Mass Media and Education

Entertainment Value is Important - a thought on Tim Minchin

2011-07-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

I believe that entertainment value is very important in mass media interventions. It seems to me that the average attention span of most mass media consumers is quite short, and there's just ~so~ much stuff out there, even the best intended intervention won't get much attention unless it has entertainment value.

While I don't necessarily agree with all of Tim Minchin's work, I do think that he combines comedy, music, and witty social intervention very well.

*Beware the language in the link - parental discretion advised.

I'm providing a link to his song Prejudice *, which some might see as a little irreverent, but which I consider to be a very witty examination a specific manifestation of prejudice. He is a wonderful wordsmith, and while his song may be funny, it does encourage the listener to think. I wasn't even aware of some of the forms this type of bullying took before I listened to his song.

And now that I'm done with avoiding spoilers, be aware that the next bit is one. If you're going to watch the song, please do so before reading the following.

I remember when I first heard about kick-a-ginger day... a couple weeks after it was supposed to have taken place. Admittedly I'm rather out of the loop as far as such things go, but I was shocked to find that things like that were actually happening. I was even more shocked to think how easily social networking sites like Facebook can be used to facilitate bullying. Maybe I'm just way too optimistic about humans, but the thought just hadn't occurred to me!

If you haven't heard of kick-a-ginger day, have a look at a basic news article about it on CTV here. Inspired by an episode of South Park, someone started a Facebook group encouraging members to bully red-headed classmates. Apparently many people found it to be simply humourous without considering it a form of bullying. I'm glad Tim Minchin decided to write a song to make viewers aware of the "years of ritual bullying in the schoolyard" that red-heads are subject to (among other things).

Anyways, have a look and tell me what you think of Tim's comedic comments.

The Tyee – Schlock Proof Your Child

2011-07-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

The Tyee – Schlock Proof Your Child

Good short introduction to childproofing young tv viewers....

Spent: In the shoes of the homeless

2011-06-27T01:31:00.000-07:00

I have always said that I really don’t like watching or
reading the news, because whenever I do I feel overwhelmed and depressed about
everything going on and how little I can do about it. But I will go through
phases of watching, getting depressed and angry at what the world is like...and
then tune out for a while. So a while
ago I was watching one of the major corporate new stations (CBC or CTV or
something, can’t really remember) and this lady McKinney
was on, talking about this interactive game about poverty that she had
created. It was one of the few times I’ve
actually seen solutions or awareness being presented in a proactive way. She
created an interactive game that simulates the struggles of homelessness. In
the game, you are given a set amount of money and asked to see if you can make
it through the month. The woman herself
was homeless at one point (not by “choice”), and through the game she hoped to
show people how people more often than not do not “choose” to be homeless, but
rather are dealt a deck of cards/forced to make decisions that eventually leave
them with no other option but to move to the streets. Being put in the shoes of a homeless person
(rather than jsut feeling sorry for them) in a low-stakes kind of way really
helps to bring a deepended understanding of not only how society works, but it
really forces you to critically analyze the assumptions and preconceived
notions surrounding homelessness. I feel like letting out a huge WHOOPIE anytime
I see people challenge the stereotypes and attempts at breaking down all the
walls and labels we have in our society, to begin to see people as people who
are all just trying to make their way through life with what they’ve been delt.

I feel that the media in a huge way
(especially in the news) perpetuates stereotypes and promotes labelling and hierarchy
within our culture. Anytime you
put anything in a box, you will bump up against barriers. These barriers not
only separate each of us from one another, but they can cause frustration,
hurt, and anger. When these barriers are broken down, beautiful things can
happen and people can be surprised, humbled, and joyful. Be it advertising (posters,
billboards, commercials etc) or informational/entertainment (the news—misinformation
in most cases—, reality TV, kids TV shows, movies...etc) every character and
case is compared to some deeply ingrained social label as being “like” or “not
like” the expected. There is really a
problem with expectations really when you think about it...but I feel like I am
rambling.

When I played the game, I am ashamed
to say, I thought, “I can do this! I can beat it!” But as I went through the
game, making choices and clicking I noticed two things. One, that I was not able to provide for or
support my virtual children and that really bothered me. It made me think of the huge implications for
classroom teachers—Johnny’s mom may seem unavailable or unsupportive, but this
game has shown me that even the best laid plans and intentions really can go
awry...especially when money is involved. The second thing I noticed, and I always seem to come back to this, is
how annoying it is that our society is run by money. When did we let something abstract, something
we invented, control our actions and happiness? And by happiness I don’t mean “my
5 Lamborghinis make me happy” but I mean the kind of happiness that comes from
living a rich, full life...and, in our society, living with the stresses that
money causes in life seems like it’s more and more like a impediment and that
we’ve truly lost what matters. (FYI:
Just when I thought I had “beaten the game”...the prompt reminded me that this
was just the end of the month...what about next month? And what about the one unpaid
bill that I will have to pay next month?)

Please play the game and let me know
what you think!

Do you still read books?

2011-06-26T21:52:00.001-07:00

I think this issue is very important for future educators (and society as a whole). I think it's a real shame people are not reading books as much as they used to. A lot of the kids I've worked with say they don't read for pleasure. They would rather watch a video or play on their D.S. People don't seem to have the patience for reading novels anymore. I've posted a link about this issue, and one of the men interviewed says books are inconvenient. Why read to learn about something when you can just Google it? I think society has lost touch with the idea of the process of learning being more important than simply just knowing the answer to a question.

I personally love books. I love the feel of the paper, the smell, the physical movement of flipping the pages. I know a lot of people are moving away from actual books to downloading the stories on their iPads. I cannot imagine reading a novel on a screen. It would hurt my eyes and I would lose the connection I feel from actually holding a book. I don't mind reading short articles on the computer, but an entire novel? Reading is my downtime; I use it as an escape. I already spend way too much time staring at screens. I really think as educators we need to encourage children at a young age to pick up books. We should always have books available in the classroom, even if the day comes when every child has an iPad and can download any book they want. I think if we have books available to children, they have a better chance at becoming interested in reading.

World Peace Game Anyone?

2011-06-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

This is the link to the video I mentioned earlier in class. I chose this
video because relates to what we've been talking about in regards to what
education will look like in the future. Now, there isn't a whole bunch of
"technology" or "mass media" in the video itself, but I
think that the game created by John Hunter and constituents does send a message
(in a mass way) to the public about how kids should interact with their
education and the types of topics and skills that should be integrated and prioritized
into our education curriculum for our rapidly, ever-changing society.

The speaker touches on two very important ideas. One, that we must believe
in and support the power of children because they themselves have an untapped
agency that we must call upon and develop in order to help fix our
human-damaged world. Two, the education and content presented to these students
needs to change radically in order to create a space for them to fulfill their
agency. The way he has decided to
introduce this is through an evolving, interactive game called the “World Peace
Game.”

If kids can do it, why can't we? I think one of the reasons is that kids
see things in more black-and-white and they are also much more imaginative and
creative (there is a lot of discourse out there that argues children are
"schooled out" of their creativity)

The most inspiring bit of the video I found was the potential
for educating and leanring in what Hunter had to say with with respects to “clearing
a space” for learning. Early in his
career, he asked what he was supposed to do and his boss replied “What do you
want to do?” What Hunter “wanted to do”
was impart that freedom onto his students. The anecdotal evidence he gave that highlighted some of the game’s successes
and discoveries really inspires me. It
really illustrates the ripple effect of what what one man was able to do with
freedom, and all of the lives he has touched and freed because of this. “What
do you want to do?” cleared the space no program directive or program to follow,
it gives all a chance to make meaning out of their own understanding

I enjoyed how humble and thankful John Hunter was--he truly believes
that we're all in this together and that no one will get anywhere without the
help of others. What’s more, we will be more likely to achieve an emotionally-mature/compassionate/critical
thinking mass once we see how everything is interrelated and interdependent
upon one another. Strength in numbers and strength in unity! (Not to go all V
for Vendetta on you).

I would like to know how I can get my hands on this game--or better yet,
create a "Canadian edition" of this game. And I wonder if you could modify it to
somehow include critical-thinking activities surrounding mass media
education? The possibilities and
potential seems endless! I hope you
enjoy it as much as I do..it’s 20min well spent, and it goes by quickly. Thanks
for reading J

Recycling Bottle Flash Mob

2011-06-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Having long found flashmobs to be one of the dorkier result of combining social media and performance art intervention, I was thrilled to see that the game is stepping up. In this ultimately cheezy flashmob, a group of people call attention to our plastic problem and to random-act recycling. And it rules.

I find this intervention interesting on two levels- first because it's appropriating for the cause of environmental justice the strange and popular contemporary practice of gathering en mass in a public place to surprise people with some kind of performance... are we seeing the flashmob as a new form of protest?

And second because of the simplicity and profundity of their "performance". I mean, it's a room full of people clapping because an individual finally picked up the pop bottle and recycled it... calling attention to how many people did not. The extreme validation applied here gets me thinking about how the necessity of recycling is common knowledge, yet is somehow not enough to actually motivate our society to produce less waste and recycle more. The abstractness of the gesture of putting something in the garbage/recycling in relation to what happens after the garbage/recycling is picked up doesn't help, and I'm left thinking, is this where we're at? That extreme forms of validation are necessary to get people recycling, because apparently caring about the environment isn't enough to actually motivate people to produce less waste and to recycle?

...If only we had to be responsible for our own waste. I'd certainly stop getting my coffee to go.

Recycling Bottle Flash Mob

George Carlin Rant on Stuff

2011-06-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about consumerism a lot lately. I work in retail so I am constantly bombarded with manipulating media and I am really starting to question my need for all the things I have/want/think I need (and why I think I need them). While on my quest for understanding I remembered a rant done by comedian George Carlin about stuff. It makes me laugh every time I watch it, but he does bring up some interesting points.

Hope you enjoy this!

Join the Conversation

2011-06-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

My mom sent me this video today. It is a short (only 2 minutes) video made by the BC Self Advocacy Group. I think it is a powerful intervention in the way that we treat and respect people with disabilities. It utilizes various forms of mass media to get its message across...I think it is great. Enjoy.

http://www.bcsaf.org/

Social Media and Depression

2011-06-24T18:44:00.001-07:00

Depression used to be something that would happen because of different life events, hormonal imbalances or even the weather. Now added into the mix is something that we rarely think has a very powerful hold over our emotions - social media.

With the rise of social media outlets such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, we have become more plugged in than ever. And with this connection, we now see what others are thinking, doing, and have done with the click of a button or cell phone. And with the explosion of social media, some studies have suggested that these social media outlets have contributed to depression.

These online communities have given rise to online bullying and social comparison. Since young people continue to post information and interact online, this never ending contact is the perfect breeding ground for conflict and misunderstanding. Reports of suicide intervention and psychologist visits, with the blame on social media, have increased.

The need for youth's ability to unplug from social media is drastically needed. Another idea to help with this is to get parent's more involved with how much time their kids spend on social media and what they view, and seriously contemplate whether getting a smart phone (that they can use the internet with), is a good idea or not.

Rethinking the Digital Divide

2011-06-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

I've posted my media intervention about the Digital Divide to Youtube- the link is below!

Rethinking the Digital Divide: From Material Access to Conceptual Divide

Vegan Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

2011-06-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

For those of you who enjoyed the vegan gingerbread cookies today- I got the recipe from a website called Post Punk Kitchen, which is my go-to for good vegan recipes online.

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

The Tale of the Greatest Carrot Cake

2011-06-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

So here is the link for the website I made:

www.wix.com/micahk/bakingsrus

Feel free to share it as you please, and do try to make the cake. Let me know how it works out.

Viral: Zola’s got the moves

2011-06-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

TheStar Viral: Zola’s got the moves

I send this out to all of you interveners! you rocked the house one and all! you make me feel like dancin';)...like zola!

facebook user decreasing??

2011-06-24T03:47:00.000-07:00

I saw a new on internet few days ago. it said that the user of facebook are decreasing rapidly.
The number of user in America have dropped in more than a year. According to Inside Facebook’s data service, the social networking site has lost 6 million users in the U.S. last month. The numbers dropped from 155.2 million to 149.4 million. Facebook has also lost 1.52 million users in Canada, dropping to 16.6 million — that’s an 8% drop – and 100,000 users each in the U.K., Norway, and Russia, reports Business Insider.

People are starting to get bored with facebook?

