Bblumenshine's Blog

            At first I thought I could break the photo down into three parts for analysis, each graphic by itself, but they are so interconnected that it is difficult to mention one without the others.  There is also more to this shot than just the graphics.  The lighting, fonts and placement of things also play a role in how this advertisement is presented. It makes photo appear as a simple advertisement for jeans, but upon closer inspection, it is plain to see how much commentary is actually taking place here, about both the brand of jeans and those who wear them. 

            The text on the right side of the image is making a bold statement.  The white color was selected to make it stand out, and so people could read it, but what is also interesting about it is the font.  It is not a rigid, form fitting font.  It is still neat and readable, but it is more relaxed and less intimidating.  I think it contrasts nicely with the idea of men in suits, because suits tend to be stiff and formal.  The smaller slogan under the Levi’s logo is also written in the same font, which could mean that they hope for the future to be relaxed and less rigid.  Even though the picture is not centered, the way the text is placed on it creates balance.  It should be noted that both the text and the logo are placed evenly with the person in the shot, which depicts a sort of equality among both the image and the words. 

            Equality is one of the things America is known for, but we are best known for our freedom, which this image displays quite nicely.  The image itself is showing a young person running in an open field, with what appears to be no destination in mind.  Young people supposedly have more freedom than adults, which could explain why they chose who they did for this picture.  The idea of suits creates an image of a very structured, decision driven environment, while this picture shows the complete opposite of that.  Personal freedom is what really is being shown here, because it seems as if the person is making the choice to run in an open field, as opposed to going to work or wherever else.  There is no goal or anything that needs accomplished in this picture, whereas if someone is in a suit, there is usually an important reason for it. 

There is evidence of a division here, the country verses the city people, and that is done through the type of clothes most worn in those places.  The statement on the right suggests that America was built by people who wear jeans, Levi’s of course, and that it is people like this that are the foundation of this country.  It could even be suggested that suits act as the “pretty face” for the nation, while the people in jeans are the ones who hold it all together.  The gender in this photo presents another attribute that should be recognized.  The person may or may not be a female, but if that is the case, than it is interesting because it contrasts with the idea of masculinity presented by the statement.  This also goes back to the idea of freedom in the picture, because even though freedom has always been the basis of this country, women have had more of a struggle gaining it than men.  It is almost ironic, because in this picture, men are associated with suits, which are thought of as constricting and uncomfortable, whereas women are associated with freedom and ease. 

            I was really amazed at all the information I was able to extract from this one seemingly simple photo.  It is important to understand that pictures can really be worth a thousand words and that there is often much to be said about what is not actually being said.

I am amazed, especially after reading the Crovitz and Smoot article, Wikipedia: Friend, Not Foe, that instructors are still having a huge issues with the use of Wikipedia in the classrooms.  As with any type of research, internet based or not, there are always precautions that need to be exerted when evaluating information.  This we know.  What we do not know, or rather, what I do not know, is how we allow students to pull information of various websites, which are things that anyone can make, but ban the use of Wikipedia. As was made evident by the assignment we did in class about evaluating websites, anything can be found on the internet.  I was assigned a page about aluminum foil deflector beanies and it looked so legitimate that even though it is a ludicrous product, it was hard not to think it was real.  The point was to show us how information may appear real and factual, when it is actually just the opposite. 

While I am not comfortable enough at this point in time to set up a wiki for my classroom as some teachers have done, I do applaud those who do because it is such a useful method of teaching.  Not only does it open up a new medium for communication between peers, but also with the teacher, and even parents.  Instead of being able to communicate with just the other students in the class, a wiki can make the whole world a classroom.  Editing skills, fact-checking habits and information analysis are just a few of the skills that can be taught through the use of a wiki. 

