Infographic

 In a group of 5 we created an infographic comparing environmental effects on the world.  We chose 5 different countries, and found information to compare how those countries affect the environment.
We separated into two main groups.  We had 3 people do the research, and create the infographic, and 2 of us looked for the pictures and created the Imovie.
I think the infographic would help explain in a visual way how the different countries affect the world.  The students will benefit from their teacher using an infographic because it is very easy to understand and it can help them come up with good interesting questions.

Cat World

Miau Publisher is proud to present Cat World, a magazine that will forever change a cat lover's life.  This no non-sense magazine offers in-depth articles about your loved feline, offers advice from our kitty experts, and tells hear-breaking stories written by our readers, devout cat lovers. The readers should remember that while cats are very independent, they also need tender love and care.  

The magazine does not only have interesting articles, but it also has artistic pictures of cats.  This makes it a little different from other cat magazines.

The headlines contrast with the sepia colored picture, but are still simple enough to not affect the picture.

The picture on the cover shows a beautiful, loving cat.

Representation, Bias, and Stereotypes

Representation, Bias and Stereotypes

Stereotype

Pantene Pro-V treatment

The girl in the ad has beautiful hair.  She has obviously gone under some intense hair styling treatment, and probably had to sit with a hair stylist for hours.  Her hair looks breezy, shiny and with lots of body. When you see the ad, and read catch frase (Don't Cut It!) you wonder if you use that treatment, your hair will look as beautiful as hers.  The stereotype I found in this ad is that, if you use the treatment, you will look as radiant as she does.

Bias

Partido Verde Ecologista

There are two "characters" in this ad.  There is a mean, pharmacist who does not help out the poor, helpless woman.  The pharmacist is heartless, he does not care about the woman's problems.  The woman is heartbroken.  How will she ever save her kids.

The ad then tells you to turn the page.

When you turn the page, you get a picture of presidential candidate Peña Nieto.  His campaign promised free medicine stamps for everyone. In the picture Peña Nieto is smiling (and wearing the political party colors) and seems secure of himself.

The bias in this ad is that he is only showing this side of him.

Representation

Huggies UltraConfort

This ad "shows" you how easy it is to change a diaper if you use Huggies UltraConfort.  The ad shows different steps to using this special kind of diaper.  It does not show all of the steps. 

Codes

Technical Codes that were in the movies were:

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Symbols

The video was very colorful and looked cartoonish. The setting was made out of food, and it looked very appealing.  

Technical Codes Jr

The video is 2 dimensional, and the camera is zooming in and out to the different food groups/important characters.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Symbols

The video is dark and gloomy. It uses grays, black, and green. Visuals such as thorns, shadows, and swirls to portray confusion, sadness, or fear.

Technical Codes Jr

The video has quick transitions, and does a lot of zoom in/ fade outs that keep the viewer interested.

Technical Codes that were in the TV Commercials were:

Extra Chewing Gum

Symbols

Uses food known to the general public as food that makes your breath smell, as the "bad boys" that gum will stop. 

Catch Phrase

"Eat Drink Chew... Extra"- Eating and drinking are necessities, by putting Chewing Extra it makes it sound like it's also something you need to do.

Uses popular song "Bad Boys", and changes the lyrics to fit the commercial.

Nolan Cheese

Symbols

The mouse trap as an obstacle for the mouse

The cheese as something desired

Technical Codes Jr

There is a blackout after Rocky's theme song, making it sound like something dreadful happened.

Catch Phrase

"Seriously Strong"- Not only talks about the strength of the cheese, but also represents the strength of the mouse in the video. The mouse overcomes the trap by

Music Selection- "Rocky Theme Song" "The End" would represent giving up, "Eye of the Tiger" is the fight, and the will to get better-stronger

Magazine Ads

Baconator

Symbols

The size of the burger takes over the entire ad. It makes it look "strong" and "big". The ingredients are in small print

Writing

Colorful writing

Buzz Words- "Small is Better- Works only for Gadgets" using the word gadget makes it more appealing to the public.

Farm Fresh

Symbols

The black and white city contrasts with the bright orange carrots.

Writing

Buzz words- farm fresh

Reflection

I think knowing how to identify codes and symbols is really important because we are constantly bombarded by media. We need to know what movie trailers, tv ads, and magazine commercials are trying to tell us.  