Privacy on Internet

2011-06-24T03:44:00.000-07:00

I found a pretty shocked Youtube link. Its about A surveillance program authorized by the Bush administration to allow the National Security Agency to spy on the internet activities of federal employees is now being expanded. The Obama administration is planning to expand the Einstein internet surveillance software.I was shocked after i read the description.
What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKgXAH6z0H0&feature=fvst

"Fitness" Video

2011-06-23T23:28:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed today's discussions about self-esteem and the role the media plays in portraying beauty. In my EPHE 142 Health and Wellness course, we were recently discussing this issue. My prof showed us Cindy Crawford's Shape Your Body workout video. I've attached the link so please watch it. It's obvious that sex is used to sell this tape. She's prouncing around in a bathing suit for part of the tape and a lot of the moves she does are quite suggestive. My prof pointed out that some of her workout techniques are actually quite dangerous and could lead to injury. Instead of watching a real, professional fitness instructor doing the workout moves, a model gets to do them, simply because her body sells the product. I think it's fair to say Cindy didn't get the job for her talent as a fitness instructor, but as someone for women to strive to look like. This tape was the most popular fitness video around; it influenced millions of people. I find that scary to think about.

While she's doing a voice-over explaining how the session works, you see Cindy doing a bathing suit photoshoot. What does that have to do with fitness? The use of camera angles was thought out very carefully. It often zooms in on her butt or boobs. Even when she is drinking water, she's doing it in a sexual way. And I don't know about the rest of you, but when I workout, my hair isn't perfectly flowing, and my face isn't exactly ready for a close-up. Real women sweat when they workout; Cindy has a light dew on her (usually between her breasts). This video is just not a good representation of a real workout. I dare you to try some of her moves. I bet you'd feel slightly embarassed if you had to do them in front of people. As someone who really values the importance of physical activity, I find Cindy's video disgraceful. It isn't sending the right message to the viewers. I think if I were someone desperately trying to lose weight because I felt bad about my image, I'd be discouraged watching a supermodel leading my workout because deep down I'd know I'd never look like her. Her video sets people up for failure.

Video Games and Education

2011-06-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

Today, one of my classmates made a video game for her mass media project. It was well created and made me reflect on what video games have done for my education and what they could do for others.

I'm sure we've all heard the old folks mention how all young people do is play video games, and the truth is, many young people do. Not only that, but the largest consumers of video games are now in their thirties! So if so many people play video games, why not make it fun as well as educational! How can we utilize video games for educational purposes?

Now don't get me wrong, when I was young my parents got me one or two learning games (for math or spelling) that were suppose to be fun and educational. They ended up being a waste of money and left a bad taste in my mouth. These video games were made by educators to educate, and not game creators to be entertaining.

So how did video games help me learn? I used to be horrific at spelling and math (my two least favourite subjects), and got hooked on some RPGs when I was younger. I found out that because I played on some online communities, with other people all over the world, I wanted to be able to communicate effectively by typing messages to them and be able to understand what was said to me. So every time I was unsure how to spell something, I would either google it or look it up in a dictionary - I didn't want to look like I couldn't spell in front of others! When communicating in real life with friends, it was done verbally, but in the video game word, I was forced to communicate with written words. I looked up new words I had not even heard of, and slowly but surely, my personal lexicon grew. And without me even knowing it I was learning!

When it came to math, I needed to calculate how many gold coins were needed for a new item, and how much gold from different areas I needed to gather (i.e. if I have 800 gold now, I need to gather 200 more to buy this sword). Or if I sold 20 furs for 40 gold a piece, it would give me 800 gold. Again, slowly but surely, I was able to calculate faster each time the subject of buying and selling came up.

Funny enough, I'm not sure I would be as far as I am, in regards to education and work, without having played these video games when I was younger. The key was that all of them were meant for entertainment and not education. Learning was a byproduct of playing them. If video games are to be used for education, they must first and foremost be FUN.

How can we make video games that are fun and educational? Will these become valuable learning tools in the future? Will students in Canada have to learn and practice their Japanese in order to play games with people in Japan?

I think video games are a valuable learning tool, only if children like playing them, and it is something that I think educators should definitely look at further for their learning merits.

Technology and Ethics

2011-06-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

Can you handle it?

Internet = information = power.

Related to the discussion on privacy and the use of the internet, this TED talk speaks to the need for a reflection on our moral compass surrounding the power that comes with using the internet. Technology today provides us with access to so much information about so many different people, the speaker, Damon Horowitz, asks us what should we do with all of this information?

Use it?

Collect it?

Record it?

Sell it?

Respect his privacy?

He polls the audience about cellphones, and then about moral frameworks... and proves that the results mean that we have stronger opinions about the handheld devices we use, than the ethical principles surrounding our information-saturated internet lives. Right and wrong, iPhone or Android. Which question is easier?

You and I both know which one is easier. We also know which one is more important.

I found this speech incredibly eye-opening, as it was something I rarely think about. I feel like those working closely with the internet and various types of information need to view this video, and start thinking critically. If people are not cautious and responsible about their privacy levels online, it means that those of us who have access to their information are now responsible for deciding what we should do with that information.

Do you trust other people? More importantly, strangers? Companies?

Double check your privacy... don't assume that others have proper morals established.

Dove Real Beauty Campaign

2011-06-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

I was so happy with the class discussion today after our presentation. It really made me happy to hear people talk passionately about the issues around media, self-esteem and self-image, because it is something I feel really strongly about, especially after doing research and helping to create our magazine.

I was thinking about the discussion after class, and decided to do a bit more research, specifically looking at the Dove Real Beauty Campaign. I was really interested to find out a bit more about this campaign, especially after hearing what some people had to say about it in class.

I found a lot of websites that looked at some of the controversy around these advertisements by Dove. There have been accusations of digital alterations made to these ads, which completely contradicts the entire basis of their campaign. Also, like Breanne mentioned today, Dove is owned by the same company (Unilever) that also owns Axe, Slim-Fast, and Pond's. The article I've linked to here describes how "Unilever is engaging female bloggers and journalists to share the message of 'global self-esteem' in Canada — at the same time that the company produces the type of international commercials that the campaign criticizes." This article goes on to discuss some of the examples of how this Unilever markets their different products around the world, and it really could not be more of a confusing, contradictory mixed message to women.

This information made me so frustrated, but also made me even more passionate about the need to teach our children today to be critical of the information and messages they're getting in the media.

2011-06-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Mass media is all around us- it’s there from the moment we wake up in the morning to the moment we put our heads down to go to sleep. There’s no escaping its ever inviting way of entering into our lives. Our intervention project was based on the creation of a magazine article to show young girls ages 10-14 just what these magazine ads are really telling young girls and the mixed messages that are right there in-between the pages of it.

So, even though our media intervention project was intended for an audience of young adolescent girls, I was still interested in knowing how the affects that these magazine advertisements have on an adolescent male.

I asked my partner what he thought about when he was looking through those same typical magazine ads that these females are viewing on a daily basis. He remembered being a young adolescent guy going flipping through a magazine and thinking that these girls were absolutely beautiful and that when he ever got married, he wanted (and almost in a way, expected…) his wife to have the same physical characteristics as the women in the magazines. He also mentioned something interesting… in that, even though these magazine advertisements promote the “perfect femme fatale” men can still be affected psychologically and emotionally. He still to this day, will flip through a magazine, not even one that is intended for men, and he still feels a sense of self-doubt. He way saying that he begins to feel the need to literally get up a run or workout because of the way these magazine ads are promoting the “perfect men physique”. Anyways, this just goes to show that there MALES out there too that are still affected in the same ways that FEMALES are.

So, I went online searching for some answers how much males truly are affected from these advertisements, and I learned that there are similar stereotypes that women have for men. Interestingly enough, it shows that males, just as females, strive for that “perfect physique”. My only question rests in the methods that people are now doing in order to maintain a perfect physique. This goes for both males and females. So, why not have these ads in magazines bombarded with diet aids and weight loss methods that promise to maintain a perfect body, its reaching a group of consumers who will almost do anything or buy anything to have an “A” list body like the people portrayed in the magazines. I think it’s only common sense to say that if these advertisements are affected females, that it’s obvious that in the same way it would be affecting males. However, most of the research that I have found online has been linked directly to females in the media.

Here is a link to the MEDIA AWARENESS NETWORK which speaks about common stereotypes of men in the media. Check it out- here’s the link: http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/men_and_masculinity/masculinity_stereotypes.cfm

Media Awareness Network

2011-06-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hey, I think I just found a pretty cool and useful website.

The Media Awareness Network is a non-profit organization that claims to "focus its efforts on equipping adults with information and tools to help young people understand how the media works, how the media may affect their lifestyle choices and the extent to which they, as consumers and citizens, are being well informed." The website has web-based resources for parents and teachers who are teaching about media and digital literacy.

There is a lot of tutorials and articles on the website, but one section that stuck out for me is the "media issue" link which provides information and tools to discuss current media issues with kids such as media violence, online hate, and information privacy. I haven't had time to look through all the links so I don't know what the quality of the tutorials and tools are, but I think it may be worth looking into for teachers who want to discuss media with their students. It also provides information that would be interesting for anyone to think about.

The website also provides games. I played "Top Secret". It is designed for grade 6-8 and teaches about sharing information online. It was pretty cool! It reminded me a bit of the video game that was presented today. You have to make appropriate decisions to do well in the game.

Hope you guys find this useful!

Canadian Pride.

2011-06-23T13:52:00.001-07:00

You know, we’ve talked a lot about how the rap movement has taken such a radical stance, and until this class I never really believed it. As a young child, I grew up being told that rap was this hard-core musical movement without meaning and that it’s not worth listening to. And I can honestly say, up until this point I believed that rap was not worth listening to. I believed that those who did were rappers and druggies who had nothing better to do that use music as a source to swear profusely and state vulgar and racial comments.

Today I was driving home from our EDCI 338 class- and this rap song came on the radio. The artist was Classified and the song was titled “Oh…Canada”. I have to admit that for the first time when listening to rap music- I truly listened to the bold messages that were declared within the lyrics on the song. You may have already listened to this video and thought it was awesome like I did- or you may have not- but I encourage you to do so now. Take a minute to listen to the lyrics you will uncover how much Canadian pride beams throughout the lyrics.

It’s funny how when I think about what Canadian pride means now- it is totally different from what I would have thought Canadian pride was before listening to this song. I learned that Canadian pride isn’t how someone waves a flag, or how loud they shout out the national anthem, it’s not even the person who has maple leaf painted on their face. Canadian pride is much more then all of this, Canadian pride is an emotion not an action. It is something we feel, not do. This song made me feel how good it feels to be part of this beautiful Country we call Canada.

Link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjiwBwBL4Qo

Jon Stuart vs Fox News

2011-06-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

Read the article and watch the video (there's an edited and unedited version) of Jon Stuart going against Fox News' Chris Wallace. Their arguing is quite entertaining, actually. Wallace invited Stuart on his show to discuss media bias. Stuart, from The Daily Show, is known for bashing Fox News on a regular basis and Wallace wanted to discuss why that is. Media bias is definitely an interesting area to look into. Stuart accuses Fox News of misinforming their viewers "consistently". Fox says they are trying to show the "other side" of the news (typically the Conservative side) when compared to other news networks. To me, it's unethical for a news network to choose a side, and then deny it. Fox's slogan is "Fair and Balanced". But as Stuart points out, they seem have agenda of their own. Jon Stuart does seem to attack Fox News a fair bit on his show, but he claims to be biased against corruption and injustice, not a Conservative ideology. And yet, Fox news is main target of his comedy. Hmm... a coincidence? I think not.

Another issue raised by Stuart is the sensationalizing of news, particularly by 24 hour news shows. I personally cannot stand watching CNN, MSNBC and FOX because of their constant dramatization of the news. It seems every 20 minutes, they have a "BREAKING NEWS" story. They also tend to jam certain news stories down our throats until we just can't take anymore, becoming desensitized to it.

I'm glad there are news sources like Democracy Now that show other sides of issues. And it's important to remember: there aren't just two sides; there are many.

A brand new approach to the invasion of privacy

2011-06-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

After listening to today’s presentation about “think twice, click once” privacy with online sites, it got me thinking about what I have opted to as privacy settings for my facebook account. Online I went searching for something that could tell me more about my settings on facebook, and when I typed in facebook privacy in a Google search, second on the list came the titled website How to View Private Facebook Profiles at the address www.makeuseof.com/.../how-to-view-private-facebook-profiles/.

