Internet Review; Research for Social Media Problems Article

Please submit your Chapter 2 ?'s to our Google Classroom from last class's homework assignment by the end of class today.

Today, let's learn a little about the Internet: Crash course: The Internet #29; As you watch, please complete the Cornell notes organizer for this information. Turn in your notes by the end of class today.

Writing Task: Internet Review

Follow these instructions for your internet review:

• Surf the internet.
• Choose a website that you find interesting.
• Examine/analyze the hyperlinks or the information given to you on this website.
• Take note of what you find. 
• Ask & be prepared to answer: How valuable is this information in your opinion? Is the site you reviewed interesting, entertaining, informative, persuasive, helpful, harmful, lacking in content, superficial, important, etc.? Consider its purpose and the purpose it serves on the internet. [Remember that .com means commercial sites, .edu means educational sites, .gov means government sites, and .org means organizations--often non-for-profit sites, etc.]
• Identify the PURPOSE of the website: is this entertainment, information, education, inspiration, how-to-do something, social, or is the purpose political, religious, cultural, or media based? How do you know? What are some specific examples that help you determine this or that convinces you of this purpose?
• Write a short review of the website you chose ON YOUR BLOG. Make sure you hyperlink to the web source(s) you used for your readers. Give specific reasons for your evaluation. This blog post should be completed today in class.
• You will be graded on your post based on our homework rubric. 

Period 8:

CLASSROOM TASK: Research

Please watch the following videos about social media. As you watch, take notes. You will use the information you have learned from these videos in an article that you write about the value of (or problems with) social media.

Part of this assignment is gathering the skills to listen to people's messages, take effective notes, attribute sources from web or speech sources, and how to effectively build an argument in writing a news article.

Use the handout/graphic organizer to assist in your research/data collection. Remember to record your reaction to each video. Please watch:

HOMEWORK: None. If you did not watch or view these videos during class, please do so as homework. You will need your notes and your opinions about what you watched next class.

The Internet & Realms Beyond

Period 7: 

From last class:

• Please be sure you have submitted your "A Day Without Media Challenge" article to our Google classroom. (See previous posts for details - past due). 
• Make sure you have posted ON YOUR BLOG: a reaction to the web article: The Top 10 Social Media Trends of 2018. (See previous post & homework for details - due by today). 
• Make sure you have read Yzzy Gonzalez' article "Technology Taking Over?" & "Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?" (due today)

Classroom reading: Article: "This is Not About You" by Andrew Santella. Together, let's read this article. Do you agree or disagree with Santella? Why or why not? 

Writing TASK: Using the 3 articles: "Technology Taking Over?", "Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?" and "This is Not About You", write an op-ed article of at least 300 words (no more than 500!) about your opinion regarding the value of the internet and/or social media. Use the articles as models for your own writing and use these articles as support. Remember to refer to an author or article to support your opinion where necessary. Give your article a title! This article is due by the end of class today. Please attach your copy of your Google Doc article to the assignment in Google Classroom!

Period 8:

Stop writing (if you have not yet completed your article).

Let's learn a little about the Internet: Crash course: The Internet #29; As you watch, please complete Cornell notes for this information. Turn in your notes by the end of class today.

Writing Task #2:

Go back to writing and finishing your article from above if you have not yet completed this article. Follow these instructions for your internet review:

• Surf the internet.
• Choose a website that you find interesting.
• Examine/analyze the hyperlinks or the information given to you on this website.
• Take note of what you find. How valuable is this information in your opinion? 
• Identify the PURPOSE of the website: is this entertainment, information, education, inspiration, how-to-do something, social, or is the purpose political, religious, cultural, or media based? 
• Write a short review of the website you chose ON YOUR BLOG. Make sure you hyperlink to the web source(s) you used for your readers. Give specific reasons for your evaluation. This blog post should be completed in class or as homework if you do not complete it today.

