Distance - a digital story by Marianna Cojava week 9 activity 2

I chose the digital story Distance. The producer of this story told her life journey from a minority child to a mother, wife and college graduate. The story was very emotional. The dramatic question was a statement I didn’t know I didn’t live in a house. It was the setting statement for the story. The story captured the emotion of the viewer as they were told of a young girl and her brother facing predudice at an early age. The narrator used a clear voice to tell the story. The story was not overly wordy and the words did paint the picture of the story. The music was a good addition to the story. The story held the attention of the viewer. The audience for this story could be anyone but a minority student could identify with the story and the storyteller. It could be viewed as a message of hope that anyone can make their own life journey. I think I connected with this story because I witnessed this in reverse. I moved from a very nice house in Pennsylvania to move to a mobile home in West Virginia. When my husband found out he had a terminal illness he wanted to go home to his home state. We moved to a mobile home and I was shocked to see the attitude of my family and friends about living in a mobile home. It was my home, with my furniture, my family and my decorations and I was happy there

week 7 PSA

week 8 activity 2

1.What do you like about the digital story?
I like that the girl show herself throughout the story.  She hid for so long on the internet by stealing others' identities and now she let her real self be shown.

2.What did you learn from the digital story?
I always knew that people deceive others with false pictures but never thought it could go on so long or that a whole life could be made up.  I also was shocked how easy it is.

3.What surprised you about the digital story?
The girl was very open and yet hid behind others for so long.

4.How did the digital story provide an example of how digital story telling 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?
It showed how teens that do not have a good self image can go to extreme methods to gain peer attention.  It also shows that the teens want to be accepted but are afraid to reveal who they are and what they look to the world.   Social websites have changed the roles for teens.

5.How can digital storytelling promote critical media literacy?  Please refer to the reading for this week's Double Entry Journal to answer this question.
It can give students a chance to not only express their own feelings and thoughts but to view others views and thoughts.  Through the stories of others one can feel a connection, question a viewpoint or experience another culture.  It is a way to make views known and gives the student a chance to use video making techniques and various technologies.

week 8 DJ

Storytelling is a tool for preserving memory, writing history, learning, entertaining, organizing, and healing in communities of color. It is in the telling of stories that communities build identities, construct meaning, and make connections with others and the world. 

I agree with this statement however I do not think that it is only for communities of color.  I realize that this project involved communities of color but think that the statement fits all communities.  It is through stories that we learn about not only yourself but others as well.  It is through stories that many customs have been handed down from generation to generation.  We can use new media to record these stories and give the storyteller an opportunity to tell their story and the viewer an insight into the world and life of another.  Digital storytelling puts faces and images to words so meaning can be obtained.  It can connect people who are different through a common theme or experience.  The global world is expanding the way we think about others and digital storytelling is one tool to help us make meaning and connect with others.

Here is a link to an article from the Language Magazine entitled Making Learners Click With Digital Storytelling.  The authors state that it does not matter if the intended audience are from undergraduate programs, poor neighborhood students or native American students  they have found that digital storytelling engages and educates the group.  It is a good article with a new perspective on language as an additional benefit.

Making Learners Click With Digital Storytelling

References

Raimist, R., Doerr-Stevens, C., & Jacobs, W. (2010). The pedagogy of digital storytelling in the college classroom. Retrieved from http://www.seminar.net/index.php/home/75-current-issue/145-the-pedagogy-ofdigital-storytelling-in-the-college-classroom 

Stanley, N. (2011, February 4). Making learners click with digital storytelling. Retrieved from http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=1684 

Week 8 activity 1

week 6 double entry

Why did the authors do this study?

While there is much discussion concerning the need for real-life authentic learning little research has been conducted on the role or effect of direct media education.  Media literacy is often a part of the language arts but in this study a specialized curriculum was developed and used to study the effect of media education on language arts, specifically reading, listening, message analysis, comprehension viewed material and writing skills.

How did the authors do the study?

The authors used two similar groups of 11^th grade students with one being the control group and the other being the treatment group.  The treatment group received specific media literacy training during a year long period.  The control group received a traditional language arts curriculum.  They gave each group a pretest and post test to analysis the effect of the direct instruction. 

