Tuesday, April 21, 2009

In Class. Listen up!

So, after viewing alot of these videos I cam across alot of negative ones. Not that there is majority of negative videos, it just so happens the topic I am researching came up with very intersting videos.

I was researching drugs/alcohol content and I cam across the video Under 21. Thsi video really bothered me because of the fact these 15 year old girls had no way of raltionalizing how bad they're actions are with driking. I do not think there is enough media related negative resources on under age drinking. Yes, we all see the signs that say not to buy underage teens and adolescents alcohol, but there is no explanation why. I went on to look up some statistics of underage drinking and found this, Underage Drinking. Its appaling to think in grade 8 that students are BINGE drinking! Why hasn't the media made a larger impact on teens and adolescents?!

I really enjoyed the website, it allowed young adults to really express how they feel abotu topics they face everyday growing up. It was the ultimate media for teens. It really made me think that teens are not this other lfie form (which I have agreed with throughtout the semester) but it was really interesting to see all the views coming from them not an adult who thinks they know how teens feel. I hope Hine would agree.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Prep

Prep

Curtis Sittenfeld

What was understood:
Lee feels like a teenager on the outside of some world at Ault. Lee struggles with having no friends, but aquantinces, as she goes through her time at Ault she struggles to find her true identity. Whether she is attracted to both sexes, her honesty, and trying to form new friendships. Lee feels liek an outsider because she is on scholarship while the majority of the students are there based off their wealthy families. She doesn't understand the lavish lifestyles and social business that goes along with Ault. She chose Ault for her acedemics while some chose it because of the social stature. There are groups of people who all understand the ways of Ault and what tehy come with, the money, the social circles, Ault is not just a place with ordinary people, everyone tries to be special, when in reality they are all the same. I think that is why Cross finds soemthing intruiging with lee at the mall, she isn't like the other girls, she knows how to form a sentence, she isn't the robot bimbo rish girl like those at Ault. Lee is from a totally diffrent reality then those students from Ault, she is from a family, friendly enviroment, that does not choose to let money and labels form them. While Lee is at Ault she learns those things rule the teens lives, even today in our society this is true. Lee needs to learn the social rules and power to be accepted as one of them.

What was not understood:
  • Is Lee struggling with her sexual identity, or is she just falling for anyone that gives her the attention she is missing?
  • Why did Cross have a sudden physical attraction to Lee, it's not everyday a boy just physical is affectionate to a girl on first meeting.
  • WHAT happens in the rest of the book?!

Connections to other themes:

This reminded me alot of the discussions we have had in class about how socioeconomic status really does make a diffrence even in a teens life. Those teens with money and label status do tend to group together, while those with less money and power sort of speak get left out. As adults houses, cars, and monay make a diffrence, but also as a teen it makes a diffrence. The abercrombie wearers verses the walmart clothes have an effect on a persons friendship circle, not saying it's right but it happens.

Questions/Comments/Points to share:

I want to read the rest of the book :)

Monday, February 23, 2009

Tricia Rose

Tricia Rose
Hip Hop Wars

What was understood:
I absolutely loved reading and learning about the hip-hop community and some of its context. I am a lover of some hip-hop artist, ecspecially Kanye West, and as I read this article I thought back to some of his music, and with an exception of some of his songs, he does sound a positive message to his listeners, he encourages people to reach for the stars, to be yourself, and to be someone diffrent not one in the crowd. As i always saw it I always though hip-hop was very diffrent from rap, it seemed that the two had very diffrent ideals to go along with it. When I was reading the article I realized there is a hip-hop war, which I guess you wouldn't know unless you were involved in that community, but it made sense that Rose stated that commercial influences such as MTV, VH1, and radio could be killing the "real" hip-hop. If you were to turn on the radio which would you hear more "In Da Club" by 50 Cent, or "Champion" by Knaye West, granted Kanye has had his time int he spotlight with some of his songs, but the ones with meaning and defiance tend not to come on the radio, while his songs thats have more of a socially accepted beat and lyrics are quiet frequently played more often. Rose also connects her article to Nas's album and song "Hip-hop is dead," obviously I am not a hip-hop officianado, but I can completely understand why he wrote that song and why Rose used it to defend her argument, after listening to his song it made sense that within the hip-hop community there was a struggle of what should be hip-hop, and how the media in a way is killing the "real" hip-hop, they are only allowing more publicity to those songs that have the typical rap type lyrics and beats, while those songs with substance and positive messages are being shunned. The fact that violence and hip-hop related, does not surprise me at all, with every hip-hop artist laying rhymes down like, "I'm Supposed to Die Tonight" by 50 Cent or "Lights off" by Lil Wayne. I can understand why some media would constitute violence when songs like this are played over and over on the radio, yet again should we censor things that people have lived through or have experienced.

