Category Archives: Culture & Identity

High art and low art (ETEC 531)

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What are the key arguments against the separation of high art and low art, or against a differentiation of elite from pop culture?

You can see the joining of “high art” and “low art” in the feminist or environmental movements. Artists use their talent to create popular awareness, thus not mainly cultivating the “beautiful” for its own sake, as might have been the artistic endeavor of the past centuries.

Also, what is “beautiful” may not be expressed only in the elite’s perspective, but include a wider range of standpoints, including alternative ones.

“Popular culture has become more sophisticated”; which makes this type of art palatable for elites as well as the majority.

(Paraphrasing “Culture & Technology”, p. 55)

Historical confrontations between art & technology (ETEC 531)

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Historical confrontations between art & technology

ONE:

Exhibition (or reproduction) value vs. cult value:

“From a photographic negative… one can make any number of points; to ask for an “authentic” print makes no sense.” (Benjamin, p. 5) 

In this, the “ritualistic” or the “authenticity” aspects of creating art lose their relevance. It does not matter who did it… The real “Monet” loses its “aura”.

TWO:

From direct to indirect:

In cinema, the camera is between the actor and the audience. It can change the impression that we have of a character’s emotion by using angles, light and perspective.

We could say that the artistic experience has become “mediated”.

THREE:

Art and politics:

Again cinema provides a fertile ground for the exploration of this new historical trend in the arts. In countries where communism played or still dictates the aesthetics of information, the common person can be center stage in a film. Proletariat has its aesthetical form and style.

In capitalist regimes, “social realism” is replaced by “the illusion of reality”. Actors will take on the roles of the “common” person, if the prominent life of a proletariat hero is the theme of the film. Sally Fields played “Norma Rea”; Don Cheadle plays the real Paul Rusesabagina in “Hotel Rwanda”. You can see the “real” Paul Rusesabagina in the “extras” of the DVD, but ultimately, the objective is to entertain, thus, the story is more important than the actual event.

Other films have been made about Rwanda that may be less focused on storytelling, and more interested in the “realism” of what occurs. On the one hand, this is of value historically; on the other hand, few people want or can sustain the viewing of these documents, due to their heavy and emotionally disturbing content.

Ciao for now, Chantal

References: 

http://books.google.ca/books?id=c_xykRazWoYC&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=historical+confrontations+between+art+and+technology&source=bl&ots=X-k_f7R5OX&sig=atkKb-1z22Xq7umKo50LJgl8RJ4&hl=en&ei=PuQRSqvnAYS8tgOT6N3wDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Rwanda

Major concerns: musicians & digital media (ETEC 531)

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Major concerns: musicians & digital media

Musicians:

Want to create and they need their creations to fee them and their families.

Do not want to sue people for abusing copyrights. However, what are the options?

Concerns:

Distribution: What distribution model of digital media gives creators the freedom to create, experiment?

Compensation: How can musicians get appropriate compensation when making products publicly available?

 

Consumers:

Want digital products to satisfy various needs: entertainment, education, self-representation and self-identification.

They do not intend to harm musicians. They utilize available technology to best satisfy their needs.

Recent solutions:

“Increasingly the internet is making new methods of publication accessible to independent musicians. Services have been set up to distribute independent music over the internet with many different types of payment models. This often allows artists to reach a much wider audience then would normally be possible as a local band.”

What do you think of this solution?

References: 

  1. http://www.sellyourrights.com/theblog/?p=103
  2.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_music

Bauhaus (ETEC 531)

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What was the nature of the Bauhaus and what role did it play in blurring the boundaries between art and technology? What are some of the lasting contributions of the Bauhaus?

Nature:

A school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts / the most important influence on Bauhaus was modernism

The design innovations

Radically simplified forms, the rationality and functionality,

The idea that mass-production was reconcilable with the individual artistic spirit

Role (art / technology):

“The Bauhaus […] manifests the pursuit of a synthesis between art and technology.

The Bauhaus stood almost alone in attempt to achieve reconciliation between the aesthetics of design and the more commercial demands of industrial mass production.”

Contributions:

It allowed art to fuse with “utility”.

It focused on functionality.

Positive attitude towards “less is more” (similar to modern acting tendencies in cinema).

Houses (Le Corbusier) became “machines for living in”, etc.

Does this minimalist approach make your think of the “zen” philosophy? In my opinion, it resembles it, except that the Bauhaus approach is more cerebral (geometric) while the zen aesthetics seems to take nature’s unruly harmony as its model.

What do you think?

 

References:

1.       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus

2.      http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2000/08/20/27348.html

3.      http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/C20th/bauhaus.htm

4.      Course material

Marcel Duchamp (ETEC 531)

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How did Marcel Duchamp’s submission of a urinal to New York’s Armory show in 1917 …

… blur the boundaries between the art object and technological object?

“… he broke the trance of expectation and at the same time returned aesthetic quality to an object previously regarded as not only mundane but repulsive.”

… How did this blur the boundaries between art and technology?

“Duchamp adamantly asserted that he wanted to “de-deify” the artist.”

This seems to have something to do with a sort of demystification of the “aura” traditionally valued in art. The ability to reproduce objects has modified, or altogether destroyed, this concept of “aura”.

In the same way, Duchamp clouds the this boundaries between art and technology by presenting “useful, functional, practical” objects as art.

Do you think that this type of abstract art is accessible to everyone? Without a “label” or a very sophisticated explanation about its relevance intellectually, is the toilet bowl meaningful?

Ref: http://fusionanomaly.net/marcelduchamp.html

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_(Duchamp)

Ref: http://www.ekac.org/cwang.html

What is Media Studies? (ETEC 531)

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What is Media Studies?

In my opinion and with a little bit of help from our texts, media studies develops:

  • Oral / communication skills: students expressing themselves / telling a story (with sound and images)
  • Leadership skills: working in crews (focus on solutions and constructive feedback)
  • Conceptual / creativity skills: principles of artistic design
  • Hands-on / technology skills: making audio visual digital documents

1.      One of the main educational benefits in producing a digital film, for example, stems from the realization that what is seen on television, at the cinema or in the media in general is not objective reality, but rather scripted and carefully planned. Students intuit the implications and the choices involved in constructing reality.

