Media+Studies+Winter+2016

__ **What are we learning?** __
 * __Monday, May 16th to Friday, June 10th (presentation June 13th, 14th, 15th), 2016__**
 * We can define popular culture
 * We can create a piece of media text from conception to production to presentation
 * We can recognize the role of culture in all communication
 * We can write to express understanding
 * We can read to find meaning and interpret
 * We can speak to share thoughts, opinions, and feelings
 * We can confer with peers and teachers
 * We can recognize underlying values and issues as they apply to a particular media issue or problem
 * We can recognize the impact of media communications
 * We can use a variety of resources to assist their research
 * We can learn how technology impacts on their lives, society, and the environment
 * We can manage time and resources
 * We work independently or with a peer
 * We can communicate findings and conclusions in an appropriate manner for a specific audience and purpose

__ **Monday, May 16th to June 10th** __ : Well, it is hard to believe it is already time to start wrapping up the semester, as June is here, next week. As you begin working on your final unit, you are will be given over 15 hours of time to work on this before your presentation. Remember, this unit of study is where you get to create your own presentation on any topic you wish to when it comes to media. Make sure that you choose a topic that is of interest to you and that you won't get bored with after a few classes.

We will be scheduling presentation times as the semester starts to wind down. I am here to help you out so please use me!

Again, all of the details can be found in your project packages which you can download here:



During the next 4 weeks (10 hours plus) you are going to be given the full hour, each day to work on your final projects for our class. Please see last week's entries for your assignment package and rubric for evaluation. Remember, CHOOSE A TOPIC THAT IS OF INTEREST TO YOU AND THAT YOU WON'T GET BORED WITH! You are being given the time to explore, play with technology, research, and create. Use this time wisely and not to waste! Just like I showed you with student example for over the last few years, the bar is set quite high for this final project! Plus, please don't forget that is is MANDATORY. **I cannot give you a mark without the final presentation, taking place.**


 * Final projects will be due June 9th to 15th.**

It has been awesome having you in the class!



__ **Monday, April 18th to Friday, April 22nd, 2016** __ __ **What are we learning?** __
 * We can understand the codes and conventions used in creating a documentary
 * We can view and examine a documentary of our own choosing
 * We can analyse the documentary and create guiding questions
 * We can share our questions and findings with our classmates

__**How we will learn it**__ __**Monday, April 18th to Friday April 22nd**__:

Things for you to think about as you watch your documentary. We will reflect on these after you view:
 * Goal **: Choose a documentary that you have an interest in, doing our best to make sure that it is school appropriate.
 * What do you know already?
 * What questions is the documentary trying to answer or look at?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">What evidence are you being shown?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">How do you know the evidence they are showing you is true?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">How does the presentation contribute to building your beliefs?


 * Questions for discussion**:

Example: What color is the car?
 * Closed Questions: Questions that have facts based on them.**
 * 3 closed questions**

Example: Based on what you have viewed, how do you feel about this topic?
 * Open Qeustions: Questions that allow people to share their opinions or thoughts**
 * 2-3 open questions**

We will share our questions with the class as we choose a few of these documentaries to look at, in class.

We will share these, next week!

Have an awesome weekend!



__ **Monday, April 11th to Friday, April 15th, 2016** __ __ **What are we learning?** __
 * We can understand the codes and conventions used in advertising
 * We can examine the ways a company makes us feel in our personal lives
 * We can view a specific piece of media and examine the codes and conventions on how it makes us feel personally and the image it is trying to represent
 * We can view, and examine, the codes and conventions of a TV show and it's effect on pop culture
 * We can examine how a piece of media is created in a stage production and the process from concept to performance

__**Monday, April 11th**__: This is your last class to work on your PSA assignments. Please make sure to email or hand them into me be the end of the class today or first thing tomorrow.

__**Tuesday, April 12th to Friday, April 15th**__: During these classes, we will see how a piece of media is produced from concept to design to production. We will be taking a look at the documentary film "LOVE: The Beatles" as the guys from Cirque Du Soleil create a piece of media from start to finish and the path they took to get there. Please download the following handout and answer the questions as we go through:



Please take notes during the documentary on the guiding questions. Once completed, we will discuss.

Have an awesome weekend!



__ **Monday, April 4th to Friday, April 8th, 2016** __ __ **What are we learning?** __
 * We can examine the art of creating a Public Service Announcement
 * We can disect other PSA's and how they impact society
 * We can create an outline or storyboard for our own PSA video or print advertisement
 * We can create our own PSA that focuses on a topic in society or within the Christian community

__ **How we will learn it** __ __ **Monday, April 4th**: __ You will be given time to work on your PSA example project. Please complete this today, and email them to me.

__**Tuesday, April 5th**__: Each of us will hopefully be able to share one of the PSAs from our wikispace page and we can have a class discussion on the ones that you share.

