midterm blogpost.

for the midterm presentation celine vescera, noelle patenaude, and jessica parenteau.
for this project we found it easiest to group message, because we all have iPhones.

for our project we decided to interview students around the college and ask them five questions about teenagers.
taking all of the information we receive from the students, we are going to take a standpoint of one author each and critique them saying things we think the author would say.



for this project something we all havent done before for this project was:
do a college interview, and use iMovie to edit all of interviews

for this project, so far I have:
done recordings, helped finalize the five questions, analyzed Raby's text

354[5] michael wesch - ted talk

ARGUMENT:
Once given the option to read or watch a video, i jumped at the thought of watching a video and not having to read! I've probably said this time and time again, but reading is just not my thing..
Anyways, I really enjoyed watching Mr. Wesch speak. I think his analogies and examples were amazing.  He was most defiantly arguing something here in his speech. 
Wesch is saying that the way to connect and make a point be proven, would not be possible without the internet.  He is saying that the internet can be used efficiently in classrooms and can actually benefit there also.  Other than the classroom, the internet can be used to change companies.  Just like the story Dr. Bogad told us in class bout her friend making a pickle video, or the spoof off of the Dove commercial that Wesch showed us in the Ted talk.

There were many great points shown in his presentation.. something i think proved his argument the most would be the Google Doc.  Google Doc is a document where, if invited, a person with a google account can make edits on this one document.  Wesch invited all 200 of his students, and it showed over 350 edits on one document.  Talk about getting your point across.

I completely agree with Wesch, i feel as though the internet and being connected in the classroom is something that is valued and makes the whole entire learning experience easier, and more interesting.  Instead of listening to a professor lecture on and on about something and write on the board, the notes can be right in front of you, virtually, on your laptop, tablet, iPad, etc.  I feel like it would make a student feel like they are truly learning instead of drifting off into space while listening to someone ramble on.

here i found an article where Brian Braiker talks about the pros and cons of technology in the classroom


comments and questions for the class...
how do you feel being technologically intertwined in classes? does this give you more of an urge to learn?  should technology be used in every class here at Rhode Island College?

354(4) - the rise and fall of an american teenager

The Rise and Fall of an American Teenager - Thomas Hine

HYPERLINKS: while reading this article i feel as though Hine really spelt out all of views on teenagers by adults, and by other teenagers.  it was a very good read and i think it really outlined all about teenagers.  

another good interpretation about the views on teenagers i found can be located here.

specifically in this article Hine speaks about all of the responsibilities teens have, and how little appreciation is usually shown (in average cases).. i am a firm believer in the fact that your teen years shape how you become and form as an adult. i also found this online article which agrees with me.

this also goes back to the nature vs. nurture debate from psychology.  

this also brings me to another point talked about often about teenagers.. the consumer consumption and teens. 

media says, advertise and shoot for the teens.. why? well maybe because their finally making money at their first part time job, and they don't have bills or things to really pay for... so aim for them! 

i for one, will admit, i spend a lot of money on petty things like shoes, and clothes.. this is beginning to change now as i search for a new car, and now want to buy things like food, and other expenses that are necessities rather then wants in my life.

things like magazines promote teens to buy their products A LOT, i feel. my prime example would be "Teen Vogue."

this picture right here is one of the many covers for teen vouge.. look at the text right there!

MUST HAVE SKINNY JEANS, AND COOL NEW SHADES... meaning the audience who looks at his magazine, TEENS, must HAVE/BUY these to look good and cool and be hip. this is what Hine speaks about.

i do feel like this article is just repetitive to the previous articles we have read thus far.






questions for the class:
do you feel like youve fallen into the teen consumer cateogory before?
do you fall for the things you see in magazines, or on commericals, saying to yourself "OMG I HAVE TO HAVE THOSE?"
is the media for teen consumption all that bad?
when you have children how can you teach them to be responsible with money and other things of importance?

354(3) a tangle of discourses - raby

A Tangle of Discourses: Girls Negotiating Adolescence - Rebecca C. Raby 

REFLECTION: Right off the bat i think of adolescent girls and how the media effects them, well actually, how a lot of things can effect a young girls mind. this title has already inserted me into the article, and i can already guess what its about..

 first off: id like to brake down some words; this always helps me analyze better and understand the main goals and concepts an author is trying to set forth.

 discourse = 1. Verbal expression in speech or writing. 2. Verbal exchange; conversation. 3. A formal, lengthy discussion of a subject, either written or spoken. 
adolescence = 1. growing to manhood or womanhood; youthful. 2. having the characteristics of adolescence or of an adolescent. 

"DISCOURSE CAN ALWAYS BE CHANGED."

To get personal, my younger teenage years were hard.. There was always something to pick and poke about me.. I didnt know why? Teenage years form you for your adult years i believe, and from reading this article i think that Raby would agree with me. 

--this article is about teenagers and the media, thought it was interesting and wanted to share.

