week 5

 How does visual imagery negatively influence the truth in political campaigns and foreign relations? 
First foreign countries have an altered view of the United states before they view anything.  Many countries based their views of the US from their government, their religious leaders and their countries media slant.  Other cultures would interpret a photo differently than we would.  In our country it depends on which side is taking the photo and what message or feeling they want to send.  A family photo of a candidate can send a message of a good man when in reality he may be a cheater.  Edwards is a good example of this he was always a man for the underdog with good family values.

2. Can you think of a recent foreign relations incident that may have been related to visual imagery?

 I can think of the rejoicing the Bin Lauden was dead that we had killed him on a Navy Seals mission and the reaction from the Arab world.

3. What does Ben Franklin by the phrase "Freedom of the press only applies if you have a press." 

I like that quote and it rings true to my ears.  I am always amazed at how many people take the news at face value without questioning the story.  When I get on my soapbox people looked at my like I have three eyes to question a news station.

4. Do you think that the explosion of digital media is akin to giving everyone a press?

Yes with the accessibility to social networks, blogs and text messaging there are so many more outlets to speak your mind and let your views be heard.

5. In your opinion, is the potential for more people to create their own media a positive or negative influence on our democratic society?

In my opinion who is a strong believer in free speech it is a positive influence but the reader has to be informed to make a decision to accept or reject the view stated.

6. Is our increasingly visual cultural a good thing or bad thing?

7. What can save us from the tyranny of a visual culture?

week 5 activity 1

A recent email sent out by the committee Obama for America contained a request for a contribution along with a chance to win a dinner with Barack Obama.  The message was sent to supporters of the president.  The title Dinner with Barack gave a casual just between friends and I am on your side feel before even reading the email.  The request for a contribution was along side of a picture of the President and First Lady.  Both the contribution box and photo were very large and the viewers eye was drawn immediately to both.  

The message above the photo reads "stand with me, work with me, let's finish what we started signed Barack Obama.  The message reads like a friend requesting help, the message is we are in this together, we are the same and share the same values and desires to have a strong country.  This is consistent with the chance to win a dinner with with Obama which conveys the message your are important to me, lets break bread together(which is an important function in many cultures), you and your views are important because we are in this together.  The picture at face value looks like the President and his wife sharing in a happy moment but using critical thinking skills and deconstructing the photo in terms of what is known about how photographers use lighting, background, angles as well as poses to give the viewer the message that the producer of the photograph want to relay.  First the angle is a close up so that the couple appears to be large and they take up a large area of the space which makes them seem powerful.  The expression on their face is a happy expression that gives the viewer a sense that everything is all right and we are on the right track.  The loving admiration of the First Lady again gives the viewer the impression that things are well and that she has trust in him and his abilities.  The photo is shot from the chest up with also gives the appearance of power.  The president is in the front leading and the First Lady is in back playing her supporting role.  The message of this president is a strong middle class will keep this country going and the photo looks like a typical middle class husband and wife.  His tie is slightly open giving the photo a more casual feel while the First Lady has an open neckline that gives the idea of being open and the out of focus background appears to be in a home or cabin but is definitely not the formal White House background.  When you deconstruct this photo you can see how the photographer created the mood and feel of the photo is portray the message the campaign wanted the viewer to receive by using a close angle, lighting focused on the couple, position of the couple in relation to each other, and the addition to the caption added by the graphic designer.

I received this email because I am a supporter of the President so when deconstructing this I was pleased to see that the right message was being delivered with this photo.  Now that I have identified myself as a supporter my perception and deconstruction may be different than that of someone who did not support Obama;s message which show us how our views and culture play a role in how we see and view an image.

Here the link to the original email. 

https://contribute.barackobama.com/donation/last-dinner-with-barack/09/ofa.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=obama&utm_content=Dont+wonder+what+if++just+give+it+a+shot+before+this+great+campaign+tradition+comes+to+an+end&utm_campaign=em12_20120923_jb_nd1&source=em12_20120923_jb_nd1&amounts=15%7C35%7C50%7C100%7C250%7C500%7C1000

  Source:

Obama for America. (2012). Dinner with Barack. Retrieved from https://contribute.barackobama.com/donation/last-dinner-with-barack/09/ofa.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=obama&utm_content=Dont wonder what if just give it a shot before this great campaign tradition comes to an end&utm_campaign=em12_20120923_jb_nd1&source=em12_20120923_jb_nd1&amounts=15|35|50|100|250|500|1000  

This email could be used to demonstrate how a political campaign is run.  How political parties raise money to conduct their campaign.  The students could be asked their opinion of the ad and what message did it send to them.  The lesson could be extended to have the students divide into different political parties and develop a campaign.  The campaign could be in the form of a commercial, a web page, a promotion to raise funds such as this request or any other form they choose and present their campaign to the class.

