Wow! This web page is so powerful. It has a lot af meaning and valuable information about youth, media, and pop culture. I liked the Jewmaican profile, Babies, Bottles, and Diapers: A story of Teen pregnancy, Pencilmation, Calcophony; these are all stories of eveyday teen life and it has a different meaning when we use the internet as a media source to produce these images. I can deffinently see resemblance with Laura Greenfield in Fast Foward. Greenfield uses pictures as a story and makes meaning by the use of the images she recolects although she is the one behind the camera lens, by gathering the images she tells an excellent story about these images. The teens working at Listen Up! make use of the media to tell us their personal stories, they use the media to teach society that they TALK BACK! to the dominant ideologies of our own culture. For example in Babies, Bottles, and Diapers the teens teach us that they can survive and raise and bring up a child regardless of the dominant ideology of society that portrays that teens are imature and naive when it comes to parenting issues. Also in the Jewmaican profile we see a young girl that has been traumatized with the fact of growing up without her mom, she finds the maternal love from a Jamaican lady and learns to deal without her, although she states "I feel detached from my jamaican family and also from my Jewish family."
This network is a resource center for youth to Speak Up and Talk Balk to the dominant ideologies of our culture.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
A teens voice for identity: MySpace and YouTube.
Pitzer College: About this class all I can say Is that it sounds interesting overall the same goals as our own class, we are viewing teens in the media; the differences lies in that we don’t tape and post videos, and they don’t particularly pay interest in teens but overall in the “evolution of the media in our culture.” YouTube and MySpace are two of the mass media networks viewed by teens.
Henry Jenkins article: Things that I agree with: I agree with Danah Boyd when she states that MySpace & Facebook are sites that help in the development of teens identity. I don’t agree when she says that MySpace is a “cultural requirement for American high school students.” I don’t believe that it has relevance in being a cultural requirement, most teen students have MySpace, but the minimum that don’t have it are probably living fine without it. Not all kids are digital in this time we are living. I do believe that these sites help youth in the finding of a community of teens with similar ideals than they have but it is not relevant if you have or don’t have a MySpace or Facebook account.
The only major concern to these networks is the potential use of “internet predators” and that is being controlled by users setting privacy on their accounts. Making it visible to only friends and permitting them to view your profile and adding comments.
Ties to other readings:
1. In “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” by Mark Prensky he depicts the students of today as Digital Natives. While looking at certain profiles on MySpace it is definite that one must be digital to understand this network and make full use of it. Teachers now days are integrating the use of the internet because it engages students in the work than simply putting it on a piece of paper.
2. “Figuring out where they fit in the universe, the world, the economy, their social circle, their family is a project on which teenagers spend a lot of their time and energy…teens principal preoccupation is to adapt, to find a place in life.” (Thomas Hine; The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager) MySpace and Facebook serve the purpose of Hines description on teens worries mainly because these are networks were teens can socially engage with other people with the same ideals as they have and also they find a way to identify them and adapt.
Ex:
It has been a fun semester! To read, view, and investigate teenagers in the media. What has been most important throughout the class has been the use of Blogger.com; I believe that this made the difference. It would have been a turn-down to have been asked to write a paper for each assignment we have read. This is an interesting way that teachers are utilizing to get students to participate and feel comfortable in a class discussion.
Henry Jenkins article: Things that I agree with: I agree with Danah Boyd when she states that MySpace & Facebook are sites that help in the development of teens identity. I don’t agree when she says that MySpace is a “cultural requirement for American high school students.” I don’t believe that it has relevance in being a cultural requirement, most teen students have MySpace, but the minimum that don’t have it are probably living fine without it. Not all kids are digital in this time we are living. I do believe that these sites help youth in the finding of a community of teens with similar ideals than they have but it is not relevant if you have or don’t have a MySpace or Facebook account.
The only major concern to these networks is the potential use of “internet predators” and that is being controlled by users setting privacy on their accounts. Making it visible to only friends and permitting them to view your profile and adding comments.
Ties to other readings:
1. In “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” by Mark Prensky he depicts the students of today as Digital Natives. While looking at certain profiles on MySpace it is definite that one must be digital to understand this network and make full use of it. Teachers now days are integrating the use of the internet because it engages students in the work than simply putting it on a piece of paper.
2. “Figuring out where they fit in the universe, the world, the economy, their social circle, their family is a project on which teenagers spend a lot of their time and energy…teens principal preoccupation is to adapt, to find a place in life.” (Thomas Hine; The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager) MySpace and Facebook serve the purpose of Hines description on teens worries mainly because these are networks were teens can socially engage with other people with the same ideals as they have and also they find a way to identify them and adapt.