The same goes for Wikipedia.  By allowing the use of this site in the classroom, the teacher is placing responsibility in the hands of the students.  It can be a little nerve-racking to think of what the students will find, or not find, on the Wikipedia, but the same goes for the internet.  While anyone can add or edit a post to Wikipedia, teaching the students how to check their sources and evaluate information should eradicate the use of false information.  It is through the proper education of criteria evaluation that students will be able to judge what is real and what is not.  These are skills that students are being asked to learn anyways, so why not let them learn it through a site that they are already using anyways? 

Below are just a few questions and points I want my students to be aware of when evaluating any information, not just something from Wikipedia.  I think having them check, re-check and check their information again is important, and is something they must know how to do anyways, be it for college or even just comparison shopping for something online. 

• Who is writing?
• Is the author socially, politically, or religiously biased?
• What is the purpose of the piece?
• What expertise/experience does the author have in this field?
• Are the sources credible? Check them out to be sure.
• Does it offer a works cited page or a bibliography?

As an educator, it is a part of my duty to acquaint my students with the world around them and help them to make well informed opinions themselves.  I feel that by restricting the use of something like Wikipedia would be doing more damage than good, simply because it is blocking off an aspect of society and culture that is clearly having a large impact on how people receive information.  I want my students to be in touch with what is going on around them, and that includes knowing how to utilize and evaluate information, whether it comes from Wikipedia or not.

Only towards the end of high school did I join the masses and get a facebook. I was familiar enough with the web to order books of amazon.com and to do basic research for school, but that was about it. I just was not interested in blogging, wiki-ing, youtube-ing or any of that. Since starting college however, I have realized how important it is going to be to my students and my sanity to utilize what Web 2.0 has to offer.

I was freaking out about learning how to use blogs and even the thought of using them in my classroom was a little unnerving. I have used blogs before, at an incredible basic level in English 2145, but after viewing the various things that different teachers have done in with their students, I am really excited about the possibility of incorporating something like this into my teaching. I just keep thinking how if a student is absent or just wants to double check an assignment, instead of them stressing out or having to wait until the next day, they can simply check online after I upload it. It is also a super way for parents to stay involved and get a look at what their child is up to. I realize now that most of my students are going to spend a huge amount of their time on line and it only makes sense to incorporate that into their education.  I remember in high school, the time often ran out before the discussions did.  Blogs would be one way to continue the conversation without actually having to continue it in class. 

Technology is not something I experiment often with, but after reading and seeing how it can affect my future students, I am going to have to figure out ways to incorporate it into my lesson plans.  Just having a spot to post links or resources for my students to use is worth doing a class blog.  There are all kinds of videos and articles on the internet that are available and while I plan to use what I can, I also think it is important for students to write things out by hand too.  Some students work better that way and I plan to use a hybrid of old and new in my class. 

I have used SurveyMonkey.com before in other aspects of my life, but it did not occur to me to see it as a potential tool in my classroom until I started thinking about how many times I have heard a teacher say, “Raise your hand if you…,” and it dawned on me that it would be an awesome tool to utilize.  If my students have access to a computer either at home or school, which most should these days, then it would be a great way to gain insight into what the students are thinking.  I could use it to see what they thought about an assignment or a particular book.  I know I like having choices and that is a courtesy I wish to extend to my students, so I could use it to see which assignments they would be more interested in doing for a particular unit.  They could use it to gather research for essays or other projects.  This website is something that should be used because it is free and fairly simple, so why not let more people know about it?  Technology is something that is going to play an even bigger role in the lives of my students than it does in mine today and I need to learn how to take advantage of that.  Pre-tests and post tests can be boring, but I think the students would be more responsive to them if it was presented to them in a different format.  Another great way to use this site is to simple use it to find out more about the children I will see every day for a year.  I could then take that information and incorporate commonalities into lessons or even decorations for the classroom. 

I think using something like SurveyMonkey.com will be highly beneficial to me, especially when I first start teaching.  It is a quick and simple way to see if the things I am doing in my class are working or if I need to change them in some way.  Of course, updates and improvements are necessary in this profession, but I believe this tool would help me gain insight into the problems sooner. 

Check out my survey!