Final paper

My philosophy of education of education is based on my desires to help others, mentoring a student population that will eventually be more intelligent than I am, and teaching other people to strive for excellence naturally. Helping others comes easier to me than personal desires because overlook my discomforts more readily than seeing it in others. Critical media literacy helps those that may be confused by technology, advertising and the agendas of the source of information. I would enjoy enlightening students that are lacking in understanding of media. "Too often I hear my teaching colleagues and administrators pass off mobile media as a novelty at best, and - more often - a significant distraction to learning." (Avila & Pandya, 2013)I would challenge this notion. Mentoring students to become more intelligent than me is another part of instructing I enjoy. A reunion with a former student that tells me that I made a difference in their development brightens my day more than any thoughts of salary. Critical media literacy has potential to be a defining moment in an education as shown by the quote: "school can play an important role in introducing students to technology, in contextualizing, scaffolding, and practicing critical awareness and constructive, perhaps even disruptive, ways of using tools for digital literacy."(Avila , 2013)Lastly, I enjoy teaching others to strive for excellence naturally. I was late in learning this lesson in life, so I am committed to help others learn it at an earlier age. The skills taught with critical media literacy can open up a students eyes to the potential they have in the creation of media products, understanding the goals of others, and the technology skills taught concurrently can benefit the students in other fields. "The obvious thing to say about digital stories and other kinds of signification that are mediated by new information technologies is that they offer distinctive contrasts to the primarily alphabetic texts and the forms of textual reasoning that predominate in schools and universities." (Avila , 2013)

I found a great link for media education at: http://mediaeducationlab.com/ This website and its related articles are supported by the University of Rhode Island. I would use this reference for ideas for teaching my students.

http://mkoehler.educ.msu.edu/tpack/what-is-tpack/ gives more information into the background of tpack. I would use this for ideas for my own training.

I found an article supporting mobile devices at the classroom at: http://www.edudemic.com/mobile-devices-in-the-classroom/ and would use this as logic for support.

I found interesting teaching aids at http://classroom-aid.com/educational-resources/digital-literacy/. This site has a collection of teaching aids for completing searches in literacy.

I would use this digital story as a starting point for instruction in creating one that is a baseline for other ideas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOSrdXRBQiM&list=UUKLPPDaG0bCj1Yqy6PlcouQ

Reference:

Avila, JuliAnna, Pandya, Jessica Zacher.(2013)Critical Digital Literacies as Social 

   Praxis. Peter Lang Publishing: New York, New York.

Digital Story

I posted my digital story at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXy6DQkuDYs

I used PhotoStory3 but couldn't get the voice feature to work so I had to read my script live to music and make it as my music.

Week 14: Reading and Discussion

Quote: "The obvious thing to say about digital stories and other kinds of signification that are mediated by new information technologies is that they offer distinctive contrasts to the primarily alphabetic texts and the forms of textual reasoning that predominate in schools and universities."

I totally agree with this quote. New information technologies have changed the way that students can provide information to courses. Through the submission of school work through non-traditional means and media, students can approach the kinds of work that they will do when they are out of formal instruction. I believe that this goal is more important than the memorization of facts and figures that will always be available in a real world environment. The know-how to accomplish a project that is not based just off of facts and data is the highlight of study in any discipline. 

I found a great link for media education at: http://mediaeducationlab.com/ This website and its related articles are supported by the University of Rhode Island.

1. How does digital storytelling support academic literacies?

Digital storytelling supports academic literacies through the use of technology in the place of traditional text based literacy. Rather than a reader needing to guess at the unknowns of a story, their eyes can pick up on more cues than their imagination. 

2. Now that you have created your own digital story, do you think that using images, words and music to create a message is simplistic compared to traditional alphabetic print based argumentation?

I think that using digital media is more simplistic because of the potential upside on the results on the time spent. I believe that much more depth can be provided to a digital story in less time than that could be provided by traditional alphabetic print based argumentation. The expression that a picture says a thousand words is completely accurate in the power of a video documentary has in creating understanding.