 

2.      Students are empowered to tell their stories while also taking responsibility for their contributions. With the hands-on approach including the opportunity to film, interview their peers, and edit their film, students participate actively in their own learning.

 

3.      Whether students create a film for a social studies class; for a service trip in which they participated during spring break; for a school assembly promoting a positive social behavior; or for an athletic club, digital film communication technologies introduce them “to a brand new world” of self-reflection, active responsibility and social contribution.

Technological Determinism (ETEC 531)

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Technological Determinism

 

Brief definition:

 

Technological determinists […] say that technologies such as writing, print, television or the computer ‘changed society’. […] Human factors’ and social arrangements are seen as secondary.

 

Is technological determinism a viable theory? Explain why or why not.

 

When I read: ‘Guns don’t kill people, people kill people’ (an argument put forward by the gun lobby), it makes me question the determinist approach (Culture and Technology, p. 27).

 

If one suggests that technology is neutral, one must consider that organizations are not. Therefore, depending on the use of the “technology”, the tool itself may become a weapon or a utensil (think of a knife in the hands of a carpenter or in the hands of the mafia).

 

I tend to believe that the technology, by its own existence, alters the context in which it is utilized. Perhaps some technologies are more unsafe than others (a gun may be more dangerous than a knife, if you will).

 

Key theorists (examples):

 

Karl Marx: ‘The windmill gives you society with the feudal lord: the steam-mill, society with the industrial capitalist’ (‘The Poverty of Philosophy’, 1847) […]

 

Marshall McLuhan: […] ‘such inventions as the horse collar quickly led to the development of the modern world’ (McLuhan & Watson 1970, p. 121).

Christopher Evans: […] ‘world society at all levels’ (Evans 1979, cited in Robins & Webster 1989, p. 24).

 

Examples at work:

For many years, in the Digital Film Communication program that I have created at my school, I have helped students make meaningful productions that focused on the message, rather than the technology.

The technology has improved, new premises are being constructed, and in the end, technology will change what students say to a certain extent. However, the universal messages (love, tolerance, equality, etc.) are not so dissimilar from a few years ago just because we use Mac instead of PCs.

 

In summary, the context (environment or technology) does affect the content created, but it is only an agent of constructive change when it is combined with a responsible approach.

 

References: http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/tecdet/tdet02.html

Circuit Culture: Coca Cola (ETEC 531)

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Circuit Culture: Coke

 

 

My example: Coca Cola / Coke… It’s the Real Thing!

 

Research method:

1.       Analyze the marketing:

o    Designers’ choice of representation & identity: 

§  Advertising:

1.      Language:

·         What is the meaning of “It’s the real thing” exactly? (Re: it’s black water with sugar).

2.      Signs:

·         Polar bears? (Infantilizing the product. Meaning: It is mainly for children.)

3.      Create multiple values and meanings for objects:

·         Family gatherings; “world in harmony” (remember the song?)

4.      Establish emotional link to the product; personal associations with it.

·         Family values; social “togetherness”; etc.

2.      Deconstruct the discourse:

o    Production:

§  Product image:

1.      Ex: the most popular Coke bottle ever is shaped like a woman.

§  Associate the brand with starts, heroes, etc. / who represents the product?

1.      Who drinks Coca Cola these days? (I’m out of the loop here…)

§  Finding customer niches… evaluate their response and adjust the advertisement.

1.      In Perú, the company had to buy “Inca Cola” because the Peruvian refused to drink Coke instead of their local brand “Inca”. (They linked Coke with the exploitation of multinationals, not with a world in harmony).

o    Consumption:

§  Social use:

1.      How does the company manage to sell Coke in high schools?

o    Regulation:

1.      Example: The company lends money for computers in exchange for the right to put their vending machines in the schools. If schools do not repay regularly, they must increase their sales, which means more breaks for students to go and drink a Coke (and more sugar in their bodies).

References:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2601773/The-Circuit-of-Culture-Discourse-Analysis-and

Circuit Culture (ETEC 531)

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Circuit Culture 

Brief definition:

  1. The Circuit of Culture is a theory or framework used in the area of  cultural studies.
  2. The theory suggests that in studying a cultural text or artifact you must look at its
    • Representation & identity: 
      • Advertising: Articulating the meanings of objects with language and signs
      • Create multiple values and meanings for objects.
      • Establish emotional link to the product; personal associations with it.
    • production:
      • Product image.
      • Associate the brand with starts, heroes, etc. / who represents the product?
      • Finding customer niches… evaluate their response and adjust the advertisement.
    • consumption:
      • Social use: the line between producers and consumers.
      • The way the product is used expresses what it means to consumers.
      • Creating social differentiation (I drink wine, you drink beer!)
    • regulation:
      • Measures to control the product’s image.
      • Attempts at creating a need for a product.
      • Enable or make it difficult for companies to exploit workers.
  3. Du Gay et al. suggest that “taken together (these 5 points) complete a sort of circuit… through which any analysis of a cultural text… must pass if it is to be adequately studied.”

References:

  1. Course reading: Partially excerpted from Petrina, S. (2001). The political ecology of design and technology education: An inquiry into methods. International Journal of Technology and Design Education 10, 207-237.
  2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_of_culture  
  3. http://www.scribd.com/doc/2601773/The-Circuit-of-Culture-Discourse-Analysis-and

Culture, identity, representation and the Net Generation (ETEC 532)

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An Invitation to Communicate

The artistic realm is accessible through the senses, the mental filters and the emotional links of the one experiencing it. Hence, creative pieces take on various meanings for different people. In other words, the representational power of art is intertwined with the interpretation of the signs that it uses to communicate cognitive processes and perspectives.

Artists such as Stacey Friedman, Sylvia Kind and Roger Dane explore social values as well as historical and political issues by transcending our experience of daily and ordinary routines. They seek to touch the impalpable reasoning hidden behind perceptions through the manipulation of forms and colors, for instance. These creators and performers endeavor to grasp the evasive cultural settings interceding between the object and the immediate awareness of its existence.

As an art educator, Stacy Friedman explores both the ways in which art represents and defines culture. From her standpoint, the creation process can facilitate the expansion of what we perceive to be our own identities, as well as our relationship to others.

