What's Your Function?

Integrating Media Studies in the ELA Classroom

2006-12-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

Perhaps one of the most powerful ways to integrate media, particularly film into the classroom is to use it to study the rules and manifestations of genre. Many students struggle with being able to identify certain indications of a specific genre in a text. For example, a western can be recognized by a hero character, some sort of quest or journey, and conflicts between good and evil. In reading a text, students may struggle identifying some of these more abstract concepts. Film and other media studies can be a great way to scaffold students in understanding these concepts.

One particular lesson, continuing with the theme of a wester, may revolve around the reading of Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." This text would probably be taught to advanced, older high school students. The text describes a young boys journey across Mexico with a band of scalpers. It is not your typical western story, but exemplifies some of the constructions of a genre. Students may struggle understanding how it fits into the genre. Instead of simply showing a film adaptation of the novel, which I don't think even exists, film can be used in another way to augment student understanding. The teacher can show other film westerns, including stereotypical John Wayne westerns. In this way, students will be able to visually see qualities of westerns. They will then hopefully be able to apply this analysis to the novel in order to make more sense of the action as a western.

In this way, media can be an extremely useful supplement to student learning in the classroom. Learning theory tells us that students learn more effectively when they are able to dually code information. By presenting a text in both written and visual form, students will be able to code it into their schemata in a more meaningful way. This will not only help students that are struggling in class, but also all students. For these reasons, and myriad others, media should be an integral part of all ELA classes.

My Media World

2006-12-07T14:34:00.000-08:00

During a typical week I use more media than I am probably even aware of. I am an avid DVR TV watcher. My schedule is such that I am never home to watch TV during the prime time hours. In a given week, when the show is in season, I watch Heroes, Gilmore Girls, Lost, Friday Night Lights, The Office, My Name is Earl, and Lost, probably among others. I don't really watch much cable TV, except for shows and documentaries on TLC. Overall, I watch NBC, ABC, CW, and TLC most. I was surprised to find what corporations own these stations. AOL Time Warner owns the CW, Disney owns ABC, and General Electric owns NBC. These

I am also on the internet every day. My internet service provider is Comcast. I am generally dissatisfied with the customer service provided by Comcast, but there frankly are no other service providers in my area in Saint Paul.

I don't frequently listen to the radio, but when I do I usually listen to the Current on 89.3 which is owned my by Minneapolis Public Radio. I occassionally listen to Cities 97.1. More often than not though, I listen to music that I own on my iPod or computer. When I go to concerts, I usually see shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis. These shows are somtimes sponsored by radio stations, such as Drive 105. Drive 105 is owned by Disney, which is very interesting. I definitely wouldn't connect Disney with some of the concerts that I've attended recently.

The more I research, the more surprised I am by who owns what in the media. I can absolutely no idea that General Electric owned media. This just exemplifies our society's obsession with capitalism and wanting to own sales in this country. We must critically analyze the role that these corporations play in the content provided through these media.

Oh Conor...

2006-11-30T11:01:00.000-08:00

Finally, one of my favorite media-music! Ever since I was really young, music has been a huge part of my life. I've played in orchestras and jazz bands and am an avid listener of all types of music. Asking me to choose my favorite music and genres is like asking an English major to choose her favorite authors or books, but I'll give it a shot...

My iTunes library is filled with almost every possible genre from country to hip hop to indie rock to classical. What I like to listen to depends significantly on what I'm doing or how I'm feeling at any given time. Overall though, my favorite music is probably classified as indie rock or alternative. I'm not entirely certain if that's the appropriate title for the genre, but I think it does it justice. Currently, my favorite artists are Bright Eyes, Jenny Lewis, Belle and Sebastian, and Wilco. I've been to live concerts of all of these bands as well. My favorite thing about these artists is their lyrics. I think that some musicians have become the modern day poets, and these artists exemplify this. Each of these groups or singers also represents a wide range of genre as well. Some Bright Eyes songs sound like old fashioned country, while others are louder rock. On the flip side though, you can also frequently catch me listening to rap and hip-hop from 2Pac to 50 Cent. Again, the lyrics of some rap can be compared to poetry and really attract me. Even on tracks where the lyrics are admittedly not very deep, I still can't stop listening because of the rhythms and the beat.