3. After creating your own digital story, do you see how digital storytelling can help develop a stronger sense of agency in their own lives? Do you think this might have a positive impact on students academic lives? How? Why?

Digital storytelling can help develop a stronger sense of agency in their own lives because of the need for students to look at themselves as other see them. This will have a positive impact on students academic lives because collaborated efforts are mostly better than the work of an individual. Working through projects as part of a team is a critical skill for all students. 

Week 13: Story Draft/Reading and Discussion

Above is a draft of my story with just the pictures and a sound check:

A quote that I agree with in the text: "We suggest that a critical digital literacies framework, used in conjunction with TPACK, may serve to bring a critical, reflective lens to technology use within personal and professional contexts." (Avila & Pandya, 143) I believe that my knowledge of technology grouped with this course has better prepared me to teach with technology than had I taken a course on TPACK. Teachers need to see critical digital literacies in their studies in order to in turn teach their students. So I strongly agree with the authors and believe that critical digital literacies should be part of any education majors' curriculum.

http://mkoehler.educ.msu.edu/tpack/what-is-tpack/

This link gives more information into the background of tpack.

1. Why do the authors of this chapter chose to use the term "critical digital literacies" rather than just "digital literacies"

Per the text, "we employ the specific term "critical digital literacies" to de-emphasize the relative importance of technology skills, and emphasize the critical understanding of and engagement with functional technology skills within the broader contexts of technology use." (Avila, 134-5) Digital literacy means less than the skill-set that the authors want students to have.

2. How well did our own teacher education program prepare you to use technology in your teaching practices? Was it more tools based or literacy based?

I have only practiced in the Masters of Education program, but it has prepared me well along with the technology skills I already have. I have learned more tools based skills from my classes.

3. What should  teachers be thinking about when they engage in critical thinking as it relates to technology use in school?

Teachers need to have their students understand that the author of any material has an agenda in their writing and it needs to be solved along with the reading of their work.

4. On page 149, it is stated that students have certain rights with respect to "critical digital literacies." Do students in your teaching context have these rights? Give an example or non-example of at least one of these rights.

Students in my teaching context have these rights because I will be teaching technology skills. In K-12 classrooms, I believe that students will still have rules to follow in exploring and experimenting in their own digital space that needs to be there for safety and to keep students on task.

Reference:

Avila, JuliAnna, Pandya, Jessica Zacher.(2013)Critical Digital Literacies as Social 
   Praxis. Peter Lang Publishing: New York, New York.

Week 12: Creating a Storyboard for my Digital Story

I am working on a story board for the tutoring group I am conducting with my Navy shipmate that started at WVU for my Math for Struggling Learners course because he is having trouble in Trig at 30 years old.

Here is my take on Addressing the seven Elements of Digital Storytelling:

• Point of View: The story will be told from my point of view as the tutor. It will be an example for other tutors to use in helping others to study in a group. 
• Dramatic Question: The dramatic question of my story will be "How can a friend help another in tutoring for a course they are struggling to complete?"
• Emotional Content: This story is about old friends working together again and that will be the level of emotion within the story.
• Voice: I will be providing the voice and keeping it at a good pace and tone.
• Soundtrack: I have decided to have an upbeat tone to this story so it follows with the other elements.
• Economy: I won't have the project completed in time for the story to be told so it shouldn't be to difficult to keep the script brief but to the point.
• Pacing: I will only have a dozen or so pictures so there will be a good medium of change but without going too fast.

Brief storyboard of Andrew Labdik's Digital Story, A New Study Buddy for Trig.

I am working on a story board for the tutoring group I am conducting with my Navy shipmate that started at WVU for my Math for Struggling Learners course because he is having trouble in Trig at 30 years old.

This is a picture of me. I am a graduate student at FSU studying Education.

This is Jessey. We served together in the Navy in the same work center and he started up at WVU this semester. He has Trig and I have a Math education class so I would tutor him for credit in my class while helping him complete his class.

This is an example of the material that Jessey is studying. I have helped him to recognize the important parts of his text and what material is going into too much depth in the chapters. Having other set of eyes to review material has shed some light on his text.