What was not understood:
  • Is Rap and hip-hop the same thing? or is there a big diffrence?
  • Should hip-hop artist have to censor what they wish to communicate in their songs?
  • Does hip-hop really effect teens or young adults because of the lyrics?

Connections to other themes:

I thought about the last presentationt hat we saw with the 90210 pictures, and how the media decides to send teens and young adults messages the way they want to, the play the songs that have the good beats and what they think will make the most money or the audience will enjoy the most. Just like the pictures from the TV show they made the pictures very seductive and visually appealing, just the same with music.

Questions/Comments/Points to share:

"Hip Hop Saved my Life" Lupe Fiasco....lyrics

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Mark Prensky

Mark Prensky
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

What was understood:
Prensky argues that there is two generations in today's present society that have to do with technology. Digital Natives, those who understand, and grasp technology and embrace it. Digital Immigrants, those who sometimes use technology, but mainly prefer old fashion ways. Prensky is stating that there is a block between the two digital generations that make the two groups so hard to communicate, one group would e-mail each other back and forth for information, while the digital immigrants would call someone to ask if they received their e-mail. Prensky is arguing that digital natives have the power, and resources to teach others how to become more ative with technology. Prensy is saying once that is accomplised technology in society wil be an equal playing field for all.

What was not understood:
  • How do digital natives make digital immigrants understand dtechnology more if they are not willing to learn?
  • Do younger generations have the uppewr hand because we grew up with digital technology early on? Should older generations have to chnage just because technology is now important?
  • Should technology become a main part of education? Should technology be a substancial way of teaching in the classroom?

Connections to other themes:

This relates alot to media literacy, how media is now contained in everything. Since we are studing teenagers in the media, we realize that media had a large scale recentage of technology engrossed into it. Media is on the interent, TV, cell phones, which have all now become a part of our world. Those who are not digital natives stick to newspapers, magazines, and the news, but for those with digital experience the media can be tranported almost anywhere with the technology now a days.

Questions/Comments/Points to share:

In the article it was interesting to read about how some people just cannot grasp technology like others can. I think it is important for upcoming teachers and professionals to learn how to become a digital native, because times are changing and technology is so much easier and more convenient, and generally more useful than the old fashion ways. Generations to come are going to be comign out of the womb with Blackberrys in hand so for those who are not digital natives, it is time to step up before we become extinct.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Hines

Thomas Hine
The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager

What was understood:
I went into reading htis article with a bad taste in my mouth, because I think their is nothing worse in the world when people try to write about the time in life when they are not experiencing it then and there. Granted, yes, we all have or are teenagers at one point in our lives, but each generation goes through their own problems. I know my parents when they were around in their teen years was all peace, love, and beign a hippie. In my last eight or nine years of being a teenager myself, I had nothing to do with that. As i begna readin the article although, I started to rethink my idea of what I was reading. Hine makes some good points about how, yes, teenage years are the hardest for parents, and most dread them. I mean I know I didn't enjoy them all myself. I'm not quite sure if I fully agree with Hine one hundred percent but I can agree on one thing, and it was this one quote that stuck out to me.
"We want them to embody virtues we only rarely practice. We want them to eschew habits weve never managed to break" If only could have said that to my parents when I was sixteen (haha). I'm so glad an "adult" realize that. I think one of the main problems and adults have when interacting with teens is this pedastal. that they want them to be on, when in reality they themselves haven't even reached that pedastal.