Similarly, Sylvia Kind views art as an invitation to engage. For her, the artistic objects have no intrinsic significance. Observers must bring their own experiences around the art to create meaning.

Roger Dane, an art student, also believes that artistic pieces must be interpreted. However, he stresses that the initial artist’s viewpoint is not implicit. With each viewer a new voice is created, attesting that cultural attributes and contextual conditions have an effect on the understanding of the art.

The dilemmas that these artists encounter reside in the fact that the concepts of culture and identity are complex. Past experiences and ethnic backgrounds, for example, complicate matters by filtering and influencing attitudes and behaviors.

Navigating between the visible and the invisible

Art is a connection which mediates between identity, representation and culture. The artistic link shows a visual representation that renders knowledge and relationships visible. The art educator’s responsibility is to enable the student to perceive the cultural undertones when coming into contact with art. The role of the student is to address the issues of identity and ask: “how do I see myself?”, “how do others see me?”, “how do others see themselves?”

Through an encounter with art, the student should be empowered to verbalize abstractions and articulate cultural biases. The pedagogical environment, which includes artistic creations as well as the act of creating, should make intangible concepts manageable by offering students something to feel, touch, or discuss.

Reflecting our times

A project using puppets personifying ancestors and their responses to racism offers students an opportunity to use their imagination and experience thinking in a distinctive way. The production of his puppet enabled Roger Dane to put himself in another person’s shoes, disregarding his own prejudices. Learning from this experience can help people better understand history and past cultural dispositions without judgment and with increased discernment. 

Likewise, with innovative technological tools, instructors and pupils use novel means of delving into philosophical questions critically. The complexity of viewpoints can be tackled by accessing reliable sources on the internet, for example. Where do ideas come from? How are they internalized? How do they affect the way we speak and how we act towards one another? In order to get people past superficial analysis of socio-economic topics, teachers and students can now investigate with sophisticated electronic instruments.

Students as producers of knowledge

Apart from the challenges associated with staying abreast of constant changes, for the teacher, one of the biggest obstacles to the ongoing technological development resides in seeing students with new eyes. The Net Generation (Tapscott, 2004), has grown up with technology and takes an active part in information gathering. While teachers’ enculturation may have taken the form of receptivity, young people negotiate meaning through socialization (Stuhr, 1994).

      According to Tapscott (1998), the value of “free expression” is another essential characteristic of the current generation. Young artists are at liberty to use an ever increasing number of interactive technological tools. Through these electronic learning contexts, they may choose to reconstruct artifacts to represent socially constructed concepts or to create documentaries to exemplify their analysis. One thing is certain, educators will have to contend with the implications of these emerging reference systems (Fiske, 1990).

PDF File (Right click to “open in new tab”):

etec-532-vignette-1-final 

   References

  • 1. Tapscott, D. (1998). Growing up digital: The rise of the Net generation. New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • 2. Tapscott, D. (2004). The Net Generation and the School. Milken Family Foundation (http://www.mff.org/edtech/article.taf?_function=detail&Content_uid1=109).
  • 3. Fiske, J. (1990). Communication, Meaning and Signs. Introduction to Communication Studies. London: Routledge.
  • 4. Stuhr, P. (1994). Multicultural art education and social reconstruction. Studies in Art Education, 35(3), 171-178.

The film was presented as a viewing for ETEC 532: “We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the pre-service teachers in ARTE 320-104, 2004 in making this documentary.”

Video: Art, Culture, Identity and Representation: A Conversation with Three Art Educators – Stacy Friedman, Sylvia Kind and Roger Dane

Female Empowerment Through Digital Film Communication (ETEC 511)

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Running head: FEMALE EMPOWERMENT THROUGH EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

    Female Youth Social Empowerment through Educational Technology:

Digital Film as a Critical Language of Transcendence

Chantal Drolet

For: ETEC 511 (64B), Marianne Justus, University of British Columbia, 2008 

(To view the origital format, please click on: female-empowerment-in-ict)

            In North America, the acronym for “Information Communication Technology” has often been reduced to “IT”, ignoring the communication aspect of this field of study. Interestingly, the communication part is specifically the one that females generally identify to and prefer. Could this presumably insignificant modification represent the absence of the feminine perspective in ICT?

            Contrary to the trend in other scientific disciplines, Snyder, Tan and Hoffman’s study (as cited in Sanders, 2005, p. 3) shows that, in the United States alone, the number of women acquiring degrees in computer science dropped by almost a third between 1982 and 2002. Internationally, current statistics reveal that women’s levels of participation in ICT do not usually reach 10%, as found in Charles & Bradley’s paper (as cited in Sanders, 2005, p. 3).
            In other words, technology is an influential field in which women’s contributions have diminished during the last generation.

            As Sanders (2005) puts it: In view of the growing role of technology

in the world at the beginning of the 21st century – in education,

communications, occupations and entertainment, and as a tool

for solving the world’s problems – women’s low and decreasing

representation is a major worry. (p. 4)

            It has been observed that the drop in women’s participation in IT mainly happens during their high school careers (Sanders, 2005). Therefore, this paper will attempt to shed some light on the ramifications of technological literacy for female adolescents. The intent is also to explain how the reinstatement of the “communication” aspect of I”C”T in education, using digital film communication, can indirectly trigger young females’ interests in the technical and data management components typical of information technology. By accommodating girls’ learning styles while using ICT tools at school, they gain confidence in their technological application competencies and by extension broaden their professional prospects in technological fields.

Concepts and Assumptions

Terminology

            For the sake of concision and clarity, in the pages that follow:

  • 1. The term “youth” will refer to teenagers, specifically high school students.
  • 2. The concept of “empowerment” refers to: the ability to discern between propaganda and information; individual freedom and social responsibility; the mastery of technological tools and processes needed to see through misinformation; and the necessary capabilities to take action and rectify it.
  • 3. The “grammar of filmmaking” is a metaphor defining film as a language using frames, shots, scenes and sequences to convey an original message.
  • 4. IT: indicates the “[…] development, implementation, support of management of computer-based information systems, particularly […] computer hardware” (Wikipedia, 2008).
  • 5. ICT: “[…] encompasses […] technologies for broadcasting information – radio, television; and technology for communication through voice and sound or images – microphone, camera, […]” (Wikipedia, 2008).
  • 6. “Technology” in this paper, relates chiefly to communication technologies; the focus on communication is to demonstrate that when young women become proficient in using ICT tools in the classroom, their confidence level increases, giving them a better chance at choosing professions requiring technological expertise in the future.
  • 7. “Male”: if stereotypical masculine attributes seem derogatory in view of women’s deficient membership in the male dominated professions encompassing ICT, no subversive discourse is intended; on the contrary it is presumed that masculine traits and contributions are invaluable to any healthy society.

