Mi Vida Loca

http://voicethread.com/#thread/6094835/31276691/32789308

"I was raised in what I consider to be not a melting pot, but a salad bowl. The onion stayed the onion, the tomato stayed the tomato, the lettuce stayed the lettuce, with maybe a little Russian or Italian dressing. And it tasted real good. No one lost their identity, and I thought that was what life was like."

Olmos, Edward James Actor (1947- )

Week 6 Reading

Our Vote Our future


"When students compose, they create messages, when they interpret messages, they construct meaning." pg 58

I chose this quote because it fit perfect with this interviews the students at Grafton High School had with our local Legislator on Monday. Students spoke out about voting in this coming election and how they felt about each political party (Messages and Meanings). They asked questions about the minimum wage, students loans and funding for community programs (Author and Audience).

WBOY.com: Clarksburg, Morgantown: News, Sports, Weather

http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view&section=Fox-10&item=Grafton-High-School-Students-Talk-Politics-18345







This event was set up to give the junior and senior class AP Government class from Grafton High School several opportunities, the first one was a chance to speak to several different political parties about what they represent and what their platforms are for the coming election. Second to give each student who was not registered to vote an opportunity to do so. Third and explanation of the process of voting and how to vote and why they must vote (Representation and Reality).

The AP Government teacher had the students set up the Library in the form of a Town Hall, he asked his students to prepared note cards with questions. Each student was given two minutes to state their question. The class also recorded the class for further discussion in class. I was very impressed by the communication and context of questions the student asked when talking to each legislator. Some walked away with t-shirts while others walked away with valuable information that was going to effect their future.

This was an amazing opportunity for me collaborate with the AP Government Class and engage them in a panel discussion that provided them a different learning style. After the interviews with our local media we got together and discussed ideas about how to get the rest of our Junior and Senior class involved and registered to vote.

One group decided that during AA they would set up a table by the cafeteria with registration cards and explain what they had learned. Another group wants to create a digital story with the peaces I included above from Channel 5 and 12 and include pictures taken by the school newspaper.
They plan on running the digital story during the last week of October and first week of November.

I am very proud of all of them and grateful to do something different and out of the box for AP Government.

Note Card Confessions

"Making a space where the media's version of the norm can be questioned" pg 28 "Letting students bring in their own rich media experinces with blurring of drama and life". pg 32 "Verification involves finding multiple sorces" pg 42 "Students also got a better understanding of reaserch as a truly creative process". pg 44

Addressing the Seven Elements of Digital Story Telling.

“Wherever a story comes from, whether it is a familiar myth or a private memory, the retelling exemplifies the making of a connection from one pattern to another: a potential translation in which narrative becomes parable and the once upon a time comes to stand for some renascent truth. This approach applies to all the incidents of everyday life: the phrase in the newspaper, the endearing or infuriating game of a toddler, the misunderstanding at the office. Our species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories.”
~ Mary Catherine Bate

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"Brainstorming my Digital Story."

1. Describe a positive scene from childhood in detail. What led up to this event? When and where did it happen? Who was involved? What were you thinking and feeling? Why is it an important event? What impact did it have on you?

I remember one of my friends who quit school due to being bullied by other kids it was a racial issue. I was so happy that by Christmas she was back in school.

For the sake of this blog we will call my friend Bella, she was always being bullied. Bella felt like no matter who she told no one would reach out to help her but me. She felt like she had enough so she quit school that was her answer! Because she could not get any support or help from the high school administration. She refused to be bullied anymore so she left.

I felt really bad for Bella she was a really a good friend. I spent my second semester without my friend. What impacted me the most was the fact that Bella was very quiet and would do anything for anyone but she had a bulls eye painted all over her locker and her back. I learned that year what friendship was truly all about, she showed me how brave and resilient she was.

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.” 
― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

2. Describe a negative scene from childhood in detail. What led up to this event? When and where did it happen? Who was involved? What were you thinking and feeling? Why is it an important event? What impact did it have on you?

When Bella came back to school the mean girls on the third floor often waited for her to walk by just to push her or pull her hair. By this time we were both sophomore's in high school the bulling just kept getting worse. I wanted to protect her but did not know how. I felt like a coward because no matter how much I said something or tried to protect her it made things worse.

3. Describe a particular event from your teen-aged years that stands out in your memory today. This can be positive or negative. What led up to the event? What happened? Where and when? Who was involved? What were you thinking and feeling? Why is it an important event? What impact did the event have on you.

I remember making a choice!A choice to stand up and help my Friend Bella against this abuse no more feeling helpless against those who felt they could just hurt others. I chose to fight by forming a group against students who like to bully others. Our school began to change we created a after school group and did demonstrations during pep rallies and at different school events. Soon other schools were inviting us to tell Bella's story. Not only did we tell Bella's story but we then began to talk about the prevention of high school drop. Our message was clear bullying causes high school drop out, suicide and substance abuse. I suppose this is why I do what I am doing today, except this time I am not the student I am the teacher.

