fishymedia: resources for A2/AS media studies.: April 2017

Monday 24 April 2017

YEAR 13 24th April 17..

Saturday 8 April 2017

YEAR 13 Thursday 6th April 2017

This was our last session before the Spring break and involved discussing a question that links to Section B of the exam. The media issue being discussed as part of the IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA section of the exam was GLOBALISATION. Class discussion considered the advantages and disadvantages of living in an interconnected digital world. The full question was:
NEW AND DIGITAL MEDIA HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROCESS OF GLOBALISATION: THE IDEA THAT THE WORLD IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY INTERCONNECTED THROUGH ONE GLOBAL CULTURE.
USING YOUR OWN CASE STUDY, EVALUATE THE IMPACT THAT NEW AND DIGITAL MEDIA HAVE HAD ON GLOBALISATION.

Class discussion considered the advantages/disadvantages of the global potential of the digital world. I expect students to produce a FOUR paragraph and a conclusion response to this question. I want to mark the essay before our next session after the break so I need this essay emailing to me before we return to school.

HOMEWORK: Keep checking the blog because throughout the Spring break I will be posting material that I will be referencing in our class discussions. Students need to digest these resources.
Students need to complete the IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA ESSAY.
Potentail content for Impact of Digital Media essay:

Reference was made to the Dark Web. This is clearly a negative attribute of global connectivity. This could be juxtaposed with the wonderful KHAN ACADEMY or any other FREE global educational resource.
Reference was also made to the ability of digital media to radicalise and influence human behaviour in a destructive manner. BE SPECIFIC. Provide a clear FOR EXAMPLE. Evidence of research required. Obviously this can be balanced with reference to global sites that encourage peace and co-existence.
The third paragraph could discuss the influence of digital media on the music industry. It is possible to access the means of production that allows musicians to create music and potentially access a global audience..BUT HOW DO MUSICIANS MONETISE their talent? Research required.
The fourth paragraph could reference the filmmaking of the amazing WAAD AL-KATEAB and the role of journalism in the digital world. See link below:https://www.channel4.com/news/waad-al-kateab-is-an-award-winning-film-maker-and-she-is-in-grave-danger?intcmp=search_results_page_bottom_p1 This could link to FAKE NEWS.

The conclusion needs to be evaluative. Don't just repeat content you have produced elsewhere in this essay.

GOOD LUCK MEDIA FREAKS.

Monday 3 April 2017

YEAR 12 4th/7th April 2017..

These two sessions were the final lessons before the SPRING break. The aim of these two lessons was to continue to reintroduce students to the expectations of the exam. The Tuesday session considered the enigmatic glory of the UNDER THE SKIN trailer from 2014. This is an extremely polysemic trailer and was offered as a CHALLENGE to the class. IT is extremely unlikely that the examination will present such an enigmatic visual challenge but I wanted to challenge the class! The question that inspired class discussion was:
'HOW ARE MEDIA FORMS USED TO SHAPE MEANING?'
Class discussion used appropriate media language and referred to disequilibrium, polysemic imagery, text providing meaning, enigma codes, action codes, and the significance of non-diegetic and diegetic sound. TOP WORK.
The text that was used to promote a written response was the ADIDAS ORIGINALS advert from 2010. See link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJhN-S6GIN0
The question the class considered was: WHAT ARE THE BRAND VALUES BEING PROMOTED IN THIS TEXT?
HOMEWORK was to continue to complete coursework.

The Friday session considered texts that offered representations of teachers and the teaching profession. The work of Armstrong and Miller was used to generate class discussion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwDknTtkVdc&list=PLE77ED09F9874FA10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ9s_lSRJ3A&list=PLE77ED09F9874FA10&index=2

The class were then presented the two texts below and asked to consider how the teaching profession is being represented:
Teach First:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRArPoGUN-c
Dept of Education advert..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi_FHzEHZA8

The class were asked to produce a written response to the TEACH FIRST ADVERT. The question is:
HOW IS THE TEACHING PROFESSION REPRESENTED IN THIS TEXT?
The lesson then moved on to discuss the Cross-Media Study.

HOMEWORK: I expect ALL students to complete the following written tasks. It is important that these responses are completed and sent to me BEFORE our first lesson of the next term as I need to mark this work and use the content to inform my FIRST lesson. I expect ALL students to send me a word document that provides a response to the following tasks.
SECTION A Work:
HOW IS THE TEACHING PROFESSION BEING REPRESENTED IN THIS TEXT?
HOW ARE MEDIA FORMS BEING USED TO SHAPE MEANING?
Here is the text link...this is the TEACH FIRST advert from our last session:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRArPoGUN-c

Who is the target audience for this school's promotional film?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-iAOR1AUUE
What are the brand values being presented by this school's promotional film?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El_OJZ1h-SY

AS well as the analytical work, I expect students to complete the Cross-Media Study essay that we discussed in our final session. Here is a reminder of the title:
MEDIA INSTITUTIONS ALWAYS ATTEMPT TO SHAPE THE VALUES AND ATTITUDES OF THEIR AUDIENCE. To what extent is this true of your Cross-Media Study?
Remember...you must confront the requirements of the question. Question focus in the last set of essays was weak and needs to improve.

Good luck media freaks.

Sunday 2 April 2017

YEAR 13 Monday April 3rd 2017

Today's session considered the question: HOW ARE MEDIA FORMS USED TO SHAPE MEANING?
Students discussed the content of the trailers for UNDER THE SKIN and GHOST IN THE SHELL.
Consider the content of the following texts:
Under The Skin trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io92j2qqEGk
Ghost in the Shell trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4VmJcZR0Yg
Ex-Machina trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI8XBKb6DQk

HOMEWORK: HIT THE FRIDAY DEADLINE. COURSEWORK! COURSEWORK!

YEAR 12 Friday March 31st 2017.

This session examined the following media texts:
Australian Government advert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhk4fh6Sld0
British Government advert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNIQ79mkG_A
The aim of this session was to improve the critical writing being produced by the class. Fatboy modelled a paragraph on the board with the assistance of the class before the class attempted to answer the question: HOW IS ALCOHOL REPRESENTED?

HOMEWORK: COMPLETE COURSEWORK. DEADLINE IS NEXT FRIDAY for my cohort of troubadours.

YEAR 13 Thursday 30th March 17.

Today's session involved a consideration of the title: DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL DIGITAL WORLD.
Class discussion was excellent and the class were asked to produce a paragraph response writing within timed conditions.

HOMEWORK: COMPLETE COURSEWORK. The deadline is the last Friday of this term.

fishymedia: resources for A2/AS media studies.