It website on how to view private facebook profiles was created by a man who quotes that “I’ve always had a penchant for finding flaws within supposedly secure systems. Those sort of activities got me into a lot of trouble in high school, and certainly banned from the high school computer lab once or twice.” He mentions on his website that “early last year I decided to join Facebook, and in doing so, I learned an intriguing fact about this fast-growing social network: Facebook profiles are usually private.” Figuring out how to view private Facebook profiles became a brief hobby of his for a few months and on this website he shares what he’s learned over those few months with MakeUseOf readers.

He goes on to tell the reader that whatever sort of hacks are uncovered, Facebook will have it patched tomorrow. Early on there were different methods how to view private Facebook profiles by typing a URL using just the right format and code, and inserting the person’s Facebook ID into the URL. However, every time one method worked, it only took Facebook a few weeks or less to patch up the hack.

So I’ll make this short and sweet and let you read the article for yourself- but basically what this person is showing the reader how to view private facebook profiles with social engineering. In his article he goes on to explain to the reader how the easiest way to view someone’s facebook profile is to use simply send them a message and hope they reply. He says that by sending them a message on facebook, with any sort of response from the person, positive or negative, will allow you to partially access their account.

1. Send them a message like, “Hey! We went to school together, do you remember me? I think we sat together in Geometry.”
2. They may respond with something like, “I don’t know who you are, get lost.”
3. You now have temporary access to view their profile.

What I find most interesting about this website is the how this person is using psychological conversation to have access to someone’s personal account, even if the person does not accept them as a ‘friend’.

Here is the link to the aricle so you can read it for yourself: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-view-private-facebook-profiles/

Grades, Another Side

2011-06-22T19:23:00.000-07:00

Many interesting conversations have arose around the subject of grades. Some say they are harmful to development of children, either by setting a glass ceiling for achievement or by labeling them as failure early on in life. On the other side, some say we need ways of ranking and assessing children in order to ensure they have grasped concepts to move on to the next "level" and to select individuals for higher education. Whether it be a new one or the old one - my view is that some sort of grading system is necessary.

Both pose interesting arguments with valid points on either side; however, it is clear that our current grading system is not effective, that in many ways it does either set children up for failure or stifles creativity. But here is why a type of grading system is necessary.

It seems that each individual is on their own path to enlightenment - some go down the path much quicker than others. But when it comes time for law school, or for medical school, how are we able to determine who would be the best fit for a very limited number of spots? Would a portfolio suffice as an application? Would we choose the most creative individuals for these jobs or the most disciplined? Many people feel great accomplishment when achieving a high mark, a representation of hard work, and as a reward many of these disciplined mark-seekers get to become apart of respected intelligent professions. These jobs require that applicants know a lot of information and have high level critical thinking skills before even entering the professional school, and grades, as apart of the application process, have been proven to be fairly decent predictors of success in these intense programs. Without grades as apart of the application process for higher education (especially doctors and lawyers), it seems obvious that many people would get selected who may not be able to handle the intensity and level of information coming their way. This would waste tax payer's money as well as many valuable spots for potential doctors and lawyers.

So my question is this: without a grading system, what would be put in it's place to help ensure that applicants well educated in their respective faculty are selected for professional school? Regardless of the answer, I do agree that we need to at least revamp the current grading system; however, I feel strongly that some sort of assessment is needed, even in the 21st century.

Internet Filter Bubbles

2011-06-22T18:54:00.001-07:00

The other day I shared in class a video about "filter bubbles." Essentially what filter bubbles are is invisible methods of filtering information that is presented to us online. An example of this is Google, who uses our location, web browsers, previous searches etc, in order to display to us what its algorithms thinks is most relevant to us.

It sounds great in theory, but in practice it is extremely disconcerting. These computers show to us what it thinks is important to its users, when in actual fact, it may be doing more harm than good.

Unfortunately Google doesn't let us turn off its screening algorithms; possibly even worse is the fact that not many people even know they exist!

But does a machine really know what I want to see? Maybe I don't want to see things I've seen before, or find things which confirm my own stance on an issue - in fact I want completely the opposite! I want my views challenged, I want information which is not just on one side of the political spectrum, I want to see the other side of every coin.

People need to know that many search engines and other popular sites filter our searches for us, without us even knowing. People need to be outraged that they do not have the option of turning off this automatic function. People need to be aware that something very powerful connecting us and giving us access to the world - called the internet - can be controlled so easily.

With so much information out there - the threat the internet possess is not so much being uninformed -but being misleadingly informed.

Privacy on Social Networking Sites

2011-06-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about the awesome presentation today on privacy in the social networking sites we use. I think it's such a fascinating topic, and especially relevant for children today to be aware of so they know how to protect themselves and be smart online.

When I was on my practicum this past April, I was in a grade seven class at a grade seven, eight, nine school. While I was there we had an assembly on internet safety, and it was incredibly informative. The man that conducted the presentation was an ex-police officer, and prior to the assembly he had sent invites out on Facebook to about 100 kids in the school using a fake account he had made stating that he was a 15 year old girl. He then took the students who confirmed "his" friend request, and proceeded to find out information about them like phone numbers which he then used to text them. As creepy as it sounds, it really was an incredible way of showing how little many children think about what they're posting online and who they're letting have access to this information.

I really think educating children to "think twice and click once" is something that is absolutely necessary today. We hear stories everyday of people that have posted things online that have cost them their job, reputation and respect, but I think most children and teenagers are complacent about this ever happening to them. It is so important that children today are educated in the ways they can be smart about their internet safety and responsibilities, and I was really glad to see a presentation that highlighted this issue.

Selective Mass Media

2011-06-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Today, I want to bring up a thought that I've had in the past few days about how mass media is selectively put out there. I came across a petition last week through leadnow.ca that is petitioning for Canada's participation in the ban of asbestos production and export. I read today in the Tyee that Canadian government officials haven't yet stated their support of putting asbestos on the list of banned chemicals. Everyone knows it's dangerous. So why hasn't there been a big outbreak of mass media about this? Are some people potentially benefiting from the production and export of this very dangerous chemical?

Strangely enough, I came across this campaign by chance, unlike other mass media that I don't care about. I just wish sometimes that people didn't benefit so much from others.

http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Federal-Politics/2011/06/21/ToryAsbestosPressure/

Education.. in the future.

2011-06-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Just wondering if anyone else out there is sitting at their computer thinking about what to blog about…

When I think about the last few weeks in this class, the class that I think has stuck with me the most was the class when Jason asked us to think about what Education will look like in the next 30 years… I remember almost being taken aback when he asked this- as for the most part- I don’t even think about the next day in comparison to 30 years from now. What shocked me even more was to think about how much technology will become an attribute to Education. I was thinking, oh no, robots are going to take over the world, classrooms will be digitalized, and there will no need for teachers to play a role as a facilitator.

However, the presentations that I viewed today from other students in my class changed my mind completely about what I think the world is going to look in the next thirty years. Yes, there will be many more technological advancements made along the way, however, like Breanne’s presentation taught me, there are ways that we can make a change for the better with empathy. The key message I took from her presentation is knowing that there are Educational changes that can be made for the better, such as allowing students to follow a self-paced inquiry project throughout their school years. This would allow for students to find something that they enjoy, and use this as a motivator to stimulate themselves intellectually.

So, what Jason taught me that day was a very valuable lesson that I will take from this course. Do not be afraid of the future. Accept it, learn from it, and use it to your advantage. Don’t shy away from new advancements- be one of those people to make a difference by using and promoting it to others.

And now for the video: I couldn’t remember if this had been one of the videos that Jason had showed us in class- however, I just wanted to post this again to allow us all to look at a more in-depth level. Ken Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. Ken Robinson He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

Link to VIDEO: http://www.ted.com/speakers/sir_ken_robinson.html

The Googlization of Everything

2011-06-22T15:03:00.001-07:00

Continuing our conversations about Google's control over our search results and Internet privacy, I'm sharing with you an interview from CBC's Spark: Siva Vaidhyanthan on the Googlization of Everything. Siva Vaidhyanthan is a professor of Media Studies and Law at the University of Virginia and the author of the book The Googlization of Everything (And Why We Should Worry). In the interview Vaidhyanthan talks about why and how we embrace Google and how we might use Google wiser. We've talked about Google a fair bit in class, but something I feel like we haven't got too into is our attitude towards it. Vaidhyanthan describes a kind of mysticism that we've created around Google, to the point where we can forget that it is, in fact, a private company. And amidst a sense of awe we surrender our critical capacities. I hear that!

One of the things I liked about Vaidhyanthan's message is that he thinks Google's filtering is not inherently bad. It's actually good for shopping, good for efficient consumption. But he is frank about the fact that what it is bad for learning.

What he suggests we do is to approach Google's filtering our results with the same sense of propriety and maturity we do our diet. The media diet analogy returns! So again, it's about incorporating whole foods into our diet, and knowing what parts of our diet is junk food. In the context of searching for information, what does that look like? Being aware that Google is a company, and that they do filter our results. When we are not satisfied with our results, try different search engines. Disable the preferences on Google temporarily. And for our more serious questions, questions that might be complicated or require reputable sources: approach an information professional, ask a librarian!

Vaidhyanthan also raises concerns about Google's understanding of the word privacy, which fits nicely with Kasey and Gordon's presentation today. I'd never thought about there being a difference in the way I think about privacy and the way Google does, but it does not surprise me that there is one. I mean, Facebook obviously does not understand privacy in the way I do, so why not Google? (There is that mysticism cropping up.)Google's whole thing is that you give up a bit of privacy for an improved search experience. But Vaidhyanthan says that Google shouldn't actively compromise our privacy in the assumption that we would prefer an improved search experience... and then if we notice we can do something about it - they should be pitching to us what the improved experience could be, and then letting us decide for ourselves. I agree.

My favorite line from the interview? "I wish we would be political about information and information technology, but instead we have resigned ourselves." Lets not resign ourselves!

Riot Might Bring Vancouver Down to Earth

2011-06-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

Another great article from the Tyee! This opinion piece is definitely not something you would find in the Times or on CBC. I know we are all getting pretty tired of discussion and news about the riots but this article really struck me as something to think about. We are constantly bombarded by media messages saying we live in "the best place on earth". Even our beer and cellphone company commercials aim to feed into this idea that this is the best country in the world and we should be so proud because we are so unique and so much better than everyone else (in particular, the U.S.) But what is this message doing to our culture subconsciously? Is it making us stuck up narcissists?

The author of the article In Reid, writes:

"...there's another lesson Vancouver needs to learn from the riot.
We're not exceptional. Vancouver is no different. The same problems there are the same problems here.
We are not special. But we think we are. That's our biggest problem.
We're like the Americans of Canada, too full of our exceptionalism to see what's really going on all around us."

Ouch. I hope the article's title is right and that the riot brings us a bit more down to earth again.

Learning Communities

2011-06-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

There is a serious disconnect between the current education system and the global environmental, economic and societal changes that are taking place. Our current school system teaches people to be complacent consumers who do not engage with the issues that are causing these changes. If we want our children to be able to deal with the upcoming radical changes, we need a different way of looking at education and learning. Not a new school, not a new program, not a new test or tool, but a paradigm shift - a shift towards community-based education or ‘learning communities’.

Learning communities, as we envision them, are cooperative. They are inter-generational and lifelong. They are non-hierarchical, integrative, and non-linear. They are fluid, permeable, and expanding. They are holistic and based on the needs of actual communities, not artificially imposed communities. And like real communities, they are not static, or concrete, they can grow, change, or come apart, depending on the needs and dynamics of their community. Learning communities can overlap and can exist without being visible. Learning can take place in arranged apprenticeships, in spontaneous gatherings, or in virtual group discussions. Learning processes can start with a problem or issue that the community is facing or it can originate from a personal passion fired up by an inspiring individual. Learning communities function as challenging, nurturing, and open spaces to explore, fall, and get up. They serve the community as well as the individual. As the individual is growing, so is the community.

We are inspired to address this issue out of personal frustrations with the current school system, coupled with a shared vision for a future of education we think is possible. We see learning happening in our communities every day. We have a tendency to become paralyzed and depressed by the irreversible environmental damage, systemic social injustice and dysfunctional societal structures. The linear, capitalistic, and short-term world view is dominating, serving as the foundation on which we base our decisions. Decisions concerning our environment, economic ‘development’, democratic procedures, and our educational system. We refuse to be passive, paralyzed, and depressed (oppressed) citizens. We like to believe we can make a change. We have agency, and we should use that productively and positively. Making a short video, as an intervention, is just a small part of contributing to social change.

