Representation, Bias, and Stereotype

Representation

For representation I chose a photograph of a political campaign.  The photo tells the audience how the Green Party is proposing free medicine for everyone.  How will they achieve this? Then the ad tells you to turn the page and a picture of the presidential candidate is shown.   Representation plays a huge roll in the sense that what we see is a picture of a sad, worried woman because she can not afford the medicine in contrast to the pharmacist that shows no remorse in denying the woman of her medicins.  This shows only one aspect of how things are. It is depicting a situation that has no context and therefore pushes the reader to believe what they want the audience to believe.

Stereotype

I chose this TV show ad to show stereotype.  The ad shows how a mexican man falls in love with a woman and married a country.  It shows stereotype intentionally.  There are maracas, a donkey piñata, and a sombrero.  This is already a preconceived idea of what a mexican would look like, or what you would expect from Mexico.  It is obviously a comic show, therefore the audience takes the stereotype and accepts that it is intended for a good laugh and not to offend the audience.

Bias

This picture shows bias in the sense that it is portraying both spas and washing dishes as a woman's job/activity.  It is a printed ad found in a woman's magazine therefore the ad is aimed at women.  It is directed towards women but secluding the male sector of the population who wash dishes and who enjoy spas.  I wonder what effect it would have on the consumer/reader if it was a man instead.  :)

Critically Analyzing Media

Media is filled up with symbols and for that matter these symbols have direct/indirect, explicit/implicit meanings.  One is often "fed"messages we are not aware of, this is why it is imperative not only for us as individuals, but as educators, to identify these messages and to critically analyze media.   Specially in this era, where there is an overload of information, one must have this skills to weed out what is important and to know what it is what the producer/creators are trying to make you think.

As a group we created a lesson plan for our kindergarten students.  We believe it is important from this early age to have children thinking about the ads and symbols that are around them so that they can later critically analyze this information to their benefit.

LESSON PLAN: CRITICAL THINKERS

Objectives:
Students will learn what ads are.
Students will recognize content of commercial ads.

Students will be encouraged to be critical thinkers when viewing ads.
Preparation:
Before going out on the next field trip, (TURIBUS),  teachers will show several pictures of ads to students.

Teachers will initiate inquiry through questions such as:
Do you see pictures? Which?
Do you see animals? Which? Do they look real? Are  they cartoons?
Do you see colors? Which?
Do you see letters? Big? Small?
How does this ad make you feel?
What do you think they are advertising?

Activity:
The day of the field trip, around the city, children will take pictures of ads they like.
Will discuss and reflect back in the classroom.

Culmination:
Class will be divided in three groups. Each group will create a collage with pictures they took during their field trip.
Each group will share with other two groups.

Judging a book by its cover

I have always heard the saying: Don't choose a book by its cover, however I always end up doing it, at least to some degree.  This is why I believe in the importance on having a strong book cover design.  The cover should complement the book itself.  It should speak to the reader, and give an idea of what he will find inside.  It should be creative, attractive, witty.  Chip Kidd mentions in his Ted talk : http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/chip_kidd_designing_books_is_no_laughing_matter_ok_it_is.html

many examples and how he came up and the reasons behind coming up with his book covers.  I found the talk both funny and inspiring.  

Keeping Chip Kidd's principles of book cover design in mind,  I took a look at the following book covers from this website: http://bookcoverarchive.com/

These are the three book covers I chose to analyze: 

                                

The first one attracted me because of the graphic design element.   It resembles motion and there is certain depth to it.

The second one attracted my attention with its use of colors.  Bright, lively colors do remind me of India and for me it is an inviting cover.

The third one looks interesting because of the clock and more specifically because the time it is portraying.  The time is tenen to three, and the title is Wide Awake so it really makes me go back to those times where insomnia does happen.  What is it that you do at ten to three, when you can't manage to fall to sleep?  

In the end, my conclusion is that cover pages are an essential element to a book.  Even though one must not judge a book by its cover, it is undoubtedly the first element one sees.  If you do not know anything about the book, such as the author or heard nothing about the title, then the cover will attract or detract you from looking into the book further.  I love art, and the book cover has the potential of being the book's representation in a few images, fonts, colors and design. 

New and Traditional Media

In a blog post, describe how new technologies have led to the convergence of traditional and new media. Describe the differences between traditional and new media. Describe how new media has  enhanced participatory democracy. How is new media impacting the social and academic lives of teachers, and what the challenges and opportunities are for improving universal access to digital media. Evaluate the impact and opportunities provided by open educational resources in teaching and learning processes.