HOMEWORK: Please read, annotate, and answer the ?'s on our Google Classroom for Unit 2: The Internet, Digital Media, Convergence. Submit your answers by end of class Monday for credit.

Additionally, post your website review on your blog. See above for details! This is also due Monday.

History of Mass Media Presentations (Conclusion); Social Media & A Day Without Media

Period 7: We will finish our presentations on Tuesday. We'll go in order now for clarity sake.

• The Electronic Era: the rise of the Industrial Age (1800's) until about 1930's.
• Samuel Morse & the telegraph: Valerie
• Nikola Tesla & The Tesla Coil & the wireless: Farhan
• Guglielmo Marconi & the long distance radio: Video
• Charles Babbage & the "difference engine" (early computer): Video
• Alexander Graham Bell & the telephone Emma
• William Friese-Greene & movie cameras & early color film: Lesana
• The Digital Era: 1930's through 1990's (the rise of computers/internet, etc.)
• John Logie Baird & the mechanical television: Zachariah
• Philo Farnsworth & the electric television: Bisharo
• Vic Hayes & Wi-Fi: Video

The History of Media Literacy, Part 1 & The History of Media Literacy, Part 2. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iUjvNtgWAs

Please watch the two short Crash Course videos on the history of Media Literacy. Take Cornell Notes as you watch. Turn in these notes by the end of class today.

Period 8:

A Day Without Media Challenge...

B. From two classes ago: Write a short news article (including a catchy headline), that you think is a fair and accurate representation of the articles you read about A Day Without Media (see previous posts for details).

In your article, include some carefully selected quotations from the authors of the studies, and/or the students they quote. Remember to attribute your sources. Submit your Google doc article file to Google Classroom (see Google Classroom for more information). [For a model of this sort of article, check out the Press Coverage links on the Day Without Media website & link (see above).] You may have already started or done this. We did not work on this assignment last class because you were delivering your presentations.

C. This  past weekend (Friday - Sunday) you were asked to choose one day to unplug. Investigate how difficult or easy it is to unplug from all media sources during the day. Use your notes you took about your reaction during this day. Use your notes to add your reaction/experience to the article you wrote in task B above. When you have completed your article, please turn it in for writing credit.

Finally, take a look at this article: The Top 10 Social Media Trends of 2018. On YOUR blog, post a reaction to the social media programs you use or have used--or the ones you think will be accepted and used by you or your peers. Why or why not use them?

HOMEWORK: If you did not complete these assignments in our lab today: complete your article if you did not finish writing it today in class. Complete the linked assignment for the Top 10 Social Media Trends of 2018. On your blog post your reaction. See above for details.

Finally, read and annotate the two short articles on technology: Yzzy Gonzalez' article "Technology Taking Over?" and "Are Social Networking Sites Good for our Society?" Bring these articles back with you to our next class.

The History of Mass Media (Presentations); A Day Without Media Challenge & Article

The History of Mass Media: Presentations:

Please take 5 minutes to gather your notes, prepare for your speech/presentation. I will take volunteers first, then pick randomly when we run out of volunteers--largely going in chronological order.

Our topics:

• Oral/Written Era: technology mostly delivered through oral/early written traditions (circa 1,000 BCE to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
• Egyptian hieroglyphs: Melinda
• Mesopotamian cuneiform: Degraj
• Ancient Greek theater & the invention of theater: Tali
• Print Revolution: 100CE (China) to about 1045. Development of movable type (printing press)
• Cai Lun & The invention of paper in China: Liz
• Rome & the invention of the codex or bound book: Wesley
• Gutenberg & the printing press (movable type): Makenna
• The Electronic Era: the rise of the Industrial Age (1800's) until about 1930's.
• Benjamin Franklin & the Saturday Evening Post (early newspapers): Jonaya
• Samuel Morse & the telegraph: Valerie
• Nikola Tesla & The Tesla Coil & the wireless: Farhan
• Guglielmo Marconi & the long distance radio: Video
• Charles Babbage & the "difference engine" (early computer): Video
• Alexander Graham Bell & the telephone Emma
• Thomas Edison & the phonograph: Keniah
• WKL Dickson & the Kinetoscope/kinetograph: A'Layza
• William Friese-Greene & movie cameras & early color film: Lesana
• George Eastman & film: Tia
• The Digital Era: 1930's through 1990's (the rise of computers/internet, etc.)
• John Logie Baird & the mechanical television: Zachariah
• Philo Farnsworth & the electric television: Bisharo
• Tim Berners-Lee & the World Wide Web: Madison
• Martin Cooper & the cell phone: Aalaysia
• Vic Hayes & Wi-Fi: Video