Our intervention is a two and a half minute video showing our vision of learning communities. We suggest a different way of looking at education in order to facilitate learning experiences for people of all ages that will actually prepare us for the societal, environmental, and economic changes to come. Changing the way people think and feel about education does not happen overnight. But we are not the only ones swimming upstream. With our video we can reach out to, connect with, and mobilize the people who are fed up with mainstream education. We can maybe even inspire people who have not thought about education that much until watching our video. Our video intervention addresses educators, learners (creating grass-root action), and community activists. We can speak to a diverse audience, because we use a variety of ways to convey our vision. In our video, we play with the synergy between audio and visual, but we adopt a serious tone in our text, and we call for action at the very end.

The reasons for us to choose a video as a medium to communicate our vision are many. First of all, it has become an increasingly popular tool to spread ideas. Secondly, it is easy to distribute. We both have an online video channel and blog, and we both have extensive community networks to share this video with. Also, we find that with combining audio and visual we can create a powerful message while allowing us to be playful and creative even though the roots of our message lie in some heavy-handed thoughts. All in all, a video seems to be a convenient tool to reach many people from diverse backgrounds.

As we are advocating in our video, we call for a change in the way we approach education and learning. We need a change, but we do not need to start from scratch. We see learning communities everywhere, and we also see the potential of communities to build and grow. Libraries and community centers offering workshops for the public are learning communities. Purple Thistle Institute and the Invisible Learning movement provide us with opportunities to think about (and practice) learning and education in a different way. Children International Summer Villages (CISV) and Katimavik are organizations that promote community work and facilitate experiential and relevant learning experiences. The Ste-Emilie Skillshare (Montreal) is a community art space devoted to empowerment, self-determination and collective liberation. These are just a few examples of the many innovative and courageous initiatives that are already out there. We need to critically re-evaluate our education system, radically shift our perspective on it, and start creating an effective, relevant, and sustainable way of educating future generations. We need faith combined with action. First we need a starting point. May our intervention be one.

Robin and Fleur

Social Networking and Teenagers

2011-06-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

According to a new national survey of teenagers conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, more than half (55%) of all of online American youths ages 12-17 use online social networking sites.They also say that social networking help them manage their pre-exsiting friendships in the survey. The interesting finding was that 91% of all social networking teens say they use the sites to stay in touch with friends they see frequently, while 82% use the sites to stay in touch with friends they rarely see in person.
This suggests that social networking is essential to maintain their friendships in their community they belong to, and not to feel "left out".

this necessity cause them to go on sites such as facebook often (more often than needed) and eventually become part of their everyday life.

Burgundy Dreams- Community-Based Youth Media Project Makes Rad Media Intervention

2011-06-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

Community learning and the future of education have been on my mind lately. Classmates, you will see why when Fleur and I present our project tomorrow. While working on the project I was trying to think of all the cool community-based education or youth media projects I could, and I remembered Say it Loud! Say it Proud!, a project that took place in Montreal during 2009-2010 school year. The project was administered by the Black Community Resource Centre in partnership with two Montreal high schools. Students learned about video production, conducting interviews, and creating a music video. Unfortunately it looks like the funding wasn't sustainable, which I think is probably a common (and frustrating) situation for this type of program.

It's worth checking out the website to view the videos the students created. The 'Local Musicians' interviews are with two awesome Montreal hip hop artists, Nantali Indongo,AKA IamBlackGirl and Nomadic Massive member, and the Narcicyst. Also, check out the music video participants made, which I have linked below in an attempt to encourage you to watch it. It's AWESOME and inspiring.

Burgundy Dreams from Say It Loud Say It Proud on Vimeo.

Cartoon violence

2011-06-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

Has anyone watched a youtube cartoon called "Happy Tree Friends"? At the beggining, it looks like a funny cartoon, but after a minute or later, it will become a totally different scene with full of violence. In adult's minds, we can define this cartoon to be just stupid or interesting. However, if children keep watching these violent scenes, they will become habituated to violence and grossness.

This habituation and desensitization to violence may lead to violent actions, which will be problematic at school around peers and even at home towards parents.

Climate Change Perspectives

2011-06-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

As the article would put it, "something a bit strange is happening with public opinion and climate change". Essentially, researcher polls have shown that the American public is LESS likely to believe in global warming than five years ago, and on the other side of the spectrum, American Scientists have increased their support of the notion that global warming is occurring.

Now, when I heard this, I was really confused. Why would public perspectives, who really heavily on the scientific community for information regarding climate change, not follow the same increasing trend as those in the scientific committee?

My only response was mass media. From the few opposing scientists, to right wing politicians, mass media in some form must be playing a huge role in the manipulation of the American public in regards to the issue of climate change. And to see such a dramatic change in belief is both astonishing and scary. To think how easy it is for corporations and politicians to alter the behaviours and beliefs of an entire population is frightening.

There is a podcast on the link as well that summarizes what they are talking about.

Any thoughts? Have you seen similar manipulations happening on such a large scale?

Videducation

2011-06-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

I have heard that one of the future predictions for Education is that teachers will be replaced with technology. As a student of Elementary Education, I did not initially favour that prediction. See... that would mean that what I want to be will be an extinct profession, right?

Then I thought about it some more. I do want "teachers" to become extinct. I am not a fan of direct instruction, the classic way of educating students. I believe that instead, teachers should be guides, supports, encouragement, role models. So I guess that I would like a shift in the profession, not a total overhaul.

However, when I think about technology and the future, it can be a little overwhelming. We are expected to know more, do more, and teach more, with so much technology (and therefore information) readily available. If we can't keep up, why shouldn't we be replaced by robots or computers?

Again, I don't agree with either extreme. There should not be a lack of technology in the future classroom, but there should also not be an overwhelming presence of it. I am totally in favour of future "guiders" (currently known as teachers) who use technology to their advantage.

The link attached to this post is to a TED talk presented by Salman Khan. If you haven't already heard about the Khan Academy, this is his creation. He was tutoring his cousins via YouTube a few years ago, and was posting video tutorials. He noticed a growing viewership, and decided to expand even further. The result is thousands of video tutorials on various subjects that build upon each other. His suggestion is that teachers assign the videos for homework, and then provide in-class assistance with the practice period (essentially the reverse of practice today). The ultimate goal would be student's learning at their own speed, with just the right amount of "teacher" support.

I feel that this is a genius idea! He points out that students are able to pause, replay, skip forward, and change the volume as they please. I agree with this aspect of his theory because I am a supporter of more individualized education. I could honestly gush for hours about how much I enjoy his presentation and his program, but I think it is important for you to watch the video yourselves.

I really look forward to changing the role of a teacher in a classroom, especially when it comes to technoloy. I hope that others are also interested in doing so, because I feel that the future of public education depends on it.

Marshall McLuhan

2011-06-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

I know my mind was definitely blown when Jason handed us the Marshall McLuhan article to read a few weeks ago. I definitely rethought how fresh and new I found Sir Ken Robinson. Anyway, for those who are interested, I found his website and it is sort of interesting to look around. I can't, however, seem to find out how I can read some of his stuff online. Any one know? I am sure it is just a matter of me looking harder. Perhaps, I should just got get some of his books and get off my computer.

Anyway, you can learn a little more about him and his work. Worth a look if you're interested.

http://marshallmcluhan.com

Mass Media Anonymous: Facebook

2011-06-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hi, I am Fleur and I am here to share something about Facebook.

[You go: Hi Fleur!]

As soon as Facebook became popular, I immediately adopted the attitude that I would never need Facebook. I value real connections with real people. Why would I need Facebook to stay in touch with people? If people want to know how I'm doing, can they not just phone or email me?

The more I travelled, the more I worked with people for short (but intensive) periods, the more I lived in different places- the more I got peer pressured into creating a Facebook account. I did not give in! I would not do it - if the friendships that had originated in brief/long meetings and times spent together, then they would last. No need for Facebook, right?

I remember how long it took me to get a cell phone. It wasn't until I was 18 and wanted to travel to Europe when I had to get one, since my parents would not let me go without one... This was also the time when my friend, who thought it was ridiculous that I still did not have an email address, took advantage of this situation to create an email address for me. I still use this same email address, and that was 10 years ago.

So this same friend was not surprised at all that I did not have a Facebook account. And I wasn't planning on getting one, no matter how much fun he made of me. No matter how many disappointed faces I had to encounter after my negative answer to "Are you on Facebook?". No matter how much gossip or rumours I missed out on.

But then I became a volunteer for CISV and started working with youth. It just happens to be that my group of youth is spread all over Canada, and we need to find ways to keep in touch. It did not even occur to me that this might be the time to get a Facebook account. Skype, Email, and our very own group blog should be sufficient, right? Not so. Soon it hit me: I need to create a Facebook account.

So I did. First my with real name, and my 10 year old email address. I immediately had hundreds (okay, maybe twenty) friend requests, and I thought "Noooo!". How do they know that I know all these people? Where did they get all this information from? I quickly changed my tactics; I used a pseudonym and a brand new email address. Phew, much better. I felt in control again.

Now I have developed this love-hate relationship with Facebook. I love staying in touch with "my" youth. So handy, so quick! I love being able to post "So what's that song again?", and have multiple answers within minutes. But I hate how I feel I need to keep checking it. I hate how I am expected to update photos and share my whole life on there. My challenge is to not give in to these expectations! But for how long can I be strong?...

Thanks for listening.

[You go: You're welcome, Fleur. Thanks for sharing.]

Abolish the Grading System

2011-06-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

It is my belief that we do not need grades within our education system. Grades are a means of labeling students and these labels follow students throughout their education. By assigning grades education becomes a competition. No matter how kind and supportive the comments made on assignments are children are programmed to pay attention to what educators have placed importance on, the grades. Acceptance into post secondary education will occur based on students innovative thinking in regards to the program they are applying for. Portfolios and community service will be another means of receiving acceptance into University and College.

You may be thinking grades are a motivator and grades are needed to provide academic drive. I disagree; I truly believe that the grades that are placed on report cards and assignments within the early years of school can have a powerful impact stifling creativity and decrease students wiliness and motivation to achieve. Students who excel academically will also benefit from the elimination of grades, as their goals will relate to new innovative projects and research not a fixation with A's. Can you imagine the motivation struggling students would feel knowing that their learning and hard work could be used to get them excepted into University and College because they do not have an academic record that has predetermined their future?

Learning from Fritjof Capra 1998's reflections

2011-06-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

Second hand bookstores are like the Sirens when you are sailing by in your way-too-busy-ship. I gave in to the Siren's call and spent the afternoon listening to the enchanting songs of dusty old books. I came across "Uncommon wisdom" by Fritjof Capra, written in 1988. In this book he shares his reflections on conversations he had with inspiring and remarkable people. I know his more recent book, "Hidden connections" (2002), so I was curious to learn about what he had to say in 1988. The chapter title "Alternative Futures" captivated me, so I decided to read that first as I was wondering what future they had in mind in 1988... That future is now! In our class we are encouraged (forced?!) to think about the future of education in 2030... I wonder what we can learn from visions originated in the 80s.

Capra meets with Fritz Schumacher, the author of "Small is Beautiful". Capra described how he started to explain his thesis to Schumacher: "I began with the observation that our social institutions are unable to solve the major problems of our time because they adhere to the concepts of an outdated world view, the mechanistic world view of the seventeenth-century science." (p. 212) And this was in 1988! In my opinion, we still have that problem in our mainstream educational system; it is disconnected with the environmental, societal, and economic changes that are happening on a global and local scale.

Capra goes on to discuss Schumacher's view, how they differ, and how a feminist perspective helps him understand the relations between economy, ecology, and politics. I will not bore you with that, but I do want to share his reflection on Hazel Henderson's writing. In 1978, Henderson wrote "Creating Alternative Futures", and Capra was very much inspired by her writing. She mainly focuses on economics and its unsustainability, but I think it applies to education as well. In the following quote, try replacing "economics" with "education"...

"The reason for the impasse in economics, according to Henderson, lies in the fact that it is rooted in a system of thought that is now outdated and in need of radical revision. ... The key point of her critique is the striking inability of most economists to adopt an ecological perspective. The economy, she explains, is merely one aspect of a whole ecological and social fabric. Economists tend to divide this fabric into fragments, ignoring social and ecological interdependence." (p. 234)

Well?

