seeing any politician willing to bling it up for a good cause is worth paying attention to. See..now you have to watch it right? http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/mtm05/ This film was so creative in style and content, but it also hit right home and made a taboo topic personable. Also, no bias here. We get all pieces of the political pie here. Better than Fox.. This film is aimed at youth in society, the political education of, and necessity of their action.

I love it. I could not agree more. The message is undeniably important and necessary. The fact that the creator of this film went onto the streets and reached out to local youth is incredibly empowering. This guy brings with him an actual voting booth asking two young ladies, "do you know how to use one of these?" With shaking heads, he begins to educate them on a poll booth and the importance of voting. These are future voters ladies and gentlemen. Not gonna lie, the first time I was legal to vote I walked into a booth, closed the curtain and thought to myself "Wow, this is kind of intimidating, everything all official and serious and all...what if I screw up ( 'cause I do that sometimes)...I'd like to think this vote has a positive impact on the next four years of life..." and a load of other things. I'm just saying, the education of the physical act of voting associated with the knowledge and understanding of what you are voting for is invaluable and remarkably powerful. You can't go wrong. It's personal empowerment for all individuals.

The second film, News is What we Make It, was awesome. Think politics meets Wallace and Gromit. Not for everyone I know, but at least Wallace and Gromit is. Ha. Sorry, terrible little joke there. Honestly though, the film had an important message and it was conveyed in a creative manner. This film discusses media conglomeration and how news is; I mean can be, misrepresented. In short this film portrays a young adult female with terrible clay hair, interviewed by a local reporter with a terrible clay mustache, about her personal views on a school-wide issue. The reporter airs her interview, but edits her words so that her personal view had dramatically changed, and was falsely represented. This young clay-lady demands a retraction and she is denied. She then goes to another station to ask for an expose (accent there on the 'e'-I don't know how to do that, my apologies), and is also denied. After learning about the ugliness of media conglomerates, she decides to take matter into her own hands. Yes! She concocts a plan to draw media attention to her school and then steal the spotlight to get her message out. A little bait and switch, if you will. It's a fun and entertaining film, yet it battles a huge issue. Should we believe what we see on T.V., or take it with a grain of salt? I always preferred sweet things to salty, myself. Also, is the "news" we are receiving accurate?

Point in case-this summer I was caught on campus by an amusing and entertaining reporter from Channel 4. I was interviewed about my water consumption. I told him and his camera buddy how much water I drank on a daily basis. I was then asked questions on my "water knowledge." Yes, the history, theory and importance of water consumption my friends. It was riveting. Anyhow, we three had a nice little chat and a few giggles about water and he then moved on to interview others about the same. A few weeks later I caught my television debut on the web (ha ha-news on the internet). Much to my dismay-I exclaimed to the entirety of Minneapolis and surrounding areas that I pee a lot. Yes, I said it. This is of course due to my incredible water consumption people. Um...thanks guy from Channel 4. (Please excuse me for not posting the link to my awesome interview). Although I had admitted to drinking copious amounts of water and then, mind you, was asked whether or not I frequented the restroom, they had edited out much of what I had been interview about. Apparently my knowledge of water was less impressive than my trips to the bathroom. Great. However, this is a prime example of how news and media can and will be distorted..at my expense nonetheless.

Some things to think about yeah? How about on your next trip to the restroom?

Media Literacy Education, Yes Please and Thank You.

I spent an evening reading from my textbook on media literacy and the teachings of. I love that media studies is finally getting at least some of the recognition it deserves. I was reading along and having these “ah-ha,” “yes that’s awesome,” and “I love that” kind of moments about how one can actually justify media studies in curriculum, the benefits and importance of teacher education in media literacy, the success of such studies in the curriculum of other countries and cultures, and the application to, and impact on real life media studies has.

All was great until I came across the opinion of the school board member from Eden Prairie. This person seem a bit ignorant when it comes to “good” teachers, as well as the importance of media literacy. Whatever “good” teachers means, but in my opinion, a good teacher is one that can successfully integrate media of all or any forms into the daily curriculum. Umm..we as a society are constantly immersed in television, the Internet, newspapers etc. There simply can be no denying this, nor can we ignore it. The fact that this school board member claims showing movies in school is an example of low skill level is ignorant. Granted there are plenty of teachers out there whom do just that in order to escape teaching or I don’t even know what else, not all teachers whom show films do so without some kind of educational intent. I think if we did place more emphasis on media literacy, the view on it may shift to a more positive one.

I read in the text that most people spend 2/3 of their day involved in some kind of “televisorphonernetting,” and students generally spend about 50 minutes doing homework. Guess what, I currently am doing both of those things. What a way to successfully combine the two since I was going to “televisorphonernet” anyhow. It turns out that my experiences in doing so help develop my personal range on digital literacies and social interactions (true story), and I’m thinking critically and learning folks (no joke)!

Media studies develops a new form of communication, and I’m not going to lie, I totally agree that this helps form my identity while it offers me a new way to learn things. This is the first blog I have ever set up. I had to learn how to do that, all while I was taking in the textual information from my book, and then I got to combine the two. Nerdy, but that’s pretty cool yeah? I’m slightly embarrassed, but others will read this and I may even get to chat with them about it. It’s an interactive thing. Think of how many people sit on their sofas alone and surf the Internet or whatnot. It’s a rather passive thing and I totally feel lazy doing it. Having a blog alone makes me feel like I’m doing something a little more than flattening my couch cushions, straining my already poor eyesight and exacerbating my carpal tunnel problem. I truly think bringing blogging into the classroom would be an amazing way to get students to interact with one another, exchange ideas and develop new skills. Like the text says, if we are so concerned about developing these “basic” skills, why not meet students half way and do so by reaching out to them with something(s) they are interested in?

As educators we should take what we have to work with and build on those things instead of insisting on educating the way we think we should. We want to engage students right? We should teach them the skills needed to do the things they want to do and are going to do anyway, and it automatically teaches them the skills we think they should have. Tricky. By allowing students to learn how use multimedia and communicate in multimodal ways, they will enjoy what they are doing and learning, and they will use critical thinking skills to judge the quality of and recognize the different aspects of media, all while understanding the important role media plays in our society.

There is such a social and cultural influence on and of media in our daily lives, and thus it tends to represent and impact our lives whether we want it to or not, and whether it is positive or negative. If one understands these things, they can make more informed decisions about, change their perceptions of, and “see” the construction of the world via the media. In frankness, the media gives us a pretty good look (accurate or not) at how we see ourselves, how others see “us,” how we see “others”, and how we should be seen. It’s absolutely essential to have the skills to recognize these things. Perhaps we as educators could umm..do just that? It would be cool to show a student how to “see” the different meanings presented to us through media, how we impact media and how it impacts us.

Media can empower people, those whom may not have a voice elsewhere. This can be both positive and negative, but the ability to see that distinction is even more powerful in my opinion. I believe media studies are fantastic, and the opportunity to teach critical thinking about society, beliefs and attitudes through such a topic is invaluable. Technology is upon us and is ever changing and developing. Let’s take advantage of it.