superheros and stereotypes

Categories are essential, helping us to function successfully in society, whether we are conscious of the practice or not. The media has played a large part in the classification of "beauty" as we perceive it (at least in Western civilizations.) The video we watched last night was especially meaningful to me, as a woman. It's just one of those unfortunate realities of being an average-looking female in today's culture. The standard of beauty is set impossibly high. Most of us can never live up to the magazine covers that line supermarket checkout stands. And if Michelle Pfeiffer can't even measure up without a generous helping of Photoshop magic, what hope do we mere mortals have?

Men have it pretty tough, too, I think. There are relatively few superheroes in the world - and those super-heroic standards of male beauty, strength, honesty, integrity and fidelity are just as imposing. (Thankfully there is only one Diana Prince. Whew.)

Fortunately, characterizations can overlap. Generalizations can change. People can adapt. But changes are slow, and without much conscious effort on all of our parts, stereotypes emerge. As if there isn't enough pressure to deal with. And we're probably all guilty of perpetuating many of them, sometimes innocently, oftentimes carelessly. I know I'm grateful to be part of a community that seems more open to inviting new cultures into our lives. I also know that sometimes I'm caught off guard. Being a white bread girl, growing up in a white bread world, if I'm honest, has probably afforded me some advantages in our society. It's must also be challenging for most people not to see color in this pale corner of the world.

I grew up with my cousins, Greg, Terri and Jimmy, in a fairly small town in Washington state, and never once questioned their skin color. They were adopted as infants, Greg's nationality was Native American, Terri was French Canadian/Native American, and Jimmy was Filipino/Native American. I was always envious of their darker skin, quite frankly. I freckled and burned. Still do, and it's still irritating. They turned gloriously browner every summer without smearing white goo all over their skin. (My ex-husband is of Spanish descent, and our kids got his skin color, dark hair and brown eyes. My contribution was wit and humor, I suppose. My daughter may have inherited a freckle or two...) The Norwegian blood on my side is pretty well diluted from this point on.

I didn't learn of the "Indian"-alcohol stereotype until my late teens. Greg was habitually in and out of jail in his teens, and his addiction to alcohol destroyed him. A tragedy that perpetuates the stereotype is so unfortunate, and so unfortunately real. But fortunately for our family, not always the fate of their siblings.

media on media makes the best news

In terms of Comedy Central, that is. In class today we sampled various news outlets to compare coverage of the BP oil spill. There weren't too many surprises, in terms how public broadcasting, conservative stations and the news-via-comedy-approach handles the news. Both The Colbert Report and The Daily Show actually report more specifically on the media itself, a more indirect - but infinitely more entertaining - approach method of covering current events. A consequence of this type of news reporting must keep the media on its toes. Or at least it should. A news reporter, commenting on the containment cap debacle said (in all seriousness!) that he'd like to know what that robot was thinking. Hilarious. Especially because it was so obviously unscripted.

more than a demographic
Don't we all want to feel that we're more unique than that? Even if it is true. Do targeted ads provide a solution to the noise and clutter? Does it really feel less like being persuaded, that we're more in control? Am I getting tired of the dating ads Facebook filters onto my page? Certainly no feeling of control there. I'd like to find that stats on how effective those ads really are. I've yet to click on one.

ways of seeing - art as commodity

Great video - no matter the decade recorded. What are the hidden ideologies in the art of Western civilization? And regarding value: Where, as the narrator asks, does this value come from? "Art offers something sacred." Does photography lend itself to similar line of thinking?

Really enjoyed the children discussing the painting (episode 4) - relating it to their own experiences - and the children recognized the sexual ambivalence of the central figure (having no idea of Caravaggio's homosexuality.)

Quotes to remember:
"We are now so accustomed to being addressed by these images that we scarcely notice their total impact."