One song that I particularly love that exemplifies my musical tastes is "Make War" by Bright Eyes. The song begins slowly with just a guitar and Conor's voice. Slowly the drums come in and the song begins to pick up. The song deals with the themes of fear in society and compares that to the fear people can have of eachother in any kind of relationships. A few lines in particular say: "And so we've learned to be faithless/stand behind bullet proof glass/exchanging out affections through a drawer." I love that the song deals with larger societal issues such as the level of fear that is generated through media and other factors and relates them back to the personal, a relationship between two people. I think that everyone can relate to these ideas in some autobiographical way.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

With the upcoming holiday, I've found Thanksgiving and familiar traditions to be a hot topic for discussion. For example, I have a close friend who has never had a Thanksgiving dinner at home; his family always eats out at a restaurant. My family, on the other hand, has always had a huge home cooked meal that takes days to prepare. I think it would be interesting to film a documentary about Thanksgiving traditions and beliefs about the holiday. In my documentary, I would like to raise questions about the origins of the tradition of the Thanksgiving meal, people's perceptions of these origins, and the ways in which the practices have evolved.

In this documentary, I would interview a wide variety of people. I could envision interviewing three generations within a family - small children, parents, and grandparents. I would ask them why they celebrate Thanksgiving in their family. Children may cite learned stories about the original meal between the pilgrims and Native Americans, while parents and grandparents may understand that this story is a myth and may cite family ties as a reason to celebrate this holiday.

I would like to compare and contrast two approaches to the holiday. My family, for example, prepares months in advance by deciding which family member will host the meal. We begin cooking about a week before the meal and invite over as many people as the house can hold. Other traditions, though, include visiting the same restaurant with a small group of friends year after year.

Creating an authentic, realistic portrayal of family traditions should be fairly easy. However, in order to make a statement with the film, I would like to interview historians and teachers in order to analyze how the tradition has evolved and the real story of the first "Thanksgiving." If I could provide this sort of balance through juxtaposing the roots of the tradition and how families practice the holiday now.

Kare 11 Sunrise

2006-11-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

Since being introduced to blogs and RSS News Feeds a few years ago, I haven't been one to watch my local television news stations for information. It really surprised me when I sat down the other day and actually paid attention to what was on these news broadcasts. I watched the Kare 11 Sunrise News this morning at 7 am. I was able to see about the first thirty minutes of the program. The first three or four minutes were devoted to a preview of the morning's programming and headline reviews of the weeks elections and the final vote counting in Virginia and Montana. From here, the program jumped into the local weather reports, filled with winter storm warnings! Then, there were a couple of short news segments on local community stories. For example, the first highlighted a charity event that the restaurant Dave and Buster's is putting on in order to raise money for the Emergency Food Network with the holiday season coming up. The second short report highlighted Westview Elementary School in Apple Valley. The clip focused on workshops that the students have been using in order to build community in the school and resolve conflicts. Both students and teachers at the school were interviewed. Lastly, right before I turned the program off, they were transitioning into an interview with a national college admissions counselor who was giving tips for high school students getting ready to apply for college.

During this thirty minute clip, I have to admit that I wasn't entirely surprised by what I saw. There was very brief coverage of the week's national political events, and then the focus completely shifted to national news. The rest of the stories were really geared towards the typical viewers of the Sunrise news show. Although I haven't read any demographic statistics, I would imagine that many of the viewers during this early time are parents who are getting their kids ready and out the door for school that day. The content of the news clips-the focus on the elementary school and the college admissions counselor-were very well suited for this type of audience.

Overall, I had mixed feelings about the broadcast. Personally, I think that local news is very important and I really try to stay connected to the happenings in my neighborhood and community. I usually do so through neighborhood newspapers and local publications, but I definitely see the appeal in watching stories about your community on the news. However, the local news stories presented in the broadcast didn't seem to represent a wide range of opinions or experiences. I almost felt as if there was no important news going on that day, so they filled the time in with stories that, although very interesting, did not bring up bigger news stories. I also think that one can make a mistake relying entirely on local news coverage for information on current events because so much is filtered out through the lens of the local news programs.

hatch2006.org

2006-11-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

In examining advertisement this time, I chose to look at a multi-modal form of advertisements. With the upcoming midterm elections, I analyzed Mike Hatch's campaign website. I consistently hear rumors that Hatch is far ahead in the polls. As much as I want to believe it, based on the politics, both national and state, of the past few years, it seems unlikely. Hatch's website is a amalgamation of media promoting his campaign. While Hatch himself is probably not responsible for the exact content of his website, his advertising directors know what the are doing. From the home page welcome that exclaims "Welcome Friend," you can tell that Hatch is trying to sell a particular style of politics. Throughout the site, Hatch markets himself as the "guy next door," trying to show that he is accessible to all voters. While approachability is important to win votes for any candidate, it is especially important for a DFL endorsed candidate. A large part of Hatch's campaign rests on criticizing the esoteric style of government that the incumbant governor endorses, serving the interests of big business and not those of the everyday person (according to Hatch). Throughout the website you see other media propaganda promoting this same approach. For instance, in the "family photo album," Hatch includes pictures of his golden retriever (what all-American family doesn't have a golden retriever) with her nine newborn puppies. Who doesn't love puppies?

