Here is the unit plan that I have designed centered around the Cuban Missile Crisis and the film Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Leared to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Throughout the unit, VoiceThread is used to employed to allow students to not only show their knowledge of the subject matter, but to do so in a way that enhances the normal written word. Students also blogged their responses online to show how their thoughts as the film progressed. Hopefully, this would keep students engaged throughout the movie.
For a final assessment, the students again used VoiceThread to answer a series of question in relation to film. The questions asked students to respond to the film in a variety of ways. They were asked to engage in some film analysis and place the film in relation to actual historical events. I have often heard that many teenagers "don't get" why this film is a comedy. With the proper treatment and instruction, possibly this view can be changed. The unit and the assessment can be seen in the link below.
Google Docs
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Film Adaptations
Dystopian themes are one of my personal favorites in both literature and film. 1984 has long been taught in English classes, but has clear connections to the social studies. Similar in nature is V for Vendetta, a graphic novel by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd that was recently adapted into a live action film. V for Vendetta creates a world in which England is run by a totalitarian government and America is in ruins due to a long term war. A masked hero named V rallies a resistance to the brutal government, exposes its crimes, and eventually brings about its destruction. Both the graphic novel and the film offer a rich resource for any social studies class. Here are a couple ideas on how this resource can be utilized.
Students could explore themes of resistance throughout American or world history. Using V as an example, they could create a VoiceThread that gives examples of resistance movements and the individuals that led them. One example could be the anti-war movement that formed in reaction to America's involvement in Vietnam. Showing images of protests and war, students could relate the events of the 60's and early 70's, to the images and ideas in V for Vendetta. Students should also reflect on the moral nature of resistance movements. When is acceptable or appropriate to form resistance movements? Are there any events or trends in society today that the students feel that strongly about. What is the role of violence in these movements? Students will be able to express a very strong opinion in the images that they choose to incorporate in their voice thread and the words they choose to go over them.
Using the graphic novel as springboard, students could also create a graphic novel or comic depicting an historical example of a resistance movement. This would require them to do research into an event that they are interested in exploring. Teachers could also require them to write a short defense of why they chose the to draw the images they did and how that effectively portrays the resistance movement. Just as in the previous exercise, students should be wrestling with the nature of these movements. They should give justifications for call to action that the characters felt.
Students could explore themes of resistance throughout American or world history. Using V as an example, they could create a VoiceThread that gives examples of resistance movements and the individuals that led them. One example could be the anti-war movement that formed in reaction to America's involvement in Vietnam. Showing images of protests and war, students could relate the events of the 60's and early 70's, to the images and ideas in V for Vendetta. Students should also reflect on the moral nature of resistance movements. When is acceptable or appropriate to form resistance movements? Are there any events or trends in society today that the students feel that strongly about. What is the role of violence in these movements? Students will be able to express a very strong opinion in the images that they choose to incorporate in their voice thread and the words they choose to go over them.
Using the graphic novel as springboard, students could also create a graphic novel or comic depicting an historical example of a resistance movement. This would require them to do research into an event that they are interested in exploring. Teachers could also require them to write a short defense of why they chose the to draw the images they did and how that effectively portrays the resistance movement. Just as in the previous exercise, students should be wrestling with the nature of these movements. They should give justifications for call to action that the characters felt.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Explosions in the Sky
The track "Six Days at the Bottom of the Ocean" by Explosions in the Sky has long been one of my favorite songs. After having this band recommended to me by a friend, I did some exploring on YouTube and found a few videos of them performing life and was immediately hooked. I have since purchased all of their albums and seen them in concert.
Even though their songs have no vocals, they still manage to evoke emotions from the listener. This particular song features their signature guitar work and manages to portray as sense of melancholy throughout. After further investigation, I discovered that the song was inspired by the sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk, which was stranded at the bottom of the sea, before finally all of its crew succumbed to death.
While this gave the song an added depth, it is not what drew me to the song initially. The guitar work is so moving, that I don't ever notice that the song is absent of vocals. The instruments alone are so effective in portraying a mood that any attempt at vocalizing this song would ruin it completely. It is the type of song that is best listened to with headphones, eyes closed, and the light out.
Even though their songs have no vocals, they still manage to evoke emotions from the listener. This particular song features their signature guitar work and manages to portray as sense of melancholy throughout. After further investigation, I discovered that the song was inspired by the sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk, which was stranded at the bottom of the sea, before finally all of its crew succumbed to death.