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-56271172/stock-photo-global-media-technology-world-sphere-clip-art.html

UNESCO's Curriculum for Teachers Media and Information Literacy excerpt: “New and Traditional Media,” Media and Information Literacy. (2011) pp. 120 – 127, talks about new and traditional media and how they meet and what role they play in the participation of individuals in todays society.   New technologies have made it possible to have a greater participatory culture as they have opened new channels of participation and access to this technology.  Traditional technologies such as newspapers, radio and television are meeting up with new technologies, or converging, at the point where now we have online news with interactive media, you can also browse the web for podcasts, and now television can be personalized to ones likes and needs.  Content has become digital.  There is digitalization of voice, image, sound and data which allows for new opportunities for interaction.  As I mentioned above this also allows for increased accessibility.

With this convergence, and increased participatory culture, society is becoming more involved in what happens around them, freedom of speech and an increase of information and discussion forums promote an enhanced participatory democracy.

New media impacts the social and professional lives of teachers everyday and in various ways.  The traditional ways we used to teach are being enhanced with new media.  Professionally, we are using our time for professional development with courses and classes that take place online.  There are many new applications and programs that aid in the development of better tailored lesson plans.  As new technologies arise, teachers must keep up and explore the tools available to them whether it is to implement a media related activity in the classroom or looking up informational videos on YouTube.  Socially, teachers lives are affected in the sense that new media allows for digital social interaction.  Sometimes the day will seem too short to run all our errands, however with the possibility going online and finding out about loved ones lives on Facebook, or Flickr seems like the option on a busy day.  Personally Pinterest has caught my attention both socially and professionally as many great ideas can come from it.

I remember when internet access was a luxury, it was like having an expensive toy that did not seem necessary in our daily lives.  I would never say something like that today.  Having digital access is a must.  It is the difference between being knowing what is going on and staying behind technically, socially, politically, and in any possible way.  There are many challenges when it comes to universal access to digital media, most importantly there is not enough budget or infrastructure allocated to this issue.  I truly believe that by opening this access to everyone, education will take a different approach and it will reach virtually everyone.  This empowerment people would be facing concerning their own education and learning process could be revolutionary.  Open educational resources could be defining tools when it comes to education.  They would be the access to knowledge anywhere, everywhere, whether its apps, games, books, courses, articles, interactive or non-interactive... you name it!

Innovation Through Technology

21st-Century Word Cloud. Source http://thedogatemyhomework.pbworks.com

Why do our schools need to embrace the innovations of visualization, democratization of knowledge and participatory cultures of learning. Which of the three innovations will you be most likely to be able to address in your classroom and division? Why? What challenges will need to be addressed?

After reading Cheryl Lemke’s chapter on “Innovation Through Technology” from her book titled 21^st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn (2011), more than ever, I have come to the realization that todays education system needs to be adapted to todays’ students.  I believe it is vital for our schools to embrace the innovations of visualization, democratization of knowledge and participatory cultures of learning.  I believe this to be true because we are now fully into the 21^st century it is not the future it is today and it has been for 12 years.  There are basic 21^st century learning skills that need to be addressed.  Web 2.0 is the standard of how our students interact and how our students spend their time out of school.  As Lemke mentions in her book, “96 percent of nine- to seventeen-year-olds embrace the Web 2.0 culture of social networking, blogging, tweeting, GPS mapping, or interactive gaming at some level”.  We need to address this culture at school too in order to ensure that students are involved and empowered to ensure that they will be ready to face and conquer this high-tech world.   The top reasons for using Web 2.0 in the classroom are to keep students interested and involved in school, this allows for different types of learning styles to be met, and following Web 2.0 develops critical thinking skills of students.

http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/promoting_effective_classroom_participation.html

I find it a challenging task to determine which one of the three innovations to most likely be able to address in the classroom.  They are all vital, and at the same time it is very difficult for me to imagine them being implemented with five year olds.   I am leaning towards the innovation of: Participatory Learning.  This would be because society is increasingly emphasizing on team work and collaboration, in other words participatory learing.  The idea of participating and communicating with each other in real time offers endless opportunities in education throughout all grade levels. It is important to create an education program that actively engages students instead of having them passively observe.  