But if our educational system was outdated and ineffective at that time, and we think this is still the case nowadays, is that not very depressing? Does it mean nothing has changed? Does it mean nothing will ever change? I do not think so. I like to believe that a whole line of critical, innovative, and courageous thinkers and activists have done a lot of work for us. We can build on that. We can follow them in their radical footsteps and make changes in our educational system. - Slowly but surely.

Fear Driven

2011-06-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

Law and Order: Criminal Intent, CSI: New York, Criminal Minds, and Criminal Minds: suspect behavior. These shows tend to be violent and graphic. All I want to watch on TV is shows about criminal investigation. These same shows make me very fearful, and often perpetuate stereotypes of people and cities. My understanding of these shows is they intend to make the audience fearful and this fear somehow feeds the addiction of the audience. I find myself nervous to watch the shows because of their disturbing nature, yet this nervousness is exciting and keeps me intrigued. I am setting a new goal not to bring this stress of these shows into my life for the sake of entertainment.

The Lifeworld of Youth in the Information Society (Youth & Society 2011, 43:549)

2011-06-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

Morimoto and Friedland suggest that the lifeworld of youth is media saturated. That you cannot separate media related activities, with everyday activities. Their friends, family, and mediated networks are not neatly divided in "real life" and "virtual" social activities. Media is integral to their lives, and this can have far reaching consequences.

"Through life increasingly mediated and lived online, the pressures of a risk society lead young people to attempt to mitigate their risk. Accordingly, young people individually seek increased information in ever faster cycles, with steadily decreasing structural support from government and social support through traditional groupings of family and friends ... Moreover, this generates a cycle where networked life makes individual resources and information increasing exposure to risk of all sorts. These forces emerge in tension creating an important paradox: the simultaneous risk of too much information (overload) and too little information (fragmented or incomplete information)" (Morimoto and Friedland, Youth & Society 2011, 43:557).

What the authors are trying to say is that the Internet and media make information easily accessible on the one hand, but at the same time these individual resources have become so important that if you lack them - you are at a serious disadvantage. This disadvantage can play out when negotiating economic risk, and is also related to race relationships. In the article they discuss this in-depth. I would like to focus on a related argument they make, which is relevant to my work with youth.

"Because youth are networked, structural barriers seem less constraining and communities are formed more fluidly. At the same time, however, young people (of all races) are less likely to engage in conventional political causes, promote social change, or join social movement organizations ... This leaves young people to forge their own opportunities within networks where obstacles are difficult to see." (ibid:561).

Hmmm... so does this mean that the online communities have become barriers to "traditional" social/political groups? But at the same time these online communities provide a means to create their own social change movements within these mediated networks. A paradox, again.

This summer, thirty youth will travel across the country doing community work and activities related to diversity, conflict & resolution, human rights, and sustainability (find us on facebook: CISV C2C Peace Bus). During this 36-day trip I, as a leader, would like to explore this paradox with my participants. How can we use social media to inform, inspire, and educate people about what we do? How can we do it so we do not end up spending more time in the virtual world, rather then connecting with the communities and people we visit? How do we integrate media in our lives so it becomes an organic part of our networks? How do we prevent our accomplishment in peace education being dependent on social media? Or is it too late for that?

Do we measure our success in the facebook group page visits we get? Or does our sense of fulfilment originate in meaningful conversations we have with strangers-turned-friends?

"Those concerned with youth have a special interest in finding and stimulating new modes of developing boundary-spanning behavior on the web." (ibid:562).

Tell me about it...

The Privatized Future is Now

2011-06-20T23:35:00.000-07:00

Before we began talking about the future of education in class, I hadn't really given much thought to the possibility of education(schools) becoming privatized. But now I have been thinking about it. Why, when first mentioned, did I think it sounded far fetched? Is it because, in comparison to Canada's eternal point of comparison (the U.S.A.), Canadians still have health care? A bastion of (mostly not) privatized hope? I've been trying to think more about how I could see that unfolding, and what education might look like if it were to become privatized.
Today I read an article called "Students for Posties", which is about student groups in Montreal coming together in solidarity with the postal workers. In the article connections were drawn between the struggle for accessible, public education, the wage cuts currently faced by postal workers, and the federal government's proposed budget for 2011-12. If you have also been pondering a privatized future of education, I encourage you to read the article. As for myself, I'm getting to thinking it's not as far fetched as I first thought it to be.

McDonalds Moms Quality Correspondents

2011-06-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

Oh my God.

I was riding in a car today with my friend as he went through the drive thru at Mickey D's. Since he was driving, I held on to his food until we got home. During this process I started reading the bag and was disgusted, shocked and intrigued all at once.

The bag read as follows:

"Mom's the word on food quality. Free access and free speech: that's what we gave five moms who wanted to know what Mcdonalds is all about. See what they had to say at www.mcdonaldsmoms.ca"

Firstly, SERIOUSLY? Everyone knows (well I'd like to think anyway) that McDonalds is everything but healthy and exactly what moms do NOT want their kids to eat. However, there are moms who don't feel so guilty about allowing their children to eat McDonalds on a regular basis. Is this due to a manipulative marketing technique like this one? Can a massive corporation like McDonalds really get people to think that their food is quality? Sadly, I guess the answer is yes.

Next, I went to the website listed on the bag. I didn't think it could possibly be true. Now, I don't know if this was a coincidence but the website doesn't exist. However, I ended up finding another website on google that was connected to the campaign. If you do go the site, you will notice there is a brief spiel about the program and then a link to click on for more information. This website also doesn't exist. This may be the result of some technological malfunction but, still.

I started poking around on the website and found a link to an article about a "field trip to Mc Cafe." The article basically goes on about this family who value their children eating veggies and then how McDonalds is an important part of their family life. Although I just skimmed the article, the focus seems to be about the quality of a toy in the happy meal. The Mom, Tina, is even quoted in huge letters saying "If it doesn't satisfy quality requirements, McDonalds will nix it..." This I found interesting, although I know nothing about the quality requirements of McDonalds toys, I can't help but wonder if McDonalds is able to lie about the quality of anything in their restaurant because they are directly quoting these moms. Is this just another way to bend the truth? Is this a sick way at targeting uneducated people into thinking that McDonalds is quality food just because five moms are documented saying so?

Oh, here is the link to the page I found - have a look around. Thoughts?

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/food_quality/see_what_we_are_made_of/moms_quality_correspondents.html

Zombie flashmob strikes British city - Europe - Al Jazeera English

2011-06-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Zombie flashmob strikes British city - Europe - Al Jazeera English

The power and possibility of social networking?

YouTube Apology Video

2011-06-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

Since class today I've been thinking a lot about interviews and the purpose and skill behind them. While watching the news tonight I found myself looking critically at each person being interviewed, and how they were (or weren't) using the skills we had talked about today.

One of the stories on the Vancouver news tonight was the safe return home of Langley teen Amanda McPhee on June 17, and her apology to those that she hurt by her (entirely voluntary) disappearance. What was interesting about this apology was that it was done over YouTube in her own home (with the consent of her parents). After playing clips of the video, the news then focused on a communications expert who commented on how this YouTube apology signifies a change in the way interviews or anything of the type may be going in the future. McPhee, he said, chose a way to apologize that could be done in her own home in her own way, while addressing the public on a very personal level.

This coming right on the heels of other young people apologizing via YouTube or other online media outlets for the Vancouver riots, it had me thinking about the implications of this kind of public address rather than that of a press conference or TV interview (like that of teen Nathan Kotylak). Are these young people taking the easy way out by addressing the public in the comfort of their own homes, or are they just doing what seems normal for their generation by delivering their message through the click of a computer?

Mass Media and the Social Media

2011-06-20T02:10:00.000-07:00

Nowadays, most of the people are using "Facebook", "twitter" for a social connection with people all over the world, but did anyone realize when did those kind of social media start to get in to everyone's life? An interesting movie called "The Social Network" shows how "facebook" is build from just a little university blog pages to now a famous Internet connection in the world.

* Click the title to see the Official Trailer of The Social Network*

My Media Diet

2011-06-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

I am in the mood to dissect my media diet. Although I consider myself someone who watches little TV compared to most, it is scary to see how much my life is actually controlled by my selected media addictions. And they are definitely addictions.

It is as if I have a reflex to check my phone as soon as a get up. I not only sleep with my blackberry (this is embarrassing) but I check it if I wake up in the night and as soon as I get up. I like to tell myself this is just for the time but I find myself checking groupons, emails and texts in between dreams. Sick.

So it goes like this:

Appetizer: check phone, check email, respond to texts, and go on Facebook. I do these things before I can do anything it seems.

Main course: watching my downloaded TV shows or movies which even though do not have commercials I am increasingly realizing that they are riddled with advertisements and media influences. But they fill me up. For the most part.

Desert: A good book, always. The best part of my day that levels me out.

Snacks: Same as my appetizer. Facebook, email, phone and texting. Sometimes I physically feel sick from being so cyber connected but I can't seem to stop.

I guess I'm not "eating" too bad, but it is scary to me to see how much my daily routine is affected by what I am addicted to. I literally feel anxious if I don't have my morning appetizer of phone, Facebook and e mail. It didn't used to be like this - why are we all so obsessed with being connected? And why, like junk food, do we know we would be healthier without it but still continue to stuff our faces?

Mickey Mouse Monopoly

2011-06-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

This documentary is not going to shock you. You probably already knew that Disney is not only creating their Magic Kingdom of innocence, but also a monopoly on media cooperations which conveniently serves to place their product in a very effective way. Scholars from different universities express their opinions about how characters in Disney movies presents and emphasizes certain ways of being woman, man, African American, Latino or Native American.

What this documentary does, is reminding you of important questions that you need to ask yourself as an educator. Not only as an educator, but anyone who interacts with children, and anyone who is exposed to mass media - which basically means everybody. Disney stories are packaged in a Magic Kingdom wrapper and sold to children. Chyng Fen Sun, one of the creators of the doc, wonders "what type of stories get invented, circulated and perpetuated in the public imagination and why?". Stories of racism? Stories of female suppression? But has Disney intended to present, on a mass scale, these hidden stories of oppression, social injustice, and fixed gender roles? In the documentary, Dr. Gail Dines states that "it does not matter whether it's intentional or unintentional, the effect is ultimately the same."

This is where the documentary shakes you up a bit. Children respond to the Disney movies they have seen. Some of their reactions blow your mind. Disney's version of Pocahontas basically re-writes history by supposedly picturing a true story. It serves the political purpose of presenting the Native Americans and pilgrims as ultimately becoming friends, and so no - you do not have to feel guilty about colonizing a land and people. Really? Abigail, nine years old, shares her thoughts about the (=Disney's!) story of Pocahontas; "I think that at the end, the Pilgrims go back to England because they understand it's their [Indians] land shouldn't be taken over." If only...

This documentary reminds me of Peggy Orenstein's book "Cinderella ate my daughter". She talks about this book on the Q (CBC Radio 1: http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2011/02/16/is-the-disney-princess-craze-damaging-to-young-girls/). Worth listening to. Maybe you become more aware of the strategic marketing that underlies all this magic innocence. Maybe it will open your eyes. Maybe you can help young people to open their eyes. Maybe you can even inspire them to resist the message that is being projected on them. We can create alternative ideologies!

Mass Media and Education: technology development

2011-06-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

Mass Media and Education: technology development

technology development

2011-06-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

I just found this video while I was working on my project.
It is about the technology development in Japan and I though it
might be a great start to show everyone what my topic is about from
this clip. The technology development influence mass media in Japan significantly.
What is going to happen in 2030 with all the new technology??

http://www.pcworld.com/article/157375/made_in_japan_future_tech_today.html

Successful Educated Citizens Rioted Too

2011-06-19T16:51:00.002-07:00

In class we talked about the Vancouver riots and the individuals involved. Within this class we repeatedly discussed our current understanding that many individuals involved did not have high educational goals, I wanted to point out that our initial statements about the demography of this crowd may not have been completely accurate. Since the class I have heard of several university students who were highly involved within the riots on Wednesday night. Nathan Kotylak is a seventeen year old male who is expected into University of Calgary on scholarship; he was an Olympic hopeful for water polo and as of Tuesday was on the Canadian national team. Since the riot he has been provisionally suspended from the National Team and is facing charges in court. I wanted to add this video to our discussion and ask, “How does looking at the riot change when we consider that some of the key participants lead seemly “successful” and “fulfilling” lives”.

2011-06-19T16:51:00.001-07:00

Disconnect to Connect

2011-06-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day everyone!

