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

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