1. "Planting the seeds," (Suzie's phrase?) is a powerful action.
2. There are MANY valuable resources available: DVD's, YouTube clips, books, websites, organizations...Thanks for bringing them to us!
3. The power of discussing brain function & how ads are targeted to stimulate certain instincts/functions.
4. The digital immigrant/digital native readings helped me put some of my skepticism in perspective, moving me more toward "healthy" skepticism.
5. Analyzing ads using the ACME ad techniques was great. I will definitely use this with students.
6. Using the bog, watching your twitter presentation helped me see some of the positive educational applications of these technology tools.
7. My need to promote media literacy in a wide variety of ways: displays, questions/contests/reading out via newsletters...
8. My need to determine "gaps" in media literacy instruction in our school. The importance of heightening awareness, with a media literacy class to follow.
9. This class heightened my awareness to the fact that while I don't watch TV, have a
Facebook page, etc., I'm in the minority and as long as I am in the field of education, it's my obligation to be familiar with the new media tools out there.
10. That unless we, as parents, citizens, educators, do a good job of seeing to it that "students graduate from high school with a level of technology literacy that enables them to use technology effectively, productively, and ethically throughout their lives," we will have citizens unable to cope with the wide range of issues they will face.
Questions:
1. I still struggle with the huge task of educating people on the importance of balance in all of this. How much time does your son/daughter spend on the internet? How much time do they spend "playing?" You get the jist. How does the importance of this message become as prevalent as all the other, consumer targeted messages?
2. Still to do? Develop some sort of checklist or survey (maybe using SurveyMonkey) to help identify what technologies teachers in our school are using in their classes and to what extent they include media literacy in units when applicable. This information will be invaluable, I think.
3. Still to do? Come up with more creative ideas about how to promote media literacy education in the library setting. I mentioned some in the action plan of my paper, but I need to think of more.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Feed
Rob, you said to post this by the end of the week. Here it is. Can you send me a link to The Persuaders? I'm not sure where to find it.
FEED/ Themes & connections
1.The dangers of technology run amuck! The brain implants/feeds (which have shown up in some of the readings this week) which the teens in Feed are wired with point to the dangers of a society buried by technology. The reader my ask, what happens when we loose the ability to think creatively? To care about the world beyond ourselves? What happens when people are constantly plugged in? Considering this post is coming at the end of our week together, you can probably answer for me! I work with far too many youngsters who ARE overly immersed in technology, who struggle with creative thought, who are addicted to being plugged in. The connective is "in my face" on a daily basis.
2. The dangers of self-absorption. Titus and his friends need (& get) immediate fullfillment.
Thanks to the "feed" they are constantly stimulated. Thoughts revolve around themselves, the "me." True, this phenomena is a part of a teen's development, but in Feed it's intensity and effects are taken to the extreme. I do see, though, that more kids are plugged into the "me" notion, the reality TV/Facebook notion that it's all about them.
3. The dangers of consumerism. Not unlike teens today, Titus and the others are constantly bombarded with advertising messages. It's all part of the "feed.' Through Violet, Anderson invites us to question that, to consider what it does to us.
FEED/ Themes & connections
1.The dangers of technology run amuck! The brain implants/feeds (which have shown up in some of the readings this week) which the teens in Feed are wired with point to the dangers of a society buried by technology. The reader my ask, what happens when we loose the ability to think creatively? To care about the world beyond ourselves? What happens when people are constantly plugged in? Considering this post is coming at the end of our week together, you can probably answer for me! I work with far too many youngsters who ARE overly immersed in technology, who struggle with creative thought, who are addicted to being plugged in. The connective is "in my face" on a daily basis.
2. The dangers of self-absorption. Titus and his friends need (& get) immediate fullfillment.
Thanks to the "feed" they are constantly stimulated. Thoughts revolve around themselves, the "me." True, this phenomena is a part of a teen's development, but in Feed it's intensity and effects are taken to the extreme. I do see, though, that more kids are plugged into the "me" notion, the reality TV/Facebook notion that it's all about them.