For example, when we saw the trailer for "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" we thought that the introduction would make the people watching the movie crave food- particularly junk food.

Lesson Plan

Objective: How are food marketers crossing the line between advertising and entertainment to engage young consumers, and why does this concern children’s consumption in daily life? To what extent are product-related games, quizzes and apps making children both recipients and tools of marketing? In the lesson below, students look at various forms of advertising, then keep logs of the ads and other branded content they encounter over the course of a week. The students will reflect on their experiences researching and how they will become different consumers.

Materials: Computers with Internet access, projector, links to examples of advertisements and commercials. (see links below)

Warm-Up: Display the following three-question quiz on the board/projector.

1. It is conservatively estimated that children influence more than $_______________ in food and beverage purchases each year in the United States.

a. 10 million

b. 50 million

c. 50 billion

d. 100 billion

2. In February, the McDonald’s sites HappyMeal.com and McWorld.com received a total of ______________ visitors, around half of whom were under 12.

a. 7,000

b. 70,000

c. 700,000

d. 7 million

3. General Mills’ Lucky Charms site, with virtual adventures starring Lucky the Leprechaun, had __________ visitors in February.

a. 27,000

b. 57,000

c. 157, 000

d. 227,000

(correct answers: 1. d; 2. c; 3. d)

Reflection: Have students answer the questions with table groups. Ask students if they find any of these numbers surprising.

Lesson and Activities:

Activity A
A. Show the movie title sequence.
Ask the question, "What are the feelings you had while watching the movie? List them all down on the board or chart paper.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

B. Show the magazine ad. Ask the same question, "What were the feelings you had while looking at the ad? List them all down on the board or chart paper.

C. Show the Magazine ad again and play the movie at the same time. Alternately show the ad and the movie making sure that you give an ample amount of time using the music from the movie as a background music to the magazine ad.
Ask the same question again, "What were the feelings you had while watching both at the same time? List them all down on the board or a piece of paper.

D. Compare your lists and discuss the similarities and differences.

E. Show the TV commercial

Wrigley's Extra Chewing Gum

Ask the students to describe the commercial. Ask the question, "What is the message of this TV commercial? Is it effective? What are the benefits of using images and music altogether to relay a message?

F. Do steps A-E for Activity B with the following media samples.
























Activity B
Movie Title Sequences:
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

Magazine Ad:

TV Commercials:
Nolan Cheese Commercial

G. Compare the results of Activity A and Activity B.

H. Show the Wendy's ad again and play the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movie at the same time. Ask the question: How did your feelings change about the magazine ad? List down answers on the board or chart paper and discuss the differences from the list made in Activity A.

Activity C

Poll the class. Ask for a show of hands for each of these questions, and tally responses on the board:

• Have you ever played a game, taken a quiz or used an app related to a food, drink or other product?
• Have you ever “liked” a product on Facebook? Ask some students to share which products they have “liked” or tagged online. List them on the board.

What do you notice about the list? Have you asked your parents to buy these products? Were you already consumers of these products?

Reflection:

Look around the grocery store. How does the junk food aisle differ from the produce section?

What are some of the marketing techniques you see in the grocery stores?  Are they efficient?

What restaurants are you attracted to at a food court and why?

How do you think things are different today than they were when ads were only in print, display, radio and television?

Chip Kidd- Book-Cover Designer Extraordinaire

I loved listening to Chip Kidd talk about the importance of book covers.  Many times i've bought books based on the picture on the front.  In some particular cases, where they have different covers for different parts of the world, i've seeked for a particular version of the book just for the cover.
There is something "romantic" about a book (very much as there is something romantic about getting a letter on the mail, compared to getting an email).  The smell, the yellowish pages, being able to underline particular phrases or make comments on the side, and most definitely, the cover.
A book cover calls me.  It invites me to an imaginary world.  In cases where the book has a picture on the cover, it's the first impression I have of a new place, of a new story.

"The Great Brain Suck"
This book has a great cover.  The cover shows what looks like a black hole, a great image to portray something that is getting "sucked in".  The title of the book is white and right in the middle, where the black hole would be found.  The title contrasts with the other colors in the cover- red and black- making it easy to see it.  The cover makes you want to look inside the book, and see what the "black hole" has pulled in.