Contemporary Issues and Methodological Considerations

            While some of the research on gender and technology may be quite recent, changes in the field are so rapid that by the time a study has been concluded, some parameters may already have become irrelevant. For example, concerns about women’s accessibility to computers have diminished with the advent of laptops. As a result of this new invention young women don’t have to worry about their safety while walking to a computer lab on a school campus when it is dark (Sanders, 2005). However, in homes with only one computer, males still tend to monopolize the tool (Gunn, 2003); an important concern when considering that homework is increasingly done on computers and that e-courses are becoming more popular (Christensen, 2008).

            Another investigative issue currently challenged is the traditional link between ICT and hard sciences. While many past papers stressed the predominant male ratio in the fields of mathematics and science, more girls have become interested in these disciplines during recent years (Sanders, 2005). That being said, the underrepresentation of women in these subjects is still significant. To attract more women, there may be a need to broaden the usual ICT linkage with exact sciences by incorporating media arts components in ICT courses.

            According to Little and Hoyles (cited in Sanders, 2005, p. 4), after considering the aforementioned technological and societal developments affecting women’s participation in ICT, many researchers have refocused their studies on: (a) attitudinal imbalances favoring males as the main users of computers at home and in school, (b) the negative consequences of conventional ICT activities on female participation, and (c) the need for a shift in ICT’s academic associations in order to appeal to a feminine clientele.

            Inspired by this current trend of investigation on the subject, this essay will explore: (a) media literacy and the grammar of film making as meaningful avenues to transform young women’s attitudes toward ICT, (b) the active processes and necessary technical skills used in digital film production as channels to reroute the programming focus established by masculine perspectives, and (c) the communication and artistic aspects of audio-visual storytelling as valid and empowering for female students, thus endeavouring to restore the “C” in “ICT”.

Digital Film Communication and changes in Attitudes

            A vast body of literature has already identified that in the male IT culture anonymity, isolation, and competition prevail (Sanders, 2005). As the feminine presence on the Internet demonstrates, with women’s dominance on social networks and blogs, females prefer to communicate and cooperate. It has been clearly verified that when asked to choose, female students favor using the computer for sharing and collaborating (Sanders, 2005).

The Validity of Digital Film Communication Literacy

            Digital film making is an alternative form of media literacy well suited to support female youth’s interests in communication and socialization. For instance, one of the important aspects of film making is selecting a theme, researching it and devising an original angle to promote the chosen concept. In order to create a public service announcement on, say, anorexia, students must spend a great deal of time finding data and statistics about this issue. Once a clear mental picture is created around this topic, young cinematographers must use the grammar of film making to invent an innovative and enticing way of communicating their message. Like any professional advertisement campaign, the endeavor is to hook the members of the audience; or in other words, to convey a powerful message and influence the public’s behavior.

            The distinctions between educational and mainstream media. A major difference between digital film communication and commercial media, however, is that the educational aspect of film making centers its attention on social contribution, rather than consumption. Furthermore, the intent behind the creation of media shared among adolescents is to promote citizenship and awareness (Greenhow, 2008), not to concoct artificial needs in order to increase financial gains.

            Key factors: the manufacturing of information and critical thinking. This is not to say that mainstream media only produce rubbish messages, detrimental to the public. On the contrary, if chosen with discernment, valuable information can be disseminated among citizens by a number of legitimate agents such as journalists, editors, documentary makers and bloggers. The key issues reside in a clear understanding of the iteration involved in the process of media production (Stables, 1997) as well as the critical assessment needed to decide which documents to access or avoid; believe or distrust. These are the intellectual outcomes of a digital film communication program.

            A number of ethnographic studies have recognized that female youth is often represented with a negative bias in conventional media: “girls as fashion obsessed and impressionable” and “teen mothers as […] welfare bums”, to give only a few examples (Kelly, 2006). Moreover, no one will refute the fact that women’s bodies, young and old, are ruthlessly exploited by advertising firms to sell innumerable products; from cars to cigarettes. Magazines, television commercials, and even newspapers disseminate these kinds of images and contribute to the distortion of young females’ self-identity, while also cultivating a submissive attitude.

            Young females involved in digital film communication become more aware of the stratagems that promotional media utilize to influence their self-image, their choices, and by extension, their lives. Equipped with such powerful incentives to act, young women easily become enthralled with technological tools enabling them to take action. The creative and critical processes involved when using communication technology can be highly motivating for female youth. Analyzing the media and creating their own scripts and stories also provides them with effective strategies to respond to gender bias and commoditization of youth image in commercial broadcasting (T. Riecken, Conibear, Michel, Lyall, Scott, Tanaka, Stewart, J. Riecken, & Strong-Wilson, 2006).

            Film making using digital technologies generates a language of transcendence, which facilitates the articulation of a discourse surpassing the limits set by the mass media’s ordinary hubbub. Digital film communication allows female students to develop healthy self-representations, responsible voices (Riecken et al., 2006) and to promote active social contributions among their peers. From this point of view, media literacy and the grammar of film making offer powerful means of combating young women’s apathy (Bell, 2005) toward some of the manipulative effects of mainstream communication channels. In fact, focusing on content relevant to women can also give female students an excellent reason to learn the technological processes characteristic of ICT and multimedia tools.

            Furthermore, the ability to share their authentic views with peers and parents through digital film technology also instigates a mind-set transformation both at school and at home vis-à-vis the role of women in technology. DVD’s are easily copied and can be shown to family members. Screenings at school make it possible for young women filmmakers to present their work to other students and by the same token, demonstrate their technological aptitudes to other female youth; thus advancing the case for female participation in ICT.

