March 2009

mtobrien's picture

Introducing myself

Posted Mon, 03/02/2009 - 08:54 by mtobrien

 

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Joshua Newman's picture

The Feeling of Inadequacy

Posted Tue, 03/03/2009 - 18:24 by Joshua Newman

First off, all my apologies for not posting sooner. I found out about the tremendous loss of our friend and mentor Joe Kincheloe right after it happened—but like many, I am just now working up the courage to get on with my small part in the visionary project he, Shirley, and the good people at McGill have put together.

Kay Yang's picture

Alternative Media vs PAR

Posted Wed, 03/04/2009 - 12:22 by Kay Yang

While preparing the presentation next week, I stopped for a moment, defining a link between alternative media (AM) and participatory action research (PAR). The division erodes as both are based on participation for production. Alternative media, of course, is broader in definition, but AM and PAR seem to share the same paradigm—toward participatory democracy.  It sounds very rosy. But in any case, people create something, which is quite exciting, and it is great that researchers begin to be aware of this dazzling experience everyone deserves enjoying.

Maria's picture

Media Literacy & Race: "SlumDog Millionaire"

Posted Wed, 03/04/2009 - 15:03 by Maria


Maria's picture

Teacher, teacher give me the news I've got a bad case of lovin' you

Posted Wed, 03/04/2009 - 17:00 by Maria

Television, especially film, depicts teachers in one dominant way, as a 'good teacher'. A good teacher is exemplified by certain traints: he or she personalizes the curriculum, gets personally involved with his or her students, has problems with administration but perseveres, might be an outsider, and has a great sense of humor. Females, unlike males, must sacrifice their lives for their jobs. These depictions are highlighted in the book Teacher TV (2008) by Mary M. Dalton and Laura R. Linder. The authors suggest that this representation is a reflection of broader social and political spheres and they seek to link "history, culture, education, media, and how these sites influence the construction of various identities" (p.5). So why is the good teacher the dominant model and what function does it serve?

Andrew Churchill's picture

Barbie's Birthday: By Shirley Steinberg

Posted Fri, 03/06/2009 - 14:23 by Andrew Churchill

Just wanted to share Shirley's Barbie Op-ED that appeared in this week's Globe and Mail.  I think it is a great example of a creative way to infuse a little criticality into the main stream press.

 

SHIRLEY STEINBERG

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

March 3, 2009 at 12:00 AM EST

This is the book of the generations of Barbie.

(1) In the beginning, Ruth Handler created her, the third day of March in 1959 - in the likeness of Ruth's daughter and Lily, a German whore, she made her.

(2) Female first she created, and blessed her and called her name Barbie after her first-born. Ruth saw that it was good and there was much money to be made.

(3) And Barbie lived three years and Ruth created Ken, male and female she created them both.

Andrew Churchill's picture

Obama's Education Speech Transcript

Posted Tue, 03/10/2009 - 12:01 by Andrew Churchill

Taking on Education:

9:54 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Si se puede.

AUDIENCE: Si se puede! Si se puede! Si se puede!

Che, Milk and Slumdog Millionaire: Representations of Hope in the Age of Obama

Posted Tue, 03/10/2009 - 16:40 by ericjweiner

Below is a section of a chapter I am writing for a new book about the imagination.  It's just a small excerpt and still in process, but thought I might post it in the hopes of getting some feedback on some of its main ideas.  

 

Aaron-Keohane's picture

Watchmen (the film and comic book) - Great example of Postmodernist Deconstruction

Posted Tue, 03/10/2009 - 21:28 by Aaron-Keohane

 Hi guys (first blog). Went to see the movie "Watchmen" in the cinema yesterday (it's just out in Ireland) and I couldn't help but see some serious postmodernist undertones. So on going home I ecosearched (coz google is soooo last year,  v unecofriendly don't you know) watchmen and postmdodenism and here's what came up...

"Comics as Philosophy" edited by Jeff McLaughlin, specifically the chapter entitled "Deconstructing the Hero" by Iain Thomson.

Check it out at this link -

http://209.85.229.132/custom?q=cache:iva7ylcT9-AJ:www.unm.edu/~ithomson/Hero.pdf+watchmen+postmodern&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&client=pub-8455432676972944

Maria's picture

Teenage Identity Construction, Media influence, Suicide, and the internet as accomplice

Posted Wed, 03/11/2009 - 16:28 by Maria

Teenagers are killing themselves; a phenomenon attributed to the start of youth vilification in the 1950s in Kinderculture by Steinberg and Kincheloe. As alarming as this is, what I find even more disturbing is children are killing themselves too. According to MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20620477/) "the suicide rate for 10 to 24-year-olds rose to 7.32 deaths per 100,000 in 2004 from 6.78 deaths per 100,000 in 2003". I remember being ten quite clearly. I barely understood what suicide was and for that matter death. Something is going. Why are children so unhappy that they want to kill themselves and do the home, school, media, and internet have anything to do with it?