Week #3 Reading and discussion

Identify the main  arguments

I believe that the author's main point is that reading education has changed in the information age to not just be the collection of information but to understand the stakeholders in the writing of a piece of work. Often the source of information hopes to persuade the reader to their point of view, and this source needs to be questioned as much as the validity of the words. He believes that students need to be taught how to read between the lines of media produced works.

Explain whether or not you agree or disagree with the main arguments? 

I agree with his main arguments. The agenda of a message's writer needs to be questioned as much as the details of the work. The ease in which information can be presented in all forms of media leaves room for stereotypes, hidden advertising and the desire for people to conform to norms of property ownership.

Do what extent do you think that media can be held responsible for low self-esteem in women and violence behavior in men?

The promulgation of only models that have been photo finished to perfection can only make unreal expectations for beauty in women. The endless string of action movies where a single, model spec hero defeats all enemies in his path reinforced violence behavior in men. The James Bonds movies are most ridiculous along these lines. The pretty body boy with the proper English accent saves the girl, saves the world and all while sipping vodka and making smart ass one-liners.

Make connections between the videos and two quotes from the reading.

"A reconceptualized vision of new literacies education would include an explicit effort to enable students to acquire the ability to understand how visual media work to produce meanings."(Semali, 2001)

This quote really helps the point of the Killing US Softly author in that the average consumer does not know that the cover girls are not what your average person even comes close to looking like. I really like that she said that NO one looks the way these models look because of the photo finishing.

"With mass media and the fast-growing Internet such dominant forces, out-of-school learning has come to depend heavily upon visual imagery."(Semali, 2001)

This quote is more in line with the 1st video that looks at what the media has painted men out to be. The alpha male is shown as a body builder, pretty faced and tough as nails guy. This idea is NOT taught in the classroom what-so-ever.

 Semali, L. (2001, November). Defining new literacies in curricular practice. Reading Online, 5(4). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=semali1/index.html