I just came across this article that mentions a campaign called "Disconnect to Connect." It challenges people to disconnect from all of their devices (cell phones, ipods, television, computers) for 24 hours on Father's Day. I just thought that it is interesting that technology that is based around connecting people can become so alienating as well. I think it begs the questions: how much of our lives should be dependent on these devices and how do we teach our children to use technology in moderation?

Fukushima: It's much worse than you think - Features - Al Jazeera English

2011-06-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Fukushima: It's much worse than you think - Features - Al Jazeera English

What is the press in Canada telling you about the danger of Fukushima to your health? Where is Fukushima in the Canadian press now, when the danger is arguably at a new peak? who determines the press coverage of Canadian media?

The Difference Between Political Protests and Hockey Riot

2011-06-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

I was surfing Reddit today, and saw this poster that reminded me of the discussion we had in class where Jason brought up that there is a clear difference in treatment between political demonstrations and hockey outcome demonstrations (i.e. riots).

I guess I just wanted to share it to show that other people have noticed the inconsistencies with which our justice system treats similar, if not more destructive, demonstrations. Hopefully it will create a movement to more tolerant and equal treatment, especially concerning peaceful demonstrations.

Note: The poster is somewhat misleading with the burnt car totals. Only 2 of the 16 cars burnt during the Vancouver riots were police cars.

Early McDonald's Commercial

2011-06-17T23:45:00.000-07:00

This is wrong on so many levels. My brother showed this to me and I was mortified! What a terrible lesson to teach kids: don't talk to strangers unless they are wearing a ridiculous clown outfit and offering you hamburgers from their crotch. And does that kid really need THREE hamburgers?! Welcome to childhood obesity.

It's amazing how much McDonald's commercials have changed. No more happy "Ronald McDonald" song. I don't think I've seen him in a commercial in a long, long time. I wonder when they changed his look? I had no idea Ronald used to look that way. So what are your reactions to this commercial? Are you creeped out by it? What does it say about how commercials have changed? What has stayed the same?

Future of Education

2011-06-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

Hey folks.

So I got an email in my inbox today from the BC Teachers Federation talking about a presentation made by the Ministry of Education. I have copied and pasted the email below because I thought it had some interesting things included.

Dear colleague,

In an unprecedented move the Ministry of Education recently made a
presentation at the bargaining table which reveals government's objectives
in its 21st Century Personalized Learning agenda. The presentation titled
Collective Bargaining to Sustain a Strong Public Education System reveals the government's
determination to weaken teachers' collective agreements.

Carefully crafted Orwellian language clearly identifies teachers and the
collective agreement as an impediment to 21st century personalized learning.
In order to realize their vision the government wants to remove contract
provisions and rights regarding:

. professional autonomy and teachers control of professional
development

. job security, seniority

. due process in evaluation, discipline, and dismissal.

Even under the heading "Supporting Teachers and the Profession" there is not
a single word about improving classroom conditions or providing more
resources and funding. Instead it's all about directing and evaluating
teachers, tying professional development to government policy, and a free
hand for management to decide who gets hired, who stays, and who goes.

Here's what the government is saying about:

Hiring and placement

"We want the right teachers placed in the right positions. Qualified and
suitable teachers-in best 'fit' placements." "We want to ensure that school
districts are able to make human resource decisions that are effective and
efficient."

Evaluation

"An effective evaluations process should help good teachers identify how to
become great, and underperforming teachers how to become good." "It should
also identify those unsuited to the profession."

Professional Development

"We want to align professional development with teacher performance
evaluations and school district policy requirements."

Throughout the presentation the government attempts to make the case that,
our system is underperforming and the blame lies with underperforming
teachers.

Reminder: the strike vote is being held June 24-28, 2011. Consult your local
for date, times, and place.

Susan Lambert, President
BC Teachers' Federation

So there you have it. Thoughts? Comments? Input?

I may be stepping out of line with this comment, but I kind of think some of the things the Ministry is attempting to introduce are good things. For starts, I think a lot of the time newer teachers (like we will be soon) who have a better education and more insight to the newest and best ways of educating students have to wait years to get full time positions, while cranky old Mr. Jones who is 60 and been teaching the same way he has been his entire career and who jeers at change, gets to keep his job because he has senority. This whole aspect of the education system (I feel) is a joke. The best person for the job should get the job.

And I don't really get what is wrong with Teache Evaluation. I mean obviously it can be done poorly and not be effective. BUT if it is done correctly and efficiently, I really think it could do wonders for students.

and really that is what it comes down to. The students. We are becoming teachers so we can have a postive influence of the futures of children and we should be more concerned with what is being done to improve conditions for them, and not so much for us as teachers. Yes I agree that smaller classroom sizes and more funding would be amazing and beneficial in it's self, but I don't think the Ministry has proposed totall preposterous and horrible things.

I am going to look more into this and hopefully can add some more info onto the post for you folks, but if anyone has any comments or more info on this I would love to hear it!

Prezi

2011-06-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Prezis are pretty sweet. Not only are they a more flashy and animated version of powerpoint but they are a huge resource for educators and well, anyone. You can make your presentation online, save it online, access all your presentations online (eliminating the need for saving files and flash drives) AND you can explore everyone else's prezis through the site. If you need to learn something, you can look up someone's prezi on the topic; if you need help with a lecture - same deal. The presentations are really interactive and allow you to zoom out and zoom in on the entire presentation. You can follow prezi on twitter and facebook and learn about its evolving new features.

Hope you guys find this interesting and useful! Click on the title...

Vancouver's hockey riot: How to understand it | rabble.ca

2011-06-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

Vancouver's hockey riot: How to understand it | rabble.ca

Here is one analytical take on the hockey event?

StumbleUpon

2011-06-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

After seeing videos about various stealth filtering systems, I felt that it really wasn't all that fair. I mean, who has the right to choose what we do and do not see?

We do, right?

Then I realized that a website I am signed up with, StumbleUpon, gives you that choice. (I mean, know the world the way it is, I'm sure they have algorithms too...) I felt refreshed almost, knowing I was provided with a random selection of websites based on a list of interests that I myself had checked off.

In further reflection of this website, I got to thinking about how it might fit into our Mass Media Diet.

Would it be mainly for the picky eaters?

People who only want to have information about certain things might only use StumbleUpon to find websites about them...

Would it be a kind of calorie counter?

Allowing yourself to "stumble" only certain educational topics through the website, maybe... ensuring you get your nutrition throughout the day? Or maybe it's how you get your junk food/dessert...

Could it be considered a menu?

You are provided with choices, options... and from there, a variety of different expressions of tose choices. You can choose your media appetizer, entree, and dessert, and be provided with a different combination each time you Stumble.

Personally, I love StumbleUpon. I have a variety of topics selected, and it always leads me to something I find incredibly interesting... be it fashion, education, or environmental.

I hope you give it a try!

Why Twitter is a Teacher's Best Tool

2011-06-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hey friends.

So a past professor I had has a mass email list that he uses to send out various articles and resources based around education. Now that I am sitting here thinking about it, I guess this is part of my mass media diet. Like an apple. Good for you AND tasty.

Anyways... This is one of the articles that was sent out and I thought it applied to the topics we have been covering in class really well. I also feel it relates to the "Poll Everywhere" post and it even touches on privacy on blogs/tweets, which I know was mentioned this afternoon.

Comments on the article?

The Future Involves Phonetic Spelling

2011-06-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

Why do we as educators still defend spelling tests? Why is spelling so important? Some argue spelling is important because weak spelling reflects poorly on your education. People worry about how we can compete with other countries if our children cannot spell correctly; these people might say “not being able to spell promotes laziness and bad habits”. Is this true? Or does the lack of emphasis on spelling provide freedom to express oneself with words children would be too afraid to put down on paper if they were expected to spell it properly. Does less of an emphasis on spelling break down the competition that is so engrained in our education system? Creativity and brilliance will not be stifled by the constraints of spelling if teaches allow children to spell phonetically within their classrooms in the future. Proper spelling may still be important in the future but teachers will be teaching children how to access tools to assist them and free the classroom space for writing without fear of failure or criticism. This is my hope and understanding for the future of spelling in education.

Yet another RSA Animate Video :)

2011-06-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

I came across this video today through a comment that was posted in my online class. When I first saw the link, I thought "oh great, another one of those RSA videos" (which are great, don't get me wrong). I just may have seen the Sir Ken Robinson video one too many times, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this one.

When I watched it, I realized that this would be a good post for this blog. Why? I think it brings up the essence of our intervention assignment. To share ideas, issues, thoughts within a community gives it that much more power and collaborating on projects, getting ideas from others can create something much more powerful than if you were to keep your ideas to yourself.

Would love to hear your comments on the video and the point that it makes. :)

Happy watching!

Wait, who runs the world?

2011-06-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

In thinking about my mass media diet, I have to admit that Beyonce is my bag of chips at a dance party. I'm guilty of ignoring the ingredients and singing along, like there is nothing problematic sprinkled in the mix. Recently I came across (thank you facebook) a video that discusses Beyonce's recent release "Run the World (Girls)". I wanted to share it with the rest of the class as an example of someone using mass media to talk about (or rather, call out) the mass media they find troubling. A mass media intervention, if you will. The video sparked a number of response videos as well... could we call that a mass media dialogue?
Previously I emailed this video to my mother, who emailed it to a teacher at the school she works at, who showed it to her grade 12 class, after showing the Beyonce video. Talk about mass media and education!

Beyonce- Run the World (Girls)
Beyonce- Run the World (LIES)

I'd be stoked to hear what you think of both the Beyonce video/song and the video that calls her out. What do YOU find problematic?

Poll Everywhere

2011-06-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

One of my classmates introduced me to this website a few months ago. Essentially, it is a free way to for people to vote on a subject by texting a response off their mobile phone. You can ask multiple choice questions or people can text a written reply.

As we move towards more student centred classrooms, this might be a pretty sweet resource. I personally, am not against cell phones in the classroom (to an extent of course) - they are an unavoidable reality in today's world. As I can't imagine every sixteen year old is going to actually turn their phone off during my class: why not let them use them.

I think that this would be an effective tool for the first day of class, a unit, or review. Teachers can ask student's to text their interests and a poll will be automatically generated on the screen with all the answers. The words and subjects that relate to each other or have been texted in by numerous people will appear larger in print. The teacher can then know what their class is interested in, in what I think might be a fun and less traditional way. Of course, it isn't a heck of a lot different than the iclicker as far as review goes, but as long as everybody has a phone, no one needs to go buy an iclicker on top of all their other expenses and it is kind of fun.

Anyway, I encourage you all to go to the website and have a look around...it's no new age wild technology but I think it is a pretty cool resource. Does anyone know if there are other things like this around?

Homework Revolt

2011-06-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the NY Times today, and I found this article pretty interesting and appropriate for our class. The article is centering around this debate about how much homework and when homework should be required because apparently the current demands are to much and damaging to the students health and family time. The article has some pretty classic quotes:

"Part of growing up is having a lot of homework every day. You’re supposed to say, ‘I can’t come out and play because I have to stay in and do homework’"

"There is simply no proof that most homework as we know it improves school performance"

The reason I think this article is worth discussing is that to me, it seems like these policy planners and school boards are doing exactly what Jason has been harping to us in class. They are trying to fix the problem of homework by looking in the rear-view mirror, rather then thinking creatively about how homework is going to be in the future. Things like reducing the amount of homework per night don't really seem to attack the real issue of how the homework should be delivered or what should be in the homework. It seems like more of a cop-out.

What are other peoples thoughts?

Sorry Women, Summer Films Are for Boys

2011-06-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hey I've been trying to read the Tyee and have found some interesting stuff. Within an arts and culture story entitled “Sorry Women, Summer Films Are for Boys” by Dorothy Woodend, I found a gem of a quote which I think expresses the same metaphor that we have been using in class- that of our media consumption being like our food diet. Woodend is speaking specifically about blockbuster movies such as the new X-Men movie when she makes this comparison:

“In the same way that every McDonalds hamburger tastes pretty much like every other McDonalds hamburger, watching these type of films is like eating one burger after another, after another. Not such a healthy thing to do to yourself. I like junk as much as the next fella, but I don't like it when junk is all there is, and it's increasingly harder to see something in the theatre, the choices are not all that diverse anymore. The Pacific Cinémathèque and Vancity Theatre continue to fight the good fight, programming all manner of films for audiences other than man boys and boy men. But as a friend said not so long ago, the better the film, the fewer the people. When the only way that a film can sell big (here and in the much more lucrative overseas market) is to be entirely predictable, why pretend it is anything other than another piece of junk product -- homogenous, generic, mildly palatable, ultimately disposable.”