4. Describe a vivid or important memory from any time in your adult years. Again, this can be positive or negative. It can be about anything – family, work, whatever. The scene stands out in your mind today as being especially vivid or important. Please describe what led up to the event. Then describe the scene in detail. What happened? Where and when? Who was involved? What were you thinking and feeling? Why is it an important event? What impact has the event had on you?

To Sum it all up I am a youth advocate who teaches substance abuse and high school drop out prevention. Every student deserves a chance to go to school in a safe environment. 

Drug free communities are a place where young people thrive.
This is what makes me feel great about my job. And the best part is I am a hero to my own children or at least that is what they tell me. So it makes it all worth it for me.

 5. In looking back on your life, you may be able to identify particular “turning points” – episodes through which you experienced an important change in your life. Please choose one key turning point scene and describe it in detail. If you feel your life story contains no clear turning points, then describe a particular episode in your life that comes closer than any other to qualifying for a turning point – a scene where you changed in some way. Again, please describe what led up to the event, what happened in the event, where and when it happened, who was involved, what you were thinking and feeling, and so on. Also, please tell me how you think you changed as a result of this event and why you consider this event to be an important scene in your life story today.

Turning Point in my life was having three amazing kids to call mine and marring their dad who is my very best friend. I got married in April 1992 soon after Nicholas was born, then Matthew in 1994 and my daughter who was born in May 2000. She was our miracle she was a preemie five months and 1lb 10oz she is a testament to our faith. 

 

Believe in the impossible and do something...

"Reflecting on our Love/Hate Relationship with Media"

 Reflecting on Print Media

Big Idea

I have a love hate relationship with Print Media.

I really love to buy books. I especially like the the old looking books. I buy them with very good intentions of reading them, but I don’t always get around to it. I am always on the go, I tried keeping my books in a clear accessible place like the bathroom or by night table even in the kitchen, but to no avail I never get to really sit in the hammock and read. 

So I now I listen to them when I can on audio books with YouTube but I still but the books.

It seems like such a waste of money I know but I really like to have the book in hand or just to have when I do want to read it. 

Which takes me to Jaime’s comment about the newspaper.

She said “Newspapers are print media that consume a lot of paper every day. Newspapers to me seem outdated when there are so many ways to find up-to-date information in the News. What really turns my stomach is all the unread newspapers after all the paper that was used to create it.”

You are correct when I look at all the newspaper’s we still buy it mind boggles me why are we still killing trees we can read the paper on line. I am proud to at least say that we are now reading the Mountain Statesmen online. No more newspaper clutter that was taking up space in a kitchen chair. 

Section 2. 

Understanding Today's Learners in this chapter we learn how students and teacher are using the Internet and explaining what the differences are. Students use the Internet for social media, entertainment  or for playing online games. For teacher it’s a different experience they are checking emails, researching for information for school or career or simply looking up hobbies.

When I get on the Internet I do all of the above except play games. I like that this chapter explains the differences however I don’t agree with the idea that 80% of teens have no interaction with their parents about their use of media and technology. I disagree because it’s all up to the parent 80% seems really a high number of kids that means that only 20% are conversing with mom and dad about their media choice?

What happen to putting computer in a place where there is supervision.

 Hobbs, R. (2011). Why Digital and Media Literacy. In Digital and media literacy: Connecting culture and classroom (pp. 7-8). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.

Google images.

http://www.123rf.com/photo_2312406_a-defocused-pile-of-old-folded-pink-newspapers-on-an-office-chair.html

Reading and Discussion #3 Activity 2

Option 2

Activity #3 for Week #2

 This was my favorite video.

 1.What do you like about the digital story? I liked that it had a positive message from the students about friends and friendships. Even the music was a about friends.

2.What did you learn from the digital story? I learned that integrity still exist among our young people. Student still believe in honesty and having someone their who will always have your back.

3.What surprised you about the digital story? The things said about what is a friend. Their interpretation about friendship it was empowering to see that they cared about who they surround themselves with.

4.How did the digital story provide an example of how digital storytelling can build self-esteem, help young people voice an opposition to social problems, or create an alternative to stereotypes of adolescents typically portrayed in mainstream media?
 I have always said if we are to talk about social issues that affect our young people then we need to have our young people at the table front and center of the discussion. Student have the best voice for telling their stories, in this video they did just that they discussed what friendship was to them. Many times we look at our young people in a stereotypical way and want to categorize them where we think they should be, especially when as adults we truly don’t understand their social and educational communities. A good friend will build you up when you are down, give you his last dollar because you need it.

 5. Do (or how do) these digital stories provide evidence of that these young people are engaged in analysis of their own culture? Yes the digital stories given by young people always provide evidence that young people are engaged in their culture but also in their communities. More and more young people are stepping up and letting the public know here is my story. Their voices have so much power. Let me share one video I use when teaching about bullying.

 6. Do (or how do) these digital stories support a healthy respect for multiculturalism and diversity?
I thinks that digital stories do support a healthy respect for multiculturalism and diversity, Just look at all the digital stories promoted by above the influence.

We all know that because digital stories are visual their messages or powerful and can hit cyber space in seconds so this gives us a totally new gateway of learning and expression by telling true stories good or bad.

