So it is finally spring break, and here I am, in front of my laptop, listening to music with the television on and my cell phone ringing. Sadly enough, although I will do some shopping and some skiing this break, I can pretty much be assured that more than half of it ill be spent indoors on a couch using being lazy and getting entertained off of technology, technology and more technology.
It occurs to me that although technology is making our lives simpler and let's say, more convenient, it is also disabling us from seeing the potential in activities that don't melt our brains away.
The amount of time people spend watching television or on the computer/ day is seriously alarming. There is a lot of positive behind the negative though. The internet and the television are both inventions that constantly enable us to access information about anything we'd like, in any language and in any format. The internet for one, allows us to participate in an everlasting encyclopedia of information, which is amazing! -A good example of this is one that was shown in our media class last week. A few elementary school students created a project on spiders using their computer and different animation programs. Their project came out looking very nice and I was shocked and impressed to know that they were able to put that kind of thing together at that age!
The problem is that technology is hardly ever used for it's positive educational resources. Rather it's most used for online shopping, stalking, playing poker, video games and watching pornography. On top of that, we easily forget there's a real world outside of our fantasy world!
So, I ask myself, is technology enabling us, or disabling us in the long run?
I suppose long term results will only be seen in a few years, for most of technology is fairly recent and applies most to our current generation.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
It's not what you teach, but how you teach it
This morning on my way to school, I was listening to the radio and on the news the announcers were discussing a very large issue that we have in our educational system here in Quebec. It turns out that Quebec has the highest school drop out rate in the country! Apparently in poorer areas of Montreal, nearly 40% of students don't even finish high school or get their diploma. This is extremely alarming information to hear.
http://www.cjad.com/news/14/872265
This article from CJAD news explains the situation more clearly and includes more alarming statistics.
At some point in the talk show, people were calling in to talk about the topic, and one caller suggested and stressed how important it is that teachers in Quebec schools make the material their teaching more interesting and more relevant to students so that they want to come to school, and actually enjoy what their learning, as opposed to carelessly dropping out. In response to that, I strongly agree and believe that integrating new and fun technology in English class as opposed to lecturing about Shakespeare, would make a significant difference in the way many teenagers and children view and value their education. Teachers who don't believe students will learn effectively through the use of technology and believe that the old fashion way of teaching is the only way, are only going to make the problem worse.
The announcers on the radio mentioned how some educators are considering using the topic of hockey and the Montreal Canadians in their classroom, because it is relevant to students these days, and because they actually like it! Many people called in saying how they think it's nonsense and how kids can't learn 'real' subjects (mostly meaning math..) from it. This type of response is, in my opinion very ignorant. People have to open their minds up, and realize that it's not what you teach, but it's how you teach it.
With regards to elementary schools, you can most definitely teach subjects like math through hockey. From fractions to simple algebra to percentages, the NHL is filled with statistics! Can you believe that students would actually want to learn math? It's possible..we just have to open our minds and open our eyes to the world the younger generation live in.
http://www.cjad.com/news/14/872265
This article from CJAD news explains the situation more clearly and includes more alarming statistics.
At some point in the talk show, people were calling in to talk about the topic, and one caller suggested and stressed how important it is that teachers in Quebec schools make the material their teaching more interesting and more relevant to students so that they want to come to school, and actually enjoy what their learning, as opposed to carelessly dropping out. In response to that, I strongly agree and believe that integrating new and fun technology in English class as opposed to lecturing about Shakespeare, would make a significant difference in the way many teenagers and children view and value their education. Teachers who don't believe students will learn effectively through the use of technology and believe that the old fashion way of teaching is the only way, are only going to make the problem worse.
The announcers on the radio mentioned how some educators are considering using the topic of hockey and the Montreal Canadians in their classroom, because it is relevant to students these days, and because they actually like it! Many people called in saying how they think it's nonsense and how kids can't learn 'real' subjects (mostly meaning math..) from it. This type of response is, in my opinion very ignorant. People have to open their minds up, and realize that it's not what you teach, but it's how you teach it.