Hatch also plays into the hands of his reliable voter base in his biography and history outlined on his website. He highlights aspects of his daughter's public and community service work. He knows, rightly, that many liberals will be swayed to his side by knowing that his family has a personal commitment to the survival of the community as a whole. Likewise, another important voter bloc for the DFL is teachers. In describing his family, one of the first things he notes is that he was educated in Duluth public schools and that his wife has taught elementary school for over twenty years. Aside from teachers, many people are issue voters who vote based on who has the greatest commitment to the public schools, which he makes clear even without detailing his policy.

The website also includes videos of all of his television campaign advertisements, which highlight his commitment to public health care and education, two very important issues to most DFL voters and to all espcially in the upcoming elections. Hatch is able to bring people into his website through anecdotal stories and information that helps him appeal to the general voter and then cna drive his message home through the media that the voter is able to download once hooked into the website. In terms of advertising strategy, the website uses the multimodality of the internet to its extreme advantage.

"Reality" Television

2006-10-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

One recently developed media genre is the genre of Reality Television. From classics like "Survivor," in which people compete for a cash prize while stranded on a desert island, to a show in its first season, "The Biggest Loser" (overweight people competing to see who can loose the greatest amount of weight throughout the season), reality TV has quickly pervaded American media and entertainment. While the topics and premises of these shows come in myriad forms, they all follow some basic formulas.

First, almost every one of these shows takes place in an exotic or luxurious location. Project Runway takes place right in downtown New York City and Survivor strands contestants on a tropical, remote island. Both ends of the spectrum capture viewers' attention and offering them and "escape" from reality (and ironic plus from a genre titled "reality television") The settings also always afford drama and romance. On the Real World season set in Las Vegas, the housemates lived in the top floor of the Palms hotel right in the heart of Sin City. That in and of itself invites drama, but the layout of the house further encourages naughty behavior. Not only was there a hot tub in the middle of the living room, but there is a giant community bathroom in which they are put in close quarters while they are scantily clad.

Another landmark feature of the reality television is scripted roles and character personna. Males are usually portrayed as intelligent and leaders. Women, on the other hand are often seen as manipulative and catty or as sexual objects. There are also expected roles on each show as well. Usually there is a host or judges of some kind that serve almost as a Greek chorus. The shows also tend to have an underdog character, whom the audience usually really likes.

Regardless of whether or not you are a fan of reality TV, you have to admit that it's made an impact on American society.

Media Ethnography: Getting Lost in "Lost"

2006-10-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend, Dustin, and I are both avid fans of the TV show "Lost." We watch the show together every week, and we are always looking forward to the next new episode. I decided to interview him about his attitudes and motivations in watching the show. What I found was that we have very different motivations in watching the show and that our viewing meets different purposes in our lives.

When I asked him about why he watches the show, he said that it was because he thought it was "the smartest show on television." He likes the fact that the show alludes to many other texts and is heavily based in mythology and other themes. It also keeps the viewer interested because he or she can almost never predict what is going to happen next. Dustin was also really drawn to the show because he likes a lot of the other work that the creater and producer, J.J. Abrams, has done, so he expected it to be good. For him, another big draw is the action and the intensity of the plot. I also asked him if he discusses the show with friends or if he interacts with the show in anyway outside of the normal weekly viewing time of the show. He sometimes listens to podcasts about the show where people talk about different theories regarding what is going on in the show, but not regularly. He also frequently discusses the show with his friends and admits that he has to keep up with what is going on in order to keep up with them. For him, knowing about the happenings in the show is almost a type of social capital in his group of friends.

After watching the show with him for a long time now, I expected most of these answers, but after reflecting a bit on how I would respond to the same questions, I was surprised at how we interact differently with the show. While we watch the show together every week, I think we take different things away from it. I am also very interested in the allusions and subcontexts of the show, but am far less interested in the action and adventure. I am really drawn to the characters on the show and how they interact. I realized that I love watching the show every week because the characters are so familiar that I can't wait to see what will happen next in their "lives." For me, the show has far less social capital. I don't usually talk about the show with my friends and I don't interact with the show in any way outside of the normal hour long broadcast.