A Day Without Media Challenge...

A. Please read the handout and article online: A Day Without Media. Contrast this article and website with the article handout "Fighting a Social Media Addiction". In the COMMENT section below, post answers to questions for critical reading:

• Consider the Maryland report alongside Johnson's "Fighting a Social Media Addiction" especially in light of Rutledge's claim that the report's conclusion "had nothing to do with addiction" [para. 7]. To what extent do you think that "Fighting a Social Media Addiction" accurately represents the Maryland study? Why?

B. After reading and answering this question, write a short news article (including a catchy headline), that you think is a fair and accurate representation of the articles you read today. In your article, include some carefully selected quotations from the authors of the studies, and/or the students they quote. Remember to attribute your sources. Submit your Google doc article file to Google Classroom (see Google Classroom for more information). [For a model of this sort of article, check out the Press Coverage links on the Day Without Media website & link (see above).]

C. Finally, this weekend (Friday - Sunday) choose one day to unplug. Investigate how difficult or easy it is to unplug from all media sources during the day. Take notes about your reaction during this day. Bring your notes back with you next class. You will be adding your reaction/experience to the article you wrote in task B above.

HOMEWORK: See above. Unplug. Take notes about your feelings/attitude/activities during the day you unplug. If you break, note the time and what broke you to check or use the media. Bring your notes to next class. You will be writing a short article about what you experienced.

History of Mass Media Presentation (day 3); A Day Without Media Challenge

The History of Mass Media Slide Presentation Topic. Use your time in the lab to complete your research on the inventor & invention that helped develop the subject on mass media that you chose. Take notes on your topic and prepare your presentation/speech. Know your material!

Use Google slides to incorporate your answer:

• Find out (and be able to explain) what your topic is.
• Research specific interesting details (not all details!) about your subject.
• Research how your subject influenced or impacted technology that came after it (convergence). 
• Note if your technology is still being used today (or how has it changed?)
• YOUR SLIDES: should include:
• A title page with your name on it and the name of your subject/invention/topic.
• 2-3 slides about your subject (introduction of the person or culture that created the invention)
• 2-3 slides about the invention (What is it? How does it work? What did it do/what does it do?
• A slide describing what effect or impact the invention has had on other inventions or ideas (mass media) that came after it.
• A works cited page in MLA format. See MLA format for help. (You may use a citation machine to help you.)
• You may include a short video if you need to. Videos should not be more than 3 minutes in length.
• Your slides should be designed to appeal to a viewer/peer student.
• You may only have 12 words on a slide!**
• Use note cards for your presentation details about your subject matter. You may use as many note cards as you need to explain your subject and invention to your audience (us). 
• You will prepare and present your "presentation" Friday.

If you complete your work today before the end of class:

A. Please read the handout and article online: A Day Without Media. Contrast this article and website with the article handout "Fighting a Social Media Addiction". In the COMMENT section below, post answers to questions for critical reading:

• Consider the Maryland report alongside Johnson's "Fighting a Social Media Addiction" especially in light of Rutledge's claim that the report's conclusion "had nothing to do with addiction" [para. 7]. To what extent do you think that "Fighting a Social Media Addiction" accurately represents the Maryland study? Why?

