What happened in the classroom

One of my big challenges was getting my story for change right. When we got together to plan our lesson we watched my reedit of the my story for change. I did not think about it too much when I was reworking it but both Sam and Sammi thought that it was too violent for 7 graders. So I went back and worked on it again and tried to make it even, even better by re-reworking it. I am very glad because I really feel that my story for change was really good and I even was told by Benjamin that it was really good. It did make me feel slightly defeated when the very first movie that was mentioned after I showed my video was Gladiator, a very much rated R movie. Which was followed by a questionable PG-13 movie. So all my re-rework felt a little pointless but I know that it was best that I made it more kid friendly.

The other thing that happened while we were planning is that we bounced back and forth with what we wanted to teach. We really wanted to tie the lesson in to what they were already learning about, which was research. But we kept leading ourselves away to media literacy. Then we finally realized that we could teach both. So we started the lesson talking about research and how students do it all the time and then we ended the lesson with changing stories and picking good ones as well.

I was very excited to see Sam teach, he got the kids involved and got them talking. He was fun and upbeat and he got the kids thinking with his questions and he also kept them in control when they started to get too excited.

Sammi keep everything very organized. She is a teacher at the MTC and it showed in the organization of our lesson. Also she was very sweet with all of the kids that she talked to.

I was very excited to teach them and I was a little surprised when I got up there to talk because I felt like they listened to me. The sat quietly while I talked for a bit and helped them understand our messages.

Our goal was to help them understand that research can be fun and also that we can chose good media. I felt like that it came through very clearly but our class was very well behaved that day. I am not sure what else to write about just that it felt like it went really good. There was one part when I started to panic because we started an activity where they could either draw or write a new ending to a story. I looked around the room and everyone had blank pages, but this was only because they were thinking. Soon their papers were filled and they were excited to share their new story.

So my teaching technique is to make good choices and to discuss the films that we see. I feel like we very much introduced the idea and that if we could teach more times we would be able to help them do this even better. Though I am very surprised at how much we were able to teach in our short 50 minutes or so. It really was the highlight of this class for me.

Freedom Writers, not riders

After watching the first 8 minutes of Freedom Riders, I realized that our screening was Freedom Writers. After I got back on track and watching the right movie I was actually completely captivated. This movie is so emotional and powerful. I loved the message that it carried and my favorite part was when the one student stands up and tells the old woman who survived the holocaust that she is his hero, she says something like, no, no, I’m just a person who know what was the right thing to do. She goes on to say that that all of the students have the heart to do the right thing.

Also our reading was When Are Questions the Answer and the very first part of it is talks about how the best part of being a teacher is when students have an eye opening moment. That is really all what this movie is all about. The reading also talks about decoding, which is talking a book or a film and pulling out the deeper meaning. In this movie they decode the books that they read. Another point that is made in the reading is that decoding can be effective individually but is more effective in a classroom or group. Both individual decoding and a classroom of decoding is shown is this film. We get people reading the book and you can see the change that it brings in their own life. Then we also see the class discussing and also getting involved in their community to decode the text that Ms. G gives them. One part of the decoding process is to make sure that you are pulling from a rich media source. This is shown in Freedoms Writers when she decides to start them off with a book that is about a boy that is in a gang.

The one part of the movie that I did not agree with is when Ms. G fights to have her students for the next year, Junior year. I personally thought that it would be more awesome if she told them that they need to go and do good in the world. I thought that it was a good relationship up to that point but it was starting to become clear that she was getting close to crossing the teacher friend line. Her husband sees it and even leaves her for it. I still think that this woman is a hero because of what she did for the kids. It is important for a student to be influenced by a teacher but not to become reliant on the teacher.

Going back to decoding the reading talks about how we should be careful because we could have the opposite effect that we want. The reading uses the example of pulling together images of models that are skinny. What may happen is a girl may only remember the skinny, successful women, rather than the images she was supposed to learn form and see could fall into the very eating habits that you attempted to get her out of. In the movie I remember the one boy that misses a lot of class because even though he reads the book 12 angry men he feels that it is just a book and cannot change the reality of his brother going to jail.

Though this movie does have some ideas that lack perfection it is overall a very helpful movie to understand decoding and even to be decoded itself.

Catching Fire

I liked this movie so much better than the first one. I realize now that the first Hunger Games is mostly to just set the stage and explain how awful, if that can even begin to describe, the capital. In the first one the problem is presented. But in the second one, something is down about the problem. I love when the contestants start to speak out against the capital at their interview. I also love how Peeta tells everyone that Katniss is pregnant, which brings the crowd the horror of the truth, that the games are awful and should not happen. There is also action taken by leaders who seem to been with the capital until the true, that they are planning against the capital.

