Link for question 3

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

Video for question 4





Video for question 5

Media Literacy Test Study Guide

Review the 5 Key Concepts of Media Literacy

1. Media are constructions
2. Audiences negotiate meaning
3. Media have commercial implications
4. Media have social and political implications
5. Each medium has a unique aesthetic form

You can view all the videos about the key concepts by following the link below.

http://mediasmarts.ca/media-literacy-101

You will be asked to look at a variety of media including:

• print advertising
• TV advertising
• Online videos
• Websites

You will be answering questions based on the form and content of the media. All questions on the test will relate back to what we learned in class.

You will also be asked questions about the advertising techniques we learned in class:

• Pathos
• Ethos
• Logos

As well as the additional ones:

• Avant Garde
• Weseal Words
• Magic Incredients
• Patriotism
• Transfer
• Plain Folks
• Snob Appeal
• Bribery
• Bandwagon

I will not be asking any questions about camera angles.

Poetry Reading Success Criteria

Please come prepared to present your poetry on your scheduled date.

• Pace of reading the poem helps the poetry reading be more effective
• Intonation helps bring poem to life
• Use good expression
• Eye contact with the audience
• Standing straight, confident, no slouching
• Use appropriate gestures
• Voice is clear and easy to understand
• Volume is loud enough for everyone to hear
• Between 10-30 seconds
• Practice is evident

Video: Rule of Thirds

Video: Camera Angles

Video: Pathos, Logos, and Ethos in Advertising

5. Each medium has a unique aesthetic form

• The content of media depends in part on the nature of the medium.
• This includes the technical, commercial and storytelling demands of each medium: for instance, the interactive nature of video games leads to different forms of storytelling – and different demands on media creators – that are found in film and TV.

Ask

• What techniques does the media product use to get your attention and to communicate its message?
• In what ways are the images in the media product manipulated through various techniques (for example: lighting, makeup, camera angle, photo manipulation)?
• What are the expectations of the genre (for example: print advertising, TV drama, music video) towards its subject?

Media Response #4

Have you ever felt persuaded by a media text (video, picture, article, news story). Did the media text persuade you to change or want to change your actions?

Media has Social and Political Implications Notes

4. Media have social and political implications

• Media convey ideological messages about values, power and authority.

• In media literacy, what or who is absent may be more important than what or who is included.

• These messages may be the result of conscious decisions, but more often they are the result of unconscious biases and unquestioned assumptions – and they can have a significant influence on what we think and believe.

• As a result, media have great influence on politics and on forming social change. 

• TV news coverage and advertising can greatly influence the election of a national leader on the basis of image; representations of world issues, both in journalism and fiction, can affect how much attention they receive; and society’s views towards different groups can be directly influenced by how – and how often – they appear in media.

Ask:

• Who and what is shown in a positive light? In a negative light?
• Why might these people and things be shown this way?
• Who and what is not shown at all?
• What conclusions might audiences draw based on these facts?

Media has Commercial Implications Notes

3. Media have commercial implications

• Most media production is a business and must, therefore, make a profit. In addition, media industries belong to a powerful network of corporations that exert influence on content and distribution.

• Questions of ownership and control are central – a relatively small number of individuals control what we watch, read and hear in the media.

• Even in cases where media content is not made for profit – such as YouTube videos and Facebook posts – the ways in which content is distributed are nearly always run with profit in mind.

Ask:

• What is the commercial purpose of this media product (in other words, how will it help someone make money)?
• How does this influence the content and how it’s communicated?
• If no commercial purpose can be found, what other purposes might the media product have (for instance, to get attention for its creator or to convince audiences of a particular point of view).

Get A Load of Milk Website Activity

Complete the worksheet provided to you in class using the information found on the following website:

getaloadofmilk.ca

This assignment is due Thursday November 5th.

Link to NBC News Segment About Target

This link will bring you the news segment about Target we viewed in class.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/target-ditches-gendered-labels-toys-home-entertainment-n406741

Audiences negotiate meaning notes

2. Audiences negotiate meaning

·         The meaning of any media product is not created solely by its producers but is, instead, collaboration between them and the audience – which means that different audiences can take away different meanings from the same product.

·         Media literacy encourages us to understand how individual factors, such as age, gender; race and social status affect our interpretations of media.

Ask:                               

How might different people see this media product differently?

How does this make you feel, based on how similar or different you are from the people portrayed in the media product?

Media Response #3

Read the article below and write a response sharing your position. Do you agree or disagree with Target's decision to remove gender based labeling? Explain why.

Target to remove gender-based labeling

USA TODAY NETWORKJennifer Calfas, USA TODAY6:56 p.m. EDT August 9, 2015

Kids visiting Target will no longer have to consider their gender while shopping.

The retailer announced Friday it will start removing gender-based labeling in several departments — including toys, bedding and entertainment — around the store. The company says the decision comes after feedback and suggestions from customers.

"As guests have pointed out, in some departments like toys, home or entertainment, suggesting products by gender is unnecessary," reads a statement from Target. "We heard you, and we agree. Right now, our teams are working across the store to identify areas where we can phase out gender-based signage to help strike a better balance."

The decision will change elements beyond just the signage in these departments. In the children's toys area of the store, Target plans to remove pink, blue, yellow and green paper on the back of the walls to eliminate references or suggestions based on gender.

The company said Target uses signs and displays to make it easier for guests to navigate the store and shop more efficiently. However, gender-based signs in certain areas were no longer necessary.

"We never want guests or their families to feel frustrated or limited by the way things are presented," the statement said.

The move comes after Abi Bechtel, a mother from Ohio, tweeted a photo in June of gender-based signage at a Green, Ohio, Target that sparked a conversation on gender-based signs in the retail stores.

"It stood out to me as a good example of the way our culture tends to view boys and men as the default, normal option and girls and women as the specialized exception," Bechtel told CNN in June.

Customers and Facebook users expressed their views on the statement, signaling satisfaction and disappointment with the retail store.

"This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard," wrote John Wilson. "A boy is a boy and a girl is a girl…and products are specifically made for each."

"Target is not saying that genders don't exist," wrote Amy Severtsen Stanwood. "They are simply recognizing that toys and bedding do not have genders. Mingling superhero action figures with other dolls isn't going to cause children to suddenly question who they are.

Media Task #1

Create a cereal box cover

1, Select a target market (young boys/girls, teen boys/girls, adult men/women)
2. Refer back to all the elements of the media product:

logo
image of the cereal
image of other food with the cereal
slogans
mascot
any other images
ingredients
nutritional information
contests
premiums (prizes or toys that come with the cereal)
activities
health claims
connections to other media content (tie-ins to TV shows or movies, links to websites, etc.

3. On an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, create a design of the front of a cereal box.  

Media are Constructions Notes

         1.     Media are constructions

·         Media products are created by individuals who make conscious and unconscious choices about what to include, what to leave out and how to present what is included.

·         These decisions are based on the creators’ own point of view, which will have been shaped by their opinions, assumptions and biases – as well as media they have been exposed to.

·         As a result of this, media products are never entirely accurate reflections of the real world – even the most objective documentary filmmaker has to decide what footage to use and what to cut, as well as where to put the camera – but we instinctively view many media products as direct representations of what is real.

Ask: Who created this media product? What is its purpose? What assumptions or beliefs do its creators have that are reflected in the content?

Media Responses

You are expected to have completed 2 responses by this time.

#1 For the first article: Choose one of the reasons we study media literacy that you believe is the most important to you. In a paragraph, explain why you believe this reason is the most important to you.

#2 For the second article: Do you believe social media has overall had a more positive or negative effect on the socialization of children? Explain your answer.