What was not understood:
  • I don't understand how adults and society can be so hypocritical about teaching virtues and morals to the youth, when they themselves can't function like decent human beings.
  • Are teenagers throughout the ages always been considered a tortured time of life? when did being a teenager become so horrible?
  • "Today's teenagers serve a sentence of presumed immaturity, regardless of their achievements or abilities." EW?!

Connections to other themes:

  • I thought of Christensen when I read this and how, maybe if we weren't exposed as adolescents to the things we are shown, maybe when we became teenagers we woulnd't be so stubborn and annoying, as so many adults put it. What if we only changed our growing up process so when we hit those teenage years we could put a stop to the stereotypes, and become a whole new version of the teenager.

Question/Comments/Points to share:

  • So when I got through reading this article, I realized while I was writing this blog on my Ipod came on Teenagers by My Chemical Romance and I looked up the lyrics and listened to it and I thought it was quite interesting how a band that is in a sense focused towards the teenage audience how they viewed them..here you go check it out


Teenagers (heres the music video)

My Chemical Romance
They're gonna clean up your looksWith all the lies in the booksTo make a citizen out of youBecause they sleep with a gunAnd keep an eye on you, sonSo they can watch all the things you doBecause the drugs never workThey're gonna give you a smirk'Cause they got methods of keeping you cleanThey're gonna rip up your heads,Your aspirations to shredsAnother cog in the murder machineThey said all teenagers scare the living shit out of meThey could care less as long as someone'll bleedSo darken your clothes or strike a violent poseMaybe they'll leave you alone, but not meThe boys and girls in the cliqueThe awful names that they stickYou're never gonna fit in much, kidBut if you're troubled and hurtWhat you got under your shirtWill make them pay for the things that they did

Christensen

Christensen
"Unlearning the Myths that Bind us"

Christensen is arguing that the media we have as younger children imbeds into our brain early stereotypes, racisms, and superficial motifs. She reveals that as adults, and parents that it is our responsibility to stop these actions and not let them conitnue because it is not right to have these images being displayed to young children who develop into adults that have these ideas in their heads as being "ok.""Women who aren't white begin to feel left out and ugly because they never get to play the princess."This must be the worst feeling as a non-white women. What little girl (or in my case now) doesn't want to be a princess, or pretend to be one, or be treated like one. When every single princess is white, every single queen and royalty is white, doesn't that give the image as a non-white women could never amount to a princess. This doesn't only make a women feel bad it is also racists, why can't an Africain American women be a princess? There isn't a good reason there should be a non-white princess in a fairy tale, in fact their should be many.

What I dont quite understand is if it is ok to still watch these cartoons, and still have the image of becoming a princess. I know we need to clarify an objective goal that might become in children's heads but are we allowed to still enjoy these fairytales?


"Happiness means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be acheived through consumption-in their case, through new clothes and a new hairstyle." WHAT?!

This article shows how much the media has effected our everyday lives, and how much we take from the media and relate it to our own lives. It scares me to think that media effects so many people so much that they even go off to the far end, relate video games with violence to true life and use those ideas to cause harm. When has the media probed into our lives too much? When is it ok to censr what we see and take charge to change what our students or children are watching or being exposed to.

Thirteen

Thirteen. Was My lucky year.

It was my freshman year in high school, and I thought I was tough stuff. Until The first day of public high shool. I had always gone to a private high school and had always been "a big deal", until I got into a school with over two thousand students. Oh how wrong I was. The first day of high school was hell, but slowly I got adjusted. I became friends with numerous people and felt awesome about my classes. Thirteen was my year, I got invited to parties, got my first boyfriend, and I became a woman.

Thirteen was a year of welcoming and excitment for me, I enjoyed it and I finally became a teenager, and I thought would obtain some more responsibilities. Unto my parents dismay they treated me like i was still ten, which was quite annoying at times. They eventually realized thirteen was a big deal for me and finally let me become a teenager.