__**Wednesday, April 6th to Friday, April 8th**__: Time for you to create your own PSA!

By yourself or with partner, design your own PSA based on a topic that you believe in important in our pop culture. You can create this in print form or with a video. If you decide to go with the print form, you will need to create 3 PSAs. If you go with the video, you will just need to create one video. What I am looking for is that you create a PSA that has the following elements:
 * Your Task ** :
 * Video is no longer than 45 seconds
 * Video is edited somehow (iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, Your phone editing soft ware, etc.)
 * Print ads must contain images that you create (no cutting and pasting offline)
 * Print ads must contain text that is not copied or pasted off the internet (quotes, etc.)
 * All forms of PSA must relate to a topic that is important in our pop culture
 * All forms of PSAs need to be kept school appropriate (there is pushing the line of decency and there is just you think you are being shocking by being silly)

Here is some information, in case you need to figure out how to set up a PSA. Click Here

You will be given the rest of the week to work on this and some of next week.

Hope you have a great weekend!



__**Monday, March 21st to Thursday, March 24th, 2016**__ __**What are we learning?**__
 * We can examine how advertising is visual but can also be subliminal in the way we see it and hear it
 * We can Recognize the role and power of advertising in the mass media
 * We can Extend and apply their speaking, listening, writing, reading, viewing, and representing abilities
 * We can examine a documentary for purpose and understanding
 * We can analayze the tools for creating a documentary
 * We can interpret the message of a documentary to see the creators point of view
 * We can examine the art of creating a Public Service Announcement
 * We can disect other PSA's and how they impact society

__** How we will learn it **__ __**Monday, March 21st to Thursday, March 24th**__:

COMPLETE SUPER SIZE ME!!!! Then see below:

Your job, for the next two classes, is to collect a number (4 to 5) of ** Public Service Announcements (this can be images or links to videos on YouTube). All you'll need to do is create a Word document (Microsoft Word) and cut and paste the ones that you find. **


 * Here's some examples: **

media type="youtube" key="litXW91UauE" width="306" height="174" media type="youtube" key="R0LCmStIw9E" width="308" height="175" media type="youtube" key="_7jagr-9Er8" width="313" height="236" media type="youtube" key="omBfg3UwkYM" width="319" height="241"




 * Some of the topics you may look at are: **


 * Drinking and Driving
 * Texting and Driving
 * Being cautious online
 * Dangers of Drugs
 * Environment issues
 * Animal Cruelty
 * Body Image (boys and girls)
 * Violence
 * Choose any that you feel would relate to our pop culture (issues of today)

For each of the videos you choose,, I would like you to answer the following questions under each of the videos:


 * 1. What is the topic for the PSA? **


 * 2. What are they trying to make you think about in the PSA? **


 * 3. What emotions are brought up through watching the PSA? How are they brought up? **


 * 4. What are you left thinking about after you watch the PSA when it comes to that topic? **

Once you have completed the assignment, you can email me (**young.brett@ccsmj.ca**) so that I can access the links, from your document, on my computer.

Have a great Easter Break!



__**Monday, March 14th to Thursday, March 17th, 2016**__ __**What are we learning?**__
 * We can examine how advertising is visual but can also be subliminal in the way we see it and hear it
 * We can Recognize the role and power of advertising in the mass media
 * We can Extend and apply their speaking, listening, writing, reading, viewing, and representing abilities
 * We can examine a documentary for purpose and understanding
 * We can analayze the tools for creating a documentary
 * We can interpret the message of a documentary to see the creators point of view
 * We can examine the art of creating a Public Service Announcement
 * We can disect other PSA's and how they impact society

__** How we will learn it **__ __**Monday, March 14th and Tuesday, March 15th**:__ To finish up our advertising unit you will have one task to complete! Here it is: To create a piece of media (drawing, writing, video, etc.) that shows 7-10 product placements. It is up to you how you want to create it! You can choose video or pictures but a scene does need to be setup that incorporates product placement into it

You get to decide on the products that you want to use but they must be visible or used within the scene and prominently displayed.

You can create a video presentation, act it out in front of the class, or create a visual (see the student-made example on my board). It's up to you. Be as creative as you want!


 * These will be due Wednesday, March ** **16th**

__**Wednesday, March 16th and Thursday, March 17th**__: During these classes we are going to be taking a look at the documentary "Super Size Me". This is created by the same guy that made "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold". As you watch the documentary, is to think about what we know about health and fitness, plus the hazards of eating too much junk food. Remember to keep in mind that it is a documentary and one person's opinion and visual. Do you agree with everything you are being shown? That is the big question! This will lead us into looking at what a Public Service Announcement (PSA) does and how it is made up.

Some of the questions we are looking at, as we view the documentary are:
 * What do you know already?
 * What evidence are you being shown?
 * How do you know what is true?
 * How does the presentation contribute to building your beliefs?

If you need a copy of the documentary to watch, please click here to view it. We will discuss things, as we work out way through and then start looking at particular Public Service Announcements, in the coming classes.