What data/results emerged from the study?

Students who received media education scored higher on many different areas.  The students from the treatment group had better comprehension skills in reading, viewing and listening.  The students were able to analyze material better than the control group.  Writing skills also were higher in the control group and they were able to write longer paragraphs and in conjunction with the fact that the students in the treatment group scored better in being able to identify the main concept in reading, viewing and listening it seems logical that they would have more ideas to write about.  Students in the control groups were quicker to identify the main concept.  The results showed a positive effect on the control group who scored significantly higher in most of the tested areas. 

What do the authors conclude from the data analysis?

The authors concluded that students benefit from direct media instruction as part of the literary arts program and students scored higher or at least as well as standard based language art programs.  They stated that teachers should use both fiction and non-fiction during instruction giving students exposure to actual information to analyze.

What is the significance of the study?

The significance of this study is it is the first major study in the United States that studied how inclusion of media education in the traditional language art curriculum can help students with listening, writing, reading, comprehension and communication skills along with the ability to analyze the message.

How do these findings influence your position on media literacy and school curriculum?

The results of this study were encouraging.  I have always believed that students should not only be taught facts but should also be shown how to analysis the material, the source and the message of the material.  Educators talk about real-life authentic teaching but the reality most of the influences and real-life messages are outside the school walls.  I believe that students must be given preparation on how to view, read and listen to all the different messages and not just accept the message but to be able to analysis who, why and what the message is delivering.

Source:
Hobbs, R., & Frost, R. (2003). Measuring the acquisition of media-literacy skills. Reading Research Quarterly, 38(3), 330-355. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4151822 .

week 6 activity 1

Here is my lesson plan.  I have included weblinks to a postcard creator along with several good videos to illustrate tricks used in food advertising.

Grade 8 Food and Nutrition

Unit Healthy Food Choices

Lesson 5

Food advertisements: How media affects the foods we eat or which brand we choose?

Student objectives:

Students will analyze food advertisements to better understand how products are marketed.

 Students will create their own advertisements using learned techniques to promote healthful foods.

Students will describe how food producers use advertising and marketing to promote their foods.

Students will be able to describe what techniques they used to make their ad to appeal to target audience.

Students will be able to define marketing and advertising terms such as target audience, consumer, test panel, tag line, and media format.

CSO: WVEIS 0739 Nutrition and Wellness

HSTE.O.NW.5.4 analyze the information on food labels.

HSTE.O.NW.9.1 implement the use of software and hardware

HSTE.O.NW.9.2 utilize the Internet as a resource/research tool.

Day 1

Introduction:

Continuing with the theme of making healthy eating choices students will be introduced to food advertising, food marketing and food styling.  Classroom discussion of what factors go into our food choices.  Introduce the professions of food stylist, food photographer and advertising expectative with a marketing firm.  Students will be given a resource packet of websites and videos that they can research on this subject. 

Day 2

Students will report to the computer lab to research food marketing, food photography, food styling and commercials.  Working in groups of three the students will compile a report of their findings along with a list of websites visited.  Students will start to design a advertising postcard for a food product of their choice.  The postcard creator will help you design the back of your postcard.  The front can be designed after you print your postcard.  You can decorate the front of the card anyway you want but remember the purpose of the card is to promote a food product.  You may use the postcard creator or create you own.

Post card creator 

 http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/postcard-creator-30061.html

Day 3

Students will continue to work on their postcard’s .  Each group will develop a marketing campaign based on their postcard advertisement and prepare a class presentation.

Day 4

Each group will present their postcard to the class along with their marketing campaign.  Students will critique the ad and campaign and give examples of what tactics were successful and why.

Web Resources

You can choose to view these websites or research your own sites for this project.  Each group will compile a list of websites visited or videos viewed.

http://youtu.be/mbCwi6EeN

http://youtu.be/uhPC9FrwE4g

http://youtu.be/FtH9YulPwmE

http://youtu.be/fUjz_eiIX8k

http://youtu.be/Tun_r7_O-ng

http://youtu.be/Tun_r7_O-ng

http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/food_marketing_to_children.pdf

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/revealed-how-food-giants-use-dirty-tricks-to-target-children-425591.html