I jokingly used this rum a motivation tool. If we got Jessey's studying completed we could have a few drinks and joke about the bad old days in the Navy.

Week 12: Reading and Discussion

Quote from Chapter 6: "Too often I hear my teaching colleagues and administrators pass off mobile media as a novelty at best, and - more often - a significant distraction to learning." I disagree with the author on this quote. I believe that the context of the author teaching at an urban high school has influenced the judgment of the teacher. I believe that, in general, education is supporting the use of mobile media more so than the teacher is exposed to seeing. I read and see in the news of where more and more classrooms are using mobile media to aid in teaching. Mobile media has done wonderful things in aiding in the instruction of students with learning disabilities across all walls of life. I found an article supporting this at: http://www.edudemic.com/mobile-devices-in-the-classroom/

This article is about all of the pros of using mobile media in the classroom and they make some solid arguments for its use.

1. How did the Ask Anansi game support critical literacies?

 The Ask Anansi game supported critical literacies because the students had to read between the lines of clues and figure out how they could get information that would lead them to the badges. A good example is the clue for the Malcolm X book badge.

2. How did the Ask Anansi game support academic literacies?

The Ask Anansi game supported academic literacies because of the amount of writing that the students had to do to participate in the game. The exchanges between the teacher and students were just like any other types of work that is completed in the classroom.

3. How did the Ask Anansi game support digital literacies?

 The Ask Anansi game supported digital literacies through the use of the mobile media devices and the tools that were available to the students. The students used these tools and gained in understanding digitally.

4. What is meant by the term "reading the word and reading the world and writing the world"? Give an example from the chapter.

 The term "reading the word and reading the world and writing the world" means that a reader has to read the work, see how it relates to the world and then response on how it fits in their world. The example in the chapter is when the students wrote onto their school's Wikipedia page. They put in information about how the school operates on top of the basic information of facts.

Reference:

Avila, JuliAnna, Pandya, Jessica Zacher.(2013)Critical Digital Literacies as Social 

   Praxis. Peter Lang Publishing: New York, New York.

Week 11: Brainstorming my Digital Story

1. Describe a positive scene from childhood in detail.  What led up to this event? When and where did it happen?  Who was involved?  What were you thinking and feeling?  Why is it an important event?  What impact did it have on you?

For my birthday when I was in 1st grade, I got a bicycle. I had learned to ride off of my friend's bikes. I was natural at riding, but didn't ask about the brakes until I hit a wall the first time. . My older sisters also had bikes that were styled for gals so I would use theirs until that day. It was probably the happiest day of my youth because I could now bike around my neighborhood in style.

2. Describe a negative scene from childhood in detail.  What led up to this event? When and where did it happen?  Who was involved?   What were you thinking and feeling?  Why is it an important event?  What impact did it have on you?

This negative event involves the same bicycle. I believe that this happened a few months after the birthday. I was out riding with my neighbor for a few hours and we were mostly having a normal day. I wanted to get out of traffic so I rode onto a sidewalk. Through some poor luck on everyone involved, a lady was helping her elderly mother to their car and didn't see me from a wall facing the sidewalk. I collided with the ladies and got up in fear and started to ride away. My neighbor thought that we should just leave, but I went back to check up on the ladies and tell them that I hadn't intended for the accident. The mother had to go to the hospital and my parents took me to visit her. I later delivered papers to her and I am glad that I did the best I could in a tough situation.

3. Describe a particular event from your teen-aged years that stands out in your memory today.  This can be positive or negative. What led up to the event?  What happened?  Where and when?  Who was involved?   What were you thinking and feeling?  Why is it an important event?  What impact did the event have on you.

I will stick the bicycling adventures. In high school, my best friend and I were cross-training freaks over the summers. We swam for a local swim team, ran a few newspaper routes and went on biking adventures through different neighborhoods of Clarksburg. Our most ambitious ride was from our neighborhood to the Meadowbrook Mall through some back roads, probably a good 10 miles. We stopped and visited my grandmother on the way and took some tall hills and the relaxing rides down the other side. It was an important event to me because we had a pretty wild plan and were able to get it done. We saw friends that drive to the mall and they were impressed with our adventure. My buddy and I can still talk pleasantly about that day.

