Killing Us Softly

Hi Everyone!

I have been thinking a lot about the documentary we watched in class on Tuesday...although I have seen it before, it always reveals something new and thought provoking after each viewing. I continue to be horrified by the way our culture portrays women (and men), yet I know that my "media consumption" adds to this problem. I have a bad habit of watching reality TV (*blush*) and lately I have been catching up on The Bachelorette. After watching Killing Us Softly on Tuesday, the show held a totally different meaning for me. I was appalled by the portrayal of men and women on the show and in the ads that ran during the show. Typically I DVR programs and fast-forward through the commercials, but I made a conscious effort to slow down the DVR and view a few of the ads after class.

I am definitely not one of those people that say, "Ads don't influence me!" I am completely aware that ads do influence the way I feel about myself and the people around me. About 2 years ago I made a conscious effort to stop reading fashion magazines because I noticed that after I read them I felt much more negatively about myself, my clothes, even the car I drive. I can only imagine the ideas, worries, and fears that develop in teens as they are bombarded by the images of how women and men "should be." I also think the portrayal of romantic relationships in TV shows and movies is incredibly skewed. My favorite reality show, The Bachelorette, sends tons of messages about romantic relationships...most of which are sexist and demeaning: yet I keep coming back for more!

By the way, check out this website for more information on media literacy, the doc we saw Killing Us Softly, and more docs with similar themes: http://www.mediaed.org/

Media the Matters

Ryan Goble, the creator of "Making Curriculum Pop," suggested a site on my discussion about utilizing documentaries to teach persuasion: www.mediathatmattersfest.org/films

I haven't explored the site too much, but it is a site for the Media that Matters Festival. The top films from each festival are categorized on the site, and I think you can watch each of them for free?

Anyway - I just wanted to share this, especially after our media literacy discussion in class yesterday!

There She Is!! Online Animated Shorts and their potential in a Classroom?

Hey guys. I know this is a bit off topic from what we are discussing in class at the moment but I would have posted this sooner if I had access to the blog. I mentioned in class about a series of animated shorts that I thought would be good to present in a classroom. It is a series of of Korean Flash videos entitled Ddautta (Translated as There She Is).

The story takes place in a Korean like enviroment inhabited by anthropomorphic cats and rabbits. The main characters are Nabi (a male cat identified with a green scarf) and Doki ( a female rabbit identified with a pink bow). Through the course of the videos the two meet and bond but they are met with opposition from those who do not approve of their relationship. I don't want to spoil too much so I'm going to keep the plot summary at that. Important to note that there is no spoken dialogue and that the story using just the animation and the music.

When I first saw this Flash series, I was truly shocked at its overall message at the end of the last two videos, especially comparing it to the silly cartoon like attitude of first episode. However, I can say with utmost certainty that I would not have had the same impact watching this series out of order. From what I've been able to gather from the posts on its originating website is that the conflict shown in later episodes actually stems from a internal culture conflict in Korea. I may have to do more research on this but I'll try to get back to you on what I find.

I'm going to give you guys a link to the videos and you can watch them at your leisure.

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/international/

Each episode is categorized into different Steps (Example: Step 1=Episode 1)

After watching each Step, I want to hear your thoughts on this series. What kind of class would benefit from showing something like this? Would it relate to teens in high school? (Personally, I think it would be great to show in an english or history class discussing racism).

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the shorts as much as I did and I can't wait to hear your responses.

Docs and Nonfiction Reading and Writing

Now that our eyes are being opened to the world of documentaries and the ways our reading of them can lead to stronger reading and writing of other nonfiction texts, I wonder what ways you could do just that - use documentaries to strengthen adolescent nonfiction literacy skills.

Week One

What possibilities do you think exist for the use of film in your present or future secondary classroom?

FILM AND MEDIA WIKI

Here it is!