B. After reading and answering this question, write a short news article (including a catchy headline), that you think is a fair and accurate representation of the articles you read today. In your article, include some carefully selected quotations from the authors of the studies, and/or the students they quote. Remember to attribute your sources. Submit your Google doc article file to Google Classroom (see Google Classroom for more information). [For a model of this sort of article, check out the Press Coverage links on the Day Without Media website & link (see above).]

C. Finally, this weekend (Friday - Sunday) choose one day to unplug. Investigate how difficult or easy it is to unplug from all media sources during the day. Take notes about your reaction during this day. Bring your notes back with you next class. You will be adding your reaction/experience to the article you wrote in task B above.

HOMEWORK: See above. Unplug. Take notes about your feelings/attitude/activities during the day you unplug. If you break, note the time and what broke you to check or use the media. Bring your notes to next class. You will be writing a short article about what you experienced. 

The History of Mass Media Slide Presentation Project (Day 3)

The History of Mass Media Slide Presentation Topic. Use your time in the lab to research the inventor & invention that helped develop the subject on mass media that you chose. Take notes on your topic. Design your presentation using Google Slides. Organize your note cards.

Use Google slides to incorporate your answer:

• Find out (and be able to explain) what your topic is.
• Research specific interesting details (not all details!) about your subject.
• Research how your subject influenced or impacted technology that came after it (convergence). 
• Note if your technology is still being used today (or how has it changed?)
• YOUR SLIDES: should include:
• A title page with your name on it and the name of your subject/invention/topic.
• 2-3 slides about your subject (introduction of the person or culture that created the invention)
• 2-3 slides about the invention (What is it? How does it work? What did it do/what does it do?
• A slide describing what effect or impact the invention has had on other inventions or ideas (mass media) that came after it.
• A works cited page in MLA format. See MLA format for help. (You may use a citation machine to help you.)
• You may include a short video if you need to. Videos should not be more than 3 minutes in length.
• Your slides should be designed to appeal to a viewer/peer student.
• You may only have 12 words on a slide!**
• Use note cards for your presentation details about your subject matter. You may use as many note cards as you need to explain your subject and invention to your audience (us). 
• You will prepare and present your "presentation" Friday*.

*Provided that the class needs more time to complete the assignment. 

If you complete your work today before the end of class:

A. Work on your homework assignment (see homework below)
B. Make sure you have completed all assignments so far in class. Look back at the previous posts and complete any missing work.

HOMEWORK: Read, annotate, and complete Chapter One: Culture & Mass Media ?'s. Answer the Google form that goes along with the chapter reading for Wednesday. Submit your answers online through Google Classroom.

Media Literacy; Research Media Slide Presentation: Day 2

REMINDER: You should have posted a comment ON YOUR BLOG (update your blog) about your plans/thoughts about a college program (in Media Studies or some other major...) Make sure you've done that! See previous post for details!

Complete the Media Consumption Questionnaire. Keep this near you when you respond to the video.

• Crash Course Media Literacy #1 (10 min.)

RESPONSE: In the COMMENT section below, please indicate what you learned about yourself from taking the questionnaire. How "media literate" are you in your opinion? Explain why you feel this way. [Refer to our homework rubric for details on how your answer will be scored.]

TASK #3 (from last class): Mass Media Slide Presentation Topic. Choose and sign up for one of the following slideshow presentation topics. Use your time in the lab to begin researching the inventor & invention that helped develop mass media. Take notes on your topic. Design your presentation using Google Slides.

