Final Project Brainstorm

I chose option 2 for my final project, because I feel like I have learned a lot from this course and want to share that.  I went through my blog postings for each weekly reading, and I copied something from each posting that I feel reflects concepts and ideas I have learned or built upon through exploring in-depth for this class.


Reading 1: According to Kellner and Share (2005), "The process of empowerment is a major aspect of transformative education and it can take many forms, from building self-esteem to creating alternative media that voice opposition to social problems." (p. 371)

Reading 2: Film-making is an exciting way to teach students about technology and keep them up-to-date with what is available. The fringe benefit is that the educator must also be savvy in the ways of technology. In other words, if my students have to learn it, then I have to master it! Youth who begin using technology early will be more proficient as they grow older. It also allows us to monitor their etiquette and utilize teachable moments as often as possible to create an environment of ethical use of technology.

Reading 3: I now understand how important it is to recognize and deal with transgressions appropriately in order to maintain the lesson being taught.

Reading 4: Many people expressed that they hate navigating copyright, and I joined in on that opinion right away. I always feel very stressed about the media that I choose to use when creating digital media projects. Last year I had to complete a digital story for another class, and I remember very clearly the instructor making the point of how important it is for us, the educators, to follow the rules. If we don't follow the rules, why should our students follow the rules? I think the important take away for those of us who complained about this is that we need to practice!

Reading 5: "Media literacy has long been understood as a mechanism to reduce the gap between...the classroom and the living room" p. 29

Reading 6: "Teaching and learning involves genuine dialogue. Digital and media literacy education emphasizes personal agency and an awareness of the way symbols are used to construct a culture. It cultivates a deep appreciation of history, economics, technology, and politics as forms of social power (Hobbs, 2011, p. 62).

Reading 7: What it comes down to is this: I am on the fence. Until I have my own experience with the common core, I am going to remain a skeptic.

Reading 8: “Media composition practices promote intellectual curiosity. As a learner mysely, I was lucky enough to fall in love with learning…Romance comes first. Emotional involvement with the subject matter compels our interest (p. 88-9)”

Reading 9: "Some people think that media companies (like TV networks, radio stations, magazine, websites, or Internet service providers) simply sell radio or TV time, online banner ads, or space in a print publication. But this is inaccurate. Media companies are in the business of selling human attention, and it's sold in units by the thousand, depending on age, income, race, geographic region, and other characteristics of the audience (p. 114)"

Reading 10: "More than 90% of American kids age 8 to 15 have seen online porn, and in fact, the porn industry takes active steps to attract children by "typo-squatting" -buying the domain names of frequently misspelled URLs. At least 265 names of cartoon characters are linked to porn sites...(p. 128)"

Reading 11: The point of all this is that news can be extremely important, and good journalism will always be the heart of disseminating news. Students can learn to understand the lives and the struggles of people very different from them through exploring the journalistic process. Sarah Stuteville said in her video that when she began her journalistic world journey, her profession of journalism was being declared dead. However, Stuteville took matters into her own hands and showed the world that journalism was alive and well, and that young people were next in line to take the reigns and take journalism to new heights. Our students can also be journalists, and they can also prove to the world that journalism is not dead.

Reading 12: "Media texts and technology tools provide all of us, young and old, with resources for a lifetime of learning and entertainment - and they both represent and shape our culture's values and priorities, offering us a daily array of tensions and taboos (p. 186)"