Reading #10 Musings

On pages 125 & 126 the chapter is discussing social media and online misuse of children bashing teachers or students with hate sites and spreading maliciousness around and ways administrators decide punishments to fit crimes committed.  BUT, the section goes on to say the following: 

Quote #1 “Courts have stated clearly that a student should be free to speak his mind when the school day ends and that school administrators’ disciplinary power must be restricted to the boundaries of the school itself” (Hobbs, p. 126). 

I think this is total malarkey!  Said STUDENT is enrolled at THEIR school, and therefore his/her (the administrators) responsibility during the years the student is enrolled.  Our school preaches respect, responsibility & volunteerism, the three keys to success for a happy and healthy life.  Our students are taught to emulate these ideals and to practice displaying them 24/7.  Just because a student leaves at the end of the day, doesn’t mean they can/should go off and cause mayhem and chaos, beating up kids on their way home or posting hateful things on their facebook page.  These students are our responsibility, so I strongly agree that an administrator should have the right to suspend, expel or punish any student that is currently under their charge (in or out of school), for any behavior they exhibit that goes against our code of conduct or expectations we hold for them as human beings.  These are lessons children need to learn, that their behavior reflects positively (or negatively) on the school and that they should be held accountable for their actions.  Students should not feel that their behavior in the world outside of school should be different than that in school.  I'm referring more to the standard of responsibility and personal conduct.  I think these "Courts" need to step into the lives of middle schoolers and delve deeper into what happens in the real world, than worry themselves about punishing the people that are DOING SOMETHING for these kids.  (teeth grinding, scoff, aggrivated!).

Quote #2 "Social power is the ability to gratify our own human needs through manipulating the quality of our relationships with various people around us" (Hobbs, p. 127).

This is disturbing!  Why do we feel (as a society of people) the need to seek gratification of any kind through online connections and relationships with people on that digital community, like facebook.  Why is it so addicting?  Why is our society becoming so self absorbed for one, or so interested in essentially stalking others, some people they barely know, could care less about, or complete strangers who may or may not be the actual people represented in the profile?!  I will say that personally I get sucked in like the rest of us, and when I only intend to check facebook to see if I have messages or anything pending, tend to be on WAAAYYY longer than I had planned.  I find myself often sick with the time I waste on social media.  Sometimes I reflect and am more concious about the length or frequency of my time, so adjust accordingly and perhaps go several days without being on at all, but then I fall down the rabbit hole once again.  It is a cycle hard to break unless one truly dedicates their efforts in abstaining.  I know this "social power" is not necessarily one of online community, but also of a person's own status in their real-life relationships and community.  The hierarchy exists regardless of the location.  A person has a social ranking, if you will and stands somwhere in it, depending on the group assembled.  I understand the want/need to be liked and popular, an issue old as time itself, but I fear the steep slope our young generation are plummeting down.  Selfies, hashtags, emojis - are all artificial and fake (in my opinion).  I know our children are able to communicate deeper thought beyond what they express through this text-based and simplified language.  I worry that social media is driving them too hard into themselves, their appearance, and their "status."  How many followers or likes you get aren't REAL problems/goals, or I don't think they should be.  Instafamous=Instanarcissistic.  VERY concerned!  What will all this lead our society?  Questions far beyond my scope of knowledge.  I just know this art teacher is #peemypantsworriedaboutourfuture, bahahaha!  I know I didn't necessarily use the almighty hashtag correctly, but a friend of mine said she uses her hashtags to be funny/ridiculous, and I like that, feels wittier and more upper crust to me.  

Quote #3 "Adolescents are developmentally focused on taking risks, pursuing experience for the sake of experience, and seeking out novelty, complexity, and intense situations.  That's how they learn the skills they need to become independent adults" (Hobbs, p. 128).