Our varied responses really surprised me. I had assumed that all people liked the show for the same reasons that I did! More than that though, I realized that Dustin takes away a very different meaning from the show that the meaning that I construct from it. We both value literary allusion and critical analysis and are able to see that represented in the show, but I think I am a far more passive recipient of the text. Dustin seems to actively seek out meanings for the show, researching elsewhere and discussing with other people. He may seem more actively engaged in the show. On the other hand, I look forward to the show every week to experience it as entertainment on a more aesthetic level, but I seldom experience the show as a separate "reality." I think that maybe our seemingly opposing experiences with the show are what make us keep watching the show together!

Adolescents in the Media

2006-10-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

Just a quick search in google images for "adolescents" brought up these random images. They were the first thre that I saw. What I think is really interesting is that the creators of these images are probably adults. These images reflect how adults see adolescents, which is proably not a true representation of adolescence. For example, in the cartoon, we see a young person blasting music to the detriment of his mother's hearing. We also see adolescents acting almost childish standing upside down and fooling around with a group of friends. We know that adolescence is socially constructed as it is. These images construct an image of adolescence that does not empower young people nor highlight what we, as teachers, know that they are capable of.

Skyy Vodka, of course!

2006-10-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

I've also been fascinated by the ad campaign that Skyy vodka runs. You get a lot of what you would expect from an alcohol advertisement - scantily clad women and the promise of sexual prowess if you drink this liquor. However, I am always drawn to the ads because of their bright colors and the way in which they play with texture. The ad that I chose to analyze is as ad for Skyy's regular, unflavored vodka. This ad captured my attention in an issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. The image depicts a man and a woman encapsulated in a bubble floating on the surface of a perfect aqua swimming pool. The water looks very inviting and refreshing. The pool deck and seating is all a pristene white and there is not a cloud in the sky. The whole poolside setting is very luxurious. In the foreground, we see a martini shaker and a bottle of Skyy vodka sitting on a sleek, white table. The man is wearing a dishelved black suit with his shirt unbutton a few buttons and the woman has on a very revealing white dress with the back cut out and slits up above her thighs. Both people are incredibly attractive and have a martini in their hands. They have their arms around eachother as they balance in this bubble floating on the pool's surface. This text lends itself very well to both a gender based and a class based critique.

First, the picture clearly holds sex appeal and associates the drinking of the product with sexual success and dominance. Both the man and the woman have martinis in their hands and are embracing eachother. They are both very attractive and are wearing dishelved clothing, which suggests sex. The advertiser wants the consumer to think that everyone he or she drinks Skky vodka, he or she will hook up with someone as attractive as the people in the ad. This idea is absurd alone, not to mention the fact that the sex will occur in a giant bubble above a swimming pool, as the ad suggests. The also objectifies the woman in the picture, revealing that this ad has a specific audience, mainly those who objectify women. While both the man and the woman are very attractive, the woman is barely wearing a dress that reveals a large amount of skin, while the man is fully clothed in a suit.

In addition to analyzing this text through a lens of gender, we can also look at it as stemming from a discourse of class. The whole setting of the pool suggests upper class luxury. The pool is pristene, the pool desk is a crisp white color, and the design of the furniture is modern and clean. This advertiser wants the consumer to associate Skky vodka with luxury. The ad suggests that drinking this product will make you part of the upper class with access to a pool like the one in the picture. This is not the neighborhood pool with five year olds running around, but your private pool where you can make out with the woman/man of your dreams.

Goblet of Fire

2006-09-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

The scene I chose to analyze this week was from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I chose this movie because it combines computer animation with traditional filming methods in attempts to create a seamless effect. The scene I analyzed is the beginning of an important competition that Harry competes in. To set the scene, we see a packed full stadium introduced by an establishing shot. The entrance is almost an aerial or flying-in shot. The MC announces the competition and the four athletes, one of which is Harry. We often see the camera snap back and forth from the MC to the crowd, each time zooming in on a different group of fans. This builds the suspense and tension by establishing the rivalry between the opponents. Throughout this whole scene, we see close ups of Harry's face. This establishes him as the main character, the one we want to route for. Each of the four competitors approaches a closed door. After the countdown and gunshot, they each enter their respective door. Following Harry into the door, the camera work gives the sense of tunnel vision, switching back and forth from a shot of Harry's face and a shot from over his shoulder. This creates a feeling of confusion and builds the suspense. Right in the middle of this confusion, the camera rises up and pans out broadly to reveal an aerial shot of miles of hedge mazes, and it becomes clear that the contest will involve finding the way out of the maze. After this establishing shot, the camera snaps back to Harry and follows him through the maze. The shot remains from behind his shoulder, allowing the viewer to experience the confusion of the maze with Harry. The camera work is done with a wide angle lens, allowing the viewer to see a very wide range of vision, which further allows the viewer to experience the maze with Harry. The camera work in this scene reveals the character's feelings and emotions. We are able to experience all the tension, nervousness, and excitement that Harry himself feels.