4. Describe a vivid or important memory from any time in your adult years.  Again, this can be positive or negative.  It can be about anything – family, work, whatever.  The scene stands out in your mind today as being especially vivid or important.  Please describe what led up to the event.  Then describe the scene in detail.  What happened?  Where and when?  Who was involved?  What were you thinking and feeling?  Why is it an important event?  What impact has the event had on you?

This is one of my last times on a bicycle. I had my ten speed for my freshman year in Morgantown and would ride it in a pinch from Towers on Evansdale campus to Downtown for classes over University Ave. I made great time because I was still in good shape at 18. On a weekend I went just out for a ride. At the top of the bend by the Business School was bike path besides a stairwell that led to a jump over the walkway that used to be there connecting the campus to Sunnyside. This was before the Health Sciences building was built. I thought that since there was a bike trail that I could take it at full speed. So I came roaring down the hill and hit the jump. Low and behold, I rocketed into the air. I remember looking down and thought how the heck did I get ten feet high and how am I going to land? I ended up just busting my butt good on the landing and laughing hard because I was really scared mid-flight. This event was a turning point on trusting my eyes to get me through a new situation and I was more cautious after this in trying out new stunts. I always have had this scene in the back of my mind when I have done other risky maneuvers, be it on a bike, in a car or any mode of travel.

 5. In looking back on your life, you may be able to identify particular “turning points” – episodes through which you experienced an important change in your life.  Please choose one key turning point scene and describe it in detail.  If you feel your life story contains no clear turning points, then describe a particular episode in your life that comes closer than any other to qualifying for a turning point – a scene where you changed in some way.  Again, please describe what led up to the event, what happened in the event, where and when it happened, who was involved, what you were thinking and feeling, and so on.  Also, please tell me how you think you changed as a result of this event and why you consider this event to be an important scene in your life story today.

The biggest turning point in my life was when I enlisted into the Navy. I had looked well at the job and career that I would have while in the service, but I had a life changing experience when I took the oath and started my enlistment. I enlisted the the Pittsburgh Federal Building on July 15, 2002. At that point I was committed to the defense of the United States and would accept the risks that it entailed. I felt like a new man after taking the oath and will always live up to it.

Week 11: Reading and Discussion

 In a blog posting, copy and paste a quote from the text that have moved you... Then find an article, video, podcast, blog posting, image related to what you have read...

I liked this quote from the author's closing remarks, "school can play an important role in introducing students to technology, in contextualizing, scaffolding, and practicing critical awareness and constructive, perhaps even disruptive, ways of using tools for digital literacy." (Avila & Pandya, 104) I am a proponent of technology and see that the major pros of using technology in the classroom are here. The author also hints that technology can be disruptive. I disagree because there have always been disruptions in the classroom. They have just changed from paper airplanes to internet jokes. I really liked that the teacher learned to take her students away from their computers when they had to have group time I feel that this is a good way to ensure that the technology doesn't interrupt important instructions.

I found interesting teaching aids at http://classroom-aid.com/educational-resources/digital-literacy/. This site has a collection of teaching aids for completing searches in literacy.

1. What is the difference between an "essentialist" "traditionalist" or "autonomous" "perspective of technology and literacy and a New Literacy Studies of "ideological" perspective on technology and literacy? Which perspective do you adhere to? Why?

The "essentialist" view is on the medium or technology itself without its educational settings. The "traditionalist" view is on reading and writing without technology. The "autonomous" perspective is based upon a person's literacy skill set. A New Literacy Studies of "ideological" perspective on technology and literacy combines these into a single perspective. I am a techie myself so I have an "essentialist" perspective. (Avila, 88)

2. Give three concrete examples of how the teacher in the chapter supported "new literacy" or "critical digital literacies" practices with blogging.

The teacher of this chapter supported "new literacy" or "critical digital literacies" practices with blogging because she had the students reading each others work regularly, motivated the students differently by having them work with their blogs, and the blogs would help her students to organize their knowledge in their own way. (Avila, 96)

Reference:

Avila, JuliAnna, Pandya, Jessica Zacher.(2013)Critical Digital Literacies as Social 
   Praxis. Peter Lang Publishing: New York, New York.

