If these walls could talk..... What would they say?

A vision of students today 

Director: Michael Wesch 

Main Idea: An inside look on what students have to say, and what they think is affecting our learning most. 

The video begins with the inside look of a college lecture hall, to create an environment. Out of boredom student write small words of advice on walls and on chairs. The camera moves on to show messages on chairs such as: “If students learn what they do… What are they learning sitting here?” and “of course walls and desks cannot talk… But students can.” A document called A Vision of Students Today was created, and the question “What is it like being a student today?” was asked. 200 collaborators were added to this document, and a total of 367 edits were made to this document. After the document was complete the students surveyed themselves. All this was done to bring us a message. The classes are so big that teachers can’t remember the names of students. Is learning easier when you have a more personal connection with the lecturer? Most people will agree and say it is easier than being lectured by a person that can’t even remember your name. The students show messages that leave questions floating around aimlessly in your mind. Such as:” I complete 49% of the readings assigned to me... Only 26% relevant to my life.” Are all the subjects that are being taught really necessary for all kids? Is the field the student wishes to go in to taken into consideration? Textbooks are being purchased at insanely high prices and not being used. If this is to be expected, why are these textbooks still on the list of items to be bought? It is mentioned that more attention will be given to Facebook and e-mail (in today’s world it would be texting). This can be blamed only on the students. Students will be in major debt after graduation. How do you start you career knowing you have to use your first paychecks to pay your debt? This makes it harder to get ahead in your career. How can learning be made fun again, without using technology?A vision of students today Director: Michael Wesch Main Idea: An inside look on what students have to say, and what they think is affecting our learning most. The video begins with the inside look of a college lecture hall, to create an environment. Out of boredom student write small words of advice on walls and on chairs. The camera moves on to show messages on chairs such as: “If students learn what they do… What are they learning sitting here?” and “of course walls and desks cannot talk… But students can.” A document called A Vision of Students Today was created, and the question “What is it like being a student today?” was asked. 200 collaborators were added to this document, and a total of 367 edits were made to this document. After the document was complete the students surveyed themselves. All this was done to bring us a message. The classes are so big that teachers can’t remember the names of students. Is learning easier when you have a more personal connection with the lecturer? Most people will agree and say it is easier than being lectured by a person that can’t even remember your name. The students show messages that leave questions floating around aimlessly in your mind. Such as:” I complete 49% of the readings assigned to me... Only 26% relevant to my life.” Are all the subjects that are being taught really necessary for all kids? Is the field the student wishes to go in to taken into consideration? Textbooks are being purchased at insanely high prices and not being used. If this is to be expected, why are these textbooks still on the list of items to be bought? It is mentioned that more attention will be given to Facebook and e-mail (in today’s world it would be texting). This can be blamed only on the students. Students will be in major debt after graduation. How do you start you career knowing you have to use your first paychecks to pay your debt? This makes it harder to get ahead in your career. How can learning be made fun again, without using technology?

I want to be a Barbie doll

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Author: Anonymous  

We live in a world where the scale is our worst enemy and food is to be avoided at all costs. Teenage girls and boys are both influenced by the media. From thigh gaps to six-packs, it's a big problem under teens and tweens. With weight problems starting as early as age 6. Is this subject being focused on enough? Most of the looks that are sought after are next to impossible to achieve. Girls are posting pictures on Tumblr and Instagram with hashtags such as : #thighgapproject (Thigh Gap Project) and #iamsofat (I am so fat).
We are becoming obsessed with our image. Everyday millions of people all over the world drop the "S" bomb. Skinny. According to Google the definition of skinny is :" of a person or part of their body) very thin.