21C.O.9-12.1.LS1 - Student recognizes information needed for problem solving, can efficiently browse, search and navigate online to access relevant information, evaluates information based on credibility, social, economic, political and/or ethical issues, and presents findings clearly and persuasively using a range of technology tools and media.

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double entry 5

we need to learn to consistently see ourselves as consumers of images we are exposed to via mass mediated channels. Mere exposure is enough in this regard. We don’t have to be specifically targeted by the image source. Anytime we feel ourselves being influenced we should instinctively query ourselves regarding what influence we are feeling, how that influence is occurring and ask if the claims we are digesting are rational.

I agree with this author that as technology changes and we are exposed to more visual images it also changes how we think and view the world.  I agree that as both consumers and members of a society it is our duty to use a critical eye when we are exposed to different visual messages produced in the form of mass media.  It that not what we as educators want for our students to use critical thinking skills rather than just accepting information and in this case from a visual message produced to lead the consumers’ thinking in a certain way.  We are in the final months of a presidential race and both parties want us to believe their candidate is the best choice for the job and much money is placed to run ads, commercials and news stories to try to persuade the voter to choose a particular candidate.  We know this to be true but when it is not so blatant do consumers really think about the true message of what they are seeing or viewing?  Do they question why the message may not be as it seems?  I don’t think the typical person uses a critical eye for all the visual messages they are exposed to in their daily lives and with the increased exposure it is a definite skill that is needed.


An Inquiry into the Nature of Uncle Joe’s Representation and Meaning by Robert Muffoletto

This is an essay that describes the meed for developing critical thinking skills to evaluate new multimedia presentations.  He contends that our evaluations of visual media are not only based on what the meaning may be but rather on our own self awareness and how we view ourself in our culture.  Muffoletto defines as visual literacy is a political process that provokes questions over answers. To be visually literate, then, is to be actively engaged in asking questions and seeking answers about the multiple meanings of a visual experience(Muffoletto, 2001).  There were many of the same messages in this essay as the reading by J. Schnell.

Schnell, J. (2008), Suggestions for Addressing the Increased Emphasis on Visual Imagery over Aural Messages. Media Psychology Review. Vol. 1(1), Retrieved from: http://mprcenter.org/mpr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=36&Itemid=123

Muffoletto, R. (2001, March). An inquiry into the nature of Uncle Joe’s representation and meaning. Reading Online, 4(8). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=/newliteracies/muffoletto/index.html  

People cover

Here is my cover.  I never realized that I take wo many pictures of others but not many of me.

activity 2

What do you think about this person based on the cover of the magazine? How does he look?  How does he make your feel?

In this first magazine which is muscle and fitness, Arnold S. is buff and flexing his muscles letting the reader that this is what physical fitness looks like.  Arnold S. is tan and looks like a force to reckon with, a strongman or a warrior.  The cover makes me fell less than fit but realizing that he would not be a man for me because to much time would be spent on keeping that physic.

2. What is the main purpose of this magazine? The main purpose of this magazine is to promote main fitness and bodybuilding.

3. Describe who you believe is the magazine's intended readership.  I believe that this magazine is intended for the older teen to early thirties male who want to be fit.

4. What lifestyles, values, points of view are represented or omitted? I think the cover is confusing with the story headline that states stay out of the gym to burn more fat and then two articles that promotes Arnold’s workout and 20 inch arms. I think that this was done to capture both the very enthusiastic and the more couch potato type that wishes they were more physically fit.