Week 10

Activity 1

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

First I watched the example, Making Salt. It was made to show this activity by a child that helps with the process and I could tell from the voice. The second example I watched was fish tank. It was a science project to create a fish farm off of sustainable resources. The voice is that of a teacher that helped with the project and the point of view is that of an adult in charge of the project.

Element #2: See if you can find a dramatic question in the examples for this section. Is the question resolved in each movie or are you left without a resolution?

I watched the example, Are We Making Guam Ugly?, for a dramatic question. The question is resolved by the movie because it showed children piling up trash. Since Guam is overpopulated I can see that trash would be a problem on the island.

Element #3: See if you can identify the emotional paradigms behind these stories.The emotional paradigms behind these stories are based upon a call to action to fix a problem that is addressed. This is especially true for the story on teen depression. It flashes a bunch of scenes where teens are emotional. They are either really sad or angry. The call to action is to help a teen in need or get help through hotlines.

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

Voice plays an important role in personalizing a story to its author. It can add weight to the story being told.

Element #5: What impact does the music have on the emotional content or purpose of the story?The impact that music has on the emotional content of the story is that it can drive home the emotional situation of the story. It can also show off some local music that was wrote in dealing with a problem.

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

A good example of filling in the missing pieces is in the Fish tank video. Most of the video was just a collection of photos, so I had to picture the actions that were taken in this story with my imagination.

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

The narrator in Fish Tank also did a good job of pacing the story. He explained new parts of the project as the photos were added into the video.

Activity 2

I picked this digital story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOSrdXRBQiM&list=UUKLPPDaG0bCj1Yqy6PlcouQ

Choose your favorite digital story and embed it in your blog and answer the following questions:

Point of View. What is the point of view in each? Whose voice do you hear?

The voice in this digital story is that of the author. She reads her story to photos.

Dramatic Question. What is the dramatic question? 

She explains how she wanted to be a cat owner but not for 1 cat over 15 years. So she explains how she became a cat foster owner for a local humane society.

Emotional Content. What is the emotional content of the story? How or why do you relate to it?

The emotional content is that the author wanted a pet but not from adoption to the end of the pet's life. The solution to be a cat foster owner makes the experience of pet ownership different for her, with smaller ups and downs rather than a long experience with a single pet.

Week 10 Reading and Discussion

1. How has social media changed reading and writing processes in the digital age?

Social media has changed reading and writing processes in the digital age because people that participate in on different social media sites leave feedback after reading something. Thus there are more people editing and reviewing work than before.

2. Explain "cosmopolitan practice" in relation to digital literacy and it means for learning in school.

The "cosmopolitan practice" that the authors define is that there is a growing understanding between cultures and languages of how to interact digitally. The school experience becomes more universal when classrooms across traditional boundaries can interact with each other.

3. How did the cosmopolitan conversation video challenge support critical media literacy?

The cosmopolitan conversation video challenge supports critical media literacy because students had to make judgments on the videos of two different cultures.

4. How does this quote from the text, "In this digital age, traditional content creation such as book reports, unit projects and essays, cannot be merely digitized and regulated to the end of the unit as capstone demonstrations of content mastery," make you think about how digital technologies should be used to support learning in school?

I believe that digital technologies should be used to support learning in school because nearly all office work in the digital age is produced on PCs. Therefore, I think that working with system that the student will ultimately be using in their professional career is good practice.

5. How do the digital stories you watch this week support the concept of cosmopolitanism?

The digital stories I watched this week support the concept of cosmopolitanism because I was able to relate in many ways to the stories that I watched. People have many common experiences and reactions to them.