thin, scrawny, scraggy, bony, angular, rawboned, hollow-cheeked,gaunt, as thin as a rake, skin-and-bones, stick-like, emaciated, skeletal, pinched, undernourished, underfed The question that comes to mind is : Why do you want to be defined as these things? The word mentioned are seen as bad, but when they are put under the word Skinny society sees it as acceptable. The article talks about a young 13 year old named Mary Streech that developed an eating disorder in seventh grade. Only 4 years later she decided to go for treatment, only to discover that she was one of the oldest patients at the center! Leaving treatment Miss Streech found multiple non-profit organizations and websites that promote a positive body image. Another question is : Where is this coming from?. Teenage girls search for rapid weight loss tips on the internet daily. And people also post comments on Twitter about their own bodies, expecting only a select group of people are seeing the post. They are wrong. It is there for the entire world to see. A question the author asks is : Where do you draw the line? The NEDA is working with multiple social networks and websites to try and stop the frenzy. Yet, this is not stopping people. 17 year old Alice Wilder The NEDA is working with multiple social networks and websites to try and stop the frenzy. Yet, this is not stopping people. 17 year old Alice Wilder said. "It's OK to like yourself. That's actually really brave, if you're a teen girl." This is a motto to live by as a girl, because it is very true. Why has society made it an issue to like yourself? Why is it bad to think you are beautiful? Miss Wilder works closely with SPARK, a group dedicated to empowering teen girls. We live in a society where girls and boys flip through magazines and wish they looked like the models. Times have changed dramatically, going back in time women were encouraged to gain weight! Marilyn Monroe is famous for being one of the most beautiful women of all time, and she did not have a gap between her thighs. What changed?

Why is being different bad?

Director: Mr. Lee Hirsch 
Main idea: The effect that bullying has had on multiple families, and to create an awareness of  bullying.

In this film Mr. Hirsch shows us the stories of real life bully victims, and in some cases the parents had to tell the story as their children had committed suicide due to bullying. This movie is about creating awareness of an on going struggle.

The first question that comes to mind as a viewer is "Why is it so bad to be different?". Bullying is a struggle that we have been fighting for a very long time, all people have been bullied at some stage. Mr. Hirsch is taking the subject on  from a personal point of view in his movie Bully. The angle of the shots show a sort of intensity, to make the viewer see every angle of the person talking's face. The heart wrenching stories of kids that have been pushed to the edge, for example . She was pushed so far that she felt pulling out a gun to threaten kids would be the solution. She ended up in a juvenile center with 45 criminal charges to her name, including attempted murder. Why does it have to go to the point of feeling you have to threaten people to be heard or even be pushed to the point of suicide?

Mr. Hirsch made a point of not just listening to the stories, but also of filming some of the bullying taking place. He makes the viewer feel more part of the victims life and situation. He does an in depth look at the victims life, their history of bullying and in some cases a little family history is included as well. He shows how easily kids are being judged. In the case of Alex he is called names, for example "fish lips". He did not tell his parents. And the producers of the movie had to show clips of Alex being bullied, to his parents.Why are children scared to tell their parents? Tyler Long committed suicide. His parents told his story. They said that: "... he walked with a target on his back." They started an anti-bullying campaign called Stand for the Silent.

This movie raises a lot of questions. Question that should be answered by school officials and parents of bully's.

Stand for the Silent

How do the so called "glamorous" affect teens?

Source
Author: anonymous
Main idea: How the pop culture influences the new generation and what affects they have on the teens.

The author wrote such an eye opening paragraph on how pop culture affects teens. The facts that were stated were shocking. The author states that 40% of nine to ten year olds have tried to lose weight (Body Image and Gender Identity,2002). The author also mentions that celebrities are becoming thinner and thinner, which causes low self confidence. It is mentioned that television stars and models are the main cause for this. A fact that catches the eye is that 5 million Americans are diagnosed with eating disorders. Weight is not the only problem stated, inappropriate content is being displayed on television. Parents are not always present to monitor what children watch, and this is causing a problem even in age groups as young as 7. The inappropriate content that is being mentioned by the author include violence and adult language. It is being called a media frenzy, due to the fact that children have access to shows, internet blogs and movies. This media provides them with information that should be provided by parents or trusting adults. The author mentions that "Newsweek, 2007" called this ' pop culture garbage'. The author argues that not only personality and looks are being affected by celebrities, but health is being affected too. The author mentions facts about celebrities checking into rehab again and that insane amounts of drugs are being taken!

This affected me very much. I think this article should be read by all teens and pre-teens. It affects the way you think about the media and bring up so many questions. Two main questions that comes to mind are: "How has pop culture affected the way I think and act?" and "How can I make others realize what a big problem this is?". I noted that more parental supervision should be provided, referring to : "children are exposed to unsuitable matter for their ages.". Most of these problems lead back to parents, as they are not making extra precautions to try and prevent their children from being exposed to this. The author and I both agree with the Above the Influence program, they stated that :"Pop culture icons need to support a drug free program instead of using harmful substances.".

This was a very inspiring article and I hope it reaches out to other people. How important is pop culture to you? Do you think that it has affected you?
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