• Oral/Written Era: technology mostly delivered through oral/early written traditions (circa 1,000 BCE to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
• Egyptian hieroglyphs
• Mesopotamian cuneiform 
• Ancient Greek theater & the invention of theater
• Print Revolution: 100CE (China) to about 1045. Development of movable type (printing press)
• Cai Lun & The invention of paper in China
• Rome & the invention of the codex or bound book
• Gutenberg & the printing press (movable type)
• The Electronic Era: the rise of the Industrial Age (1800's) until about 1930's.
• Benjamin Franklin & the Saturday Evening Post (early newspapers)
• Samuel Morse & the telegraph
• Nikola Tesla & The Tesla Coil & the wireless
• Guglielmo Marconi & the long distance radio 
• Charles Babbage & the "difference engine" (early computer)
• Alexander Graham Bell & the telephone
• Thomas Edison & the phonograph
• WKL Dickson & the Kinetoscope/kinetograph
• William Friese-Greene & movie cameras & early color film
• George Eastman & film
• The Digital Era: 1930's through 1990's (the rise of computers/internet, etc.)
• John Logie Baird & the mechanical television
• Philo Farnsworth & the electric television
• Tim Berners-Lee & the World Wide Web
• Martin Cooper & the cell phone
• Vic Hayes & Wi-Fi

Use Google slides to incorporate your answer:

• Find out (and be able to explain) what your topic is.
• Research specific interesting details (not all details!) about your subject.
• Research how your subject influenced or impacted technology that came after it (convergence). 
• Note if your technology is still being used today (or how has it changed?)
• YOUR SLIDES: should include:
• A title page with your name on it and the name of your subject/invention/topic.
• 2-3 slides about your subject (introduction of the person or culture that created the invention)
• 2-3 slides about the invention (What is it? How does it work? What did it do/what does it do?
• A slide describing what effect or impact the invention has had on other inventions or ideas (mass media) that came after it.
• A works cited page in MLA format. See MLA format for help. (You may use a citation machine to help you.)
• You may include a short video if you need to. Videos should not be more than 3 minutes in length.
• Your slides should be designed to appeal to a viewer/peer student.
• You may only have 12 words on a slide!
• Use note cards for your presentation details about your subject matter. You may use as many note cards as you need to explain your subject and invention to your audience (us). 
• You will prepare and present your "presentation" next week (most likely Friday*).

*Provided that the class needs more time to complete the assignment. 

HOMEWORK: None. If you are behind with any assignment, please make sure you complete assignments and continue to prepare your research presentation. Presentations will be due next week (most likely Friday). We will continue to work on our research/presentations next class.

A Career in Media Studies?; Vocabulary; Technology Slideshow: Intro

Important Vocabulary:

• Communication: the creation and use of symbol systems that convey information and meaning (includes languages, codes, motion pictures, etc.)
• Culture (from a media studies POV): the symbols of expression that individuals, groups, and societies use to make sense of daily life and to articulate their values. A process that delivers the values of a society through products and meaning-making technologies. 
• Mass Media: cultural industries (the channels of communication) that produce and distributes songs, novels, TV shows, newspapers, movies, internet services, games, & cultural products to large numbers of people (consumers). 
• Mass Communication: the process of designing cultural messages and stories and delivering them to large and diverse audiences through media channels.
• Convergence: the overlapping process of growth or obsolescence of a media product as it is improved, reused, or rebranded again and again.
• Oral/Written Era: technology mostly delivered through oral/early written traditions (circa 1,000 BCE to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
• Print Revolution: 100CE (China) to about 1045. Development of moveable type (printing press)
• The Electronic Era: the rise of the Industrial Age (1800's) until about 1930's. 
• The Digital Era: 1930's through 1990's (the rise of computers/internet, etc.)
• Social Media: programs (online) that allow people from all over the world to have ongoing online conversations, share stories/experiences, or sharing interests and information.
• Linear Model of Mass Communication: Outdated model of communications. Senders transmit messages through mass media channels to a large group of receivers. Media functioned as a message filter. With more media (primarily the internet/digital sources), gatekeepers cannot regulate or control the spread of media easily.
• Cultural Model: Individuals bring diverse meaning to messages, given factors and differences in their culture (age, gender, education, etc.) to interpret, accept, or reject messages.
• Selective exposure: People seek messages and produce meanings that correspond to their own cultural beliefs, values, and interests.
• 
  

TASK: After reading the article, please comment in the COMMENT section of this blog to this question/prompt:

• "A book has a different relationship to time than a TV show or a Facebook update. It says that something was worth taking from the endless torrent of data and laying down than an object that will still look the same a hundred years from now. The French writer Jean-Phillippe De Tonnac says 'the true function of books is to safeguard the things that forgetfulness constantly threatens to destroy.' -- Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Are books, in your opinion, still important to us in our culture (or to you in your culture)? Have they been replaced by better modes of mass media (like TV, social media, or film...)? Why or why not? Support your opinion with examples. 