6.  In a blog posting, copy and paste a quote from the text that have moved you in some way with a link.

I agree with the authors thoughts on cosmopolitan digital experiences: "With colleagues and participants from India, South Africa, Norway, Great Britain and Australia, as well as U.S. sites in California and New Jersey, they described how youthful exchanges on this network are mediated through  a developing cosmopolitan ethic - a growing common understanding of how to effectively interact and exchange meanings and artifacts across linguistic, worldview and geographic boundaries." (Avila, 64) The standards of digital behavior become drawn along the lines of the participants on a social media platform. Each entry builds upon the same assumptions that the prior work on the platform defines either formally or informally. I did an internet search and found this website about this subject: http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2011/cosmopolitan-digital-experience/ It builds upon the idea of  cosmopolitan digital experiences for the media at large.



Reference:

Avila, JuliAnna, Pandya, Jessica Zacher.(2013)Critical Digital Literacies as Social Praxis. Peter Lang
     Publishing: New York, New York.

Week 9: Digital Storytelling and Reel Works

The digital storytelling that I related most to was:  http://www.reelworks.org/rw/watch/identity/#ripple

1.What do you like about the digital story?

I like that this digital story focused on civil rights. It is a subject that is still relevant in today's world because we have the first black president in office and many in the country are still against him based purely along racial lines. Racial profiling is still the norm in too many places. I served in the military with people of all kinds of different backgrounds and made friends without any worry of their background.

2.What did you learn from the digital story?

How much the election of President Obama has effected the civil rights movement. I believe that even more will be accomplished after his successful presidency and he is able to enact more change from outside of the Oval Office.

3.What surprised you about the digital story?

I was surprised by how many of the interviewees thought that they wouldn't see a black president in their lifetime. I personally believed that he was a candidate that couldn't lose after the troubled last few years of the Bush administration.

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

This digital story allowed its teen age author to tackle a very polarizing subject and provide another look at it through the different people that were interviewed. I believe that there cannot be too many calls for diversity because the subject is still lost in too many.

Week 9 Discussion

A quote that I found powerful was: "Digital storytelling has the potential to provide youth with opportunities for new sense-making of who they are, using digital stories that incorporate images, text, and sound." (Avila & Pandya, 42-3) I believe that the authors remarks ring true and I agree with them. The diversity of the modern classroom is nearly limitless with students having differences in ethnicity, socioeconomic status, learning abilities and even languages. Yet I believe that this diversity can be an aid in teaching the tolerance that is needed as an adult to students as they age. Digital storytelling can be another avenue that technology can aid in the diversification of our society because it allows for students to tell of themselves to others.

I found a good digital storytelling website at: http://www.inms.umn.edu/elements/

The author of this site breaks down all the components of  digital storytelling and it would be a good reference for a teacher that is looking to add  digital storytelling to their curriculum.

Reference:

Avila, JuliAnna, Pandya, Jessica Zacher. Critical Digital Literacies as Social Praxis. Peter Lang
     Publishing: New York, New York. 2013.

Week #8 PSA

I had trouble getting my original to load so I used tech that I knew would work with Photostory 3. I wrote the scripted pictures with Paint and took the photos that transition between the quotes from internet stock pictures.

I used serious music to add to the quotes that I used from the class. The quotes speak on the troubles that students and teachers have with the lack of training. The persuasive technique was added at the end with a call for action to support the teaching of critical media literacy to change the tone of the PSA to something different.

Week #7 PSA ideas

Name: Call for action

Title of PSA: Media training call

Intended Audience: Parents

Describe your Hook: I would show facts for teens needing Critical Media Literary.

Week #7 Reading and Discussion

Identify three ideas you will use to inform your PSA of the need to teach critical media literacy in school.

Three ideas that I will use to inform in my PSA of the need to teach critical media literacy in school based upon the reading are: that the facts behind the goals of media are universal regardless of the way it is taught, that even though it is a new field it has great potential because media can be used to teach it, and students need to be challenged to use the skills after they learn them. The fact behind the goal of the media can be deciphered with the journalism questions - Who,What,When,Where and How. Who is advertising is critical in understanding if the message is for consumers or not, and will define the rest of the questions. Instructors ability to cite media readily in understanding it will help the field grow just as fast as new media is produced. Lastly, a student that doesn't use these skills and gain experience with them will be lacking when they need the skills.

Summarize what you learned about enacting critical pedagogy in your own classroom and detail what like about critical pedagogy and what concerns you.