3. The dangers of consumerism. Not unlike teens today, Titus and the others are constantly bombarded with advertising messages. It's all part of the "feed.' Through Violet, Anderson invites us to question that, to consider what it does to us.
Facebook-With Friends Like These...
More food for thought! You two are "feeding" us great articles/sites... Collectively, they and our class discussions are tempering my skepticism. Certainly, I found myself agreeing with much of what I read in this article. When the author stated that he seemed to be "very much alone in my hostility..." (p. 2) I answered, "No, you're not!" "Doesn't it (Facebook) rather disconnect us?..." (p. 1) Reading about the people behind Fbook, their beliefs-choosing a mentor "who believes that people are essentially sheep-like and will copy one another without much reflection..." (p. 4)- their political leanings, I came away thinking about getting to the heart of things, getting to the "truth" of issues, points of view. Todgkinson makes his opinions known. Think I have some fact checking to do!
Can't close without referencing the Thiel's interest in "exploring life-extension technologies..."
(p. 5). Artificial intelligence/Feed. I wonder if M.T. Anderson has been in contact with any of these guys!
Can't close without referencing the Thiel's interest in "exploring life-extension technologies..."
(p. 5). Artificial intelligence/Feed. I wonder if M.T. Anderson has been in contact with any of these guys!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Postman 8-11and "Twitter" articles
With fall political ads still fresh in my mind, I found Postman's observations apt despite the time lapse of his writing. Certainly his comment on page 133 that "Although it may go too far to say that the politician-as-celebrity has, by itself, made political parties irrelevant, there is certainly a conspicuous correlation between the rise of the former and the decline of the latter." B. O'bama IS the "politician-as-celebrity!" (2009 product) Thinking of some of the campaign ads with a focus on the persuasive techniques we discussed today, I can find evidence of symbols (American flags stand out), hyperbole (used by both candidates), and rhetorical questions ("Who do you want to answer the 2:00 A.M. phone call?) to list just a few.
The articles? I admit I come away from them muttering to myself, "Doesn't anyone value their privacy?" If Twitter and similar technology "fundamentally changes the rules of engagement," I ask, "at what cost?" More and more tools are being added, and as an educator I'm seeing more and more students who cannot concentrate, show addictive behaviors, and who try to emulate reality TV! So, one key is media education. Help folks see the media in all its forms in a clearer, more realistic light. Use the tools wisely, but keep a balance. Got it.
The articles? I admit I come away from them muttering to myself, "Doesn't anyone value their privacy?" If Twitter and similar technology "fundamentally changes the rules of engagement," I ask, "at what cost?" More and more tools are being added, and as an educator I'm seeing more and more students who cannot concentrate, show addictive behaviors, and who try to emulate reality TV! So, one key is media education. Help folks see the media in all its forms in a clearer, more realistic light. Use the tools wisely, but keep a balance. Got it.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Postman 5-7 and "Is Google Making Us Stupid?
I loved Postman's reference to Coleridge's line "water water everywhere without a drop to drink!" (p. 67) We are adrift in an ocean of information, the challenge being to make wise use of it. Interesting, too, how Postman points out that with the impact of each new advance or invention, from the printing press to the telegraph to TV, societal changes, changes in how people access and process information, changes in how brains work, follow. Carr examines the changes brought about by media, suggesting that it "scatters our attention and diffuses our concentration"(p.4) Carr's reference to his problems reading anything of length, that he no longer is the voracious reader of books, is, I believe, becoming a widespread concern. Each year fewer students read books for enjoyment. Their reading is more likely done on line, and the act of sitting with a novel is decreasing as an activity of choice. I have found, though, that selecting the right book (Twilight, for example) and hosting a book discussion does attract student interest. Maybe we'll blog our book discussion groups this upcoming school year!
I wonder what Postman would say about B. Obama's use of media in his presidential campaign.
Postman's discussion/concept of politcal impotency was dispelled with the wise use of media implementd by Obama and his team of advisors.
I wonder what Postman would say about B. Obama's use of media in his presidential campaign.
Postman's discussion/concept of politcal impotency was dispelled with the wise use of media implementd by Obama and his team of advisors.
