EDUC 6810 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?

 

The purpose behind the first video is to inform the audience on how to make salt.  The point of view is from the person making the salt.  The voice you hear are of children.  The purpose behind the second video is to inform the audience on how to turn solar power into electricity.  Music is heard the majority of the video, but a man's voice can be heard at some points.  The scrolling text provides the majority of the information.

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?

The dramatic question in the first video is "Why are we making Guam ugly?"  There is no resolution.  The dramatic question in the second video is "The Hawaiians were taught to never waste their food."  The solution is a salt water pool.

Element #3: See if you can identify the emotional paradigms behind these stories.

The emotional paradigm in the first video is teen depression.  The second video is dealing with the loss of grandparents.  The third video is about the abduction of a child, and how not all strangers look like monsters.

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

The woman in the first video is answering a questions.  You can tell from the tone of her voice and her expressions that she is excited and interested about what she is talking about.  In the second video you hear a group of children singing, and a child narrating in a foreign language.  Even though I don't know what they are saying, it sounds emotional.

Element #5: What impact does the music have on the emotional content or purpose of the story?

You can hear chanting throughout the video.  It adds emotion to the photos.

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?
The first video is short.  I was able to fill in the missing pieces that Maria got her own room based on the illustration of her in her own bed.  The second video is more detailed.  We find out that the family turned the basement into a bedroom for Maria.  The third video was too long and a little confusing.  The story did not flow.  They were trying to do too much in one story.

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

In the first video the pacing is too fast.  I had trouble keeping up, and if I were listening for specific information I would have had to watch it again.  The pacing of the second video was too slow.  I found it boring and it would not be one I would watch again.

EDUC 6810 Week 10 Activity #2

What is the point of view?

The point of view is from a brand new nurse.  The story is told in first person; she is recounting a personal experience.

Whose voice do you hear?

You hear the voice of the nurse, but it is many years later from the time the story took place.

What is the dramatic question?

"And I probably wouldn't have remembered her name if the story had ended there...but she died."  This is the statement that hooked me.  I wanted to know what happened to the little girl.

What is the emotional content?

The emotional content is the loss of a child at the hands of her own father.

How/why do you relate to it?

I relate to this story as someone who loves children.  When I first started watching the story I was hoping for a happy ending for the little girl.  It is unimaginable to me that anyone could abuse a child.  The reason I chose this video is because I love the message that this nurse/professor leaves with her students; that every child has a name and a story.

Source

Vicki Erikson.  Let's Call Her Michelle.  (April 2012).  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej_3SQ-iW8U&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL40FE28CF7CC65EC0

EDUC 6810 Weekly Reading # 10

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

 

Readers are engaged with the text.  They click on links, read and comment on other users' text, and share information with the world.  There is a close relationship between reading and writing.  The users see themselves as authors, and value that role.  Authors have more of an opportunity to have their material read.  They don't have to wait for someone else to publish their work; they can put it out there themselves.

 

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

 

It is the idea that we should be citizens of the world.  While we embrace our local heritage and connections, we can also reach out to the rest of the world.  And being digitally literate gives us the opportunity to do that.  We can communicate with someone half way around the world.  We can video chat, blog, email, send videos, and so much more.  But we must learn to be "hospitable" in our interactions.  Sensitivity and respect are important when we are engaging in social networking.  We have to carefully choose our words and images, as to not offend someone who may interpret our communication in a negative way based on their particular culture.  It is basically manners in a digital form.

 

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

 

The youth were engaging with people different than themselves.  They came from different backgrounds, and had different values and points of view.  But they were able to view the videos, analyze them, and provide respectful and "hospitable" feedback to the authors.   

 

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 digital technology should be woven into all parts of our curriculum.  In a lot of classrooms, technology is used only to type up stories or essays.  That is not utilizing technology to its full potential.  You might as well just give them a typewriter.  There is so much more you can do to help your students become digitally literate.  They can contribute to a classroom blog or communicate with students around the world.  They can create podcasts or digital stories about content they are learning about.  They can research topics using TrackStar or WebQuests.  Technology should support curriculum throughout the entire learning process, not just as a stand alone.