While this gave the song an added depth, it is not what drew me to the song initially. The guitar work is so moving, that I don't ever notice that the song is absent of vocals. The instruments alone are so effective in portraying a mood that any attempt at vocalizing this song would ruin it completely. It is the type of song that is best listened to with headphones, eyes closed, and the light out.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The Future is Now
The Future of Food. Directed by Deborah Koons Garcia.
The Future of Food is a documentary film dealing mainly with the genetic modification of food. It details the science of how dangerous genetically modified foods can be to the plant species. It uses other countries as examples of how genetically modified foods can prevented from being grown and consumed. It also presents an interesting debate about the morality of granting patents for new plant species, which are a form of life.
The intended audience of this film is not as clear as its message. Surely, since we all eat food, there isn't a person who the content of this film doesn't in some way affect. However, not everyone will be drawn to a film about food. People who already buy organic foods will find a confirmation of that decision in this film. In general, people who are conscious about the food they eat will be the main audience of this film.
There are several techniques that the film employs to get its message across. They use interviews with both industry experts and farmers very effectively. The farmers that were profiled had all been part of lawsuits against large corporations for unintentionally using a seed to which they did not own the patent or pay for. The only way in which the corporations were given a voice in this discussion was in short press releases, which were only ever in text form. Even though I agree with the main message of the film, the film only ever presented one side of this debate. I feel like hearing a representative from the Monsanto would have strengthened the film and increased my opposition to genetically modified foods.
In the end however, the film was effective in delivering its message. It ended on a positive note by describing the recent growth of organic foods and farmers markets across the United States. Viewing the film will definitely make me a more conscious shopper the next time I find myself in a grocery store.
The Future of Food is a documentary film dealing mainly with the genetic modification of food. It details the science of how dangerous genetically modified foods can be to the plant species. It uses other countries as examples of how genetically modified foods can prevented from being grown and consumed. It also presents an interesting debate about the morality of granting patents for new plant species, which are a form of life.
The intended audience of this film is not as clear as its message. Surely, since we all eat food, there isn't a person who the content of this film doesn't in some way affect. However, not everyone will be drawn to a film about food. People who already buy organic foods will find a confirmation of that decision in this film. In general, people who are conscious about the food they eat will be the main audience of this film.
There are several techniques that the film employs to get its message across. They use interviews with both industry experts and farmers very effectively. The farmers that were profiled had all been part of lawsuits against large corporations for unintentionally using a seed to which they did not own the patent or pay for. The only way in which the corporations were given a voice in this discussion was in short press releases, which were only ever in text form. Even though I agree with the main message of the film, the film only ever presented one side of this debate. I feel like hearing a representative from the Monsanto would have strengthened the film and increased my opposition to genetically modified foods.
In the end however, the film was effective in delivering its message. It ended on a positive note by describing the recent growth of organic foods and farmers markets across the United States. Viewing the film will definitely make me a more conscious shopper the next time I find myself in a grocery store.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Umbrella's
If I find myself with absolutely nothing else to do, I may from time to time watch a local news broadcast. When this does occur, KARE 11 (the local Minneapolis syndicate of NBC) is my broadcast of choice. I find their production value of a slightly better quality, even though their content is definitely that of a local news show.
On Tuesday, November 11 I viewed the 10:00 airing of KARE 11 news. The lead story focused on the declining price of dairy products and the impact it is having local farmers. The piece ran almost three minutes and featured many interviews with a farmer struggling to make it on his family farm. The next story centered around a hockey coach (from my hometown in WI!) who had been sexually involved with one of his female players. This story was just under two minutes long. From here, short stories were read by the anchors with a mix of local and national importance. Of the three stories featured, 2 of the three non-local stories had a local connection.
After a commercial break, there was a five minute human interest story about a soldier in the Vietnam war writing letters home to his wife. This story was pure human interest, and repeatedly used the word "emotion." The second half of the show was completed with weather and sports.
The commercials of the show were almost completely geared at the middle-aged, middle class families. Menards, Fleet Farm, Hospitals, and a few car companies all had advertisements. Since this is probably the target audience of the show, this ad strategy makes sense.
Being of generation that gets most of its news online, of the entire 30 minute broadcast, I probably would have viewed 2 stories and possibly the weather had I been on their website. This leads me to my own viewing habits. I do not subscribe to any cable or satellite packages, so I get my TV over the air using a DTV converter box. I watch only a couple of hours of TV/week, with "The Office" being the only program I view on a regular basis. This is aired on NBC, which is owned by General Electric.