Project Proposal
Rob & Suzie,
In thinking about a project which I will bring back to the library, I'd like to generate a list of resources-dvd's, video clips, books, articles, etc., to create a media education resource bank for teachers. Some staff members are technology savy, others are less so. Even the savy ones, though, often don't think through the importance of incorporating the education piece when planning units. I think that kids are getting the instruction/education on a hit or miss basis. If there was a collection of information, an annotated listing pointing them to different resources, it would be a start, with maybe a media education presentation at an inservice, with follow-up discussions throughout the year.
As much as possible, I'll view/preview the resources as I'm seeking them out for the final project, though, realistically, much of the research will be locating them. I see this as a project which will certainly help in getting the process of this media education in our school moving.
In thinking about a project which I will bring back to the library, I'd like to generate a list of resources-dvd's, video clips, books, articles, etc., to create a media education resource bank for teachers. Some staff members are technology savy, others are less so. Even the savy ones, though, often don't think through the importance of incorporating the education piece when planning units. I think that kids are getting the instruction/education on a hit or miss basis. If there was a collection of information, an annotated listing pointing them to different resources, it would be a start, with maybe a media education presentation at an inservice, with follow-up discussions throughout the year.
As much as possible, I'll view/preview the resources as I'm seeking them out for the final project, though, realistically, much of the research will be locating them. I see this as a project which will certainly help in getting the process of this media education in our school moving.
Postman 1-4 & Wesch
7/9/09 posting
While reading Postman, phrases kept surfacing which I found myself highlighting: "People will come...to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think..." (p. vii). I find students, when given a research assignment, usually react by doing a random Google search, then skim articles briefly and move on to another. What they don't do well is think about the best place to find the information they need, then read the info carefully to see what it contains. If the info doesn't jump off the page or present itself within the first paragraph or two, they'll move on to look elsewhere. This is just one of the myriad of reasons why they need media education to challenge them to question info/ "plant the seeds of doubt." "Public discourse increasingly takes the form of entertainment..." (p.3)- this was one of the "hates/dislikes" noted by classmates in today's discussion. " "Definitions of truth are derived at least in part, from the character of the media of communication through which information is conveyed..." (p. 17) Postman's writings were geared toward a much smaller media world. It's frightening to think of this idea of truth (versus spin?) is coming at us from so many places. I keep coming back to this: we have, as a society, so many ways of communicating-internet, email, youtube, blogs, twitter, facebook, etc., but are we, collectively, getting better at communicating?
The Wesch video was so fast paced, it presented much to think about at breakneck speed!
I felt bombarded with information, questions which deserve serious though, but which, if I didn't jot them down, I would easily forget! Who Will organize all of the information? How best DO we rethink issues about privacy, authorship, ownership, censorship? I look forward to these topics being covered/discussed further in class.
While reading Postman, phrases kept surfacing which I found myself highlighting: "People will come...to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think..." (p. vii). I find students, when given a research assignment, usually react by doing a random Google search, then skim articles briefly and move on to another. What they don't do well is think about the best place to find the information they need, then read the info carefully to see what it contains. If the info doesn't jump off the page or present itself within the first paragraph or two, they'll move on to look elsewhere. This is just one of the myriad of reasons why they need media education to challenge them to question info/ "plant the seeds of doubt." "Public discourse increasingly takes the form of entertainment..." (p.3)- this was one of the "hates/dislikes" noted by classmates in today's discussion. " "Definitions of truth are derived at least in part, from the character of the media of communication through which information is conveyed..." (p. 17) Postman's writings were geared toward a much smaller media world. It's frightening to think of this idea of truth (versus spin?) is coming at us from so many places. I keep coming back to this: we have, as a society, so many ways of communicating-internet, email, youtube, blogs, twitter, facebook, etc., but are we, collectively, getting better at communicating?
The Wesch video was so fast paced, it presented much to think about at breakneck speed!
I felt bombarded with information, questions which deserve serious though, but which, if I didn't jot them down, I would easily forget! Who Will organize all of the information? How best DO we rethink issues about privacy, authorship, ownership, censorship? I look forward to these topics being covered/discussed further in class.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)