Being Visually Literate

http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-3470650293

The term or concept "Visual Literacy" is pretty new to me. When I started this Master's course I vaguely had an idea of what it meant, however, the more I read and find out about what it encompasses I realize it is a vital competency in todays world. Perhaps I was once introduced to the idea (with no name) early in my life, through projects, art classes... after all, the usage of images that aid in making your projects or ideas more powerful had always been encouraged in my schooling years. Now I know this skill has a name, now I understand where it comes from, now I know it is a literacy.   After reading the article by Hattwig, D., Burgess, J. and Medaille, A, ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/visualliteracy.pdf I come to the understanding that there is much more than knowing what Visual Literacy is. There are a number of skills and standards that one must follow or comprehend to be fully visual literate.

Which essential skills represent your strengths in order to engage capably in a visually oriented society? Being a lifelong learner is the basic skill one must present in order to engage capably in a visually oriented society. This now means that I am open for new ideas, I have a flexible attitude towards understanding the direction where the world is going to. That being said, I am not visually literate yet per se, but I am in all the disposition in becoming so, and I have all the skills to do so.

Which skills do you need to build on in order to facilitate the development of your students’ skills and competencies to engage with images, and to critically use and create visual media to enhance their learning in your classes?

In my opinion I believe in introducing the use of images from an early age, creates an awareness of the importance of creative visual media in education. It is important as a teacher to be aware of the standards that Hattwig et al mention in their article. It is only by truly understanding and following the pertinent visual literacy competency standards, that one as an educator will transmit the right message to our students. The outcome itself is to enable the individual (us, our students, society for that matter) to effectively find, interpret, evaluate, use and create images and visual media (Hattwig et al).

Integrating visual literacy into your curriculum may require partnerships and shared implementation strategies across departments and/or units. Whom might you be partnering with and why? The integration of visual literacy is a must for all grade levels. As I mentioned before even us at the Early Childhood Center can and should give our students their first taste of Visual Literacy. I believe grade levels should partner up and decide on what would be an appropriate level of visual literacy for each unit. Another important department to include in the development of this implementation would be the Libraries and Resource Rooms. It is important to have shared implementation strategies as it is a goal that all our students no matter who their teacher is, have the same bases so they can build up on that in years to come. 

Why the Traditional Education Paradigm is Outdated

http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-2530173319

After reading "The Wrong Bet: Why Common Curriculum and Standards Won't Help" chapter 1 of his book World Class Learners, Zhao,Y. “The Wrong Bet: Why Common Curriculum & Standards Won’t Help", World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Learners.Pp. 23 – 45 I have gone from agreeing to disagreeing to agreeing once again with his idea of how the traditional educational paradigm is outdated. In particular Zhao mentions the idea of how adopting common curriculum and standards, not only nation wide but aiming to adopt a worldwide common curriculum will not help todays and for that matter tomorrows students be better prepared for the economic or social world they will face once they graduate.

At first I wanted to believe in that having an equal opportunity for all would bridge the gap between "developed" and "developing" countries, or even close the opportunity/economical gap within one country; that offering a standardized educational model would give everyone the same educational experience whether you studied in Mexico or in the United States, in a big city or a rural community. Of course in theory this sounds great, more like a utopia.  There are so many other factors influencing education and todays fast paced, evolving and changing world we live in, that even the thought of keeping the traditional educational paradigm seems not only outdated but absurd.

To begin with, I totally agree with the idea that this model was developed at a time where the world was moving at a slower pace, changes didn’t occur as rapidly.  Everything was thought of locally.  We have now moved from local to global and physical distances are no longer a barrier but rather a new opportunity.  Also of great importance is the point Sir Ken Robinson addresses in his video “Changing Education Paradigms”, of HOW we need to educate today’s students for the economies of tomorrow if we do not know what it will look like by the end of this week  Sir Ken Robinson’s video touches on many of the outdated aspects of the traditional education paradigm as well which support the idea that it is an outdated model.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Another aspect and one that we as educators should address in our classrooms is that the traditional educational paradigm is based on standardized test results.  Therefore is education aimed at preparing students for taking these tests?  And will better results have a direct impact on how prepared you will be once you graduate?  Sadly no, it is not that simple.  Of course students should have their basic skills and subjects up to par, but not while sacrificing the more “disposable” subjects or social skills.  Education is not about everybody being good at math and language skills exclusively, but also about embracing the arts, and acquiring different skills that will better enable the students to cope with change, to adapt and embrace this “unknown” future.    

It is by working and studying in international institutions that I have had the blessing of being surrounded by non-traditional educational models per se.  And yes, these opportunities have enabled me to be creative, innovative and global.  I truly believe in promoting this with my students.  This will only be achievable by fostering in them core values as well as critical, creative and analytical thinking and technology skills that will enable them to be competent global citizens themselves.