"The oil painting showed what its owner was already enjoying among his possessions and his way of life. It consolidated his own sense of his own value. It enhanced his view of himself as he already was. It began with facts, the facts of his life. The paintings embellished the interior in which he actually lived. The purpose of publicity is to make the spectator marginally dissatisfied with his present way of life. Not with the way of life of society, but with his own within it. It suggests that if he buys what it is offering, his life will become better. It offers him an improved alternative to what he is."

"No two dreams are the same. Some are instantaneous, others prolonged, The dream is always personal to the dreamer. Publicity does not manufacture the dream. All that it does is to propose to each one of us that we are not yet enviable - yet could be."

"Reproduction makes art ambiguous - used like words, to connect our art with other experiences" ... "Access to television must be extended beyond it's present narrow limits." Prophetic, what constituted a personal computer in 1972? Two-way dialog now exists beyond his imagining in the digital age.
(John Berger, Ways of Seeing, BBC program)

on the news front
Must add to my news aggregator: newseum.org. I usually catch up on international news thru the bbc link. It was so interesting to see the design of newspapers on a global scale, and see how much we have in common in terms of page layouts, techniques and imagery.

Second Monday

Interesting how much can be learned in a brief time span. (Contrasted with how much time I seem to lose in front of the monitor on any other given day.) Working in groups on our salad ads was very entertaining. I was impressed with the quality of the imagery, and the imaginative ads and copy that were created. It's really a challenge to work within the time constraints of this much abbreviated "quarter," but all the teams rose to the occasion admirably. And came up with some gorgeous images and clever captions.

In speaking previously of time lost in front of the computer - I really enjoyed the trip down memory lane. Remembering those commercials made me a little nostalgic, to be honest. And were they ever a representation of a particular decade, in terms of dialog, fashion and content. We've gained so much in quality, but lost the perception of "innocence" of previous generations. Didn't Wrigley try to bring back the "Doublemint" twins concept a few years ago? It would be interesting to see how many originals have been re-tooled for today's audiences.

Media Literacy: Day Three

no easy answers
The questions aren't always that easy, either. I did welcome the change of pace of "The Price of Misinformation in the Media." Corrupt politicians (just finished watching the Jim West piece on Frontline), terrorists, green deceivers...it's all so depressing. (The fact that it's now tomorrow and sleep still seems like hours away isn't a factor, I'm sure...) It was nice to read that I'm overweight because I exercise too much. Oh, pardon me... I forgot to insert common sense here. So, today we learned a little of the decisions and deadlines that force editors to publish stories based on timeliness, relevance and space constraints. Magazines have deadlines, too, of course, but seriously? Did they proof check only for spelling errors and not content?

Wow. How about that swampland, huh? "Appearing on the show gives a person with no credibility recognition they don't deserve and can persuade people to make a dangerous health decision." (Rebecca Scritchfield, 2009) People will generally believe what they want to believe - and if they don't question the authority - or the logic behind the "science" - do they get what they deserve? Thankfully, this error-fraught story was addressed, and no overweight athletes were harmed in it's telling. Whew, I knew not to blame my routine scone-and-coffee breakfasts.

Media Literacy: Day two

Very interesting day. I'd like to think I'm not overly pessimistic about the integrity of those who work within my chosen field (although, to be honest, I did not choose public relations - I chose graphic design - the location of the office and the whim of administration chose my current job title). I'm a little afraid of "guilt by association," especially after today's discussions, readings and listenings...

The old adage, "...absolute power corrupts absolutely" has had truth and meaning in every century, of course - it just feels so heightened in today's culture. Had I been a peasant toiling away on the countryside instead of sitting in front of a computer linked to 2/3 of the industrial world, I might not have questioned the excesses of the monarchy. (OK, I'd have complained and commiserated with my friends and family - but due to technological limitations (absences), the impact of my sentiments would not have traveled far. Secrets were far easier to keep in the good old days.