Ex:
It has been a fun semester! To read, view, and investigate teenagers in the media. What has been most important throughout the class has been the use of Blogger.com; I believe that this made the difference. It would have been a turn-down to have been asked to write a paper for each assignment we have read. This is an interesting way that teachers are utilizing to get students to participate and feel comfortable in a class discussion.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Final Project
Hey so this is whats up... Me and Priscilla are going to work together and the idea is... Teenagers and cosmetic surgery and how it is portrayed in the media... Let me know what u think!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Kid Nation: Can the world be run by kids?
Kid Nation on CBS
Some things that I understand:
Kid Nation is a reality show that involves 40 kids (among these teenagers) learning and forming social, economic, and political views in a ghost town.
In the article by Ellen Goodman she argues against the show and its issues because mainly she believes that "its not a kid nation. It’s our nation." She believes that these kids are left on grounds that were once run by adults.
I agree with the three C’s: competition, class division, and consumerism. A vast majority of our children are growing up with the three C’s embedded in their minds and everyday life. I as a parent of a three year old live constantly with the consumerism role. My son has a Game boy with the latest games, the Nike sneakers, Timberland, Gap, and these are all things that he likes, and wants. Also when we get together with other kids of the family we compare who’s wearing the best clothes and what not.
In the article "Should kids be seen" I agree on the last sentence: "...their protecting their kids from the fate we’ve come to fear the most: invisibility." Most parents do not want their kids to go through the same ordeals that they went through while growing up. At least that’s what I want for my kids to have a better upbringing than me. I want them to have their own voice; and that is what the stars on Kid Nation are accomplishing.
Connections to other texts:
It connects to Hine’s main point when he states "Compared with most societies, ours is short of rituals that recognize young peoples arrival at maturity" I believe that the connection comes from the stars of Kid Nation and how they have many priorities among these is to fully demonstrate to society (mainly adults) that they can build, run, and live in a society built by kids.
"They’ll show wisdom beyond their years"
Questions/ Comments:
I did not see this show... How does it end? Are the kids successful in building a Nation?
Some things that I understand:
Kid Nation is a reality show that involves 40 kids (among these teenagers) learning and forming social, economic, and political views in a ghost town.
In the article by Ellen Goodman she argues against the show and its issues because mainly she believes that "its not a kid nation. It’s our nation." She believes that these kids are left on grounds that were once run by adults.
I agree with the three C’s: competition, class division, and consumerism. A vast majority of our children are growing up with the three C’s embedded in their minds and everyday life. I as a parent of a three year old live constantly with the consumerism role. My son has a Game boy with the latest games, the Nike sneakers, Timberland, Gap, and these are all things that he likes, and wants. Also when we get together with other kids of the family we compare who’s wearing the best clothes and what not.
In the article "Should kids be seen" I agree on the last sentence: "...their protecting their kids from the fate we’ve come to fear the most: invisibility." Most parents do not want their kids to go through the same ordeals that they went through while growing up. At least that’s what I want for my kids to have a better upbringing than me. I want them to have their own voice; and that is what the stars on Kid Nation are accomplishing.
Connections to other texts:
It connects to Hine’s main point when he states "Compared with most societies, ours is short of rituals that recognize young peoples arrival at maturity" I believe that the connection comes from the stars of Kid Nation and how they have many priorities among these is to fully demonstrate to society (mainly adults) that they can build, run, and live in a society built by kids.
"They’ll show wisdom beyond their years"
Questions/ Comments:
I did not see this show... How does it end? Are the kids successful in building a Nation?
Monday, March 17, 2008
Laura Greenfield "Preface"
Some things I understand: Laura Greenfield takes through a journey with pictures instead of writing. She uses photography to express the lives of teenagers in LA “the center of the entertainment industry”. The difference of growing up in LA as opposed to a teen growing up in RI I that life in LA is a fast one, and among the pictures I saw in Greenfield’s portfolio was the fast life. “It seems like everyone is in a rush to be an adult. It is not cool to be a kid.” And that is true today among all teens not only those living in LA. Being a bartender since I was 19 makes me have social contact with teens every weekend. It is funny to see teens in the club acting cool and drinking. Teenagers now days want to be and act like grown-ups do.
“A common theme that kept me focused throughout was the sense of an early loss of innocence” and I agree with Greenfield. This happens on an everyday basis with teens they just don’t want to grow up!
Some words that popped up: -focused on other societies
-their candid and perceptive worlds
-confusing territory
-LA the center of entertainment industry
-television, music, magazines
-trends and attitudes
-the gangs as a new type of family
-socioeconomic divisions
-the media as a homogenizing force (?)
Connections with other texts: When we were analyzing the Christensen article I recall that “If our youth starts embedding itself onto what the media portrays, our teenagers are going to suffer one sad life growing up” While reading the Greenfield preface when she speaks about the media having a severe influence on teenagers in LA.
I am very pleased with this photo project, I had fun and overall the reading was good!!!
“A common theme that kept me focused throughout was the sense of an early loss of innocence” and I agree with Greenfield. This happens on an everyday basis with teens they just don’t want to grow up!
