Media and the Masses

Consider my analogy: Big Brother is to 1984 as Media is to 2009. 

There is a need for critical media literacy in elementary school curriculum and teacher education programs. This point is strongly presented in chapter 46 of "Media Literacy: A Reader". Media is primarily driven by "corporate interests" (economic and political). As a teacher I will help my students and their families develop media literacy. We will work together to support alternative forms of media (non-profit media). By controlling what society watches, listens and reads, media is actually dictating how society thinks, feels and behaves. This is amoral. In fact, it reminds me of George Orwell's novel Nineteen-Eighty-Four. The book portrayed a world regulated and watched by Big Brother. I remember the term "Newspeak". That language decreased each year, resulting in a decline in free thought. While media today is not causing a decline in our language, it is influencing our thoughts and behaviors. We cannot sit back and allow the next generation to feel pressured to conform to media's vision of what is good and virtuous (E.g. power relationships, beauty, sexuality etc.). It is important that students assess the underlying messages. Students should accept positive discourse and reject negative discourse. By this, I would encourage students to even strive for positive change!

I am now planning a comprehensive media literacy unit for a grade six class. My vision is to educate my students, empower my students, and encourage a rebellion against media's propaganda. Students will become aware of how media can potentially control the masses. Students will critically analyze one topic. Over ten lessons, students will construct their own knowledge of how media can manufacture myths. Student will identify positive and negative implications of this. Students will hopefully be left empowered and speak up in some way to encourage a media reform. 

It is unethical to put profit and corporate interests ahead of the health and well-being of society at large. As an educator, it will be my duty to facilitate a critical dissection of media content. Students should then speak up and voice their thoughts. 

I feel fortunate to have taken this course. The lab component allowed me to further develop my knowledge of new media forms. Photovoice, digital photo albums, digital autobiographies, and video blogs are suitable activities to introduce to students in the upper years of elementary school. The creation of videos and critical powerpoints will also be useful when teaching in this digital age. Culminating with an in depth unit plan is the ideal way to bring together the wealth of knowledge I attained in this course. 

Media & Suicide

Media is targeting youth and affecting identity construction. In lecture, it was discussed that suicide is a "cool" topic. It is being incorporated into television without actually dealing with the real psychological background. It was then mentioned that young children understand the meaning of the term "suicide" and see it as an option. 

I found this lecture to be rather disturbing. I do not agree with the "angle" of this lecture. It was mentioned that children and youth have a "morbid obsession with death". Nobody I grew up with had such a fascination. It is really important that inaccurate generalizations are not made. 

Examples mentioned in class:

Bad Religion-Social Suicide (lyrics) - Video on Youtube

"Girl, 13, hangs herself after becoming obsessed with Emo "

suicide cult" - In the news

The Virgin Suicides - Movie Trailer 

Romeo and Juliet

suicidegirls.com - Makes suicide "sexy"

What should we do?

Suicide is an alienation from the self. Teachers need to help students develop self-esteem. A feeling of community must be fostered. Each individual needs to feel connected. As teachers we need to be positive and enriching role models. I was unaware of the vast marketing of suicide in the media. It is important to ensure that parents are aware of the content children are being exposed to when surfing the net and watching television. Should a parent or teacher determine that a child is being exposed to these images, a very frank discussion would need to take place. It is empowering to critically dissect all media messages. At the same time, I think suicide is a very serious and controversial topic to bring in the elementary school classroom. I would avoid doing so unless a member of the administration, a school psychologist or a parent requested it. 

Video Production - Teen Pregnancy

Our group began gathering video footage for our assignment. Jess primarily held the camera and I focused on interviewing. I really enjoyed listening to my peers and prompting further discussion. It is really fun to pose similar questions to a wide audience and achieve a huge variety of opinions. This is a very "democratic approach" to surveying and presenting knowledge to others. 

Most people within the Faculty of Education gladly contributed. The common movies and television shows mentioned have been Juno, Degrassi and 90210. We will definitely include important clips from these episodes in our video. In addition to this, the news coverage of Jamie Lynn Spears was also discussed. 

Our group has been discussing the best way to organize the footage. It was decided that beginning with a media montage would be useful to prepare the viewer for the topic. Statistics will be infused in the video to help guide the viewer's experience. The footage will be split into three segments. First, students will provide examples of teen pregnancy in the media. Next, students will discuss the real world. Finally, the topic of health education will be explored. The aim will be to show that media images effect reality (rather than strictly reflecting reality). The final statements will be hopeful and optimistic. It will become clear that critical dissections of messages in the media is fundamental for healthy and confident youth. 

FROM SLUMS TO OSCARS

I recently watched "Slumdog Millionaire". A teenager from Mumbai, who grew up in the slums, is a contestant on "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" (The Indian Production). The teen ends up winning and is interrogated under the suspicion of cheating. Throughout the film, the viewer understands how real life experiences (rather than formal education) is the source of his knowledge. This film was absolutely fantastic, and worthy of its oscar attention. 

In the first ten minutes of the film, the viewer learns much about the portrayal of the men, women and children. The men are largely authoritative, dominant, violent, and coercive. They maintain power by instilling fear in the young. The women are "tough love" mothers. They will use force to keep their children in control. Largely, their duties are to protect their children and tend to domestic needs (cooking, cleaning). The children are fresh, naive, energetic, vivacious, rebellious, and fun-loving. The children stick together. 

In addition to gender expectations and roles, the viewer learns much about the setting of India. There seems to be stark contrast between the big city and slums. The city has technology, wealth, and entertainment inspired by the West. The slums are dirty, polluted, and poverty stricken. There, children are educated in small school houses. 

I absolutely loved this movie. I immediately told my friends to see it at their earliest convenience. This Bollywood film has many of the conventions that are similar to our Hollywood favorites. There is a happy ending. There is a romantic plot line. The video footage and soundtrack were produced with great skill. The American viewer feels more cultured after "learning" about a new way of life or culture (as represented). 

India, on the other hand, was not happy about the portrayal of the culture. It is obvious that poverty, violence and corruption are not flattering by any means. In the first scene a child is shown covered in feces. The characters throughout the film are sweaty. Brutal murdering of communities occurs due to the fact that the individuals are Muslim. Without actually visiting to India, I cannot possible critique the validity of these images. If they do not accurately portray the way of life, obviously an uproar would be sanctioned. With some research, I have found out that the child stars were actually from the slums. Sadly, they were tremendously underpaid. After the Oscar event, they returned to their poor living conditions, only to be given more money after achieving an education at age eighteen. I find this problematic. The Hollywood producers should never take advantage of those in a vulnerable position. This is a horrible misuse of knowledge and power. 

This is a must see film. I encourage you to critically evaluate all aspects of the movie.

Video Production

Today we discussed video making and editing. In an example viewed in class ("The Wooden Camera"), the video footage varied in quality to simulate the differing perspectives. The video footage produced by the child was grainy and silent (sometimes out of focus). The video footage by the producer was high quality and stable. This made me more aware of the various filming strategies I could employ to make each point of view more distinct.

iMovie seems to be a very easy and user-friendly software for video-editing. I have my own Mac computer so I have already begun to cruise around the application. First, you can import video footage. Following that, video clips can be edited and rearranged. Adding titles,  music , and transitions can definitely enhance a piece and bring everything together. I look forward to this experience. By working in groups, we will be able to feed off of one another's creativity.