I agree with this, to an extent!  I went through phases just like any adolescent, made mistakes I learned from, figured out who in my life was trustworthy and worth holding on to, etc.  I feel like kids today are taking "rebel" to a whole new level.  College students at WVU are getting so drunk and revved up (or drugged up) and are setting fire to things and causing riotous mahem in Morgantown over competition, pride, whatever you want to call it.  To me, these students need a swift kick in the pants and a HUGE reality check.  I am glad primary riot culprits were expelled from the school.  NOTHING condones this behavior, NOTHING warrants idiocy!  Obviously there are many things lacking in these young-adults' lives, but this mistake they can't erase or run from, this folly will follow them forever.  This embarrassment will never go away.  The shame of being that depraved and un-controllable will be a source of discomfort for them indefinitely.  I luckily made it through the hardest years of peer pressure and bad influences from people who wanted to live in the moment and be free.  Hello, that's how you get stds, pregnant, raped, beaten up, or even die!  When you let your guard down to "just have a good time."  More often than not, these situations lead to devastating consequences, where students are left with hearbreak or regret, and I wish so hard students could learn to just say NO!  Go with their gut feelings and avoid, avoid, avoid!  Who knows how many coutless depravities would be avoided if more students were stronger and said no and went home to a lame quiet evening in.  Guaranteed they would've had more fun, controllable fun!  I may be too much of a stuffed shirt or buzz kill, but I can honestly say I don't regret or miss the experiences I could have had.  I knew my health and future was massively more important than a few moments of the thrill of "being bad."  

References

Hobbs, R. (2011). Research As Authentic Inquiry. Digital and media literacy: connecting culture and classroom (pp. 126, 127, & 128). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.

Century Link & Alltel Media Deconstruction Reflection

I do agree to the claims made in both deconstructions.  The Century Link deconstruction was more positively deconstructed, but the Alltel one was more critical.  I liked them both and thought they were both well presented.

As with all ads I feel that they want to sell their product, so they will stretch the truth beyond measure and fool viewers into thinking we need what they have.  It is a story old as time.  They have hidden fees and want to rip off the consumer for every penny they can.  They feed off those who are trusting and uneducated about their true methods.  It is quite scarey.  I have been fooled more times than I want to admit, but thankfully my husband has a solid head on his shoulders and can sit down and work the math on each offer to determine the best product and service for the value.  I am very fortunate to not be so easily swayed with his guidance and influence.  Many people don’t have that in their lives, so they get scammed left and right. 

I think the Alltel ad does promote a stereotypical view and shows the perspective of one type of family, when they could have chosen characters more relatable and less cookie-cutter.  I think Alltel is promoting their plans and trying to get the consumer sucked into their deals or plan packages, but like everything else in particularly the cell phone plan world, hidden fees and data usage added costs are more in the fine print and a smart consumer will ask questions and get estimations before choosing the plan that best suits them. 

I think my media deconstruction of both ads would be quite similar to the ones done for us in this assignment.  The points made were relevant and intelligent in their reasoning.  Advertising in general is very tricky and rarely does a product deliver 100% of what it say it will for every consumer.  Some companies keep things more general and apply to your needs directly, and I think I like these kinds of adverts better.  They don't fool you per-say, they just explain what the product was made for and if it fall into a want/need category for you, then great!  The tricky, slippery forms of ads I hate.  The ones that make bold statements or try to emotionally appeal to peoples vulnerabilities, their weaknesses, these are the times I detest them and will go out of my way to not support them or endorse their products.  There is a fine line here, and too many companies cross that line for my liking.  

Reading #9

Quote #1

“Concerns about misogyny in hip-hop music, violent video games, cyberbullying, sexting, and easy access to pornography are trivialized..” (Hobbs, p. 111).   

I wanted to comment on this being a big source of concern for me, as a big sister, aunt and teacher.  All of these are topics of worry and wondering how best to tackle these struggles and encourage my students to be better and rise above some of the trash and hate that is out there.  In a classroom of 30 kids, it is difficult to keep tabs on verbal comments in the class and to administer immediate action to those students who are misbehaving or encouraging others.  Mine is an art classroom and students are encouraged to talk and socialize while they are working to facilitate friendships and enhance their creative experience.  I often move about the room visiting with students individually and helping as needed, so many times I do not hear rude, or bullying comments until it is too late to take immediate action, and then it becomes a he said she said situation where I cannot discern truth from fabrication. 