"Smothered in Hugs"
I liked this book cover as well.  When I think about big smothery hugs I immediately think about bear hugs.  The picture definitely portrays being smothered with hugs.  I feel that with a picture like the bear in the front, you need very simple type and colors.  Any other colored letter would get lost with the bear.

"Ugly Man"
Ha! A pickle to talk about an ugly man. I definitely want to open the book and see what it is about.  The picture is funny, and it makes me think the book will be funny as well.  I like the white background and black type.  It makes it very neat and organized next to the picture.

Media & Information Literacy Curriculum for Teachers

Courtesy of www.secure.peta.org

Media and Information Literacy

All the information in the world is at the tip of our fingers. All we need to do is go online and we will be able to find everything- from the latest news, latest fashions, to the trendiest restaurants, or that ONE piece of information you were missing for your report. To be able to survive in a technological world, traditional media needs to incorporate new technology.

Radio stations, yellow pages, broadcasting companies, and newspapers... They all have a website, probably a social networking site, as well as a Twitter account. Why? Because this is the way we communicate and research nowadays. 

No longer do I, Tania, go in search of a service in the yellow pages. I Google it. Same happens with the news... I don't go out and buy a newspaper, but rather I log into the newspaper's webpage and read the news that way. New media offers immediate gratification- quick finds, quick answers. Traditional media takes time, you have to learn how to find information using keywords.

As for my students... I feel like having all the information at the tip of their fingers makes them lazy. While we were at the library working on their Country Research, I realized how they don't know how to look for information. They would type whole questions into the "database search" (something they would do with Google and get millions of websites)and then wondered why the answer would not magically appear. I feel like kids need to know how to use both kinds of media to access information, if only so that they understand that not everything will be handed to them that easily.

I remember one of the first emails I ever received. It was one of those emails where they talked about stuffing little kittens in bottles and selling them. As a cat lover, and an emotional teenager, I was outraged. I immediately sent it out to all my contact list (and I know that if I had had Facebook then, I would have posted an angry comment/picture/link with this information)and vowed to save every single one of those poor kittens.

I soon found out it was a hoax.

Teaching about new media is important. Having all this information available is amazing, but it can also be treacherous. We need to know how to identify real information and what isn't true. Had I known better, I would have realized that that email I received years ago was a fake, however just as I did before, a lot of people fall into these traps. So...with new media/communication comes great responsibility.

People are now constantly posting on their social networking sites what they think about different articles and situations. Social networking became a vessel for any sort or debate. During the elections, every post was about who they were voting for, and why. Because information is so easily accessible, and anyone can post anything on line, it is very important to decide if the information you are re-posting is real (or else you will be like 15 year old me, resending emails about bottled kitties).

As a teacher, I feel like new technology is a good way to communicate with students and families. It opens yet another space where they may feel more comfortable explaining problems, fears, etc. As for new media, I feel like it is important to use it, but there needs to be deep education on how to use it. A challenge, once again, would be the desperate need to educate the students on how to use media in a positive way.

Standards for Higher Education

Standards for Higher Education

"You first eat with your eyes, and then with your stomach"

I feel like one of my strengths is that i'm open-minded. I am willing to let them use different forms of expression to share their ideas. Last year for the opera reflection they were allowed to use any medium they wanted. Some made videos, others created a PowerPoint presentation, some others chose to just answer the questions. The students felt empowered because they could do their project anyway they wanted. Because they were allowed to do what they wanted- they did a great job.

One of the aspects I would like to work on more, is teaching them how to interpret and analyse the meaning of media.

When I was in culinary school, we were taught that the first sense we use when we talk about food is sight. Food needs to be aesthetically attractive. It should include different elements, such as height, colors and texture. An entree served in the old-fashioned way (meat at 6 o'clock, starch at 3 o'clock, veg at 9 o'clock) is no longer considered aesthetically pleasing. Food that is stacked up, color-coordinated, and include "crunch factors" attracts your eyes, and then your stomach. In a well served plate, every element has a role. Nothing gets put on a plate unless there is a special reason for it.