I didn't realize the extent to which I doubt the honesty of big business. My faith is Christian, my political leanings are conservative, I'm grounded in middle class America - but I never miss an episode of The Colbert Report or The Daily Show. (Colbert's "Word of the Day" is one of my iPhone apps, as well.) Feels like the only honest news on the air. I'm probably an odd demographic. Or just odd. Humor, for me, is as essential as breathing. And I find the need to laugh even greater this week, when I start to comprehend that a handful of corporations are ruling the "civilized" world through their greed and need for power, coupled with (supported by?) our need and greed for senseless "news" (think Lindsay Lohan, et al., - sigh -) and ceaseless advertising. Mostly I'm proud to be an American. Other days I'm a bit embarrassed when I flip to the BBC.

persuasions
So, after we've made commercials obsolete with devices like Tivo, and product placement has saturated our culture, is it true that "we've ceased to be a culture at all?" ("The Persuaders," Frontline, pbs.org) If "electioneering" is all that our political candidates and their lobbyists are focused on, are we still a democracy? If as humans we function with 80% of our emotions, and only 20% of our intellect, will it take five of us to create one intellectual?

Have I been persuaded, informed or entertained through these massive, all-inclusive advertising efforts? Yes, of course. Guilty as charged.

Have I been critically thinking about what's behind the message, or about the psychology driving the sale? Not always. Not enough. We can't fast forward through an entire show to avoid the yammering (and occasionally, I must admit, hilarious) sales pitches. We can't fast forward through our lives to avoid them, either. Side thought? I have to admit it does like I've missed several years of my life - like Adam Sandler in that movie I admit I sat through one night - but only because I saw Christopher Walken on the screen - not that I dislike Adam Sandler, necessarily - but, to get back to the point, some portions of my life are certainly more blurry than others. Hmmm, I can still remember when television actually had periods of dead air at night. Before the birth of QVC. Obviously, there must not have been enough subliminal or overt messages flashing in my direction on those days. I'll have blame the kids, certainly not my choices...

distractions
I often want to rewind my car's radio like my television - because too often I'm guilty of not really living in the moment. "What did he just say? When was that concert? Did I miss my turn?" We can't rewind our dependency on entertainment, I suppose, but after today, I'm more tempted than ever to remove that dependency from my home. But then I'm afraid I couldn't do that to Comedy Central - even if I only watch two shows on their entire network. Maybe a little corruption's not always a bad thing.

Media Literacy: Day one

corporations and psychopaths, hmmm?

As expected, this is going to be a fast two weeks. Blink and I might miss it. It's a guarantee that I'm going to miss something, anyway. I thought all weekend about the idea that a corporation is equal (legally, that is) to a morally-bankrupt (psychopathic) person, with all the assumed rights of one. It lives solely for it's own sake - or for those of it's stakeholders. Not a staggeringly new thought, I suppose. But I hadn't thought of it in quite those terms before. Reckless disregard for safety, apparently lacking the need for social norms or the need to abide by our laws (make 'em up or change 'em as the need dictates), incapable of feeling guilt, deceitful...ah. Makes a girl feel all warm and fuzzy.

It's been made more clear as time goes by (as citizen journalists become more vocal - er - verbal?) that corporate giants are like icebergs. We need to find that big pile of ice below the surface. Chances are it won't be pretty. But exposing the danger (ok - that's a stretch - we're not all miniature Titanics crashing blindly to our demise) - but knowing who's in the background, who's pulling the strings, who is attempting to dictate all we read and hear, is kind of liberating.

Are they all bad? Yeah, probably. Am I being pessimistic? Yeah, probably. Is Disney evil? Does Google really intend to "not be evil'? Is Starbucks closing in on world domination?

We'll have to ask Dr. Evil. For now, I'm eager to learn more.

plns and ples, please

On the whole, I see my personal learning environment as a way to organize and strengthen my work assignments, learning objectives and social needs. Using a structured system can help me to take control of the process - by helping me to manage the content, set goals, and communicate with my peers and experts in the fields that interest me most. And I’ve learned quite a bit about the areas in my work and education that are lacking (maybe too much?), especially regarding my concept of social media.