The second magazine Esquire shows Arnold S. as a businessman.  He is smiling and appears less intimidating that the first cover.  He portrays a man you can trust.  The magazine is for the professional to present stories of interest that will affect their daily lives.   I believe that this magazine is intended for the thirty to sixty year old that is a working professional.  I find the picture nesxt to Arnold to be interesting because the message for him is that he wants to be the next governor of California but the rest of the edition deals with the contribution of British music.  It is an interesting choice because California is a more liberal state while Arnold has a conservative message.  I question if the other article and the laughing pose is an attempt to make him more appealing to the liberal voter. 

double entry 4

Magazines: What Adolescent Girls are reading and the way they shape body image.

Research implies that most teens do not choose healthy methods of weight loss; they take diet pills, force themselves to throw up, and restrict daily caloric intake to dangerously low levels

I have worked as a clinical dietitian for many years so this statement is one that I have witnessed firsthand. Teens do not always consider the source of the diet information and are drawn by quick fixes, trendy fad diets and influenced by what others are doing. In this article the teenage girl is the focus however due to the same pressures we are seeing more teen boys develop eating disorders. There is a movement to have more typical teen models in these teen magazines to help with this body image problem but there is still so much misinformation being put out there about weight loss. I read the covers at the grocery store waiting to checkout and often think while the diet that was the begin all end all last week has been replaced with a better one this week. While I can laugh at this as an adult many teens would not even think about last week’s issue.

Here is a video about media messages and teens




References

Robles-Pina, R., & Sauer, H. (2003). Magazines: What adolescent girls are reading and the way they shape body image. Retrieved from http://www.advancingwomen.com/awl/winter2003/SAUERR~1.html

Dellington, J. (2010, January 25). www.youtube.com . [0]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgUE4BeWM-g&feature=related 

Healthy Choice Café Steamers

Deconstruct this commercial using these questions:

Whose message is this? Who created or paid for it? Why?
The commercial was produced for a food manufacturer that produces the Healthy Choice food line.  The manufacture of Healthy Choice Steamers would be the party paying for the commercial.  The purpose of this commercial is to sell Healthy Choice Steamers.

Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What words, images or sounds suggest this?
The age of the target audience is mid thirties to older adults.  The target audience from this commercial is white America who are professionals along with older adults that are on a budget but want to stay healthy.  The mother wants to be young again which is not only portrayed by the spoken words but by her clothes and hairstyle.  The daughter states that eating these meals is cheaper than other measures of keeping young.

 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.) The words paint a picture of a mother who does not want to grow old, the daughter gives a positive message about the meals but a negative message about her mother’s desired to stay young.  The male who is eating the meal tells how fresh, crisp and delicious the steamers is.

 What is the “subtext” of the message? (What do you think is the hidden or unstated meaning?)
These steamers are good, healthy, affordable for seniors, a good food choice, and can be enjoyed by young and old.

 What kind of lifestyle is presented? How?
The setting is a modern house that appears to be of a professional family.  This family appears to be a couple in their thirties that do not have children.  I found it funny that only one person was eating giving the impression that these meals are quick and easy when the couple cannot take time to eat together.

 What values are expressed?
Healthy eating is a good thing and will help you when you get old.  It is important to stay young at all costs.  While done in a joking form evident by laughing while speaking but also displayed a lack of respect for the mother and her point of view.

 What tools of persuasion are used? See "The language of persuasion"
Repetition-making reference to the mother’s desire to look younger and also the name of the product
Humor- the whole commercial poked fun at the mothers desire to look young and the daughter talked while laughing
Simple solution- eat the product and be healthier and look younger longer

What positive messages are presented? What negative messages are presented?
Eating healthy is good and leads to a better quality of life in later adult years. Negative messages were the silly mother trying everything to look younger and how the daughter viewed the mother as foolish.

 What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does this serve the media maker's interests?
It empowers people in their thirties to eat healthy and enjoy better health as you become older.  It disempowers the mother who appeared to be foolish for wanting to look younger.  It serves the food manufacturer by promoting their product as being healthy for all and if older people eat the product they will not have to work so hard to look and feel young.