She goes on to argue that mainstream media portrays art as something elitist and that “complexity, complication, or cultural aspiration is synonymous with evil.” So what do you guys think, is it true that “the better the film, the fewer the people” who watch it?

Live Streaming on Justin.tv

2011-06-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

I came across this website a few months ago, and I regularly check up on it. Essentially, its a place where anyone can get their message out, whatever it might be. From gaming professionals with thousands of followers to live discussions of global issues, it has a diverse set of streams.

I think these types of websites are going to become even more important, especially in education. They give the flexibility and accessibility for anyone with a computer and internet connection to share, join, or simply listen to uncensored voices.

Let me know what you guys think, and maybe if it sparks any ideas.

Facebook in Court

2011-06-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

This was an interesting article I came across on BBC News UK discussing another implication of our increasing usage and dependence on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.

I personally agree with the one former juror who states "I am astonished that the juror in question thought that contacting the defendant was a reasonable act." However, I think this story serves as yet another reminder of the many benefits and challenges of our reliance on and infatuation with these kinds of sites. While the article states that this is "the first case of its kind in the UK involving the internet," I think we can all agree with the above juror that these actions (or similar acts) will become increasingly common in the years to come.

Coming from someone who barely goes a day without checking Facebook, I'm quick to boast the positives of social networking. I really believe that there are many ways in which these kinds of sites benefit us. This being said, this article really made me think of the effect of Facebook, Twitter, etc. on our society in the years to come.

Let me know what you think!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13770580

Flash Drives in Walls

2011-06-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

This is a short article about an artist who is creating a network of locations where anyone with a USB connection can participate. I had a few questions after reading this article...

What is the ultimate purpose of this? Doesn't the internet already provide the same?

Isn't this just another target for those who misuse and abuse mass media for personal gain? How are these portals monitored?

My main question is; is this really necessary? I have found myself thinking that recently about a lot of new types of technology. Why do we need both blu-ray and regular DVDs? Why have both a desktop and a laptop? Why do we need an anonymous, offline place to share files, when the internet provides a seemingly much faster and direct way of sharing, well, everything? I feel that this is one of those things where I wish that smart humans were applying their knowledge to something a little bit more useful.

I, for one, am really interesting in the follow-up documentary... I am really curious to see how people will participate in this project.

I would love to receive answers, comments, arguments, reprimands, questions, etc... in return!

Urban Environmental Utopia

2011-06-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

The photos that I have uploaded are all works completed by Eleanor Bond. She is a celebrated Canadian artist, known for creating city scenes that mesh together urban centers and the environment. I wanted to share this with everyone because I feel it completely ties in with considering the future and how technology will affect education, society, and the environment. As we become more technoligcally advanced we move further and further away from the natural world. I think a future focus should be to take our technological advances and begin to mold and combine natural elements. The best of both worlds.

Thoughts, comments, input?

How TV Ruined Your life

2011-03-09T00:44:00.000-08:00

The title of this post is actually a new TV show on BBC 2: 'How TV Ruined Your Life'.

The host, Carlie Brooker, is laugh-out-loud funny. The show is wonderfully satirical and critical of modern media, and what it has done to us as individuals and a society, and our perception of the world around us. Definitely out-of-the-box, though simplified for a mass audience, this show, if it ever made it to North American Airwaves, would put up a real fight with the likes of the Colbert Report, and pretty much everything on the Discovery Channel. Thus far, there've been six episodes: How the TV has made us scared, made jokes of every stage of our lives, made us all aspire to wealth and fame, and messed up our love lives, dependence on technology, and even our own notion of knowledge.

In a decidedly British word: Brilliant.

Click on the title of this post to watch the first half of an episode on youtube.

I love Sir Ted Robinson

2010-11-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping a careful watch for things that I might like to post on this blog. This video (click on the title)was sent to me recently and I think it is great and if you are in education I think it will give you something to ponder. I hope people are still reading this blog and continue to add to it.

Cheers.

SMART Phones, and "back-to-school"

2010-09-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

As a young man, now entering the education work-force, I was curious when I stumbled upon this article on the Times Colonist news website. The author makes a compelling argument; that SMART Phones are the new hottest item in student culture. Well I would agree that their popularity has certainly risen, I would be hesitant to support the statement (as quoted in the article by one Royal Roads University sociologist Phillip Vannini) that SMART Phones serve to isolate students, as "Walkmans" once did decades ago. After walking out of an elementary school yesterday afternoon, to find two intermediate aged girls sharing media using a single SMART Phone, I would argue that this technology has the potential to be used to bring students together.
The inherent problems with SMART Phones, is a lack of restrictions on the material being viewed by the consumer. Still, I feel education is the cornerstone of protecting the interest and integrity of our students. These technologies should be embraced by educators, and used by students, rather than feared. Only through our acceptance of the good within these tools can we begin to harness the potential benefits, and displace the negatives.

Multitasking Anyone?

2010-06-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

I found this on Flickr Creative Commons while looking
up multitasking. It's a gooder. I would guesstimate that
the numbers are WAY higher.

Mass Media Diet (official video)

2010-06-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

So after much frustration I managed to iron out the glitches I was having with my video. This is the completed version, free of watermarks and pixelation. Also, here's a link to the same video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCQx3kf2baY

John Pilger: There Is a War on Journalism

2010-06-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

Journalism versus the echo chamber of mass corporate media? Do you know the difference? What parts of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan are we missing?

John Pilger: There Is a War on Journalism

I am the boob in front of the tube

2010-06-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

I will do my best to describe my use of certain sources of popular media through our dinner food analogy, although I find it somewhat disingenuous to have chosen such a nutritious, well balanced meal for comparison.

I begin my feasting with an appetizer of Seinfeld. As a self-proclaimed “show about nothing” it makes for a comforting cerebral amuse-bouche without any danger of ‘filling up’ my mind with substantive thought. My entrée would consist of healthy portions of three trendy websites. The meat of my diet being Cracked, an off-colour humour site, dedicated to top-10 style lists of the offensive or absurd. The pasta in my meal is CollegeHumor, a repository for short video clips of everything from young men hurting themselves, to young men hurting their friends, to young men destroying their property while hurting themselves and others. The vegetable of this main course would be Slashdot, a user-driven news website, reporting mainly on anything with a technological or academic flavor. My dinner roll is Wikipedia, as it is always my go-to source of half-hearted research. The alcoholic beverage in which I try not to over-indulge at this meal, is whichever video game I currently find the most stimulating. Finally my desert, which is a grab-bag of animated television series such as Family guy, Futurama, or American Dad.

What I find most concerning about this selection of media is not the questionable moral or intellectual content, but the slack-jawed malaise with which I often find myself ingesting it. I have on many occasions come to the realization, after hours in front of the TV or computer, that although I have spent all this time surrounding myself with ‘humour’ or ‘comedy’ I cannot recall a particularly noteworthy moment; that I cannot in fact remember laughing at all. Obviously times like that are more likely the exception than the rule, but I do often fear for the ‘nutritional value’ of my mass media diet. If I were to objectively evaluate the cost/benefit ratio of my TV time I would probably be much better off spending 75% of it asleep, 15% of the time travelling to an appropriate venue, and the remaining 10% honestly enjoying what I am doing.

Smile or Die!

2010-06-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

Computers that understand us expected to transform our lives - thestar.com

2010-06-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

cybersociety....where do you, we, us fit...can we carbon form humans expand our capabilities, collective or individual in response?

Computers that understand us expected to transform our lives - thestar.com

Adbusters vs. the Zoo

2010-06-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

The purpose of the original ad was to encourage people to come to the Zoo and spend their money, rather than waste more on a plush animal. Notice how they are placed side by side and in similar proportions? It is unlikely that they are to scale. They argue that by going to the Zoo and seeing the real thing you will be benefiting yourself and your kids.
But can you take the real giraffe home with you? No. Can you hug the real giraffe? No. But what is it that the Zoo isn’t telling you? I bet that with a single phone call or email I could determine the location of the gift shop on the grounds and its hours of operation. I wonder what we might find in that shop, perhaps an adorable plush animal of some type? One that even resembles a giraffe maybe? You bet we would.
Clearly then they are trying to say that the memories of the Zoo far exceed what a simple plush toy is capable of and that is what I spoofed. I decided to play on this association with the memories you walk away with from such a venture.

Steve's Mass Media Diet

2010-06-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

It is interesting to reflect upon ones media intake in a subjective manner. I, like many others, would like to think that I am feeding my brain a healthy dose of information, but am I getting all of my vitamins? I think not. I stuff myself with information on Hockey (go Canucks!) and videogames (I am a Final Fantasy junkie and require a regular fix). To be honest, most news that I read is quite depressing, people being killed or harmed in some way, or it is celebrity trash unworthy of the time it takes to read. I limit myself on the amount of ‘news’ that I take in because of this, but I do try and keep abreast of current events, if only to keep in touch with some of the goings on in Canada and the rest of the world.
I use two different sources for my current events: canoe.ca and the Daily Show. Caone.ca is a branch of the Quebecor Media Company and is full of material and perspectives that they espouse. This is decidedly unhealthy for me I imagine, but I try to balance it with regular doses of the Daily Show. Granted it is a comedy show and parodies people and current events, but I still see it as the most objective source of information that I get. Jon Stewart, although his main goal is getting a laugh, tends to present the news neutrally - something that other people and companies are unable to do. This is what I think my media diet is missing; although I am not sure where I can obtain another source of media nutrition that is so entertaining to watch (Jon Stewart has in my opinion the funniest show on television).

- Steve

Amber's mass media diet

2010-06-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

| Teaching and Learning: Why Teach Art & Design? | Source: Tim Jones (1999) in Directions, 18 (1), Edited by John Swift and Nick Stanley | Teaching and Learning: Why Teach Art & Design? | Source: Tim Jones (1999) in Directions, 18 (1), Edited by John Swift and Nick Stanley | Teaching and Learning: Why Teach Art & Design? | Source: Tim Jones (1999) in Directions, 18 (1), Edited by John Swift and Nick Stanley

Amber Grant’s Mass Media Diet

Appetizer- To me these are things that I start doing before I get to the main “thing” I will be doing.

1. In the morning the first thing I do is listen to the CBC while on commute to Uvic.

2. Upon arrival I then check e-mail.

3. IF I decide to watch TV I will start with Myth Busters because I don’t have to pay attention.

Dinner role- To me this is something that I will “eat” while I’m “eating” the main course.

1. This could be facebook

2. online games

3. Google images

Entre- What is the biggest portion of my media intake.

1. Art books/galleries/images

2. School work, which means typing on the computer and using google, online journals.

3. Laurel K. Hamilton novels about Anita Blake.

4. kids books (Mia needs a story every night).

Dessert- Sometimes I do not partake in dessert but I really want to.

1. America’s Next Top Model

2. True Blood

3. music videos

Alcoholic beverage- If I’m going to partake in a “beverage” then it is going to be worth my time!

1. HBO shows

2. Vampire movies (not ones without either violence or sexual content)

Snacks- I would say I snack all day on

1. Music

2. Involuntary texting.

My media diet is not likely to change anytime soonFor the following reasons:

1. I am super busy with school

2. I have a child who gets me outside and moving, we play games, chase the dog, visit her pony and a million other things that actually leaves me very little time for any media intake. Not a lot of media out in the boonies where we live.

3. I also try to find time to paint and draw when I can, and right now I’m into the outdoors as a subject matter.

The Diet is the Message

2010-06-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

My Mass Media Diet:

Alcoholic Beverage: Shows on CTV online like Gray’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Gossip Girl, but seeing as those have all finished for the year I think I will zone out to Planet Earth instead. I guess that would mark a switch from Captain Morgan’s to Santiago di Cuba (direct import only).

Dinner Roll: Email/Facebook/Skype all things that I crave and if am not careful can fill up on.

Appetizer: My iPod while riding the bus to and from school. This is my me time, seeing the world zoom by with a soundtrack is something that I can never get enough, every morning is astounding, beautiful and shocking in the imagery it gives me.

Entre:

· Meat-web surfing just randomly researching things of interest and that generally relate to future oriented daydreams and school related stuff.