Some words that popped up: -focused on other societies
-their candid and perceptive worlds
-confusing territory
-LA the center of entertainment industry
-television, music, magazines
-trends and attitudes
-the gangs as a new type of family
-socioeconomic divisions
-the media as a homogenizing force (?)
Connections with other texts: When we were analyzing the Christensen article I recall that “If our youth starts embedding itself onto what the media portrays, our teenagers are going to suffer one sad life growing up” While reading the Greenfield preface when she speaks about the media having a severe influence on teenagers in LA.
I am very pleased with this photo project, I had fun and overall the reading was good!!!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Choice #2: Becoming Activist
“Seldom do we dive in depth on African-American issues” (Jeff Johnson)
On March 6, 2008 RIC’s organization Harambee presented the audience with a visit from Jeff Johnson or “Cousin Jeff” as formally known on BET television. Activism is the policy of action, and it is sustained by socially conscious movements. Embedded in activism are powerful messages with a non-substantial meaning. Activism is not about giving a speech but it is about movement. In this era not everyone knows the true meaning of being an activist. An example of this is when you see a random person wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt and that person has no idea who Che is.
Johnson introduced the crossover activist Martin L. King. Black folks lie about King because in his time he was not popular. In the rallies carried out by King was dangerous and risky, so black folks never frequented these rallies. Johnson spoke about the relevance behind the “I have a Dream” speech. If King would still be alive in 2008 he would have a different dream. One of the questions made by Johnson to the audience was: What is relevant of playing on and on the speech I have a dream in 2008?
Institutions that maintain activism
1.Black Church: were secret meetings were held from slavery to civil rights. It is the revival stage: how do we activate people. The convention season local churches would pay money if not they elected a bishop. Building natural infrastructure an example of this is Mega fest in Atlanta.
2.Black Electoral: they are not politically dynastic. They use the policy of action, no commitment for the electorate. “We are more concern with charisma then transformation.” Here Johnson happened to start the lecture with politics and stated something that made me open my eyes: “Obama is not a black leader, he is leader that happens to be black.” And I was like “oh my good” that is so true, why do so many people especially African-Americans view Obama as a black leader?
3.Civic and Social Organizations: Like NAACP, there has to be national agendas.
To be an effective activist:
1.Everybody is called to something different and when the call is made; know were your position is.
2.What do I have the capacity to do now? As I grow my capacity grows.
3.Identify organizations that need help. Give with integrity.
4.Build teams of people that focus on a single issue.
On March 6, 2008 RIC’s organization Harambee presented the audience with a visit from Jeff Johnson or “Cousin Jeff” as formally known on BET television. Activism is the policy of action, and it is sustained by socially conscious movements. Embedded in activism are powerful messages with a non-substantial meaning. Activism is not about giving a speech but it is about movement. In this era not everyone knows the true meaning of being an activist. An example of this is when you see a random person wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt and that person has no idea who Che is.
Johnson introduced the crossover activist Martin L. King. Black folks lie about King because in his time he was not popular. In the rallies carried out by King was dangerous and risky, so black folks never frequented these rallies. Johnson spoke about the relevance behind the “I have a Dream” speech. If King would still be alive in 2008 he would have a different dream. One of the questions made by Johnson to the audience was: What is relevant of playing on and on the speech I have a dream in 2008?
Institutions that maintain activism
1.Black Church: were secret meetings were held from slavery to civil rights. It is the revival stage: how do we activate people. The convention season local churches would pay money if not they elected a bishop. Building natural infrastructure an example of this is Mega fest in Atlanta.
2.Black Electoral: they are not politically dynastic. They use the policy of action, no commitment for the electorate. “We are more concern with charisma then transformation.” Here Johnson happened to start the lecture with politics and stated something that made me open my eyes: “Obama is not a black leader, he is leader that happens to be black.” And I was like “oh my good” that is so true, why do so many people especially African-Americans view Obama as a black leader?
3.Civic and Social Organizations: Like NAACP, there has to be national agendas.
To be an effective activist:
1.Everybody is called to something different and when the call is made; know were your position is.
2.What do I have the capacity to do now? As I grow my capacity grows.
3.Identify organizations that need help. Give with integrity.
4.Build teams of people that focus on a single issue.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
"Bad Boys" or Bad Implementations
The reading "Bad Boys" by Ferguson is an eye-opener for society to learn about the ways teachers treat kids. The "hidden curriculum" is mainly school labeling and excercising of the rules. It's main focus is to mainly seclude and marginalize a group of individuals in this case children. Teachers now a days need to go beyond books and into students lives. Ferguson is issuing a call to all professors to set their priorities to a different level. she is arguing about the power of schools to teach kids. It not only happens in the racial context but it happens with minoroties, ESL students, handicccaped and disabled students. So teachers need to put in perspective their agenda and "step up their level of play." (Aaron Bruce, Director of the Unity Center)
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