Arrested Development!

2006-09-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

The scene that I reviewed was from the first episode of season three of Arrested Development-"The Cabin Show." In this scene, we see Michael eating a bowl of cereal watching TV in the living room. His mother enters the scene and they have a conversation about Michael's brother Buster moving in with Michael. In general, the camera work is slightly unsteady, which gives the whole scene a more casual, almost comedic, feel. It almost feels as if it were a home movie ( although not that distracting). This has the effect of positioning the viewer closer to the family. We feel as if we are actually viewing the family's life and not a TV show. We see much of the scene shot from over Michael's shoulder, which indicates that we see the scene from his point of view. This is appropriate as Michael is the narrator the entire show. We get one close up on the mother when she first enters the scene. In this scene, there is one flashback that describes the mother's relationship with Buster about fifteen years ago. The transition between real time and the flashback is a very quick, snap transition. In general, during the dialogue between Michael and his mother, the camera changes from an over the shoulder view of each character to focus on the speaker at the time. This creates a momentum in the scene that keeps the witty conversation rolling. Even when there is a moment of silence between the two characters, the camera keeps snapping back and forth from the two perspectives. When the mother leaves the scene through the front door, the camera zooms out and we watch the mother walk out the door and see Michael's back facing the door in the foreground. This shot helps the viewer situate themself better in the scene by viewing more of the setting of the house. Overall, this camera work moves very quickly and simply. This encourages and highlights the momentum of the dialogue in the show, which is very well written and comedic. The soundtrack is a very light and quick paced instrumental that adds to the light hearted tone of the scene as well.

The best pug ever

2006-09-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is my pug Lucy!

Who Needs Media Studies Anyway?

2006-09-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

To the School Board of Minneapolis Public Schools:

Recently, in many school districts we have seen a drive towards a "back to basics" curriculum. Regardless of your politics or views on high stakes testing, after No Child Left Behind, high stakes testing is a reality we have to deal with in the classroom and a focus on the "basics" is one way to approach this challenge. While there is definitely merit in striving to ensure that our students have a strong background in reading and writing skills, it is unfortunate that many school districts mistakenly think that a study of disciplines such as media studies distracts from improving student performance in reading and writing. Instead, educators and school board should integrate media studies into a well rounded curriculum.

Currently, media studies courses are offered as electives in some of the high schools in the district. While this is a great opportunity for students, media studies should be an integral component of every student's high school education. There is definitely interest in the community for this curriculum as well. The Kevin Garnett Foundation's recent pledge to donate fully equipped technology centers to each Minneapolis high school has already begun to be realized. This exciting resource offers the perfect opportunity to more comprehensively integrate media studies into the curriculum. Additionally, media studies can and must be easily integrated into a Language Arts curriculum to ensure that all students can take part in this important discipline. In the state, our districts are held to a standards based curriculum centered around the Minnesota Academic Standards. To begin with, an analysis of Speaking, Listening, and Viewing in the media compromise a full third of the state's academic standards in Language Arts. Furthermore, media studies can fulfill many of the other standards not directly related to media studies as well. For example, through a study of various forms of media, students will be able to meet many other Language Arts standards: "locate and use information in reference material," "determine the meaning of unfamiliar words and metaphors by using dictionaries, context clues, and reference books," "comprehend and evaluate the purpose, accuracy, comprehensiveness, and usefulness of informational materials," and many, many more. A study of media will only enhance a student's preparation for meeting Minnesota's academic standards in Language Arts.

Aside from its ability to meet state standards, media studies should be an integral component in the high school curriculum because it can provide much needed student engagement and will help prepare students for a world that is increasingly dependent upon media and technology. First, students are more connected with media in their lives outside of the classroom than ever before. The majority of students participate in many forms of media, ranging from instant messaging and social networking to cell phones and digital video recording. Students spend much of their free time engaged in media, so why not capitalize on that interest and bring it into the classroom as a valued discipline? Likewise, it is important to help students think logically and critically about the new media that they use everyday in order to help them make informed and responsible decisions about it.

Also, after graduation, today's high school students will live in a world that is more heavily reliant on media than ever before. In order to compete in either the academic or professional marketplace, students need to be savvy in this new media. If school districts really want to return "back to basics," they should consider what these basics really are. In order for students to succeed in life outside of high school, one basic skill will probably be a critically understanding of media studies.

Hi!

2006-09-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

This is my first post!