What part of the story is not being told? How and where could you get more information about the untold stories?
The part of the story not being told is the actual nutritional value of the product?  Is it really a healthy choice?  The need for a lifetime healthy lifestyle not just a steamer is needed to help ensure good health as we grow older.  You could research the nutritional content of the meal and compare it to the recommended daily allowance for Americans.  You could look at the actual package, you could go on the internet and search the RDA website for daily allowances.  You could read reviews written by consumers on taste and value of the product.

week 3 activity 1 & 2

Century Link
The Century Link commercial is a cheerful commercial with a upbeat song.  I like the use of the slinkies to make a familiar connection but also to show how all people are connect.  I did have trouble with the message which was not clear to me and I may have missed the message that Quest has merger with Century Link..  I think the deconstruction was on point but critical.  I did not think that the commercial favored one cultural group over another and made a connection between several different commercials.  I would not make a decision to use Quest services solely based on this commercial.
Alltel
I agree that Alltel's commercial contained  stereotypes of both the middle class family and the Latino men.  I think on the surface the commercial is funny and delivers the message of concerns over high cell phone bills.  After I listened to the deconstruction I could see how it could be offensive to the Latino community.   The men were portrayed as loud uneducated and unsophisticated living with a farm animal and three living in one room while the white family had a beautiful house. I also did not see the disclaimer in the commercial and when the terms of the service was pointed out, the message seemed deceitful and a company I would not trust.  I do not agree with the extent the deconstruction went about the white family.   I think that the message would have been the same if a middle class black family replaced the dad, mother and daughter.

DOUBLE JOURNAL 3

Quote

Over the past quarter century, communication technologies have spawned an explosion of ways in which “text,” both written and electronic, has become part of the out-of-class curriculum. This explosion has outpaced our pedagogy, our curricula and methods of instruction, and the definitions of what it means to be literate in a multimedia society. (One major irony in American education is that no philosophy or pedagogy has been developed to take into account the role of visual representation in instruction, while at the same time increasingly large portions of the education budget are being spent on iconic technologies such as computers, video recorders, and video cameras.) These technologies are much more than electronic envelopes for delivering the old curriculum in a marginally new way(Semali, 2001).

Reflection

I agree that while teachers are encouraged to use these new technologies there is a lacking of how to use them to their best use.  When technologies and multimedia are use just for the sake of meeting a requirement or to use a new toy it is the students who suffer and the teacher misses an opportunity to extend learning.  When media literacy is part of the instruction learning is extended to include a personal analysis of the material and to form a personal view that can be used both in and outside of the classroom.  The students who are given this opportunity have a greater sense of how to form views and the forces that are present to steer their thinking in a particular way.  I believe having good analyzing skills make us more award of information and better citizens.

Source:

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

In a webpage from the John Hopkins University, School of Education the topic of Visual Literacy and the Classroom was discussed.   This article also agreed that the term literacy does not have a concrete definition and there is much debate on what constitutes literacy there is a driving force behind the debate and that is technology.  This article discuss what this means in the classroom and how the valued skills being able to analysis written and visual message will give the student skills that will be used outside the classroom and be carried over into society and culture.

Riesland, E. (2010). Visual literacy and the classroom. Retrieved from http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/literacy/articles/visual-literacy-and-the-classroom/

1. What is meant by the term "new literacies" and give me a concrete example of how it should change teachers' understanding of what it means to literate in the digital age.

“New literacies” seem to have many different meaning but it is generally means the shift from the printed world to the use of technologies, visual messages and multimedia.  I think that it is a great opportunity for teachers to build critical  thinking skills by using multimedia examples to show how they are produced and why they are produced.  Giving a student the chance to analyze and form their own opinion is so important in our society today and if we can give them the skills to interpret what they are watching, reading, listening to or viewing they will have a stepup in the world outside school.

2.In your own words explain what this quote means:

    "In the current historical juncture of democratic decline in the United States, ideals and images have become detached from their anchorage in stable and agreed-upon meaning and associations and are now beginning to assume a reality of their own. The self-referential world of the media is one that splinters, obliterates, peripheralizes, partitions and segments social space, time, knowledge, and subjectivity in order to unify, encompass, entrap, totalize and homogenize them through the meta-form of entertainment. What needs to be addressed is the way in which capitalism is able to secure this cultural and ideological totalization and homogenization through its ability to insinuate itself into social practices and private perceptions through various forms of media knowledges. (p. 196)"           

I think this quote means we are presented messages that are the message that the government, political canaditates, marketing firms and manufactures want us to hear, believe and accept as fact without questioning.

3. What does the lack of critical media literacy in schools create?

It creates a student who accepts the influences of media without being able to know what the underlying message is and how to decide if this is a view or idea they want to accept or reject.