A few months ago I was fairly dismissive of sites like Facebook and Twitter – but lately I’ve had to reassess my prejudice. Obviously, the sheer volume of information coming in doesn’t equate to value, nor is the sentiment often revealed on social networks necessarily shallow. When I look thoughtfully, or purposefully, I can see that these new tools can enhance my education as a student, and my career as a graphic artist.

I was struck by this quote recently, while searching about professional learning networks, regarding in the social nature of learning: “Learning becomes as much social as cognitive, as much concrete as abstract, and becomes intertwined with judgment and exploration.” I need to retrace my steps and find the source of that quote! By itself, technology isn’t going to dictate our success – but maybe it’s through our engagement of the social context (needs? aspirations?) into these technologies that does.

My head argues that all this information can only help; that using these new connections of information will impact my work, and my education, in a positive way. But I’m starting to feel like I’m losing my sense of self? Ironically, the more I use the aggregator tools to read and learn, the less connected I’m starting to feel. I get so excited about learning something new, but it fades quickly as I’m rushing off to the next task. Maybe it’s the frustration of trying to learn something new so quickly, without allowing myself the time to absorb it. Maybe I just need more chocolate.

A non-teacher trying to think like one...

Since most of my classmates (which is an odd term, as all our classes are online; classdigimates, maybe?) are educators, I often am stymied by my place in this setting. It's difficult to move past the theory of education, or my understanding of teaching - which are based largely on my experiences as a student in neolithic times. I was a child of the 70s, and survived typing term papers on an IBM Selectric. (Oh, the horror - life before digital cutting and pasting...oh the lost hours spent with typewriter ribbon and whiteout...)

But the goal of being literate in this present - and future - era of technology must clearly involve skills like reading, writing and arithmetic. The concept of 21st century literacy may be far more comprehensive, and potentially more richer, than those learned back in the day. But some questions occur to me, such as what do students need to know, when knowledge is just a mouse click or two away? And how we really discern between good and bad knowledge, when so much content is user-generated? What does this mean for the value of the information?

Motivated by Ken Robinson's concerns about creativity, and its absence in the classroom, I've been doing more reading on the subject. I highly recommend reading "Out of Our Minds." Just started "The Element" last night. I'm very very grateful that I went to school at a time when funding for the arts was encouraged. I came across this video the other day, an interview of Howard Gardner, a little intro into his theory of multiple intelligences, which complements Robinson's creativity premise of learning.

wireless future of medicine

This is a fascinating TED talk. As a diabetic, I'd like to know how accurate these technologies are (will be?). Also didn't know that the stethoscope was invented in 1816. I'd say we're do for an upgrade.

RSS: It's really that simple...!

RSS, The Web's Most Underutilized Time Saver

Good basic article explaining what RSS is and why to use it. Or them.

Also, this site has information very relevant to my interests in PR and technology:

This Week in Review: Google’s new features, what to do with the iPad, and Facebook’s rise as a news reader

digital magazines?

Just before the iPad came out, I was checking out a similar technology on vimeo:

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

Maybe I'm growing up - or adapting. I don't hate the idea as much as I used to....

Bringing music to the masses

This video has nothing to do, really, with the educational purpose of this class. It's from a market place in Valencia, and it made me smile - actually - it gave me joy. I realize we're not all opera lovers, but this was such an original idea (at least to me!), and I couldn't help but watch the faces of the crowd. I found it inspiring, and hope you do, too.

Just how successful a role can social media play in society?

Finding ways to use social media appropriately in the workplace is a challenge. By workplace, I mean this university, as we try to find new ways to reach high school students. Can we open new channels of communication with these students? Can messages bigger than "come here, you'll learn lots," stir an unexpected interest in the college-minded senior? Blogs are being used world wide, in countries starved for significant social change - and I know it's naive - but my hope is that our reach could be bigger than our grasp, to paraphrase Mr. Browning.

This audio, from the Oxford Internet Institute, is longer than you might have time for, but it raises some interesting points. Why I keep wandering into these global issues, when I can't even find my keys in the morning, I'll never know....



http://odeo.com/episodes/25248032-Social-Media-So-What-Assessing-the-Impact-of-Blogs-and-Social-Media

Teens still too trusting?