            Finally, the hands-on experience of movie making brings about an appreciation for the spin involved when publishing media content. It also cultivates a point of reference from which to analyze the validity of information distributed by conventional communication agencies.

Digital Film Production: ICT Activities Suited to Female Youth

            In Canada, as well as in other countries where technological advancement has been possible, much of the focus has been on programming and students interested in technology are often seen as geeks, nerds or antisocial (Sanders, 2005). These kinds of stereotypes do not appeal to female youth who, as mentioned previously, greatly value social interaction.

            In contrast to the mathematical emphasis of computer programming, the educational process of digital film making centers its activities on the production of a message. Rather than learning the operations of a computer for the sake of understanding the machine and its intricacies, film making presents the use of technology as a vehicle necessary to create an experience. While the traditional pedagogy applied in computer science tends to encourage individual work, film production requires the formation of crews and underscores the need for collaboration. All the above mentioned digital film production specificities are much more inviting for young female high school students than the male oriented training promoted by conventional IT courses.

Tools to deconstruct and reconstruct.

            The basic devices and operations needed for the creation of a digital film are as follows:

  • 1. Research: Learning to use the Internet as well as other sources in a safe and perceptive manner.
  • 2. Script and story boards: Learning how to tell a story visually, keeping the target audience in mind.
  • 3. Cameras, lighting and tripods: Learning the meaning of angles and the principles of artistic design.
  • 4. Microphones and digital musical instruments: Learning about the link between sound and emotional responses.
  • 5. Editing software: Learning about sequencing events, layering meanings as well as manipulating video and audio to achieve desired effects.
  • 6. Screening & distribution (DVD or the web): Learning to transfer the final product on digital formats as well as to pitch and present it to an audience.

            The advantage of such instruments, methods and processes are inherent in the fact that they enable female students to deconstruct and reconstruct media representations of young women as well as to develop their voices while exploring any selected topic. Other positive characteristics of digital video lie in its uncomplicated reproduction and transmission operations as well as its social authority and attractiveness (Collins, Neville & Bielaczyc, 2000).

            Some restrictions created by this medium consist in the lack of interactivity of the completed product; the expensive nature of some of the equipment; and the dexterity needed to produce a coherent and engaging movie (Collin et al., 2000). Recent developments have however decreased the cost of computers, digital cameras and DVD’s. What’s more, the latest editing software is easier than ever to manage.

 Activities designed to protect (deconstruct) and prepare (reconstruct).

            From the initial research step to the final screening phase, the tasks included in the production of a message using digital film in the classroom have two major functions: to protect and to prepare.

            Protection. In a world inundated by audio visual information, students benefit from performing activities that will augment their critical thinking abilities in order to circumvent the risks inherent to a media culture (Poyntz, 2006). Girls, in particular, gain from a lucid perception of the role they are made to play in the male fantasy saturated media environment to which they are regularly exposed.

            Deconstruction. In addition to the protection it can provide at the individual level, educational technology can also play a valuable role in the nurturing of global awareness and engaged citizenry. The deconstruction, or analysis, necessary to produce student-made public service announcements and documentaries on racism, environmental issues or religious diversity can have a strong influence on young people’s values and conduct (Kline, Steward, Murphy, 2006).  

            Preparation. The goal of educational technology’s preparation aspect is to counter the possible dangers comprised in young females’ overexposure to commercialized representations of womanhood. To prevent or minimize potential harm (from submissive obedience to eating disorders), one of the most powerful methods is developing girls’ competencies in the operation of the same tools with which they are being influenced.

            Reconstruction. Learning the techniques employed to create meaning in moviemaking empowers female students with the capabilities of reconstructing similar products. The difference is that this time, they control the content and the depiction of the characters.

            Innovative recommendations. In her article about participatory media Greenhow (2008) mentions a movement towards innovative norms in the field of technology. In 2007, the International Society for Technology in Education (cited in Greenhow, 2008, p. 190) recommended, among other suggestions, the use of educational technology to: (a) invent unique products, (b) socialize with fellow students, (c) express concepts, (d) exhibit responsible use of information, and (e) advocate citizenship.

            It goes without saying that all these prescribed approaches are in line with the digital film production’s protection and preparation philosophy. The focal point of each recommendation targets the outcomes achieved with technology rather than the technological tools themselves. Additionally, every suggestion directly or indirectly addresses the subject of communicating.

The Power of Communication

            When endeavouring to restore the “C” in “ICT”, two layers of meaning must be considered:

  • 1. Communication between students and teachers during the creation steps
  • 2. Communication between students during the dissemination phase

The feminization of pedagogy

            On the one hand, the traditional top down interaction between instructors and learners is challenged by the innovative characteristics of communication technologies. Teachers as well as students continually adapt to ongoing software improvements and digital format trends, just to name a few of the innumerable technological upgrading experienced on a regular basis in the ICT classroom.

            This state of affairs makes it literally impossible for teachers to be the sole providers of knowledge. Indeed, the recent saying portraying educators as the “guide on the side” rather than the “sage on the stage” is justifiable within these continuous adjustments’ parameters. In other words, communication technologies alter hierarchical ranking by positioning youth as co-investigators and as knowledgeable (Kelly, 2006). Women, who tend to work more effectively in collaborative settings, particularly benefit from these modern pedagogical paradigms. 

The demystification of women’s ICT potential

             On the other hand, educational technologies such as digital film production grant authority to youth as rightful transmitter of knowledge through their films and the messages they choose to convey to their peers. Any experienced teacher will agree with the adage that nothing is more powerful that students teaching students (Welsch, 2008). In fact, the nature of digital film communication facilitates the screening of movies in front of large adolescent audiences. The powerful broadcasting quality of this medium is apparent on virtual platforms like YouTube, where millions of young people view independent films every day.

            With this distribution power, young women’s perspectives are transmitted to fellow students and family members. Moreover, the technical dexterity required to express these viewpoints in an entertaining and educational manner is competently demonstrated through their final products. This technological adroitness attests young women’s potential in ICT, hence demystifying females’ lack of aptitude in technology.