I reviewed: http://ecommons.aku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1079&context=pakistan_ied_pdck

This article presented ways in which instructors could use "street theatre" to teach social studies topics. I really like the idea of acting before a audience to teach as a group as a break from the traditional setting of one person lecturing the information. 

I like that critical pedagogy is focused on questioning the source of information. It is critical for the historical process of using the primary source works of the people that lived through the events. Popular history often wants to judge the decisions of others with the information available many years later. Yet to understand the decisions that are made at the time, a student has to suspend this information and see what they knew, when and their response. The only concern I have is that instructors often want their students to have the same solution and can influence the results the students get along the lines of their choosing. 

Week #6 Reading and Discussion

1.What instructional moves (i.e. group formation, topic selection, scaffolding the process, assessment) did the teacher use that you might replicate in your own teaching practices that involve critical media literacy?

I would use the "write down a question" about the class as part of the introduction to the course. This fills in the time for when the instructor needs to introduce themselves to the class and allows for the students to have some say in this introduction to the course and the instructor.
2. What do you think about the student created PSA? Did it seem creative? Do you think it could serve as a legitimate assessment of writing ability? Do you think the topic would be appropriate for school? What if the students chose a pro-choice stance? 
I believe that the group learned some good group work skills in doing the PSA. I think that the instructor should not have let the students take such a politically dividing subject for the PSA. While it sparked their creatively and writing ability, the chance of offending someone that is a hardliner on either side of the abortion argument are too great. The you have parents wanting conferences and the time and effort spend teaching the kids has to be retaught to the parents.
3. Do you share the researcher's concerns that the student created PSA reproduced dominant or mainstream media representations of girls and social class? Why or Why not? 
I don't share his concern because everyone has their decision to be part of the norm representations of girls and social class. While I respect and try to understand the decisions that other people make, I am often at odds with their logic.
4. What concerns do you have about engaging students in critical media literacy? 

Counter-labeling is my primary concern. It is one thing to disagree with the media. However, in embracing the counter to poor stereotype decisions, it is not right to push this opposing view. Using the media show only another view to correct bad decisions in the media is just as wrong as the media pushing out the original. I prefer a neutral production that can show both sides of the coin and I figure which one I would support.

5.  What topics might you use for a PSA that would  that would help you meet your curriculum goals and content standards?

I would like the do a PSA on how the media produces some of the fantasy stuff it does. I believe that too much of the public are not able to suspend their disbelieve and realize that they are watching something that is pretend or fiction at the time of watching it. Personally, I have seen the making of too many movies and read too many books to get really scared or upset over fiction.
6. How would you implement the construction of a PSA in your own classroom to include aspects of critical media literacy?

I would follow the example that is presented in the book and add elements that I have learned in my experiences. I would provide an example of properly dividing up labor. If this isn't done, there isn't a good road map of how to do the work. The chance of the team having a member flake out on their tasks are reduced and personal accountability remain for the teacher to assess.

Week Six: Counter Ads

This week's activity is one that I already do with friends to waste a commercial's time more constructively. Most recently I thought of a good counter ad for Klondike bars. I like their commercials because they are witty and the product is pretty good for desert. Yet the song and rhetorical question slogan can get annoying with multiple viewings, despite its humorous intentions. A video of one of their recent ads can be found at: http://www.klondikebar.com/#TvVideo&v=85Y47koeoKA

The company behind Klondike bars is Unilever, an Anglo-Dutch consumer products company. Rather than waste my time on their corporate website I got a more public version at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unilever

The product is made in New Jersey so the manufacturing is stateside and the management is in Western Europe. They seem to have done a good job of PR save a small hit from environmentalists that think palm oil cultivation/ plantations are bad for Indonesia. (I think overpopulation and malnutrition are bigger problems.) Unilever in turn became pro-active to sustainable agriculture of palm oil.

So this is just a word play off of their slogan:

Just by changing What? to Who? the entire idea of their ad becomes much more hilarious along the same persuasion techniques that are present in the original ad. I used a picture of Betty White because her demographic is so far removed from mine and other entertainment types poke fun about her age.