Our course will also utilize a blog. I would prefer that you use the blog you created last year (you can update/redesign it--or create a new one if you prefer.) It is important that, as a writer, you realize that your words matter and that you can reach out to the world using the tool of mass media. A blog is just one kind of mass media. Today, after your research [see below], please update your blog and add a blog post for our second major task today. 

A Career in Media Studies?

It's not too early to think about career paths after high school. Mass communication (media studies) is a large field and covers a lot of different careers and professions. The ability to write, research, critically think, and communicate effectively are all important skills for a writer, and important skills for every professional in the workforce today.

Take a look at some college programs in Media Studies/Mass Communication/Journalism from the area. Look at the curriculum, the requirements for admission, and other details for students interested in pursuing a degree program in the field. How might you measure up? What kinds of courses would you have to take? What does the major cover or entail? Research in the lab.

Various College Programs in Journalism/Media Studies:

• University of Rochester
• SUNY Buffalo
• CUNY Queen's College
• MCC
• St. John Fisher
• RIT
• New York University
• Vassar College

And, of course, there are many others.

NOTE: Revisit this project at any time during the year when you are wondering why you are studying this stuff. It may help get you back on track.

Now that you've seen a few examples of college programs in media studies, take the rest of period 7 to research college programs you might be interested in. What field or subject are you interested in pursuing? What course content do these programs cover? What do these programs promise to do for a student? What makes the program unique?

TASK #2: On your blog share your findings with the world. What have you learned about a potential career path in Media? What is your attitude about the media? How might you personally use media as a writer? What career path are you interested in pursuing? etc. Respond to what you've learned about these topics today on your blog. Check the "homework" rubric to see how you will be graded for these two class assignments (task #1 & #2).

TASK #3: Mass Media Slide Presentation Topic. Choose and sign up for one of the following slideshow presentation topics. Use your time in the lab to begin researching the inventor & invention that helped develop mass media. Take notes on your topic. Design your presentation using Google Slides.

• Oral/Written Era: technology mostly delivered through oral/early written traditions (circa 1,000 BCE to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
• Egyptian hieroglyphs
• Mesopotamian cuneiform 
• Ancient Greek theater & the invention of theater
• Print Revolution: 100CE (China) to about 1045. Development of movable type (printing press)
• Cai Lun & The invention of paper in China
• Rome & the invention of the codex or bound book
• Gutenberg & the printing press (movable type)
• The Electronic Era: the rise of the Industrial Age (1800's) until about 1930's.
• Benjamin Franklin & the Saturday Evening Post (early newspapers)
• Samuel Morse & the telegraph
• Nikola Tesla & The Tesla Coil & the wireless
• Guglielmo Marconi & the long distance radio 
• Charles Babbage & the "difference engine" (early computer)
• Alexander Graham Bell & the telephone
• Thomas Edison & the phonograph
• WKL Dickson & the Kinetoscope/kinetograph
• William Friese-Greene & movie cameras & early color film
• George Eastman & film
• The Digital Era: 1930's through 1990's (the rise of computers/internet, etc.)
• John Logie Baird & the mechanical television
• Philo Farnsworth & the electric television
• Tim Berners-Lee & the World Wide Web
• Martin Cooper & the cell phone
• Vic Hayes & Wi-Fi

This project is not due yet. Rubrics & expectations will be covered next class.

HOMEWORK: Complete any task you did not complete in class. Complete any work you did not complete so far in the class (see previous posts for details!)