Luckily these instances do not occur frequently and students are all honest and cooperative with each other for the most part, but the concerns listed in the quote are increasingly upsetting. 

My school had an anti-bullying speaker come in this week for an assembly Wednesday.  He was very good.  He had some sobering pictures and stories to share, which brought chills down my spine and caused the audience to think and reflect frequently.  He talked about sex, drugs, alcohol, bullying, and school shootings/violence.  It was all subjects relevant to our teens and very truthful, heart-wrenching stories.  I only hope some of it sinks in and students take time to reflect on their current choices of entertainment. 

My brother (freshmen in high school) is very involved in these violent games (Grand theft auto) and (Black Ops whatever), which makes me worry immensely.  These games foster a desire to hurt and destroy, kill and damage, which I find repugnant.  I wish kids could rewind back to harmless Mario who just wants to save his princess.  The idea of beating obstacles to achieve a goal.   I am all about building and creating in my efforts with future generations of kids.  Trying to make the world better, or at least doing your best to be a positive influence on those around you as often as possible. 

Kids are losing their abilities to be role models.  Or if they are influencing others, often it is in negative ways that cause hurt to others.  I feel today parents have to be superstars to get their kids on the right path. 

My solution for these violent acts would be to ban them in my home and in my family.  I’m not sure what we can do to change the entertainment climate of our youth when so much junk, negativity and reality is on TV for them to witness.  The smut is there, and we can’t stop it.  

I definitely have gone on a rant here, but my point was to mention my concerns and muse about solutions.  I am at a loss of what to do.  I think parents need to say NO more, and refuse certain viewings of violent games or inappropriate tv, but these things start with parents who follow through on what they say and actually punish their children for breaking rules.  Parents today seem to be losing their ability to stand up to their children, which scares me too.  I am not a parent yet, and I know you want to give them everything, but it is common sense to protect their integrity and souls by preserving good morals and emulating positive behavior to them daily.  We can try to influence these behaviors at school, but teachers can only do so much in the short time we see them. 

Quote #2

“As a parent, I am a proud protectionist.  The parent role is to guide children through life in ways that help them best develop as sensitive, caring, fully human beings” (Hobbs p. 112)

In my above rant, I want to state that I am not placing 100% of the blame on parents for student attitudes and aggressive behaviors.  I feel many factors are involved and parents can help shape the way for their kids in both positive and negative ways.  In the chapter, Hobbs discusses the way she fosters open-mindedness and discussion on topics, but also the extreme relevance of discussion and open dialogue with ones kids about disturbing news, tragedies, etc.  Parents can help their children be sensitive, caring and thoughtful by talking and being open about their opinions and directing their children to make better choices.  Hobbs mentions limiting media to a point, because it is something all consuming.  The idea of devoting your ears to listening to music only, or your eyes to watching a movie.  Today kids multitask and are looking at facebook, snap-chatting a friend, eating dinner, all while watching tv and rarely are their attentions focused on one thing to consume them.  It is sad that our society is becoming increasingly distracted. 

I am guilty of this media multitasking myself, but find myself pointing these things out as I am doing them, and becoming aware of these actions and adjusting my habits to revert back to giving things more undivided attention.  We often lose friendships and other important things in our lives if we don’t recognize where we need to change our habits or adjust our priorities.  I do not need to be on facebook everyday, or post to instagram. 

These things can be important and provide me with satisfaction and joy, but I need to recognize that people and living things are far more important than digital things that feel nothing.  Unplug and give a hug.  Find personal contact and conversation.  We need to not forget how to be sociable.  I am loving some of these commercials and adds that highlight “disconnect to reconnect.”  We need to!

Quote #3

“Women’s inferiority—in fact their malevolence – is as ingrained in American popular culture as it is anywhere they’re sporting burkhas” (Hobbs, p. 113-114).