My internet is provided by Comcast. The sites I visit most are probably CNN.com (owned by Time Warner) and YouTube, which is to the best of my knowledge still independent(?). I rarely listen to the radio since I have a CD player in my car and can choose my own music. If I do happen upon the radio, 93X(93.7, part of the Disney) and 89.3 The Current (a part of Minnesota Public Radio) are my stations of choice.
I feel that the media that I choose to view is a mix of large, umbrella corporations and more independently minded operations. The type of product you receive from these two sources can vary, especially in terms of content. Umbrella companies' content will often be uncontroversial, but is often entertaining enough to keep some of my attention. Smaller companies and media outlets are more likely to turn me on to something I have not heard of yet. While these media products are not always 100% to my liking, more often than not they are, and I certainly appreciate the effort they make to bring me something new.
On Tuesday, November 11 I viewed the 10:00 airing of KARE 11 news. The lead story focused on the declining price of dairy products and the impact it is having local farmers. The piece ran almost three minutes and featured many interviews with a farmer struggling to make it on his family farm. The next story centered around a hockey coach (from my hometown in WI!) who had been sexually involved with one of his female players. This story was just under two minutes long. From here, short stories were read by the anchors with a mix of local and national importance. Of the three stories featured, 2 of the three non-local stories had a local connection.
After a commercial break, there was a five minute human interest story about a soldier in the Vietnam war writing letters home to his wife. This story was pure human interest, and repeatedly used the word "emotion." The second half of the show was completed with weather and sports.
The commercials of the show were almost completely geared at the middle-aged, middle class families. Menards, Fleet Farm, Hospitals, and a few car companies all had advertisements. Since this is probably the target audience of the show, this ad strategy makes sense.
Being of generation that gets most of its news online, of the entire 30 minute broadcast, I probably would have viewed 2 stories and possibly the weather had I been on their website. This leads me to my own viewing habits. I do not subscribe to any cable or satellite packages, so I get my TV over the air using a DTV converter box. I watch only a couple of hours of TV/week, with "The Office" being the only program I view on a regular basis. This is aired on NBC, which is owned by General Electric.
My internet is provided by Comcast. The sites I visit most are probably CNN.com (owned by Time Warner) and YouTube, which is to the best of my knowledge still independent(?). I rarely listen to the radio since I have a CD player in my car and can choose my own music. If I do happen upon the radio, 93X(93.7, part of the Disney) and 89.3 The Current (a part of Minnesota Public Radio) are my stations of choice.
I feel that the media that I choose to view is a mix of large, umbrella corporations and more independently minded operations. The type of product you receive from these two sources can vary, especially in terms of content. Umbrella companies' content will often be uncontroversial, but is often entertaining enough to keep some of my attention. Smaller companies and media outlets are more likely to turn me on to something I have not heard of yet. While these media products are not always 100% to my liking, more often than not they are, and I certainly appreciate the effort they make to bring me something new.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Analyzing Advertising
As I was waiting for a move to begin, I was presented with and advertisement in which a series of very muscular men were hitting each other and yelling in participation for the sporting event in which they were preparing for. Even when the brand logo appeared at the end of the ad I was unsure what they were trying to sell me. The two people I was with were similarly confused, since none of us could properly be considered “athletes.” I viewed another ad from the same company and I am beginning to see the idea. The Air Jordan line of athletic apparel relies heavily on the viewers memory and identification with the basketball great Michael Jordan. Both ads show athletes being passionate and working very hard at their respective sports. They present the idea that Michael Jordan, considered by many to be one of the greatest athletes of all-time, relied heavily on hard work and dedication to achieve such high levels of success. These advertisements don’t explicitly sell shoes, t-shirts, or other apparel. They sell the idea of becoming “legendary” as the ads often end. The Air Jordan brand of athletic apparel identifies with these ethics and can help you along your journey. (View the ad here)
You see online dating services all over the Internet. All these ads do is create a common area where people can communicate. For many people, this is a scary place. You can never really be sure if the person's profile truly reflects who they are. Even sites like Facebook and MySpace can be misleading. This fictitious advertisement that I created targets a niche audience on how they can improve their "coolness." I guess it is a parody of all the online dating services, as well as dieting ads that show radical transformations from geek to chic, or obese to athletic. Here is the ad, made using VoiceThread.
You see online dating services all over the Internet. All these ads do is create a common area where people can communicate. For many people, this is a scary place. You can never really be sure if the person's profile truly reflects who they are. Even sites like Facebook and MySpace can be misleading. This fictitious advertisement that I created targets a niche audience on how they can improve their "coolness." I guess it is a parody of all the online dating services, as well as dieting ads that show radical transformations from geek to chic, or obese to athletic. Here is the ad, made using VoiceThread.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
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