 * Super Size Me description**:

<span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;">(2004) Why are Americans so fat? Two words: fast food. What would happen if you ate nothing but fast food for an entire month? Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock does just that and embarks on the most perilous journey of his life. The rules? For 30 days he can't eat or drink anything that isn't on McDonald's menu; he must wolf three squares a day; he must consume everything on the menu at least once and supersize his meal if asked. Spurlock treks across the country interviewing a host of experts on fast food and an equal number of regular folk while chowing down at the Golden Arches. Spurlock's grueling drive-through diet spirals him into a physical and emotional metamorphosis that will make you think twice about picking up another Big Mac.

Have an awesome long weekend!



__**Monday, March 7th to Friday, March 11th, 2016**__ __**What are we learning?**__
 * We can identify the use of product placement in a specific movie
 * We can examine how advertising is visual but can also be subliminal in the way we see it and hear it
 * We can Recognize the role and power of advertising in the mass media
 * We can Extend and apply their speaking, listening, writing, reading, viewing, and representing abilities

__** How we will learn it **__ __**Monday, March 7th to Friday, Marc****h**__ **__11th__:** For the next couple of classes we are going to be looking at a specific piece of media that focuses product placement within it. Most of us, over the past few years, has heard a little bit about the Transformers movies (there have been 3 of them over the last 5 years). You know, those robots called Autobots that come to earth to save us from the Decepticons. Yeah, those guys! :) Well, within the first movie there are over ** 96 product placements ** thrown into it. Our job is to actually see if we can spot as many as we can. ** Within this search you will need to keep your eyes AND your ears open ** . Yes, not only is product placement about sight, it is about what you hear, as well. Please download the following handout to your network space. We will be completing these as we watch the movie. Afterwards we will post your findings and your opinion question to your wikispace. Here is the handout:



Have a great weekend!



__**Monday, February 29th to Thursday, March 4th, 2016**__ __**What are we learning?**__
 * We can investigate our own uses of media in our personal lives
 * We can use the Media Triangle to deconstruct common forms of media and the way they are presented to us.
 * We can view and have a class discussion on the ways media is presented to us and the different forms that we consume in our world
 * We can use class discussion and group activities to look at the uses that Mass Media plays in our lives
 * We can use examine and use different technology media tools that play a big role in our society at the present time
 * We can write using details and support to enhance our opinion of certain aspects of media
 * We can Recognize the role and power of advertising in the mass media
 * We can Extend and apply their speaking, listening, writing, reading, viewing, and representing abilities
 * We can examine the art of how advertisers use your personality, environment, and values to convince you to buy their products (psychographics)

__**How we will learn it**__ __**Monday, February** **29th:**__ This is going to seem really weird but bare with me. As you can see I am gone, today! blah! I wish I wasn't but I am. As you guys know, we started "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" last Thursday. We will continue with this tomorrow, after I get back.

During the course of the movies they are going to be talking about a thing that advertisers use called Psychographics or VALS (Values and LifeStyles). This is a tool used by advertisers to look at the way people buy things. The way you are raised, since birth, has contributed to the way that you decide to buy things. Advertisers know this and they try to do different things to lure you in. Now, here's what I need you to do:

1. Read through the following handout. You can do this on the computer or print it out, your choice:



2. Make sure to go over the TASK part on the first page of the handout. You have not created wikispaces for this course so I just want you to work on looking at you and your 3 people (these can be anyone in your life or characters in movies on TV, if you wish) on the computer. Start making notes about why you believe these people fit into those categories.

Tomorrow, we will continue with the documentary and I'll explain more about Psychographics as it comes up. Just do your best today to get started. You will be handing this into me once it is completed.

Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you tomorrow!


 * Also, if you HAVE NOT finished handing in your 4 questions from the documentary on cyber bullying (see below), DO IT and hand them in! **

__**Tuesday, March 1st to Thursday, March 3rd**__: We will continue on with the documentary, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold and have some discussion about the content, especially when it comes to Psychographics and what you looked at yesterday while I was away.

I also have two videos to share with you as we continue to look at this subject:

media type="youtube" key="YDnu7kxOgNc" width="420" height="315" media type="youtube" key="KjB6r-HDDI0" width="560" height="315"

__**Monday, February 22nd to Friday, February 26th, 2016**__ __**What are we learning?**__
 * We can discuss ideology and values in the media
 * We can look at the effects of cyber bullying in our culture
 * We can examine, through guiding questions, our own thoughts on cyberfulling

__**How we will learn it**__

__**Cyber bullying Documentary**__

Over the next couple of classes we will be looking at ideology and values through our observations and discussion of the following documentary that deals with the effects of cyber bullying. Please see the link below if you need to watch some of the documentary because you were away from class:

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">[]

Next, read the questions below and respond to 4 of them. Type out. Hand in when completed:

1. Is cyber bullying really that prevalent (noticeable) in your generation or is it being made into a bigger deal than it is? explain. 2. Do you think that this issue will get worse or better as the next generation of social media users gets older? explain. 3. What advice would you give a kid in grade 6 about joining a social media site? explain. 4. What age would you let your kids start using social media? Would you be a parent that monitors your kid's social media usage? Why or why not? Would it be up to a certain age? 5. If you could create one law regarding cyber-bullying or under age kids using social media, what would it be? 6. What does empathy mean? How does that relate to social media and cyber-bullying?