 

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

 

We are connecting with people from different backgrounds and experiences than ourselves.  Anyone can contribute; there is no exclusivity.  We can respectfully provide critique and commentary about our interpretations of what we are seeing. 

 

"Through social media outlets, more people of diverse ages, nationalities, genders, and socioeconomic positions produce news, comment on social issues, and even stage revolutions."

 

I chose this quote because I love how social media gives everyone a voice, no matter who they are or where they come from.  Anyone can voice their opinion.  It gets people talking to each other, and talking to people they wouldn't have an opportunity to in their everyday lives. 

 

I can even see this happening in my classroom.  My enrichment reading students and I have created a classroom blog.  They are blogging about their thoughts and opinions on the novel we are reading.  They are reading and commenting on their peers' posts.  They are really owning their writing; they choose their words carefully and they care about what they are writing because they know their classmates will be reading it.  I can see it on their faces and I hear it in their conversations; they feel like legitimate writers and that what they write matters.  Even though they are only ten, social media gives them an outlet to let their voices be heard.

 

I chose this image because I think it captures the meaning of cosmopolitan practice perfectly.  This is what it is all about; connecting people from around the world.  Learning to embrace and respect others' through digital literacy.

Sources

Avila, J., & Pandya, J. (2013). Critical digital literacies as social praxis. (Vol. 54). New York: NY: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.

Image retrieved from Walk the World at  http://www.walktheworld.org.uk/

 

EDUC 6810 Weekly Reading #9

"The incorporation of cultural media in the digital-storytelling activity gave children like Eva the opportunity to engage in meaningful literacy practices that mixed popular culture with her interests in relationships, music, and dance.  These cultural practices might have been censored in formal educational environments."

I chose this quote because I believe it states exactly why digital storytelling is so important, because students get to have a voice.  In a lot of assignments and projects in school, children are not given the chance to have any input from their own lives.  They are told what to do and exactly how to do it.  In digital storytelling they can take their own experiences, thoughts, and personalities to create something meaningful to them. It is about where they are from, their interests, their family, and what matters to them.   These parts of the students lives are not censored, they are encouraged and embraced.  Children are engaged and learning because the assignment is authentic.

 

I chose this image because I believe it would be a great resource for students while planning their digital story.  It gives the students a variety of elements to consider.  It would be a great place to start to get some ideas on what they want their story to look like and be about.  It can also serve as a guide during the digital storytelling process to keep the students on track and make sure they are including all the elements they want. 

 

Sources

 

Avila, J., & Pandya, J. (2013). Critical digital literacies as social praxis. (Vol. 54). New York: NY: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.

 

EDUC 1049: Blog Response Assignment: Learning Tools for the 21st Century.  (May 2013).  Retrieved from http://haydenwilcox.edublogs.org/2013/05/16/digital-storytelling/ 

EDUC 6810 Digital Storytelling and Reel Works

Life Ain't Promised

1.What do you like about the digital story?

 

The title of the video is what initially drew me in.  I agree with the director of the video that there are too many senseless deaths due to gun violence.  What I liked about the story was seeing a different point of view on the issue: kids who live with this violence every day.  I sometimes feel removed from the issue because I grew up in a safe town where gun violence was never an issue.  I never felt scared to walk in my neighborhood or go to school.  It is eye opening to hear from these kids about the horrors and loss that they face.

 

2.What did you learn from the digital story?

 

I learned that these kids want a better life.  They want to get a good education and have a career.  They want to escape the violence.  I think sometimes we stereotype kids who are surrounded by violence; we assume that they want the lifestyle they are living in.  But they are hurting and scared, and they want better for themselves. 

 

3.What surprised you about the digital story?

 

I was surprised by the honesty of the director and the kids he interviewed.  I liked that they didn't hide from what is going on.  They told their side of the story and how gun violence has effected their lives.  They weren't afraid to be vulnerable and emotional. 

 

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 video is an example of how young people can voice an opposition to a social problem, gun violence.  They're speaking out and telling everyone how young people are dying senselessly.  They are challenging young people to take a stand against gun violence.  They are encouraging their peers to get a good education and be successful in life.