4.  Why is it preposterous to claim an absolute definition of " literacy"?

In the article the author Ladislaus Semali, that while one definition would be developed and agreed upon the rapid development and advances of technology and media would make the definition obsolete before it could be accepted.

5. Why does this author advocate a more critical approach to visual literacy? Do you agree? Why or why not?

The author favors a more critical approach to visual literacy, one that goes beyond the impact that visuals have on individuals. Thus, for me, visual literacy refers to multiple abilities to read, view, understand, evaluate, and interpret visual texts including artifacts, images, drawings, or paintings that represent an event, idea, or emotion(Semali, 2010).  I agree with his view because I think that we all need to skills to interpret and evaluate what we are reading, listening, viewing or watching not only to understand but to develop our own opinions, emotions and ability to accept and use the information or reject it and file it as useless. 

Great lesson learned

In these classes we often talk about how to include media and technology into the educational system.  I had a reality check last week,  I went to Ocean City NJ for a short vacation.  I took my laptop and books and planned to spend time each night working on my classes.  I checked before I booked the condo that it had internet availability and he did.  I thought I had a great plan.  I started to open Blackboard and had some trouble but did get it to open but that was about it.  I found out that this island, which is only 6 miles from Atlantic City which has many uses for internet services and uses much technology, had only one internet provider.  The service was poor at best and then I found out the hotel limits speed to make sure no one person uses to much bandwidth.  I could not get anything done and paying for it now having to play caught-up.  I will never forget that not all students have access to a well working internet.

Article Title: Oil Spill: BP Gulf leak could stain President Obama like Iran Hostage crisis destroyed Jimmy Carter

People	Objects	Activities
President Obama	office	listening

1. Based on what you have observed list three things you might infer from the photograph.

President appears to be listening

President does not seem happy lips are tightly shut and forehead wrinkled.

President is not in a suit or wearing a tie seems casual for such an important event.

2. Read the article title and photo caption.

Activity #3: Reading Photographs: Due Sunday Midnight (10 points) Please read the Double Entry Journal reading before completing this assignment! Then Read the information on the following link: Anatomy of a Photograph Next you will conduct your own photo analysis of the two pictures below. Both of these photos appeared on the same day in two different newspapers after the Gulf Coast oil spill. Photo in the New York Daily News: Tuesday June 15, 2010. Caption: President Barack Obama is briefed on the BP oil spill relief efforts in the Gulf Article Title: Oil Spill: BP Gulf leak could stain President Obama like Iran Hostage crisis destroyed Jimmy Carter

.What questions do the caption and article title raise in your mind?

Where is he being briefed does not appear to be the White House books are in the background but also greenery for outside.

President is in casual dress at a time very important action needs to be taken.

what is he doing wrong that will reflect so negative and is being compared to another bad decision by a president

How could he handle the spill better?

Could anything have been done such as federal inspection help prevent this disaster?

Divide the photo into quadrants and study each section to see what new details become visible. Use the chart below to list people objects and activities in the photograph. 

People	Objects	Activities
group of men		laughing and walking appear to be talking
President Obama	in center	smiling and walking casual dress
American ship	ship deck
	oil rig in left background	seems to working without problems

1. Based on what you have observed list three things you might infer from the photograph.

Appears to be a casual positive time.

Picture takes place on american ship with oil rig in the background.

armed guards on ship

3. What questions do the caption and article title raise in your mind?

Why does the government need to take control of claims?

President taking action to help American citizens affected by spill.

Will the government be in the fight for the long run.

4. Which picture gives you more confidence in the presidents leadership abilities? Why?

I like the picture of the President listening.  He seems concerned that he is getting all the facts.  He appears to be displeased yet still invested in the issue.  He appears serious and forming a plan of action.

5. Do you think the editors of these news papers have a liberal or conservative bias? Why? How could you find out?

I would guess that the New York Daily News would be conservative from the caption and title.  I would think that the washington Post would be more liberal from the story title.  I did look information on both papers and found that the new York Daily News is considered to be more liberal,  The opinion of the Washington Post seems to be less clear with some reporting it to be more conservative while others believe it to be more liberal but most state that it is a miiddle of the road paper that takes on any worthy story.  One thing that I did to staart my research on the papers was to see who owns the paper to judge if they represent a certain group,