Week Two: Photo Analysis

Photo Analysis Guide Picture

Photo Analysis Worksheet

Step 1. Observation
A.	Study the photograph for 2 minutes. Form an overall impression of the photograph and then examine individual items. Next, divide the photo into quadrants and study each section to see what new details become visible. The picture from the Photo Analysis Guide Link gives me an impression of poverty and depression.
B.	Use the chart below to list people, objects, and activities in the photograph. People Objects Activities Shoeless children Dead donkey Children with no chaperones Young children (about 5 years) to older children (about 10 years) in the street near a dead donkey Horse and buggies Children gathered in the street Adults standing in the background Old and weathered buildings Adults talking in the distance A small child walking by himself away from the camera Street lamp Horse and buggies driving in the distance Bricked streets and sidewalks Unoccupied wagon
Step 2. Inference  (Limit response for each question to 5 lines of text)
	Based on what you have observed above, list three things you might infer from this photograph. I would infer that the picture was taken during the Depression Era, because of the barefooted children hanging out in the bricked streets. One of the boys is wearing a hat that makes me think that the picture was taken in the ‘30s. The children’s clothes (suspenders and overalls) and the mode of transportation (horse and buggies) also look like they come from that decade. The dead animal in the street shows me that times are hard, because no one is trying to remove it from the road. It’s just left to the side out of the way from the horse and buggies.
Step 3. Questions
A.	What questions does this photograph raise in your mind? Why are the children gathered around the dead animal in the street? Why are they sitting in the street and barefoot? Why are the children not supervised by an adult? What situation caused a person to take the photograph?
B.	Where could you find answers to them? I could find the answers to my questions by researching the era and mannerisms of the Great Depression. I could look online or in encyclopedias.  I also, could try to find the picture through Google images (there is a little information about the picture on the top left-hand side of the picture).

Designed and developed by the

Education Staff, National Archives and Records Administraion,

Washington, DC 20408

Double Entry Journal 2

Quote:

“Explicit teaching of 21^st-century literacy metaskills can position students to analyze and evaluate news reporting in today’s visually drenched world.” ("A seven-power lens," 2003)

Reaction:

I really enjoyed this article about developing news media, visual, and information literacy within the classrooms, especially when North Marion is incorporating technology within their curriculum. Students need to have the skills necessary to sift through all the information that is presented to them in and outside of the school. This is why I chose the quote above. However, I do agree that most students (especially in our low economic region) don’t get these skills from home, which means that they must be taught within our classes.  I may use Figure 1 in this article as a tool to help my students build these skills as they “surf the net”.

Reference:

A seven-power lens on 21st-century literacy. (2003, Nov/Dec). MultiMedia Schools, Retrieved from http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/newsmedia/PowerLensSingle.pdf

Related Resources:

I found a video on teachertube that talked about Media Literacy within the classrooms, and the importance of such skills.

Considine, David M. (Writer). (2009). Media Literacy Across the Curriculum [Web]. Available from http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=124975&title=Media_Literacy

Double Entry Journal 1

Vocabulary:

1.       Discourse—communication of thought by words; talk; conversation

2.       Intertextualities—the property of multiple written materials to form a coherent whole; the nature of identifying a quality of texts

3.       Subjectivities—the state or quality of being subjective (placing excessive emphasis on one’s own moods, attitudes, opinions, etc.)

4.       Semiotics—the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior; the analysis of systems of communication, as language, gestures, or clothing

5.       Ideology—the body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc., that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group

Media Literacy Vs Critical Media Literacy:

Both media literacy and critical media literacy call for the development of critical thinking, the use of communication, student centeredness, and the use of multiple learning styles that incorporate the learner’s culture and prior knowledge. Media literacy is the ability to search through the mass media to find truth and biases presented to the public. Understanding what and to whom the media is presenting is key to having media literacy, or the ability to analyze and decipher information presented by the mass media. However, critical media literacy emphasizes the role of schooling with a capitalist economic order and involves problems in the curricula that support critical thinking and reasoning. People who use critical media literacy to their advantage often use a method called text analysis. They also see teachers as cultural workers who help expose the conformist, passive and disciplining elements in the “hidden curriculum”, which is the curriculum not taught within the content of the class. Critical Media Literacy’s goal is to reveal the ideological forces that influence everyday life and the ability to act upon them.

Quote:

“This theoretical position encourages the learner to develop forms of analysis in order to expose ‘hidden ideologies’ within media texts thereby minimizing their influences. This position is further supported by Lestyna and Alper (2007) who demonstrate how corporate media produce illusory images that conceal the structural dimensions of class while perpetuating dominant myths of meritocracy.” (Resist, 2004, March)

Reaction:

This quote caught my attention because it discusses the need for the ability to discern and analyze the political jargon and propaganda found in the media. Many students look to various media outlets for their style of dress, how they act, and what trends are “cool”. It is very important for people, not just students, to be able to see what sources and resources are reliable and valid. It is these multi-media sources that overwhelm people with information that may or may not be true, or may present it in such a manner that entices the viewer/reader/hearer to accept such information. One has to look pass the eye-catching persuasion to the heart of the media’s information, in order to gather complete understanding of what is presented and given.

Reference:

Resist, I. (2004, March). Critical media literacy. Retrieved from http://www.iresist.org/media.html

Related Resources:

A related resource I found was at What is Media Literacy? . This website discusses what Media Literacy is and how to enhance one’s ability to sift through mass media for underlying persuasive or biased information.

Tollim, J, & Thoman, E. (2010). What is media literacy?. Retrieved from http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/teachers/media_literacy/whatis.swf

Introduction

My name is Heather Richards and I'm from Morgantown, West Virginia. I'm currently a mathematics teacher at North Marion High School. We recently are doing something new at North Marion where we are integrating technology within the classroom. I think this class will definitely help me incorporate technology this year into my activities for my students.

Animoto 

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