We talking in class that it is important to find a problem but the hope is not just to find it but to begin to do something. Even if that something is just raising awareness.

One interesting thing that is happening in this movie is all the media is controlled by the capital. So much like some of the theories we have engaged in the media is run by the man, as it were. We have talked before that we really don't have a choice in media, that it is either Ford or Chevy it is really the same think. In the case of the Hunger Games Catching Fire that is true. And unlike in our day where we have ways of creating our own media and sharing it, they had nothing to create videos or even communicate with each other except through the capitals media. That is why Peeta gets so good at using opportunities to use the media of the capital to give money to the family of the little black girl.

In the movie there is this idea where the people in the capital eat so much that they will throw-up just to keep on eating. Where the districts are starving. We see this as a counter argument against capitalism. For just because one person or group of people can get more food does not always mean that they should keep it for themselves. We need to share that wealth. Though I am glad they do not address how because that is a tricky question.

As far as the movie goes itself there are a few problems. For example, there is the scene where that girl rides the elevator up and undresses herself. Now in the movie she, the character, is the one who decides that she will strip, but who is really the one who decided that? The writers and the director. We still live in a world where women are at their best when they are naked and sexy. There is even a time where Katniss is upset and tries to stab someone with a needle, rather than being praised for her dedication she is looked at like a fool. She does stop the Hunger Games but they don't take the time to congratulate her at all.

One thing that the movie did do well on its own was it was very careful to show that violence is bad. It hardly showed anything as far as killing was concerned. And went their was a violent moment you were supposed to see it for the disgusting nature of it.

Overall a really great movie with a lot to talk about.

Mack's Teaching Philosophy

I think that the biggest thing that we need to teach is that we have a choice. Media are like windows. Although we cannot chose what happens on the other side of that window we can chose the windows that we look through. But how do we know what windows to look through? 

In our day and age simple ratings are good start but we can now check kidsinmind or IMDb parental guides to gain a better understanding of what we are getting ourselves into. I was able to avoid a PG-13 movie that had content that I did not want to see. I should have told my parents because they saw it and were appalled that a movie would have something like that in it. These moments or disgust and immorality can be completely avoided with these media tools.

Many people seem to thing that the most recently and closest made windows are the only ones to chose from. This maybe because older movies and foreign movies are either not known about or hard to get a hold of. But these movies that are either older or foreign can be such a wonderful contribution to our media diet.

Speaking of diet, I have two analogies that will help make clear my idea of media literacy. We need a well balanced diet in order to be physically healthy. In similar likeness we need a taste of all different kinds of films in order to be emotionally healthy and fulfilled. It seems to make sense that we need dramas and tragedies as well as comedies and family movies. It is even possible that we need horror films and action films? It is up to us what our diet will be but it can't be good if all we consume is romantic comedies. And our diets may lack if we don't watch romantic comedies.

The other analogy which I have is the soda analogy. I strongly believe that movies are awesome and good. But to me what makes them good is if we watch them like treats. Blew is an excerpt from my letter that I wrote to apply for the film program. What I really hope that you get out of it is that I think that media far too often becomes this indulgence rather then a treat.  

I watch movies like I drink soda. I love vintage sodas, Virgil’s, Boylan, and even collect some of the more rare glass bottles. I love waiting all week to pop off the small metal cap and watch as the fog rises out of my perfectly chilled glass bottle. Always accompanying these fizzy potions with a delicious meal to ensure that the right taste is in my mouth, I carefully sip and savor every drop. Just as I don’t like drinking a warm diet coke out of the vending machine while working at the factory, I don’t like throwing in a movie in the middle of the day on a small TV with people chatting and walking in and out. I love anticipating the movie, planning on it days before, and then when the night comes, we make sure the lights are dimmed and people in are in their places. We make sure the sound is turned up and the image is not stretched or distorted. Movies should be sipped and savored, not gulped and guzzled whenever there is nothing else to do.

Movies are a way of entertainment and do not need to be watched all the time. Not only will it loose it's magic, but it can make us media fat. No wonder some people think that all media is bad; they consume all media, including the garbage. If we slow down and take the time to find the gourmet sodas and leave the nasty Shasta by the way side, we can enjoy the good soda that we have and not become drunk with nonsense.