            In conclusion, Sanders (2005) noted that female students were often disheartened by the masculine focus on competition in IT, and that a lack of confidence in their computer abilities often elicited less interest in professions connected with informational technology.

            Digital film communication offers female students an environment conducive to self-esteem. The focus on cooperation, creativity and communication presents young girls with opportunities to demonstrate their technological application know-how. Considering the increasing power of technology in all areas of life during this new millennium, women’s representation in the field is crucial. Therefore, the way IT is taught should be re-invented to foster media literacy and value females’ communication interests (Sanders, 2005). The masculine traits of IT instruction must be challenged by redefining educational technology and by reinstating and emphasizing the “C” in ICT.

    

References

Bell, B. L. (2005). Children, youth, and civic (dis)engagement: Digital technology and citizenship. Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking, (CRACIN, paper No. 5). Retrieved October 9, 2008 from: http://www3.fis.utoronto.ca/research/iprp/cracin/publications/pdfs/WorkingPapers/CRACIN%20Working%20Paper%20No%205.pdf

Charles, M., & Bradley, K. (2005). A Matter of degrees: Female underrepresentation in computer science programs cross-nationally, ENWISE, 2004. In J. McGrath Cohoon & William C. Aspray (Eds). Women and Information Technology research on the Reasons for Underrepresentation. MIT Press, 2006.

Collins, A., Neville, P., & Bielaczyc, K. (2000). The role of different media in designing learning environments. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 11, 144-162.

Christensen, C. M. (2008). Disrupting class: How disruptive innovation will change the way the world learns. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. (D. Tweedie, transcription). Continuum Publishing Company. (Original work published 1968). Retrieved November 10, 2008 from: http://marxists.anu.edu.au/subject/education/freire/pedagogy/index.htm

Gunn, C. (2003). Dominant or different? Gender issues in computer supported learning. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 7(1), 14-30. Retrieved October 8, 2008 from: http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v7n1/pdf/v7n1_gunn.pdf

Greenhow, C. (2008). Connecting informal and formal learning experiences in the age of participatory media: Commentary on Bull et al. (2008). Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 8(3), 187-194. Retrieved November 8, 2008 from: http://www.citejournal.org/articles/v8i3editorial1.pdf

Kelly, D. M. (2006). Frame work: helping youth counter their misrepresentations in media. Canadian Journal of Education, 29(1): 27-48. Retrieved October 8, 2008 from: http://www.csse.ca/CJE/Articles/FullText/CJE29-1/CJE29-1.pdf#page=11

Kline, S., Stewart, K., & Murphy, D. (2006). Media literacy in the risk society: toward a risk reduction strategy. Canadian Journal of Education, 29(1): 131-153. Retrieved October 8, 2008 from: http://www.csse.ca/CJE/Articles/FullText/CJE29-1/CJE29-1.pdf#page=11

International Society for Technology in Education. (2007). National educational technology standards for student: the next generation. USA.

Littleton, K., & Hoyles, C. (2002). The gendering of information technology. In Nicola Yelland & Andee Rubin (Eds.), Ghosts in the Machine: women’s voices in research with technology (pp. 3-32). New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.

McCarthy, R., & Berger, J. (2008). Moving beyond cultural barriers: successful strategies of female technology education teachers. Journal of Technological Education, vol. 19, No. 2, Spring 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008 from: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v19n2/pdf/mccarthy.pdf

Poyntz, S. R. (2006). Independent media, youth agency and the promise of media education. Canadian Journal of Education, 29(1): 154-175. Retrieved October 8, 2008 from: http://www.csse.ca/CJE/Articles/FullText/CJE29-1/CJE29-1.pdf#page=11

Riecken, T., Conibear, F., Michel, C., Lyall, J., Scott, T., Tanaka, M., Stewart, S., Riecken, J., & Strong-Wilson, T. (2006). Resistance through re-presenting culture: aboriginal students filmmakers and participatory action research project on health and wellness. Canadian Journal of Education, 29(1): 265-286. Retrieved October 8, 2008 from: http://www.csse.ca/CJE/Articles/FullText/CJE29-1/CJE29-1.pdf#page=11

Sanders, J. (2005). Gender and technology in education: a research Review. Retrieved October 8, 2008 from: http://www.josanders.com/pdf/gendertech0705.pdf

Snyder, T.D., Tan, A. G., & Hoffman, C. M. (2004). Digest of Education Statistics 2003. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education and Sciences.

Stables, K. (1997). Critical issues to consider when introducing technology education in the curriculum of young learners. Journal of Technology Education, vol. 8, No. 2. Retrieved October 8, 2008, from: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v8n2/pdf/stables.pdf

Welsch, M., personal blog, A vision of students today (& what teachers must do – brave new classroom 2.0), October 21, 2008. Retrieved from: http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2008/10/a-vision-of-students-today-what-teachers-must-do/

Wicklein, R.C. (1997). Curriculum focus for technology education. Journal of Technology Education, vol. 8, No. 2. Presented at the 1996: Technology Education Issues Symposium, Hawaii.

Wikipedia: definitions of IT & ICT. Retrieved November 11, 2008, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_technology

Student Films Teaching Social Responsibility (ETEC 500)

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 How Student-Produced Digital Films

Promote Social Responsibility

By: Chantal Drolet

Literature Review (as part of a research proposal)

EDUC 500 (Dr. Cliff Falk)

University of British Columbia

(To see the original format, please click on: cdroletfa1)

       Digital Film making offers promising educational communication tools to support or transform teachers’ pedagogical approaches and students’ learning experiences (Kearney and Schuck, 2003). On the one hand, schools are pressuring current educators to up-date their teaching strategies with pertinent technology. On the other hand, with the advent of web-based social networks such as YouTube, Facebook and wikis, students’ computer proficiency and fascination with communication technologies is as strong as ever.

       During the past decade, increasingly affordable cameras and editing software have made it easier for scholastic institutions to equip classes and design programs focused on communicating through the creation of digital films. In addition, the relative simplicity of recent video equipment allows even elementary school children to produce short films using music and graphics. It is clearly time to examine the potential of digital film production as a didactically sound means to enhance teaching methods as well as students’ educational engagement and sense of social responsibility.