EDUC 6810 PSA

EDUC 6810 Weekly Reading #8

1.  What do you think about the concept of relocalization?

I think it is a great idea, because change can start with one person.  Every person could focus on how
they can work with their community to make it better and more productive.  Tap into the resources and skills that come from your own community.  Start from the bottom and work your way up; improvements in your local community can spread to the next town, the next county, the entire state, and so on.

2.  Where do you stand on neoliberal policies for education reform?

I think it sounds like an awful idea.  While I absolutely agree that there are a lot of people who take advantage of government assistance, there are also people who truly need help.  We shouldn't punish honest, hardworking people who find themselves in hard times.  I think the solution is not to take it away completely, but change how it is used. 

3.  How did using a public relations firm create tension between the goals of critical media literacy and having students create promotional videos?

The goals of critical media literacy are to break down and analyze media so that you can understand the message behind it.  The goal of the promotional video was the opposite; the firm wanted the students to create media to sell something; to take the persuasive techniques they have learned about and turn around and use them to sell their own product.  While it did go against everything they had learned about critical media literacy, I think it is a good idea because now they can really see media from both sides.

4.  Do you agree with the researcher that Ellen's PV should be consider an example of critical media literacy? Why? Why not?

Yes, I believe it is an example of media literacy because she is using persuasive techniques to speak to her target audience, artistic students like herself.  This is media literacy because she knows who she is trying to appeal to and is gearing the video towards them.  The media we see does this all the time; toys are marketed to children, beauty products to women, etc.

Source

Avila, J., & Pandya, J. (2013). Critical digital literacies as social praxis. (Vol. 54). New York: NY: Peter Lang Publishing Inc .

EDUC 6810 Weekly Reading #7

Reading #1

"Youth between the ages of 8 and 18 have increased their daily media usage from 7:29 hours in 1999 to 8:33 hours in 2004 to 10:45 hours in 2009 with media including TV, music, computer, video, print, and movies."

I plan to use this statistic in my PSA because it shows the audience how media usage is on the rise.  The latest statistic was from 2009; I can't even imagine what the numbers are now.  This is an important idea to highlight because media isn't going anywhere, and it will only continue to rise as more and more technology is developed.  So it is important that we teach our students how to best utilize the technology that is available to them.

"Since 1970, NCTE has actively created resolutions that explore the relationships between literacy, media, and technology to the benefit of students' literacy development."

I want to use this idea in my PSA because it shows how important media literacy is to our students.  It is so critical that it is included in national teaching standards.  In our society, students will need to be digitally literate and print literate.

"Critical digital literacies stem from critical literacy education and are concerned with teaching learners to identify and work within understandings of the relations between language and power."

I chose this idea because I believe it is a strong statement: there is a relationship between language and power.  If we want our students to have the power to communicate in our society, we have to teach them about media.

Reading #2

I chose the article "Critical Pedagogy and the Teaching of Reading"  because I teach reading/social studies for 4th grade.  This was a very informative article for me.  I agree that most of the time when we ask what the author meant by something, we are looking for one answer.  But there is no correct answer to this question.  Everyone interprets what they read differently.  It is all based on your own personal experiences how you respond to a text.

My favorite thing to do with a reading is to ask my students to make a connection with the text, either personally or in something else they've read or seen.  To me, this tells me more about their understanding of a text then to answer generic, end of story questions.

I love the idea of having students "argue" with a text.  Disputing something they've read with their own personal knowledge or experience is a great way to activate higher level thinking.  And I think it would engage students to know that their opinions are valued, even if they go against the so called "right answers."

I also like the idea of using reading to create social awareness.  In my enrichment reading class we are reading the novel "Shiloh."  I want to tie the story into the students thoughts on animal cruelty and what they can do to help.

Sources

Avila, J., & Pandya, J. (2013). Critical  digital literacies  as social praxis. (Vol. 54). New York: NY: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.

 

Naiditch, F. (n.d.). Critical pedagogy and the teaching of reading for social action. Retrieved from http://education.missouristate.edu/assets/ele/Naidtichfinal.pdf