Chapter 11 - Electronic News

DISCUSSION: We discussed the history of electronic news, from radio to newsreels to TV to Internet/social media. We talked about how we first heard the news of big events like 9/11, the death of Michael Jackson and the killing of Osama Bin-Laden. We viewed this British video satirizing the typical news

ANNOTATED REFERENCES: Due Monday June 3. The assignment is on the navigation bar above. Find three items you might use in your Research Paper, including one from a peer-reviewed academic/scholarly journal.

RESEARCH PAPER TOPICS: If you are having problems finding research sources, or if you want to change your topic, please email me and I will be happy to help.

BLOG 7 topic (Internet):

Have you used the Internet for shopping, gaming or dating, or do you know someone who has? Do you know anyone who has developed an addiction (or time-consuming habit) of one of these activities? Explain how it affected their lives and how they put a stop to it, if they did. Include user-friendly links to any specific sites you mention.

ALTERNATIVE TOPIC for BLOG 7: LinkedIn

I mentioned in class last week an alternative blog topic, LinkedIn.com. It's a social media website specifically for professional purposes such as seeking a job, networking and keeping up with business acquaintances. Students should get started while still in school, according to this article. So the assignment is to join LinkedIn, post a profile, invite people you know to link including me, and join at least three groups that might help you network or that relate to your major or career goals. If the group is closed, request to join. Here are some examples:

 De Anza College Network - Students, Alumni, Staff, Recruiters 

LinkedIn for Journalists

San Jose State University

Bay Area News and Media Workers Network

Film and Television Professionals

Social Media Marketing

 If you choose this alternative and you link to me, you don't need to do a blog post. I will see your profile in LinkedIn. If you don't want to link to me, post on your blog that you joined LinkedIn, how many people you invited to link and which groups you joined or requested to join.

Chapter 10 - Internet

DISCUSSION - We talked about the history of the Internet and  three ways of making money from the internet (paid content, advertising and e-commerce). We discussed Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a current topic in higher education. San Jose State Plus is offering five classes as MOOCs this summer -- online, lower tuition, no interaction with profs or classmates. "Mentors" will be available, SJSU says. We also talked about the Dot-Com bust and how the stock prices of current online companies are doing.

FOR WEDNESDAY: Research Paper topics are due (see assignment on top navigation bar). Bring a printout of an article if you have one.

Chapter 9 - Television

DISCUSSION: We discussed our favorite TV shows, how people watch TV, whether it was restricted when they were younger, stereotypes and anti-stereotypes on TV, and the FCC. We viewed clips from "I Love Lucy" "Seinfeld" and "Scrubs" and looked at Nielsen TV ratings for last week.

MY BAD: I had assumed the "Freakin' FCC" episode of "Family Guy" had not aired on broadcast TV, but in fact it aired on Fox (although the song we watched might have been altered for TV). Upon further research, I found out that the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has greatly relaxed its policies on language and body parts since the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction at the Superbowl. In fact, last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the FCC cannot impose fines for words or obscenity. I learn something from my students every day.

MAKEUP QUIZZES: Instructions are at http://faculty.deanza.edu/deckcecilia/stories/storyReader$53. You can make up 100 quiz points for the quarter. So far, we've had three quizzes, each worth 40 points, and we will have two more. The makeups for the first three will be due May 29 - hard copy, either handwritten in very clear writing or typed.

RESEARCH PAPER: Topics for the Research Paper are due next week, on Wednesday May 22. The Research Paper assignment is posted on the navigation bar (above). What's due Wednesday is only the topic (typed or hand-written), but you should begin your research first and show me a copy of an article you plan to use. The topics are the topics of the Chapter Openers and Close-Ups, but your topic needs to have an up-to-date angle and more research. Banned topic: Women/teenager body image and the media. I have read too many of these!

GRADING: I have made a change to the grading ... the Research Paper will be worth 100 points, the Presentation will be worth 50 points and the Final Exam will be worth 50 points. I think this will benefit most students.

Chapter 8 - Radio

DISCUSSION: We discussed the history of the telegraph and radio. Radio had an elite phase when it was used for military and nautical purposes (e.g. the Titanic's distress call); a popular phase during its golden age in the 1930s and 1940s when families listened to radio dramas, quiz shows and music together (see "Radio Days" trailer, above); and a specialized phase after TV became popular. Today, most radio stations follow strict formats -- either news/talk or specific types of music. The exception is campus radio stations like KFJC at Foothill College and KSJS at San Jose State, which have quirky disc jockeys and shows.

 
SHOW AND TELL: We looked at old radios, a script for "Amos and Andy," and telegraph supplies.

ASSIGNMENT: Mass Communications on the Web (see above on navigation bar) is now due Tuesday May 15 at midnight.

QUIZ MAKEUPS: Go to my De Anza faculty page for information.  Quiz makeups for Quizzes 1-3 will be due May 29. Quiz 3 will be returned on Wednesday.

BLOG TOPIC (Due Sunday at midnight): Television (20 points)

Find and describe an online video (from YouTube or another video site) that explains or explores topics that are mentioned in the textbook. Videos should be under 10 minutes in length and should not be one that a classmate has already posted OR that we have viewed in class.  Embed the video in your post and write:

·         The length of the video

·         A description of the video in your own words

·         The name of the corresponding chapter in our textbook

·         A course related quiz question to go along with the video

·         An answer to the quiz question

An example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8&

Length: 4:22
Description: Stats and facts concerning Social Media's accelerated assimilation into mainstream culture.
Chapter 2: Media Impact, Chapter 10: Internet, other chapters.
Quiz Question: In comparison to Facebook, which reached 100 Million users in a matter of months, how many years did it take for Radio to reach 50 million users?
Answer: 38 years

Chapter 6 & 7 - Movies and Recordings

DISCUSSION (Wednesday) - We discussed the history of recorded music. Students listed the genres of music they listen to, and we talked about how recording helped people share music and new genres to develop. We looked at the format wars in recording technology, from Edison's cylinder, through vinyl records, cassette tapes, CDs and finally mp3s. 

DISCUSSION (Monday): Students listed the movies they had seen over the weekend in any format. Several  had seen  movies on the Silver Screen (in the theater). We discussed the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and its rating system.

SHOW AND TELL: We discussed the concept of "persistence of vision" by passing around a deck of cards and viewing Eadweard Muybridge's horse photos. We also looked at scripts and a story board for Star Wars.

POWER POINT: We looked at clips from "Birth of a Nation" "The Jazz Singer," and "pre-Code" movies. We also watched the three movies worst ever made (from the DVD 50 Worst Movies ever made), movie cliches and product placement.

FOR MONDAY:
Read and complete the workbook page for Chapter 8 - Radio

DUE MONDAY at MIDNIGHT on Turnitin.com: "Mass Communications on the Web" (see toolbar above). If you need login information for Turnitin, please email me.

BLOG (due Sunday at midnight): Movies or Recordings (20) AND comment on other students' posts.

Write 2-3 sentences about your favorite movie of 2012-2013 and why you liked it. Write 1-2 more sentences about your all-time favorite movie and why you like it. In which format(s) did you first see these movies? Add a user-friendly link to the movie in RottenTomatoes.com. Find and embed a trailer for one or both of the movies.      

OR

Write 2-3 sentences about your favorite sound recording of 2012-2013 and why you liked it. Write 1-2 more sentences about your favorite oldie and why you like it. In which format(s) did you first hear these recordings? Add or embed user-friendly links to Amazon.com, YouTube.com or other sites where others can listen to your recordings (or samples).