Courtesy of http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/

Courtesy of http://moroccanfood.about.com/

                                                                       VS

The same happens in a classroom. Visuals used to engage students need to be as attractive as a stacked up meal. They need to be interesting enough to hook the students and make them want to learn more. Visuals should be thoroughly analysed before being used- how is this video or picture related to what we are learning? What impact does it have on the rest of my presentation? Does this image enhance my project, or did I just choose it because I thought it was funny?

Many times students don't consider these questions when selecting the images they present. This results in a great project that is lacking an aesthetic quality, or where the pictures just don't make sense.

Helping the students develop a better "eye" as to what visual they can/should use for their projects is a collaborative effort between teachers and the art teachers (teaching about aesthetics, and how not to "crowd" a piece of work, maybe?).

Innovation Through Technology- C. Lemke

Picture courtesy of: www.edudemic.com

Innovation Through Technology

Internet was once a luxury, but now it is something we can't live without.  We use technology to learn, to communicate, and to search for new information.  Kids today communicate differently than before.  While we grew up with telephones and (eventually) emails, kids today communicate via text messages, instant messaging, and passing media files (C. Lemke).   Because technology is now such an integral part of our lives (and our students!), we need to integrate it into our everyday teachings.  If we want to keep our student's attention, we need to make the information we are presenting as attractive as possible, and the way to do that today, is through technology.

democratization of knowledge
We are currently working on a "country" research project.  For this research the kids were asked to pick a country they knew nothing about and plan a trip to this place.  The information required from them needs to be updated and authentic.  The kids have been using technology to find the information for their countries.  Working together with the LS librarian, we discussed the authenticity of some websites, how almost anyone can create a website (one of the students said all you need is a computer and internet to be able to do so), how to use "Google Search" for your advantage (using advance search to select what "level" of information you are looking for), and how to determine if a site is authentic or not (two red flags: if there is no author, or a last updated sign).  The kids felt confident and empowered about their research and look forward to continue looking for more information on their countries.

One of the challenges I see is that "telling if a website is authentic" is somewhat subjective. Kids (10 year olds) may find a website and think it's legit just because of how it looks.  Like the article states, the students will need the school to "provide intensive work on informed searching, navigating the visible and invisible Web, critiquing websites to search for reliable sources, and persevering to ensure comprehensive, balanced searches. (C. Lemke, 261)

The Wrong Bet- Yong Zhao

Image courtsey of: www.ipeacemeal.com

The Wrong Bet- By Yong Zhao

After reading the article "The Wrong Bet" by Yong Zhao I find myself wondering where I would be now if I had lived in a time where they had globally homogenized education.

I remember when I was in high school and I was given the opportunity to go to the US to study Culinary Arts, a degree that was not developed in Mexico yet.  I was offered this opportunity by my father who believes in learning over anything, and who told me (repeatedly) that my education was his gift to me, because as long as I was able to succeed in something then I would be able to compete in the world.  He sent me to the US knowing that it was there where I would be in a competitive arena, where I would be able to grow, and learn and become a better version of myself.

My culinary education made me a better person in many ways.  I did become a better cook, but mostly I learned routines.  I became better at managing time.  I became more organized, responsible, and ready to take risks.  One of my biggest problems when I was working in the restaurant business was that while I had all of these new skills, I found that the people I worked with did not. This made me wildly mad and frustrated, and eventually it was the reason why I did not continue working in a restaurant.  While I no longer work in the field, I kept all of that learning with me.
I don't know if I would have been able to get the same kind of education in Mexico as I did in the US.  I always thought that it was a privilege and an honor to have been able to go somewhere else and study.   It gave me a different vision on the world and on life.

If education had been homogenized then, then careers such as culinary arts would not exist.  If schooling focuses more on the reading, writing, and math- and we keep preparing kids just on those topics- then the creative people, the artists, the scientists would not have a place to grow.  If we have a homogenized education, we are going back on everything we have learned as educators- no multiple intelligences, no different learning styles. We might as well go back to the same blue print worksheets they had years ago.

In my new life as an educator, I do teach math and I do teach language arts.  But I try to instill the PYP attitudes to my students.  Attitudes such as appreciation, cooperation, creativity are the pillars that every kid should be learning.The Wrong Bet- Yong Zhao