I know that this semester we talked a lot about creating our own media. I think for someone like me that sounds exciting but to the average person that task can seem overwhelming. I think that creation is important, but I think that a person does not have to create to be media literate. I know we talked about reading is kind of like watching and writing is kind of like making. I suggest that it can be easier and more simple than that. Reading is like choosing and watching, and writing can be discussion. You don't have to make a youtube video if you don't agree with something, you can simply tell your family and your friends. I think it is a marvelous idea to recommend good movies, and discourage people from seeing bad movies. I know we talked before in class about how we don't really have a choice, that all media is produced by "the man" according to [I will double check who]. But I truely believe that the best way to defeat porn movies is to have everyone in the world stop buying them. Supply and demand is real. Anyone want to take a guess at how many tape players they made this year? Most likely zero, and that is because years ago we all stopped buying them. It does not happen right away, and yes we do need everyone's help. But I believe that it is possible.

Classroom Observation

Sammi, Sam, and I were able to get to Mr. Ryan's class during much of his prep period before the class we were to observe. We took advantage of this time to ask him questions and he got to know us better. He told us about Junior High English and how he splits the class into two periods; one heavy in writing and the other heavy in reading. We talked to him about our teaching which will take place later and he was intrigued by our ideas and excited to see our final lesson.

Finally the kids showed up. They were an absolute hoot. They came in talking and throwing books. Sammi, Sam, and I had a lot to observe even before the class started. As soon as the kids came in I realized that the lesson I was thinking of teaching would need to be adjusted to fit a middle school level. 

As the class started Mr. Ryan began by asking something along the lines of what would you ask your hero if you they were accused of lying or cheating? Mr. Ryan gave them some time and then asked for there answers. Mr. Ryan was very good at this because you cannot simply call on raised hands like you can in a collage level environment. He has to call on those he knew needed help, and he had to help those who always wanted to talk all the time to keep their answers relevant and to the point.

Mr. Ryan then showed a video, but had a very hard time getting it to work. The projector and computer he was using was not that new and needed a little bit of help from his laptop. I took a note of this, as we will be showing a video, and have planned to come early to test the video when we teach.

Another thing that Mr. Ryan did was have the students turn to their neighbor and work in groups of two. Sam and I actually got to work with some of the students. I want to say that this was good for most of the class but some of the students were hard to get to cooperate. I am not sure if there is a better way or if those kids are just hard to reach no matter what. Mr. Ryan did tell us that part of his class is special Ed and so there is another teacher there to keep in line those students. This will be one challenge that we will have while teaching.

Sammi, Sam and I were torn between which story for change that we wanted to use. My story is one possibility. When we considered mine, I went back and made hug improvements on it so that it could be more accessible to the students. Also, rather then just playing it like I did in our class I want to fully explain what the video is and what they should look for before I play it.

One thing that we struggled with a little is we wanted to have our lesson tie into what they kids are already learning this semester. However, I am not sure we will be able to do that as nicely as we had hoped. But I think that our lesson will be very fun and very helpful for the kids. We are all really looking forward to it.

Resolved and readings

I love how Freire talks about both the student and the teacher should be both taught and learn. So both are teachers and students. I feel that a good teacher is always learning, and a good student is always prepared to explain what they are learning to others. The idea of the student being oppressed becomes clear when the Freires list of what a one way teaching looks like or what it would assume. The most effective one was that the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing. It is clear that this is never true, and if this is not true then both students and teachers must learn from one another. He also talks about the fact that the answer to helping students is not to just bring them into structure or our society but to inform them of what they are truly capable of discovering and creating for themselves. They video that is on the blog of the kid storming out of the classroom was very interesting, and I loved that he finally realized that he deserved and could demand better education then just packets and silent writing.

As for our film, I searched everywhere for the Resolved documentary and only found a short trailer of sorts. It was a little scary, and for some reason made me sad that debate has changed so much. But I was able to find the documentary Is School Enough. It was a good video but I feel like the title says it all. Perhaps it is a good reminder but for me it is obvious that school is only part of a child's growth and development. Has society not always understood that part, if not most, of a child's learning should happen outside of school. The documentary did have its moments, and I suppose it does go along well with what Freire is saying, which is the teacher must be prepared to be taught. The documentary covers a hand full of students who learn both in class and in the community. Maybe the documentary is better aimed at high school students like the ones in the documentary, because at this stage of life I have had many job interviews and the two big questions are how much school have you had, and how much experience. In answer to the documentaries question I think that we need both school as well as hands on experience. I hope the people who watch this realize that school is a great thing, that it is awesome to sit down at the feet of an expert and glean from their knowledge. School can turn into busy work and grades, but if done right school can be an incredibly good way to learn and, depending on the class, gain valuable experience.

I suppose maybe a better question is, how good is your schooling? They talk about how important hands on and going out side are, but there are many class that do this. I really do think that school has the potential to imprison, wow, I sound a lot like Freire, or the power truly inspire.