Photo Analysis

Photo Analysis I

People	Objects	Activities
President Obama	Ship	walking
Vice President Biden	Gulf	smiling
Bob Riley	concrete	watching
Thad Allen	crane	drinking

Things I might infer from this photo:
1. The President and his men are here to access the damage done by the oil spill.
2. The President and his men look confident and prepared to take on the task.
3. The President and his men are going to do what is right for the American people.

The caption and article title make it appear that the President is here for political gain and to make that BP pays the full and final bill for this spill.

Photo Analysis II

People	Objects	Activities
President Obama	Books	Thinking
President Obama	blurred image	Pondering
President Obama	shirt	Troubling
President Obama	button

Things I might infer from this photo:
1. President Obama looks very concerned.
2. President Obama does not look confident.
3. President Obama looks like he's in over his head.

The caption and article title make it appear like President Obama cannot handle this crisis. It assumes that he will not handle it well and it will sink his presidency.

Summary:
The first picture gives me more confidence in the President. It shows him in a way that portrays confidence and action. Picture one shows the President on the job with his team, while picture two shows him by himself looking very fatigued and worrisome. Picture one shows the President with his head held high and a smile on his face, while picture two has his head at a slight angle without making eye contact with the camera.

Media Literacy meets ISTE-NETS

I. TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of
technology operations and concepts. Teachers:
A. demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills, and
understanding of concepts related to technology
(as described in the ISTE National Educational
Technology Standards for Students).
B. demonstrate continual growth in technology
knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current
and emerging technologies.
II. PLANNING AND DESIGNING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
AND EXPERIENCES
Teachers plan and design effective learning
environments and experiences supported by
technology. Teachers:
A. design developmentally appropriate learning
opportunities that apply technology-enhanced
instructional strategies to support the diverse
needs of learners.
B. apply current research on teaching and learning
with technology when planning learning
environments and experiences.
C. identify and locate technology resources and
evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
D. plan for the management of technology
resources within the context of learning
activities.
E. plan strategies to manage student learning in a
technology-enhanced environment.

Media Literacy is a vital part of our society today, as failure to be literate in the media means that we are no longer thinking for ourselves. The media will try to manipulate the data as much as possible to get us to believe whatever they want us to believe. Most people have an agenda, and we need to be aware of that when we receive any news or reports.  Teacher must have a working knowledge of modern technology and must demonstrate a continual growth in emerging technologies. As technology changes, so does our methods of receiving information. If a teacher is not aware of new forms of communication, then that teacher cannot be completely media literate. We need to access as much information as possible to find the truth behind each story.
Teachers should also be able to identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability. Teachers should not be spewers of opinions, but rather resources of information. A teacher must know how to access and verify information from multiple resources before presenting it to the classroom. A misinformed person may only be one, but a misinformed teacher can have terrible effects on a classroom of eager learners. Students must also be prepared to question you, as teachers are as fallible as anyone else. If a teacher teaches their students to be media literate, the student should not accept blindly everything that comes out of a teacher's mouth.

ISTE Standards

ISTE-NETS Standard
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments
Summary
In today's competitive world, getting behind in technology can put you at a huge disadvantage. Teachers need to constantly search for new ways to reach their students. Using modern technology is a key way teachers can do that. Students want to know how to use the latest technologies from Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc. We can use these programs to facilitate education. Many of these programs also promote individuality and creativity, which should always be encouraged with all students. The Think aloud project gave me the opportunity to use technology to make my own decisions, evaluating a website based on the knowledge I found, as well as using other information to back up the site's claims. I will use this project to encourage students to think for themselves, as well as making a powerpoint presentation and posting it online in a viewable format. So much information is on the internet, and it is important for students to differentiate between the facts and the opinions.

Think Aloud

Arming teachers in the classroom from Michael Carpenter


ISTE-NETS Standard
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments
Summary
In today's competitive world, getting behind in technology can put you at a huge disadvantage. Teachers need to constantly search for new ways to reach their students. Using modern technology is a key way teachers can do that. Students want to know how to use the latest technologies from Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc. We can use these programs to facilitate education. Many of these programs also promote individuality and creativity, which should always be encouraged with all students. The Think aloud project gave me the opportunity to use technology to make my own decisions, evaluating a website based on the knowledge I found, as well as using other information to back up the site's claims. I will use this project to encourage students to think for themselves, as well as making a powerpoint presentation and posting it online in a viewable format. So much information is on the internet, and it is important for students to differentiate between the facts and the opinions.