Old Student Blogs (from last year)

Student Blogs:

• Bisharo
• Keniah
• Tia
• Wesley
• Tali
• Farhan
• Makenna
• Alaysia
• Seyenna
• Emma
• Zachariah
• A'layza
• Madison
• Michelle
• Valerie
• Degraj
• Melinda
• Jonaya
• Liz
• Lesana

Use Blogger to set up a blog if you need a new one.

Once you update your blog, IF YOU CHANGED your URL, please send me the new one in the COMMENT section below. I need access to your class blog. You will be using it all year.

An Introduction to Media Studies; Is a Career in Media Studies for You?

College programs in Communications or Mass Communication are other names for Media Studies. The fields of Journalism and Film Studies are connected to Media Studies on the artistic side. Media Studies is also connected to Technology, Cultural Studies, and Sociology on the more scientific end. Much of Media Studies is influenced by Political Science, Psychology, Economics, Philosophy, and Education. They're all related.

This course focuses on the content, history, artistry, and philosophical issues the discipline encounters. You will be asked to write creatively, of course, but also to study, learn, and critically think about the role of Media in our lives and how it shapes our culture.

You will also learn more about how publishing works and how to write more journalistically--engaging in writing articles, critiques, essays, memoirs, film, radio and television scripts, creating photo series, ads, PR, podcasting, blogging, game design, and a whole host of other creative writing tasks.

Our major units will include:

• New Media/Internet & Technology
• Journalism & New Journalism
• Creative Nonfiction
• Film & Television
• Radio
• Graphic Novels/Cartoons
• Photography/photo journalism
• Publishing

Please watch the following PREZI about our course and complete the tasks as directed. We'll discuss some of these issues today as a class, then think a little bit about our future and how this class can help us.

Often during this course we will be reading articles that 1.) serve as models for writing & 2). encourage us to think about our world--hopefully, to engage us with ideas for our own writing. Today, let's read and respond in writing to the short op-ed article "How to Survive the Age of Distraction." Look up the definition of op-ed. In your notes, define the term in your own words. We'll be keeping notes/journal to study and learn from, as well as a source of inspiration for our writing.

• Define op-ed.
• What national story right now involves an anonymous op-ed writer who leaked a story to the New York Times?
• Why is this news? (Who does it involve? What's at stake? Why should we care?)

TASK: After reading the article, please comment in the COMMENT section of this blog to this question/prompt:

• "A book has a different relationship to time than a TV show or a Facebook update. It says that something was worth taking from the endless torrent of data and laying down than an object that will still look the same a hundred years from now. The French writer Jean-Phillippe De Tonnac says 'the true function of books is to safeguard the things that forgetfulness constantly threatens to destroy.' -- Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Are books, in your opinion, still important to us in our culture (or to you in your culture)? Have they been replaced by better modes of mass media (like TV, social media, or film...)? Why or why not? Support your opinion with examples. 

Our course will also utilize a blog. I would prefer that you use the blog you created last year (you can update/redesign it--or create a new one if you prefer.) It is important that, as a writer, you realize that your words matter and that you can reach out to the world using the tool of mass media. A blog is just one kind of mass media. Today, after your research [see below], please update your blog and add a blog post for our second major task today. 

A Career in Media Studies?

It's not too early to think about career paths after high school. Mass communication (media studies) is a large field and covers a lot of different careers and professions. The ability to write, research, critically think, and communicate effectively are all important skills for a writer, and important skills for every professional in the workforce today.

Take a look at some college programs in Media Studies/Mass Communication/Journalism from the area. Look at the curriculum, the requirements for admission, and other details for students interested in pursuing a degree program in the field. How might you measure up? What kinds of courses would you have to take? What does the major cover or entail? Research in the lab.

Various College Programs in Journalism/Media Studies:

• University of Rochester
• SUNY Buffalo
• CUNY Queen's College
• MCC
• St. John Fisher
• RIT
• New York University
• Vassar College

And, of course, there are many others.