Close-up on my story

       In my position as the curriculum leader of a high school’s digital film communication program, which I have developed over the past 15 years, I experienced the importance of designing tasks that engage students intellectually and emotionally. Teaching girls taught me that technology assisted activities enrich their awareness of how the media manipulate images and messages in order to promote certain behaviors. When projects are devised with this perspective, they give relevance to the female students’ technological skill acquisition, assist conceptual development and encourage self-discovery.

       What I have been wondering, however, is whether framing students’ learning experience within the creation of their own communication product increases their sense of social responsibility.

Purpose and Assumptions

Purpose

       This research will examine the process through which digital films are created by grade 10 students in an independent all girl school, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its purpose is to discover: 

  • 1. What kind of educational goals can digital film tools effectively implement?
  • 2. Which pedagogical approaches are best suited for the digital film making process?
  • 3. How can self-directed, hands-on learning contribute to students’ meaningful engagement in their education?
  • 4. In what ways does team work and peer cooperation impact teens’ communication and social skills?

Assumptions

       One assumption in this paper is that students learn to discover their personal worth and unique talents while communicating their chosen messages through digital films. Another assumption is that the team work needed to film and edit the audio visual documents enhances the students’ organizational skills. A third key assumption is that public screenings of their films to peers, teachers and parents motivate students to achieve a presentable technical quality; thus reinforcing their sense of social awareness through practical contribution.

Statement of the problem

       The scope of this investigation is limited to communication technology used within the context of digital film production program classes. It does not include the use of digital film making in subject specific areas. However, within the film classes, students may develop topics generated by other courses or create films as assignments for other classes. Therefore, my main question is this one: How can the process of creating digital films contribute to the development of students’ cognitive skills while enhancing their sense of social responsibility?

Definitions

Social responsibility

In this paper “social responsibility”, as defined by British Columbia’s Ministry of Education, refers to “students considering scenarios about realistic situations and working […] in groups to propose solutions or courses of action“.

Student-generated digital films

“Student-generated digital films” are terms associated with opportunities for students to act as scriptwriters, camera operators, editors and directors (Kearney & Schuck, 2004).

Digital Film

In turn, “digital films” may consist of public service announcements, documentaries, short narratives (stories) and music videos, to give only a few examples. “Digital moviemaking can broadly be defined as the use of a variety of media (images, sound, text, video, and narration) to convey understanding”, (Hofer and Swan, 2005, p.104).

Authentic Learning

       Authentic learning activities are meaningful from the student’s point of view and socially relevant; as opposed to artificial experiences often designed by institutions, which can be seen as unrealistic by learners (Stein, Isaacs; Andrews, 2004). 

Selected Literature

       Despite the increased popularity, availability and ease of use, surprisingly few studies have been made about student-produced digital films in education. This deficiency can be partly attributable to rapid technological innovation, which make it challenging for scholars to conduct substantive enquiries (Kearney and Schuck, 2003).

       The articles chosen for this review have been selected on account of the insights they provide regarding the relatively recent implementation of digital film and multimedia tools in education. Some papers focus on the use of those tools for curriculum content acquisition, while others concentrate on their emotional and social implications.

       After summarizing each literature item, and deliberating its validity, I will scrutinize the selected papers to uncover the educational impact of student-directed digital films in the following sequence. First, knowledge acquisition of students through digital films is explored. Second, the pedagogical methods used in this environment are analyzed. Third, affective skills and students’ engagement in their own learning are appraised. Finally, the concept of social responsibility, linked with students communicating authentic messages, rarely explicitly tackled in the body of reviewed literature, provides a fertile research gap to explore and discuss.

Intellectually relevant technology      

       In the United States, Hofner and Owing Swan (2005) researched the effectiveness of student-produced films for content acquisition in two graduate level social studies classes. The investigators observed the classes only for a short time and the projects were confined to strict historical investigation guidelines; thus possibly constricting the learners’ sense of authentic learning. However the researchers’ rigour, supported by the university context, lends validity to their reflections on the risks of concentrating on the technology rather than the subject content.

Innovative teaching methods

       In Australia, Kearney and Schuck (2003) investigated elementary and high schools using student digital film making as a didactic method. They wrote a series of articles questioning, among other issues, the role of the teacher within this context. Their research was funded by a grant from Apple Computer Australia, which may have biased the findings. Nevertheless the case studies conducted, focusing on pedagogical best practices, are valuable testaments of fresh teaching approaches elicited by technological advancements.

Authentic learning and student engagement

       In their quasi-experimental research, Tatar and Robinson (2003) compared a class of American biology high school students using a digital camera in their laboratory experimentation with a similar class using traditional scientific reporting techniques. Irrespective of its statistical inaccuracy, this article did however manage to show that students’ attitudinal changes were noteworthy through its qualitative observations.

Enhanced communication and social awareness 

       Blackall, Lockyer & Brown (2004) presented their own research proposal, partly sponsored by Apple Australia, suggesting that grade 10 students, studying a media literacy unit, create digital television community news to reinforce ethical concepts. This proposed experiment suggests that digital film making can provide an opportunity for social engagement and enable students to actively participate in society while developing an awareness of the constructed nature of media information. Although they limit the projects to documentaries, based on a journalistic code of ethics, the authors’ discourse presents an active prototype of student social engagement.

       Finally, as participants of a global multimedia competition, Steelman, Grable & Vasu (2005) relate their experience and attempt to discuss how projects centered on global issues expand students’ sense of responsibility. Yet another Apple sponsored project, this time based in the USA, this paper might be perceived as advocacy literature due to its affiliation with the international contest. Nonetheless it gives striking examples of student-generated digital films created in a spirit of social contribution. The environmental and humanitarian awareness integrated in projects such as: “Zero Waste” and “The landmines project” have obvious social implications. Not to mention that students’ films are screened to a global teenage audience.

Analysis

  • 1. What kind of educational goals can digital film technology effectively implement?

       Steelman et al. (2005) mention that the complexity of the experience involved in multimedia productions helps students create their own knowledge. Also, children’s retention of the learning process improves when they use visual aids (Tatar and Robinson, 2003).