With regards to elementary schools, you can most definitely teach subjects like math through hockey. From fractions to simple algebra to percentages, the NHL is filled with statistics! Can you believe that students would actually want to learn math? It's possible..we just have to open our minds and open our eyes to the world the younger generation live in.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Photovoice: Women as objects in the media
An overview:
The topic I chose to explore as part of my photovoice is one whose image speaks very powerfully. As you will see below, my images portray women as objects where they are used to sell products or ideas through ad campaigns and pictures. From perfumes to dolls, these images keep sending out the same degrading message towards women, which is my main concern. The message being sent out to the public is that women are simply good for pretty pictures, sex icons and fashion related jobs. One of the main reasons that this problem exists is due to the fact that that our culture is very sex and beauty oriented and we buy into these types of commercials and ads. Companies thrive off of this and use it a tool to sell almost any product through the use of sexually implicit images that attract the eyes of men and women of all ages, including the very young population as well. Another rather serious issue is that children are growing up with the idea that it is perfectly normal to see these types of ads where women resemble objects of beauty and desire. This gives children and young adults unrealistic objectives as well as a very corrupting view of themselves and of women in general, continuing this vicious cycle. It is hard to come up with and immediate solution to this problem, because we are all so used to seeing and producing these images and more specifically because they are huge money makers for our fashion oriented culture and economy. None the less, we as future teachers can do our best efforts to educate our future generation on this issue, and to see through the fact that media’s occasional powerful influence isn’t always a good influence.
Image 1:
This is an ad for a furniture store. As one can see, this company is attempting to sell a couch by comparing its curved shape to that of a woman’s body. In this case, we can see how easily women’s bodies can be turned into literal objects. Ads such as this one are constantly seen in the media for the reason that they sell. Many male consumers might be intrigued by the comparison and completely forget about the qualities of the couch itself when purchasing, and women might get tempted by it because of the idea that it’s just “So you”; a slogan written in small next to the picture.
Image 2:
This is a classic Dolce & Gabbana ad that is trying to sell its perfume by showing perfectly sculpted, half naked men crowding around a woman who is in some sort of sexual position, like hyenas to a steak. The media is portraying women as an object of sexual desire in order to make women feel as though if they buy this perfume, they will attract these men models. It is completely unrealistic, and highly unlikely, but it makes money. Male or female, sex sells. Period.
Image 3:
This Barbie ad depicts the way women can supposedly very closely and worryingly resemble dolls. It is almost hard to tell whether these girls are real or plastic. This most recent collection of Barbie’s, is called “Barbie loves MAC” referring to MAC cosmetics, a very popular and well known make-up brand for women. Barbie’s new profession now, is a make-up artist, and for only 35$ many young girls can look up to her materialistic profession and aspire to be like her and look just like her and her anatomically unattainable figure!
Image 4:
This picture is a recent ad for the “Axe” company which advertises it’s collection of scented body sprays and shower gels for men. Its campaign revolves around the idea that men who use it automatically attract all the women around them, to the point that they show up in a shower asking to be washed as a sexual reference to their slogan ‘Get Dirty’. In this ad, the media is objectifying women as dirty objects that need to be cleaned by men. The woman’s face isn’t even shown, as the ad focuses purely on her revealing body.
The topic I chose to explore as part of my photovoice is one whose image speaks very powerfully. As you will see below, my images portray women as objects where they are used to sell products or ideas through ad campaigns and pictures. From perfumes to dolls, these images keep sending out the same degrading message towards women, which is my main concern. The message being sent out to the public is that women are simply good for pretty pictures, sex icons and fashion related jobs. One of the main reasons that this problem exists is due to the fact that that our culture is very sex and beauty oriented and we buy into these types of commercials and ads. Companies thrive off of this and use it a tool to sell almost any product through the use of sexually implicit images that attract the eyes of men and women of all ages, including the very young population as well. Another rather serious issue is that children are growing up with the idea that it is perfectly normal to see these types of ads where women resemble objects of beauty and desire. This gives children and young adults unrealistic objectives as well as a very corrupting view of themselves and of women in general, continuing this vicious cycle. It is hard to come up with and immediate solution to this problem, because we are all so used to seeing and producing these images and more specifically because they are huge money makers for our fashion oriented culture and economy. None the less, we as future teachers can do our best efforts to educate our future generation on this issue, and to see through the fact that media’s occasional powerful influence isn’t always a good influence.
Image 1:
This is an ad for a furniture store. As one can see, this company is attempting to sell a couch by comparing its curved shape to that of a woman’s body. In this case, we can see how easily women’s bodies can be turned into literal objects. Ads such as this one are constantly seen in the media for the reason that they sell. Many male consumers might be intrigued by the comparison and completely forget about the qualities of the couch itself when purchasing, and women might get tempted by it because of the idea that it’s just “So you”; a slogan written in small next to the picture.
Image 2:
This is a classic Dolce & Gabbana ad that is trying to sell its perfume by showing perfectly sculpted, half naked men crowding around a woman who is in some sort of sexual position, like hyenas to a steak. The media is portraying women as an object of sexual desire in order to make women feel as though if they buy this perfume, they will attract these men models. It is completely unrealistic, and highly unlikely, but it makes money. Male or female, sex sells. Period.