I enjoyed how Raby broke down her writing into sections, this made it very easy to read (although i did still run into some complications).  

Another thing i enjoyed thoroughly was the personal interviews and the question and answer part of the article.. gave this writing a more casual feel.

"The present paper has examined key dominant discourses that frame adolescence, the investments behind these discourses and some of the contradictions
embedded within and between them. I have also considered how such discourses construct agency among teenagers." page 446
right here i believe is a very important quote.  Raby completely demonstrated many different ways discourse can change situations in either helping or hurting.  i never realized how important discourse is. 
discourse can be shown in either writing or in word of mouth.

Raby breaks down the teen into five different components:
1)the storm
2)becoming
3)at risk
4)social problem
5)pleasure consumption

i thought this breaking down of the teen was a great way to further detail the aspects of being a young adult.  i really appreciated these break downs and thought that they helped a lot.
for #1 Raby says that this is the risk taking stage of teens
#2 Raby states that this is when teens begin to find themselves and form real personalities in social and lonley situations
#3 Raby says that this is when the teen begins to experiment with different things, usually drugs, boys/girls, alcohol.. etc
#4 Raby says that this is when adults view the teens as annoying or as a burden
and finally for #5 Raby says that this is the stage where the media is pushing the teen to be something, do something, or buy something thats "COOL, IN, THE NEW THING" 






for class:
id love to dicuss how everyone's teenage years went..
did they happen in the five stages like Raby says they do?
Any cool/not cool experiences that you can honestly say shaped you into the way you are today?
How did everyone feel about the article? On point? a Bunch of bull?

354(2) - extended comments on unlearning the myths that binds us

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us - Linda Christensen

EXTENDED COMMENTS:
For this specific blog post I chose to EXTEND on Becca's blog.  I LOVE Toy Story and she talked about it, so I figured I could totally expand on her great ideas. Here we go!

First off this is what Christensen is even trying to get across in her article..
-How do these cartoons affect US?
-How are the females seen on TV (cartoons, news, movies, game shows, etc.)?
-How are the money classes portrayed?
-Are MEN always the hero? The strong, unstoppable characters?
Searching on Google I found a great website article that talks about how women are shown in the media. After reading this article I feel a total connection to what Christensen says in HER article. Hub pages.com even talks about how women are shown as "little sex toys," this makes me sick.. take a look here!

SO Toy Story! One of my personal childhood favorites.. What can I say badly about this movie? Nothing.  What have I come up with after a media analyzation.. OH, a lot. Playing off of what Becca said about Toy Story in her blog:
"For example, in Toy Story (the first one) the only female toy was Bo Beep, and she had no active role. In the second movie, the new female character was Jesse who gives the appearance of being a strong female character, but in the end is still the damsel in distress. Not only that, but there are no portrayals of any characters of minorities (toys or people), and the only class portrayed was middle."
I really don't even think Bo Peep had much of a role anyways!  Woody stole the whole movie, really.  But as for the second Toy Story Jesse played a very significant role, where she did seem like a very strong independent woman.  However, in the end Woody still had to save her.
This goes back to the damsel in distress that even Christensen talks so much about.  Why do these cartoonized movies always have to have this woman being saved by a man?  What is the purpose! EVERY SINGLE disney princess movie is set up this way.. except for Beauty and the Beast, one of the only exceptions.  What is this teaching young boys? AND girls?  
-to be reliable on the man?
-to always be in control?
-to always save your women?!

(this class has made me analyze so many things i have before overlooked)

As for the classes of people, none were shown in this movie.  Is it something that can so easily just be pushed aside?  God created everyone equal, yes, but not all with equal paying jobs. i feel as though this is an important aspect in life.. it is something children should know about.. and what better then to show it in a cartoonized movie that I'm sure they'll watch over and over again.  i agree with Becca as she goes on in talking about the class in Toy Story.  Becca says that Toy Story is portrayed as a middle class home, i agree with this also. BUT when exactly does "middle class" truley show? who are we to decide what disney wants to SHOW as middle class?

Class and "ass" (females) (i just made that up!) are two very big issues in the media world. 
since this is clear and known why is nothing being done to change the views ?!


speaking of Disney; i found this little short clip of the female roles in Disney movies.. thought it was interesting..



overall, this article was a mind-blowing one.. once again pointing out all of the flaws in the media that we so quickly overlooked before.

comments/questions to the class!
Why do you think in Toy Story 2 there was a much more prominent female role?  Do you think there was something that MADE the director to do so?  how do you feel when you watch these cartoonized movies?  do you think anything is wrong with them? why are females just seen as for sex, and for extra characters?  why do males always have the more dominating role? would you let your children watch these movies knowing what you know now? since we are now older, do we feel differently and disagree with the way TV shows us specific aspects of life?
This i feel will be a great discussion! Something i think that is important is my above question... will YOU show these movies to your children as a parent? was it wrong of our parents to show us?