I found a much more morbid counter ad at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McfsThqlQLc

Media Messages and Critical Pedagogy #2

Whose message is this? Who created or paid for it? Why? 

Link to my ad here The message is from State Farm. They are advertising their discount double check service.

Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What 

words, images or sounds suggest this? 

The target audience is middle aged men that own insurance. It is suggested by the celebrity athlete endorser (Aaron Rodgers), the skit characters from SNL late '80's and the silly stalker fan for just the insurance service endorsement.

What is the “text” of the message? (What we actually see and/or hear: written or spoken words, 
photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, etc.) 

That Aaron Rodgers is more famous for endorsing State Farm's discount double check service than winning Super Bowls.

What is the “subtext” of the message? (What do you think is the hidden or unstated meaning?) 

That State Farm customers that use this service are in line with Aaron Rodgers.

What kind of lifestyle is presented? 

The lifestyle is that of slap stick humor. Aaron Rodgers is more famous as an NFL Quarterback.

What values are expressed? 

That humor is a good way to bring up a review of insurance needs.

What “tools of persuasion” are used? 

The discount double check service is mentioned twice, with Bears fans ignoring a rival quarterback because of their use of the service.

What positive messages are presented? What negative messages are presented? 

I like that sports are taken lightly by fans. The fan on the wing of the plane was too over the top and risky behavior that could confuse a very young audience.

What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does 
this serve the media maker's interests? 

Athletes and comics are glorified on a low level. There are no women in the commercial so they are not targeted by the ads at all. The media maker can then use this commercial in programming for middle aged men to show interest in just them.

What part of the story is not being told? How and where could you get more information about the 
untold stories?

The commercial is complete in that there isn't much left untold. Perhaps a fan could look into the characters if they were interested in knowing more.

What are the taken for granted realities?

That a fan could let go of a plane's wing in flight and not get shot into the air.

What power relations are exposed as a result of your deconstruction

That insurers want to target the middle aged man audience to get more of their business.

Media Messages and Critical Pedagogy #1

Do you agree with the deconstruction? Why? Why not? Be specific.

I agree with the deconstructions on a low level because their observations are accurate. However, I don't think that reading that deep into ads that I will ignore anyway is a construction use of time. I do a minimal level of parsing of ads for information I can use and don't bother digging into details that can waste more time than the ad does.

Do you agree with the claims made in the deconstructions? Is the Century Link ad really a cover for a company that is making profits over customer satisfaction? Does the Alltel ad really promote racism or stereotypes of immigrants? Why or Why not?

Again, I agree with the deconstructions but the level of detail is too much. I don't do business with either of these companies and if I did, I would do more research on the products I would want from them over trying to read between the lines of their ads.

How do these deconstructions disrupt taken-for-granted realities?

An ad is made by PR people with the goal of the best possible take-away for the audience. If they go over board it very may be to create controversy.

What ideologies, cultures, economies, institutions or political systems are these deconstructions disrupting or interrogating?

They paint foreigners in a bad light compared to their sucking up to white middle class.

How are these deconstructions examples of individuals investigating manifestations of power relations?

 These deconstructions make a good point with their notes of white being the norm.

How might conducting these kinds of deconstruction empower students whom  have been historically and continue to be disenfranchised by  "traditional schooling? 

The students would see where the media reinforces a white norm, foreigners are bizarre message.

How might deconstructing these kinds of media messages help students recognize connections between their individual problems and experiences and the social contexts in which they are embedded?

The students would understand that white media bias is not working for them so they should ignore it.

How might conducting these kinds of deconstructions disrupt traditional banking systems of education?

It encourages the student to think of their own answers rather than be served one by the educational system.

Week 4 Cover

I decided to just use MS Paint to create this fake magazine cover. I took a screen image of People magazine's logo, added in a picture of myself and then added some text. The media language techniques I used are teasers, minor sentences and exclamations from grammar techniques. I also choose to put "person of the year!" in capital letters for emphasis.

I believe that raising the subject of the military to civilian transition is one that is not raised often enough by the media. Also, many prior military end up getting contract work for the government and their transition out of the military was different than mine.