I wonder if much has changed in five years? Have we grown more lax in our diligence about protecting our identities? Or is distrust just commonplace now?

The following paragraph is from a 2005 paper, Gender, Identity, and Language Use in Teenage Blogs, published by the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, written by David Huffaker and Sandra Calvert (for Georgetown University). This study examined language use and online identity in teenaged bloggers (male and female), revealing that this group is far more trusting - sharing real names and locations, for example, very often sharing personal information in the virtual world that they would not consider sharing elsewhere:

"It is intriguing that blog authors often reveal their real names, along with other personal information such as age or location. In a virtual world, where identity is flexible, why would authors choose to present themselves as they do in nonvirtual worlds? Perhaps the idea of the personal journal encourages authors to reveal exactly who they are. Perhaps there is a certain sense of empowerment in revealing thoughts and feelings without hiding behind a public mask. On the other hand, if the content of a blog is personal, candid, or intimate, would not a certain sense of anonymity make authors feel more comfortable in being explicit? In either case, it would seem that names, age, and other forms of personal information play an important role in creating and maintaining blogs since these kinds of descriptors reflect the self, and hence how blog authors want to present themselves to others."

(Huffaker, D. A., and Calvert, S. L. (2005). Gender, identity, and language use in teenage blogs. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(2), article 1.)
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue2/huffaker.html

photos

Started out doing a little reading on blog marketing - which feels strange to be thinking about for myself, as I can't imagine what I'd share that anyone would want to follow. (Not trying to invoke sympathy here - I simply don't have any educational insights to share with the teachers in this class.) Blogger had quite a few suggestions on how to maintain a successful site. (Interestingly, of the sites they recommended to post information to, only the Technorati site is still viable.) I went through their "coffee shop" site, and found a large number of sites that had been disabled. Due to questionable content? Extended period of inactivity? Nothing relevant to say? No wait - that's just me projecting, again.

It's clear that publishing regularly is key. Content should be meaningful, without being overly windy. I don't know what a blogroll is - not sure how it differs from RSS. Need to look that one up. An email contact would be helpful, I think, as it can be intimidating to post a comment or suggestion...

I tend to prefer shorter messages that are easy to grab, but I stumbled across a comedian's blog during our first week of class, and added his blog to my list. He's pretty wordy, but I enjoy his self-depricating style of humor. So if I were to blog consistently, it would have to involve laughter. And photography, I suppose. It's nice to be thinking of this as a sharing of information, and not a vehicle to just sell something. So here's another photo of mine, just to add a little more color to the page.




Cacti flowers from the Huntington Gardens in LA. April 2008.

Global Voices

As usual, time got away from me as I search through the blogosphere. This is one of my new favs - bookmarked, even! The layout appeals to the artist in me, (love love love the maps attached to the featured stories!) but the content really pulled me in. I, of course, spent my lunch break reading about photography:

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/01/18/graffiti-and-urban-art-voices-from-latin-american-streets-ii/

ON the same site, under education, was this little gem. Funny how I gravitate to the arts, though.... The following vidoe is from the "My First Movie" workshop in Valladolid, Spain. Children take part in a film-making class, done without the use of a camera. By using alternate techniques and projectors, they painted on 16 mm film; the painted strips were spliced together:

Films | Taller | Workshop | 27_12_09 | 16mm Filmmaking from Asociación Espacio Rojo on Vimeo.

A Nation of Readers

Been reading on literacy and it's diminishing return, what our country was once was:

"In the 1820s, Alexis de Tocqueville toured the United States and discovered an "ever-increasing crowd of readers." Indeed, he remarked, "There is hardly a pioneer's hut that does not contain a few odd volumes of Shakespeare." America was a poorer, more primitive and less powerful nation then; yet what he observed was a nation of readers.