It is so sad to be referred to as the “weaker” sex.  A role we have not easily bent or changed.  We still ARE viewed in many ways as inferior, but have made substantial progress.   Many of us ladies like to be considered fragile, graceful, and elegant.   I personally enjoy having my door opened for me, a chivalrous husband who gives me his jacket when I’m cold, and an arm to guide me along the path of life.  I enjoy certain characteristics, but do not consider them as being “weak” or “inferior” – just nuances of love and gender roles, to a point. 

I do not know how women are to reverse our stigmas on tv, in movies and ads?  How can women be sources of power and strength, when much of tv depicts objects of sexual desire and ditzy blonde bimbos.  I guess one must hope and do what we can to show kids today that women are strong and fierce and not objects to be looked and pawed at.  (Definitely not objects).   We must provide positive modeling for these young minds and be encouraging and intellectual figureheads.   Women rock and are equally as capable as men in doing almost anything (within our bodily limitations).

 References

Hobbs, R. (2011). Research As Authentic Inquiry. Digital and media literacy: connecting culture and classroom (pp. 111, 112, 113 & 114). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.

Magazine Cover

I decided to create a student-centered magazine cover.  I feel that too frequently the stances on important topics in education come from either the teacher or parent perspective.  This is a bid backward because the primary audience of "common core" implementation effects our students and THEIR future directly.  I'm not saying teachers and parents are opinion free or their thoughts shouldn't matter, I just decided I would BE CREATIVE and have fun with this magazine cover design assignment - and I did!  

I chose to create a magazine title inspired by my school's mascot, the stallion!  South Middle School is where I teach.  Our colors are maroon, black and grey, so the design is also inspired by those color combinations.  I tried to put myself in a student's mind/perspective, and made a simple magazine cover construction that is interesting and draws the viewer in.  I think students would definitely be encouraged to open the cover because it was written by their PEERS, so this is an extra intriguing factor.  

Students would want to include several perspectives, not just give information one-sided, so teacher interviews in the staffroom is an EXCLUSIVE!  Also, I asked myself what a student would want to address when thinking about common core and what direct effects it has on them, that crucial question is what encouraged my article headlines and teasers.  

I pulled my text color choices from the apple image in the center, to tie it all together and give the cover some complexity and added appeal.  I chose the background (worn paper) image because I thought a solid, plain background was what a student would choose and thought it also kept the magazine design simple and amateurish.  The fonts are adjusted slightly to keep everything legible and attractive.  Although the center image is not my personal culminating thoughts with regard to common core, I felt it was a good representation of the unknown areas of the standards and goals of common core, and would possibly represent students' thoughts of the "unknown" and "apprehension" they associate with it.  

One media language technique I used was teasers - "Exclusive Staffroom interviews!" (I feel this could also fall under Exclamations, but I don't think my heading was saucy enough for that).  I am obviously hinting at behind the scenes opinions of common core from teachers and what they feel its implementation is/or will lead to.  

My second media language technique was declaratives, my simple statements that suggest the topic of discussion.  For example:  "What makes a school great," and "changes to be made" - both of these suggest the direction of the story, but draw your interest into reading them.  

Another media language technique I used is interrogatives.  For example:  what is the most important for our future?  This engages the reader in wanting to answer this question themselves.  

The media persuasion technique I used was "plain folks."  I feel this fits my magazine cover because the magazine is written by students for students.  They are the target audience for the readers and they created the magazine, so they know what they want from their education and they need to express their wants and concerns about common core implementation.  

The technique "experts" could fit here too I think, but I like the idea of plain folk simplicity better for this student-centered magazine.  

I hope these ideas are evident in my magazine cover.  I enjoyed creating it and as always it gives me ideas for future projects for my students.  Thanks!

Image Resources:

Stallion:  ‪www.farmsoftadae.com

Background:  ‪www.webtexture.net

Barcode:  ‪hlcaldwell.wordpress.com

Apple:  ‪www.motherjones.com