NOTE: Revisit this project at any time during the year when you are wondering why you are studying this stuff. It may help get you back on track.

Now that you've seen a few examples of college programs in media studies, take the rest of class to research college programs you might be interested in. What field or subject are you interested in pursuing? What course content do these programs cover? What do these programs promise to do for a student? What makes the program unique?

TASK #2: On your blog share your findings with the world. What have you learned about a potential career path in Media? What is your attitude about the media? How might you personally use media as a writer? What career path are you interested in pursuing? etc. Respond to what you've learned about these topics today on your blog. Check the "homework" rubric to see how you will be graded for these two class assignments (task #1 & #2).

HOMEWORK: None. If you did not complete the homework from last class (see previous post) please catch up and turn your work in late by next class. Don't fall behind. If you're all caught up, have a great weekend!

Welcome!

Welcome back, class of 2021! I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable summer.

Here we are again. This year is partly devoted to media studies and journalism (non-fiction). What you learn here can help you improve your writing skills, examine national and international issues, improve your use of conflict and characters in your plots, play and experiment with media (blogs, television, radio & film scripts, podcasts, magazines, comic books, video games, etc.) as well as make you a better critical thinker, all the while honing your writer's craft and developing your writer's voice. The other half of your year will focus on the craft of writing with an in-depth look at how to write poetry, fiction, and plays.

Anyway, after reviewing our course criteria, we will get started with a required writing activity and start on a couple of assignments to begin this course. By the end of class today, we'll get our locker assignments.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Check this blog each class period for agendas, deadlines, educational information, advice, and a whole lot of links to enhance your education. All you have to do is read and click. You are responsible for reading and interacting with the material I post on the blog. It is a useful resource for the course (since we don't have a specific textbook)--so please use it. You can even see it on your cell phones (which you shouldn't have with you during class...)

New this year is my use of a Google Classroom. Assignments that can be turned in digitally (no printing!) will be posted in the Google Classroom. Go there now and enter this code: c7l88tz

Make sure that when you are in class using a Chromebook that you do the following EACH DAY:

• Log in. 
• Open a TAB and go to our classroom BLOG: scriptssota.blogspot.com
• Open a SECOND TAB and go to GOOGLE CLASSROOM: classroom.google, etc.
• Keep both TABS open during class or as instructed. It's also a good idea to open a THIRD TAB in Google to take class notes (or write class notes by hand if you prefer...) 
• When using headphones (only as instructed please!) please make sure you have only one ear bud in your ear at any time. Lower volume so that only you can hear what is being played. 
• Cell phones should be put away at 7:30. If you need to use them for a class assignment, I will instruct you. Otherwise, put them away. Please note that cell phones are not to be used in the hallways/bathrooms either. Only use the pass for emergencies, please. 
• After a class period next door, please plug your Chromebooks back into the cabinet. The Chrome symbol should appear at the top of the computer when you plug it in correctly. Do NOT leave them on your desk or somewhere else in the room. You may not take them home either. They remain in the classroom for all scheduled classes to use.

If you're absent or missed something in class, please check the blog to get caught up. As indicated above, each new class period usually includes a new post. If you have a question about an assignment and are too embarrassed to speak to me in public (or you have a question that you think you will forget to ask), feel free to use the comment section. It is, however, your responsibility to talk to me about your needs. This is your education. Make it worthwhile.

On our link page and in Google Classroom, you will also find some useful tools for this course. During the course, I will direct your attention to these tools for your use in this class and for use in The Craft of Writing.

Today, after reading and learning about the course, checking the vocab sheet & advice, and answering any questions regarding same, let's begin with a baseline writing exercise.

With time remaining, please begin working on your homework chapter (Mass Media, pages 3-15). Read and answer the vocabulary questions on the GOOGLE CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENT FORM. Submit your work before the beginning on next class for credit.

HOMEWORK: Read chapter one, part one: Mass Media, pg. 3-15 and answer the questions as directed in our Google Classroom. Submit your answers when complete.