 Young people love to tell stories about themselves by their pictures, music or written message.

Week 3 Activity 1 Posting

Element #1: 
Take a look at the two examples and see if you can identify the purpose behind each story. What is the point of view in each? Whose voice do you hear? The first video shows the tools and steps on how they harvest a salt bed. The voice in this video seems to be from one of the students of the Pacific Voices project. The second video is an example about a fishery. The second video is narrated by the teacher of the science classroom Val Welch of the Pacific Voice project.

 Element #2:
 See if you can find a dramatic question in the examples for this section. A dramatic question is posed by the narrator at the beginning of the story to create tension and draw in the audience. A dramatic question is usually not an actual question that the narrator poses; rather, it is an intriguing statement that causes the viewers to ask themselves a question. 'I was seven years old when I met my father' is an example of a dramatic question. It hooks you in and motivates you to listen to the story until its conclusion. Is the question resolved in each movie or are you left without a resolution? The video opens with three young children throwing garbage or junk into a pile from the back of a pickup truck. It looks like a field somewhere in Guam. I thought it was pretty sad that there was garbage all over the area, not sure if it was a garbage dump site, an open field, or some ones yard. I did find it funny that the music playing in the back round was very tropical and about when two people getting married and how happy they will be living on the island and how they will raise their family. I would of chosen different music for my back ground. The second video was about a woman who caught so many fish, the women did not have enough salt to preserve them. The resolution was answered when the goddess appeared to the women and told her to dig a hole, after the hole was created the goddess filled it with salt water and told the women now this will preserved the fish.

 Element #3: 
See if you can identify the emotional paradigms behind these stories. The first video start off with a loud and strong message about teen depression and suicide. As you get into watching the story you then see the positive message begin to unfold there is hope get help talk to someone. The Second video was short and very clear the young women talked about our elders and the knowledge the offer us. They give us a strong sense of culture and wisdom.

 Element #4: 
What impact that the voice plays on the overall effect of the story. The first video gives us a personal voice the women is talking by experience so it gives her story realism and credit. The second video gave me a sense of innocence as children were singing in the background and I can only assume they were telling us their story.

Element #5:
What impact does the music have on the emotional content or purpose of the story? Music gives any story power it will set the stage. It can be a ceremonial message, one of happiness, tragedy it depends on the type of music used in the digital story.

Element #6: 
Look at the examples in this section and consider the decisions the authors made about length of clips, types of transitions and sequence of events. Are you able (as a viewer) to fill in the missing pieces? Give an example? I thought all three had great ideas, they made their stories different but used the same pictures. I would fill in the blanks in the first story A room for Maria by changing the story just a little and adding why Maria wanted her own room, Maria wants her own room so can have friends over and have a place for them to play. I would also use softer music so that you could hear the narrator tell the story.

 Element #7:
 How does the narrator use their voice to pace the story? Give a specific example. Tools are GREAT! In the first video you could tell it was important and urgent the message portrayed that immediately. The power of the youth voice was very persuasive. The Second video did not have very much of a verbal narrator but still had its messages and they were clear. The message was given by action, signs, and cue. A small school that had elementary, middle school and high school all in one small building. You saw this when the student were headed to the library/lunch room. All the videos had a very good pace it gave you time to process the information before moving on to the next slide.

Week 3 Activity 2 Posting

Pain- A digital story by Anh Vuong Point of View- Anh was very clear in her message her point of view was on Pain and the possibility of loosing her father from hepititus, Anh could not understand why her dad was going through this. Her dad was a healthy man who did not drink or do drugs she was not prepared to loose him just yet, after all who would scare away her first boyfriends. Anh was grateful for pain she stated that if not for the pain she would not have pushed her dad to go back to the doctor to learn more and find out the truth. It is because of the pain that her father felt that he is alive today. The digital story was a combination of digital story and photo voice intertwined into this message. Dramatic Question- I felt throughout the story that Anh's father was either dead or going to die! She kept my attention even with her soft voice throughout the story. Did he die or is he dead I kept waiting to see if the was going to be the end result. Emotional Content- The entire family was committed to their dads healing, they changed their diet, lifestyle and mindset in order to help save her father. So for Pain she is grateful. It's all in a Name - a digital story by Saashley Point of View- At first as I watched the story I did not understand the connection until Sasshley discussed her diagnosis almost at the end of her story. I had to watch the video again it was encouraging, powerful, and documented well I thought. The Point of view we need people to BELIEVE in us and what we can do, we need to be encouraged and empowered to succeed! Dramatic Question- Saashley was not contrary nor mentally, she was a Mosiac Artist. Emotional Content-Empowered,Positive with a creative edge Saashley was called a leader and teacher and called this out loud. Las Abuelas - a digital story by Anna Vigran Point of View- Making tortillia like her mother and grandmother center of activities in her house was always in the kithcen and about the familia. Dramatic Question - Why does Anna choose to make her tortillia? Its because it bring friends and family together. Emotional Content- the emotional content in my opinion is Anna sence of family and family values.