Image 3:
This Barbie ad depicts the way women can supposedly very closely and worryingly resemble dolls. It is almost hard to tell whether these girls are real or plastic. This most recent collection of Barbie’s, is called “Barbie loves MAC” referring to MAC cosmetics, a very popular and well known make-up brand for women. Barbie’s new profession now, is a make-up artist, and for only 35$ many young girls can look up to her materialistic profession and aspire to be like her and look just like her and her anatomically unattainable figure!
Image 4:
This picture is a recent ad for the “Axe” company which advertises it’s collection of scented body sprays and shower gels for men. Its campaign revolves around the idea that men who use it automatically attract all the women around them, to the point that they show up in a shower asking to be washed as a sexual reference to their slogan ‘Get Dirty’. In this ad, the media is objectifying women as dirty objects that need to be cleaned by men. The woman’s face isn’t even shown, as the ad focuses purely on her revealing body.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A wake-up call..
Technology has eased it's way into our world as it has changed the way many of us learn, the way many teachers teach, and the ways in which we interact on a daily basis. I can definitely say that I cannot see my life without most technological appliances I own, nor do I feel like I can function properly without them.(Which makes me feel slightly pathetic, but anyways..)
Much of the younger population would agree that there are no consequences to the use of technology, as they are unaware of some of the disadvantages that technology brings, while an older generation would argue against it;
"TV screens will ruin your eyesight! i pods will damages your hearing! cellphone use can result in cancer! video games promote violence!.
Sound familiar? - I'm pretty sure it does.
Although we cannot say for sure whether or not these so called disadvantages are 100% correct, they do make a lot of sense... and even though I am part of the younger generation, and I do enjoy my i pod and my cellphone, I am not blind to it's potential harmful future effects. Unfortunately, there are more disadvantages to technology than the obvious ones your parents might lecture you about, some of which many may be blind to...
While reading about the stages on pedagogical development, I came across an interesting technology-related topic that is often not emphasized enough in elementary and high schools. Plagiarism and cheating is so easy to get away with these days because more and more ways to secretly or privately access information is available. From the internet, to cellphones, students have mastered the art of cheating and continue to do so, constantly receiving grades they are most certainly not worthy of having, and more importantly taking away nothing from their classes and lectures. Lathrop and Foss (2000) have found that '80% of high school students admit to cheating and 95% of students who cheat say they do not get caught' This is very very alarming to hear as a future educator who would never want to hear a statistic like that.
This is should most definitely be a huge wake-up call for teachers everywhere, I know that it certainly is for me.
Clearly, it isn't enough that educators have found ways to find out if a paper is plagiarized or not. We must find another way to get rid of such inappropriate use of technology so that our future can rely on academically independent individuals who have learned something valuable from their education other than how to cheat.
Here is a link to an article that further discusses 21st century cheating.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=2142
Enjoy!
Much of the younger population would agree that there are no consequences to the use of technology, as they are unaware of some of the disadvantages that technology brings, while an older generation would argue against it;
"TV screens will ruin your eyesight! i pods will damages your hearing! cellphone use can result in cancer! video games promote violence!.
Sound familiar? - I'm pretty sure it does.
Although we cannot say for sure whether or not these so called disadvantages are 100% correct, they do make a lot of sense... and even though I am part of the younger generation, and I do enjoy my i pod and my cellphone, I am not blind to it's potential harmful future effects. Unfortunately, there are more disadvantages to technology than the obvious ones your parents might lecture you about, some of which many may be blind to...
While reading about the stages on pedagogical development, I came across an interesting technology-related topic that is often not emphasized enough in elementary and high schools. Plagiarism and cheating is so easy to get away with these days because more and more ways to secretly or privately access information is available. From the internet, to cellphones, students have mastered the art of cheating and continue to do so, constantly receiving grades they are most certainly not worthy of having, and more importantly taking away nothing from their classes and lectures. Lathrop and Foss (2000) have found that '80% of high school students admit to cheating and 95% of students who cheat say they do not get caught' This is very very alarming to hear as a future educator who would never want to hear a statistic like that.
This is should most definitely be a huge wake-up call for teachers everywhere, I know that it certainly is for me.
Clearly, it isn't enough that educators have found ways to find out if a paper is plagiarized or not. We must find another way to get rid of such inappropriate use of technology so that our future can rely on academically independent individuals who have learned something valuable from their education other than how to cheat.
Here is a link to an article that further discusses 21st century cheating.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=2142
Enjoy!
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