· Veggies- CBC.ca & Realtor.ca while listening to whatever new music Jon has found on the web that day. This time is good for me: I get to dream of the future, imagine what could be and bounce along to good tunes usually of a Latin or gypsy flavour

· Pasta Dish-Whatever online TV snippet Jon and I watch while eating (documentaries, TED, series that we’ve rented from the video store)

Dessert: Bed-time books these are usually sci-fi, fantasy, or historical fiction.

How do I change my mass media consumption in the future? In thinking of changing my media diet I would have to feel that there are major issues with it, and at this point I don’t see problems that make me want to hit the mass media gym. I like having some guilty TV pleasures, I don’t feel badly about researching things that interest me and dreaming of where or how I would like to live or be. I feel that having my reading be a fun escape is A GOOD THING, and the screen time that Jon and I share give us common reference points and are the basis to many lively conversations. However, as with any act of body sculpting there is one area that I am consciously working on; getting my news from more sources, and spending more time analysing what the different opinions broadcasters are selling me.

BP Adbusters

2010-06-22T23:15:00.000-07:00

I came across this site when searching for some recent news about the oil spill. I know a couple of people from our class did plays on the bp logo. Here are just a few more from around the world.

Soccer-mad, 19-year-old behind Lego World Cup viral videos - thestar.com

2010-06-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

How does your stop motion compare? Don't worry, the ten thousand hour rule will assert itself...the kid got a job working for the guardian out of his viral videos....

Soccer-mad, 19-year-old behind Lego World Cup viral videos - thestar.com

My Daily Media Menu

2010-06-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

Always being one known for my indulgences, my media diet should not be much of a surprise; nor should my recent gallbladder surgery come to think of it. While I do look for things that might trim the fat around my media consumption, I too fall victim to certain guilty pleasures. Though this attempt to itemize our media regime may make some of my colleagues cringe, I refuse to apologize for the fluff that fills up my media roster, and make no attempt to mask my affinity for the pretentious. My media menu unfolds as follows:

Alcohol: Facebook. It’s like a sweet cocktail or a girlie martini, you know you should just have it once and a while – sipping slowly – but you end up slamming them back and having a headache from over exposure.

Appetizer: The sickly sweetness of Fbook, still lingering on my tongue, the appetite teaser of my mass media diet would be CBC news. After feeling like I was rarely in the know in regards to global events, I changed my homepage to cbc.ca/news in early 2008; it makes me feel better for not reading the newspaper on the regular. This way I get a glimpse of the headlines, arts and entertainment, and new policies to keep me on my toes politically.

Dinner Roll: E-mail. To fill the time in between meals, I frequently check my 3 e-mail accounts: one for university, one I’ve had since high school, and the one only my mother seems to contact me on.

Entrée: When it comes to the main course of my diet, the answer is obvious: MUSIC. My life unfolds like a soundtrack as I am always tuned or plugged into some type of play list. Bob Dylan, Stereophonics, Jeff Buckley, Nina Simone, Bon Iver… the list of artists could go on for days. Putting on music is the first thing I do when I get up in the morning, and oftentimes, turning it off is the last thing I do before falling asleep. It seems I am only unplugged at work, or in class and even then I find away to score my life at various intervals. If I’m heading out to the bar, or a club, it’s usually to see some band that is in town, and if I’m leaving town for the weekend, I’m heading out to the nearest music festival. When online if I’m not on Fbook, or checking e-mail, I’m surfing various indie music sights looking for rare performances and new artists. La Blogotheque (http://www.blogotheque.net/spip.php?page=cae_about&lang=en), the Black Cab Sessions (http://www.blackcabsessions.com/sessions.php), and Pitchfork (http://pitchfork.com/) all have a home on my bookmarks bar.

Dessert: Finally, the sweetness to my media indulgence lies in my favourite television shows which I stream online – not having cable for years as it wastes too much of my time (or so I tell myself, seeing as streaming takes up just as much time). The programs that have become the cheesecake to my media meal are as follows: Glee, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Being Erica, Fringe, Big Bang Theory, Heroes, and How I Met Your Mother.

So there you have it. Not as nourishing as it could be, but my media consumption keeps a smile on my face and enables me not to take life too seriously.

BP Update

2010-06-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

For those (like me) who prefer to take their news in picture form, I consider this a pretty good review of the BP situation.

Kate O'Beirne: Media Relations Dos and Don'ts

2010-06-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

A concise and useful video of tips on using print media with online editions from an establsihed conservative journalist...always do your research when getting your messages out...

Media Skills - Communication Training - Speak First

2010-06-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

No, it is not an intentional satire, yet, I still recommend this treatment of analyzing press interviewing techniques...just replace the actors with John Cleese and Michael P...

Social Media Tips and Tactics

2010-06-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

Irritating but informative video on using new digital social media for our work on PR and Education: How to Educate the News in EDCI 338

My Mass Media Menu – À la cart

2010-06-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

Breakfast (my morning routine)

Online news (usually Globe and Mail)

Chronic checking of email

Facebook (in the a.m., just a quick glance, but there’s always a glance)

Lunch

Texting on the iphone

Random google searches, anything and everything

Word games apps (mainly scrabble, boggle) & trivia pursuit app

Family Guy - I’ve come to terms with being addicted to a show who’s main character is a baby with a football shaped head – I’m not ready to give this up! Look at him.. who could resist??

More facebook.

Dinner

Online cookbooks. www.recipe.com all the way!

Harry Potter (movie and books – I can watchéread repeatedely)

Stargate Univers (slowly becoming more addicted...)

Biographies (TV or book)

International music – mainly French, Spanish, Arabic, Eastern European

After dinner treat

Youtube

More facebook.

iPhone – games, apps, …

Evening drink

Romantic comedies

News (online or print – Times Colonist)

OK, so I broke down my menu into my daily routine (more or less). Wow, do I really check facebook that much? Apparently. I know it’s bad for me, but in my own defense, it is a great way to communicate with a large numer of people. To be honest, I don’t feel so bad about my mass media diet. I figure at least I’m not addicted to so many shows I don’t have time for real life. The invention of the PVR has allowed my addictions to take place when I have the time for it, not when the TV tells me too. Except during hockey season that is.

I can admit that I could definitely incorporate some more nutritional media. Why is it that we always veer towards treats and snacks that lack in nutrition? Since starting this insitute, I’m proud to say that I have added more newspaper apps to my phone, including Truth seeker, Drudge, Democracy Now, and the Financial Times. I feel like this is step #1 in imploving my media diet. I read the paper online everyday and at various times throughout the day. You might say it’s my never ending snack. I didn’t think, however, that reading different papers on my iPhone would actually be more than a 1 step process. They are currently located on the last screen. I need to move them to my first screen so that the Globe and Mail will be challenged.

There’s definitly more I could improve on… one step at a time. But, to be honest, I’d rather “unplug” on all media and go for a run.

Building media in support of social movements | rabble.ca

2010-06-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

Why we intervene!

Building media in support of social movements rabble.ca

Gap Ad Buster

2010-06-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

For this project I chose a GAP ad. The clothing below the picture of the children are clothing items that are on sale and as a mom I just find the prices of children's clothing insane. I was thinking about my friend who went to Egypt and then on safari around Africa and how changed she was when she came back. We had a facebook group to raise money to buy goats for poor villages just outside of Egypt and we raised quite a bit of money. After the first time my friend went back to check on the villagers and make sure they got their goats she decided to go to market herself and then deliver the livestock back to the villages herself because the local authorities are just so corrupt and the promised amount of livestock never made it to it's intended village. The prices for the clothing and the prices for the livestock are real. My daughter could have a new shirt or a village in Africa could have a goat. How skewed our reality is sometimes. Also the pre-ripped jeans are really funny to me when compared to the clothing of the African children's clothing.
What I like about the picture of the kids is that they are smiling, they have next to nothing in possessions and they are smiling at the camera. Just goes to show that material goods are not the happy making items our culture makes them out to be.

Mass Media Diet

2010-06-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

My mass media diet is an embarrassing one. While doing this assignment, I discovered that I spend a ridiculous amont of time filling my head with empty calories. This is the break own I shamefully came to after analyzing just what it is I read/view/hear:

Alcohol: ANYTHING on MTV, and I’m talking even Sixteen and Pregnant. I also read a lot of celebrity gossip websites (but not Perez HIlton, because I find him incredibly irritating -sorry Erin!). I stick to wwtdd.com, and thesuperficial.com, mostly because the guy that writes them is super sarcastic and it makes me laugh.

Appetizer: As just a quick check to get me warmed up for a long stretch of internet-ing, I will check my emails (uvic and hotmail), and read cbcnews.ca.

Entree : The majority of the time I spend interacting with media takes the form of reading novels (English major...), checking/updating/and facestalking on facebook, and doing online shopping - I spend just a disgusting amount of time on usedvictoria and craigslist looking for good deals. I furnished my entire apartment off usedvictoria, and I like to think it looks pretty good!

Dinner Roll: As a side to my entree, I often check CollegeHumour.com, because the content is light, but starchy.

Dessert: I have a soft spot for HGTV - I could watch those home renovation/makeover shows forever, mostly because I like interior design, but I am on a budget, and I like to see the options and ideas that I can do with my own apartment.

As you can see, my mass media diet is somewhat lacking in the content that can expand my intellectual horizens. I do read novels and check out the news, but the rest of it is essentially all crap. I think for future meal plans, I would incorporate more news from a variety of sources, and include more intellectual films - documentaries perhaps, and less crappy tv.

Mass Media Diet

2010-06-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

Mass Media Diet Assignment

Celebratory Drink:
- Joss Whedon collection of DVDs and comic books
Dessert:
- novels
- browsing websites (ew.com, people.com, gofugyourself,celebuzz.com, cbc.ca, bbc.co.uk, canada.com)
Entrée:
- veggies
• music
• podcasts (primarily comedy podcasts)
- tofu (I’m a vegan)
• facebook
Appetizers:
- email
- tv (Glee, ANTM, Mad Men, etc.)
Dinner Roll:
- twitter
- podcast forums
Breakfast
- TV recaps

My mass media diet is lacking in substance. Many of these items are somewhat fluffy and can be enjoyed on a surface level. However, I like to think I take much more out of these things. Facebook helps me to stay in touch with friends, twitter aided me in forming a community of friends when I moved to a new place and my iPod packed with music and podcasts challenges my thinking and brings me joy. As for my television and DVD viewing, I dare anyone to watch an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and not notice the themes of everyday life that they turn upside down and exaggerate. For all of these, I’m fulfilled spiritually by my media diet.
Granted, my media intake needs some fibre. By this I mean more intellectual content. I need to be checking out more news outlets and dissecting what they are giving me and comparing and contrasting the tales that each of them are weaving. CBC and BBC are a good start, but the content I get from pop culture sites outweighs the actual news I read.
Some changes that need to be made include adding some world news into my breakfast. To start my day critical thinking would definitely aid my growth as a professional and as a citizen of Earth. I would also like to cut down on my twitter and facebook and rather than filling this space with other mass media, instead filling this space without mass media. Ultimately, I think I’m getting too much. Some quiet time and socializing away from electronic gadgets will probably do more for me than continuing prolonged time in front of the screen.

An added note: I deleted my twitter account. I’m pretty proud.

Mercer says he turned down Sun TV job offer - thestar.com

2010-06-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

Mercer wished the new venture luck and called Teneycke “a smart fellow.”
“I never thought Kory had such good taste until he offered me the job,” Mercer quipped

Mercer says he turned down Sun TV job offer - thestar.com

Adbusters: BP Oil

2010-06-17T23:16:00.001-07:00

This ad is obviously parodying BP Oil, and the corporate ads that try to put the best face on big companies’ and big industries’ products/infrastructure/projects for the public to digest. They are always super vague, and are meant to seem grand and positive: “insert big business here is doing wondrous things for the future of mankind and all sorts of great things will happen because of what we are doing, but we can’t really tell you any specific facts about it because then you might ask questions!”

Here I have just a picture of an Oil Rig – something technologically advanced, and adept at stripping our natural resources from the planet (this is just a photo from an image search on Google). It looks like a complicated piece of machinery/construction, and it situated in the middle of pristine blue water. In the top left corner I have the best example I could come up with for the types of one-liners that insult the public’s intelligence, and on the right side is “Leak it to us”. The fact is, there is little to no moderation or external unbiased control over companies like BP Oil, as if there were, it is not outrageous to suggest that BP would have been mandated to have tighter emergency/disaster protocols, and this whole leak may have been avoided.