       However, there is a need for the development of assessment strategies enabling a better grasp of the conceptual learning that occurs with the use of communication technology (Kearney and Schuck, 2005; Steelman, Grable & Vasu, 2005). While student-generated productions can enliven participants’ interest in curriculum content (Steelman et al., 2005), it is generally acknowledged that the projects’ design must be congruent with well-defined academic standards in order to achieve the maximum impact in terms of knowledge acquisition (Hofer and Owings Swan, 2005).

2.   Which pedagogical approaches are best suited for the digital film making process? 

       The role of the teacher in this type of creative, student-centered educational environment leans toward technical coaching, and flexibility is needed (Tatar and Robinson, 2003) to allow students to work autonomously and at their own rhythm (Kearney & Schuck, 2005). It is commonly agreed that to create a sense of student ownership, teachers benefit from allowing film crews to choose their topics and cinematographic genres (Steelman et al., 2005).

       Again, the challenge is to balance the students’ relative freedom of expression with educational objectives. Among other hurdles, teachers must prepare examples demonstrating the various stages of movie making (Hofer and Owings-Swan, 2005). Storyboards, scripts and final products help students gain a better understanding of what they are expected to accomplish both in terms of content and product. Students can benefit from didactic techniques such as: mind maps (Kearney and Schuck, 2005), pitching initial concepts to peers for feedback and mentoring each other (Blackall et al., 2004).

  • 3. How can self-directed, hands-on learning contribute to students’ meaningful engagement in their education?

       Most of the reviewed studies attest to the fact that student-directed, inquiry-based productions, facilitated by the flexibility of digital film making tools, are motivating and engaging (Hofer and Owings-Swan, 2005). They enhance student interest (Tatar and Robinson, 2003), self-discipline, sense of ownership as well as self-esteem and autonomy (Kearney and Schuck, 2005).

4.   In what ways does team work and peer cooperation impact teens’ communication and social skills?

       Digital film technology creates authentic learning and transforms the way students communicate about their work. It also gives them an arena to share their findings with others (Tatar and Robinson, 2003). Activities designed for digital film projects encourage active group collaboration (Kearney and Schuck, 2005).

       A predominant way of communicating through digital film in the classroom is by creating news broadcasts, documentaries and public service announcements. Developing “accountability, notions of citizenship, fairness […] and honesty” (Blackall et al., 2004, p. 61) is anticipated from the application of ethical concepts while creating these types of journalistic pieces. There is, however, hardly any research specifically measuring the correlation between student-generated digital films and enhanced social responsibility.

Gaps and opportunities for future research

       The literature reviewed in this paper is limited to contexts in which teachers could access digital film tools, and had some technological knowledge or assistance. This is obviously not the case on a global basis and much effort will have to be directed toward a more equitable access to this kind of innovative technology. Further studies are also needed to investigate authentic pedagogy and assessment linked with digital film making in the classroom (Kearney & Schuck, 2005). The unresolved issue of teaching technological skills while endeavouring to deliver curriculum content is another significant research area. Finally, data gathering methods and analysis of students’ communication skills and social development is rich in ethical complexity and ripe for investigation.

Conclusion

       This paper demonstrated that teachers can support their instructional strategies with digital film communication tools. The data analyzed presents the development of new student-teacher paradigms in this type of educational environment. Furthermore, the articles inspected in this work indicate a relation between team-produced films and improved communicative skills. Finally, student-directed films are linked with self-discovery. My up-coming research centered on the connection between student-generated digital films and enhanced social responsibility, will attempt to substantiate these conclusions.

References

  1. B.C. Ministry of Education (2008), BC Performance Standards: Social Responsibility: A Framework, Grades 8 to 10. Retrieved March 15, 2008, from: http://datafind.gov.bc.ca/query.html?style=bced&qp=url%3Awww.bced.gov.bc.ca%2F&refurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bced.gov.bc.ca%2Fsearch.htm&qt=social+responsibility&Submit=+++Search+++ And: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/perf_stands/s8to10.pdf.
  2. Blackall, D., Lockyer, L. & Brown, I. (2004). Straight shooting – developing camera ethics and multiple literacy through digital-video news production in high schools, Asia Pacific Media Educator, Journalism Education and Training, 15, 47-62. Retrieved, March 16, 2008, from: http://learningdev.uow.edu.au/crearts/sjcw/APME/APME15_Issue15.pdf#page=53 
  3. Hofer, M., & Owings-Swan, K. (2005). Digital Moviemaking – The Harmonization of Technology, Pedagogy and Content, International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning, 1(2), 102-110. Retrieved March 17, from: http://ijttl.sicet.org/issue0502/Hofer.Vol1.Iss2.pdf 
  4. Kearney, M. & Schuck, S. (2003). Focus on Pedagogy: The Use of Digital Video and iMovie in K-12 Schools. In N. Smythe (Ed.) Proceedings of the 2003 Apple University Consortium Conference, Sydney: Apple Computer Australia. Retrieved from the web on March 15, 2008:http://www.ed-dev.uts.edu.au/teachered/research/dvproject/pdfs/AUCpaper.pdf, and http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=Focus+on+Pedagogy%3A+The+Use+of+Digital+Video+and+iMovie+in+K-12+Schools.&hl=en&lr=&btnG=Search 
  5. Kearney, M. & Schuck, S. (2005). Students in the Director’s Seat: Teaching and Learning with Student-generated Video. In P. Kommers & G. Richards (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2005 (pp. 2864-2871). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved from the web on March 15, 2008: http://www.ed-dev.uts.edu.au/teachered/research/dvproject/pdfs/edmedia05.pdf 
  6. Steelman, J. D., Grable, L. L. & Vasu, S. E. (Fall-Win 2004-2005). Expanding Global Awareness: The Use of Student-Developed Multimedia Created in a Cooperative Learning Environment, International Journal of Social Education, 19 (2), 41-48. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ718734).
  7. Stein, J. S., Isaacs, G. & Andrews, T. (2004). Incorporating Authentic Learning Experiences within a University Course, Studies in Higher Education, 29 (2), 239 – 258. Abstract retrieved from the web on March 20, 2008, from: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a713631447~db=all 
  8. Tatar, D. & Robinson, M. (2003). Use of the Digital Camera to Increase Student Interest and Learning in High School Biology, Jl. of Science Education and Technology, 12 (2), 89-95.