"If we let literary reading slacken now, we risk losing the perspective that allowed our forebears to envision a better world for their children. This is a vast cultural condition, and solutions must come from educators, politicians, foundations and businesses. Literary reading is too important for this nation to abandon, and it is indeed at risk." Mark Bauerlein, from following link:

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/09/12/EDG8B8M7EI1.DTL#ixzz0cvGLNqU8

Just reading some of the blogs posted from teens around the country seems to emphasize adolescent vs. adult skills. The students today may be able to multitask without effort, and are savvy about today's gadgets and current technologies - but much of the content seems to be so horizontally focused. They read and post for their friends - with all the limited vocabulary and slang that will ensure their societal standing - yet I'm hopeful that some will seek a depth beyond the level of user-generated content of their peers.

Engaging tools

Educause
I came across this site recently, and have quite enjoyed reading some of the peer-reviewed articles in it. This particular article, "Engaging Students with Engaging Tools," was quite informative, citing objectives and preparation for designing coursework (regarding the Middle East/North Africa and the teaching of newer technologies and social media at Dickinson College). He describes the tools used: Wiki, blogs, Twitter, etc., and discusses the challenges and benefits the students encountered.

http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/EngagingStudentswithEngagingTo/192954

Diigo
Last spring, one of the class requirements was setting up an Evernotes account. I used it for the class, but have since found this tool. (Thanks again, Denvy - the searching for this class often pays off in unexpected ways.) I need to stop playing with the software and get back to the task at hand!
http://www.diigo.com/

TED talk: Sir Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

day three: essential elements?

It seems to me that successful blogs are focused and organized - you should blog about a subject that you're passionate about, I think. Focus on what you know, perhaps? My thoughts tend to take a shotgun approach - I'm not sure how to garner all the things I want to learn or express into something cohesive. Clearly, researching this subject has been overwhelming with the sheer number of blogs and endless topics out there. It's exciting and exhausting at the same time.

I tend to enjoy the blogs that have an original design - and allow for some breathing room on the monitor. Some of them hit me in the eyes like visual buckshot. TMI! They must be easy to navigate, which is always the golden rule of a website, I think. And adding little sticky links to other social network sites (Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Linkedin, etc.) is clearly the trend.

Does the blog inspire its readers? If the blog is about graphic design, for example, - has the reader been inspired to try that new technique in Photoshop? If the content prompts an action by the reader, clearly that person is going to remember that blog the next time they need a little inspiration. Respect grows when the information shared is credible, useful and maybe a little fun, too. If time and thought is put into the content of the blog, I think the readers will come.

Of course, the most obvious essential element is consistent posting. That demands a big time commitment for most of us. Does the blog need to be posted to daily? Weekly? The reader will expect new, original and helpful content provided in a consistent manner. Or else why go back?

In one of Denvy's previous blogs, he mentioned the "timidity" of our initial postings. Whew - last quarter was my first "forum" experience - and I sweated bullets at posting comments my peers would read and critique. I have a tendency to filter and edit what I write, rather than feeling free to make mistakes and appear foolish. A pride thing, I admit.

Will my entries be more "reflective" or "meaningful" if I'm too timid to break free of self-imposed restrictions? I hope I grow beyond the fear - of course the fact that I'm posting a second time is proof of some growth on my part!

Day one: where to begin?

This quarter, I think I definitely need to question my unwillingness to post on my Facebook account. I started the account mainly to appease my family, friends and co-workers - and see for myself what all the fuss is about. To be honest, I like to check with it at the beginning of the workday, to see what my friends are saying. I might even respond to a posting once in awhile. But I don't think I've ever initiated a posting on my own. I just can't make myself inflict my momentary flashes of thought onto anyone. It's actually a bit selfish on my part, I realize. But the constant snippets of daily activities seem a bit boring to me. Where is the real conversation? Where in our days are the opportunities for real conversations? Or is a sound byte of information enough to make us feel we're a part of each others lives?

This blog thing, though, is a different kettle of fish. I can write out my musings and questions for the universe - and nobody has to read them unless they choose to. Or want to.