Website Bias

article: http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/19/opinion/granderson-guns-in-schools
This article is written by LZ Granderson of CNN and is intended to be an opinion piece against arming teachers in schools.  LZ Granderson is trying to convince his readers that the "gun-loving brethern" of Rick Perry are dead wrong, and arming teachers is an absolutely crazy idea.  Mr. Granderson has the right to express that opinion, but unfortunately, he does it in a very unconvincing way.  For me, as soon as someone starts to attack the people that carry opposing view instead of their argument, it tells me that his opinion may be seriously flawed.  As some think, why should we let facts get in the way of a good debate?  He starts by calling the whole idea of arming teachers as crazy.  Well Mr. Granderson, that may be the case, but present the facts first, then I will determine if it is crazy.  Rick Perry may be a "gun-lover", but convince me of that with facts.  Calling him one means that you can only put down the person, not the idea.  Mr. Granderson says that as a nation, we need fewer guns, but never explains why.  Are there facts that indicate fewer guns=less violence?  If so, convince me with that.  He gives quotes from teachers saying that we need to remove all guns from schools, but those are only more opinions.  Where are the facts?  Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you don't have the facts to back up your opinion, then I have to assume it's an opinion based more on emotion than actual substance.

Website Analysis

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/19/opinion/granderson-guns-in-schools

Accuracy

Reliable and error-free information. Conformity to fact. Precision; exactness.

Questions to Ask	Answers
Is the information reliable and error-free?	The article appears to carry a strong opinion, but I did not notice any blatant errors.
Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the information?	There is no listed editor on the article.
Where doubt exists, can the information be cross-checked with a reliable source?	There are no facts presented that would need to be cross checked. He presents quotes from people, then gives his opinion on the quote,

Objectivity

Judgment based on observable phenomena and uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices

Questions to Ask	Answers
Does the information show a minimum of bias?	No. The author calls Rick Perry "Rambo", refers to "gun-loving brethern", ectc.
Is the page designed to sway opinion?	Yes. It is an opinion piece titled "Teachers with guns is a crazy idea".
Is there any advertising on the page?	Yes, but the only advertising is for CNN and Head Line News.

1. What is the difference between Media in Education vs Media Literacy Education? Media literacy is the capicity to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate messages in a wide variety of forms. Media in education is using texts, audiovisual, and digital material to convey facts and information.
2. What social bargain is at the heart of Fair use? We as a society give limited property rights to creators to encourage them to produce culture; at the same time, we give other creators the chance to use that same copyrighted material, without permission or payment, in some circumstances.
3. Why is Fair Use more important today? As copyright protects more works for longer periods than ever before, creators face new challenges: licenses to incorporate copyrighted sources become more expensive and more difficult to obtain - and sometimes are simply unavailable.
4. What are the two key questions judges use to determine Fair Use? 1. Did the unlicensed use "transform" the material taken from the copyrighted work by using it for a different purpose than that of the original, or did it just repeat the work for the same intent and value as the original? 2. Was the material taken appropriate in kind and amount, considering the nature of the copyrighted material and of the use?
5. A teacher shows a movie of The Lion King and asks student to notice how the animals in the movie reflect racial stereotypes? Is this Fair Use? Why? The teacher only used a small portion of the video to teach a lesson, so this would fall under Fair Use.
6. Which principle relates most strongly to the digital story you created in class? Explain.  Sharing media literacy curriculum materials. I was using the pictures and videos to share information on bollywood for my instructional technology class.
7. Are there limitations to the amount of pictures, length of music, or video that can be used in a multimedia project? Yes, for example, you cannot post an entire movie or song without getting permission.
8. Do you need to request permission from the original creator in order to use copyrighted material in multimedia project for school related assignment? This would usually fall under the guidelines of fair use, so under normal circumstances, the students would not need permission.
9. Should educators try to change the policies in their school if they are not in line with Fair Use doctrine? Yes. School systems are not exempt from following fair use practices.
10. What common myth about Fair Use surprised you the most? "If I'm not making any money, it's fair use."

Stars of Bollywood

RA #2: Are Digital Media Changing Language?

"These days you sometimes hear students saying "brb" (be right back) to one another when they temporarily take their leave. I have also overheard "lol" (laughing out loud) in conversations among young people. However, these neologisms need to be put into perspective. Infusion of written acronyms into everyday speech is a common linguistic process—to wit, RSVP, AWOL, or ASAP. If a few more lexical shortenings make their way into general usage, that's nothing out of the ordinary." (Naomi Barton, 2009)

Why was language and written words created? Is it so that we can sound intelligent and educated? Of course not! Language was created as a form of communication. We have made it into so much more, which by itself is fine. Elaborate language can be used to create works of art and expression, such as the writings of Shakespeare and other masters of the English language. Language also needs rules and structure, which makes it consistent across the board. However, at times, we forget the main purpose of language. If proper grammar is followed but the message is not successfully conveyed, then the communication has been a failure. If poor grammar is used and the message is understood, the communication has been successful. For successful communication to take place, it involves a clear message from the sender as well as a clear understanding from the receiver. As long as these two things take place, the language used has served its purpose. The introduction of text messaging into society is not the first example of taking short cuts with the English language. There have long been classes that teach you short-hand, as well as commonly used phrases such as RSVP and ASAP. When these shortcuts begin to affect successful communication, then we have a major societal problem. Until then, perhaps we are making "Much Ado About Nothing."

Reference:
Barton, Naomi S. (2009) Are Digital Media Changing Language?
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Are-Digital-Media-Changing-Language%C2%A2.aspx

Comic Strip