Blocked!

A few weeks ago, the Toronto District School Board (aka"The Public Board") had to block access to Instagram, Snapchat and Netflix because their networks couldn't handle it.  It is no surprise when their tech head says that access and use of those services are mostly recreational (for fun).  If students and teachers wish to use those sites, they will have to rely on their own data plans.  This block is temporary and will end on June 30.

This poses a few questions which I would like you to answer in your blog.

1. Knowing that the internet is a valuable research tool, do you think students and teachers should be allowed to access sites and services that are purely recreational? Why?
2. If our school board blocked those services and sites do you think the students in our school be more productive? Less productive? No change? Explain your answer.
3. After reading the article. After thinking about and answering the previous questions; you most likely have an opinion about this situation.  Look at some of the comments at the bottom of the article. Which one really resonates to you, either positively or negatively. How would you respond to that comment?

Twitter Wars - How Far is Too Far?

Twitter is one of those things that you really need to use carefully. You can share experiences, thoughts and ideas with anyone who stumbles upon your hashtags and handles. BUT those shared thoughts and ideas can lead to all-out confrontations with random people who think differently than you. Make an enemy IRL and it is 100% certain you will be trolled on social media and you either block them and forget about it or you fight back. Most of the time, people choose to fight back and that's when war happens.

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Wars on Twitter have been raging on since it's very beginning. It is impossible to avoid. The world is filled with people of different beliefs, upbringings, personal preferences, and unfortunately - prejudices.

Some Twitter wars are entertaining because of the sheer stupidity of how they started. You can Google "Celebrity Twitter Wars" and be greeted with dozens of arguments. My personal favourite is the Wendy's Vs. McDonald's Twitter war...which is practically one-sided because McDonald's do not defend themselves and the person running Wendy's Twitter account is pure savage. He/she even roasts people coming to the aid of McDonald's.

Sidenote: Watch the movie called "The Founder". It is about the expansion of the McDonald's empire and is really well done.

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Then there are Twitter exchanges that have gone so far that they have to be resolved in an actual court of law. The following article is about a Toronto woman and man getting into a heated battle online and it turning into a legal battle. It's a tale of respect, stalkerism, anger, and harassment.​

Once you have finished reading the second article, post a response in your blog. In your response, answer the following questions:

1. How did this make you feel?

2. Who do you think is right/wrong? Why?

3. Do you think actions/posts/tweets done online/social media should be punishable by law?

Hey! Don't Meme Me!

Blog Post #3 - 2016

Well - it has been said many times before, once you post something on the internet, many feel like it can be fair game.  I'm sure we have all heard numerous lectures encouraging us to be careful on what we post, reminding us that even if we try to delete something - it is pretty much a guarantee that it isn't totally gone.  The internet can be a scary, funny, crazy, awesome place!

And then, in and amongst all of the awesomeness that is the internet, along comes the meme.

Many times we look, we laugh (or slightly chuckle) and move on.  But for one Australian teenager that just wasn't the case.

Image: Facebook: JNOODLESPHOTOGRAPHY

Read the following articles from The BBC and from Mashable  and USA Today to get the full story.

You see it turns out that Ali Ziggi Mosslmani discovered a meme that poked fun at his hairstyle - and he wasn't happy!  So what did he decide to do about it?  Sue!

So my question to you is ... what do you think?  Do you think he has the right to sue different media outlets because he is unhappy about being made fun of?  How would you feel if you were in his shoes and you found memes made with your photos.  Let's discuss.

Kids and Video Games

Blog Post #2 - 2016

Oh video games ...

What can I say that hasn't already been said ... so many articles, so many debates ... the arguments out there are endless.   Parents complain about how much time kids spend playing games, kids complain that they don't have enough time to play.  People argue that video games have too much influence on the young mind, others say they can be educational.  Whatever your belief, no one position can be 100% truth.

And then, just the other day, as I am getting ready for work, and listening to the news, I hear this story:

"11 year old boy takes parent's car for a joyride after playing Grand Theft Auto" - City News

Now, to be honest - I was shocked - kind of thought to myself "really?  that actually happens?"  And so it did.  An 11 year old boy was playing Grand Theft Auto - and decided after playing the game, that he wanted to know what it would really be like to drive a car.  He grabbed his parents car keys and off he went on an adventure down highway 400! Crazy I know .. but clearly video games are still more of an influence than we realize.





So tell me what do you think about all of this?  How much influence do you see video games having in your life?  or the life of your friends?    Write a blog post about your thoughts on video games and maybe not just video games that you play on consoles, but certainly those video games you can get on your phones are just as interesting to discuss too ... 8 ball anyone???

Parents on Social Media!!!

Blog Post #1 - 2016


I love social media, I can't help it.  I enjoy reading about what my friends are doing, I like sharing exciting news with my friends, and I especially LOVE photographs!

I wouldn't exactly say I am addicted to being online, but I certainly check in throughout the day, whether it be Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  Just a few minutes here or there to see what's going on in the world around me.

What I never really thought of though, and it only recently dawned on me, is that your generation is one that has always had some sort of social media readily available.  Not that you were using Facebook when you were two years old,  but it is entirely possible that your parents were!  And the reason that is so very interesting is simply because - you are likely already online before you even knew it!

Share Baby Photo - ilustrasi: beckermanpr.com

It is very likely that before you could even talk, your parents were posting adorable baby pictures of you for all the world to see.  Well, at least we parents think that they are adorable ... but I guess I only just realized that maybe you don't quite see it that way.

Read the following article:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37834856

For your first blog post, respond to the article by sharing your thoughts and feelings about your parents being on and using social media.  How do you feel about your parents already forming your social identity before you could do it yourself?  Do you have parents who are online - and are you connected with them?  Try to also think about things from their perspective and let us know what you think!

Blogging

Image Source : socialmedia.biz

 Having an online presence can be a lot of fun, but also holds a lot of responsibility!  Here are some key tips to remember when creating posts for your blog.
- Don't divulge personal information: use your FIRST NAME ONLY, don't give any details with regards to contact information, home address, phone numbers, last names of friends or relatives, instant messaging names, age, or birth date.

- No questionable photos of you or anything else: If you wouldn't show it to your grandma, don't post it on the web! Avoid posting photos of yourself.

- Remember the internet is permanent! Anyone on the Internet can easily print out a blog or save it to a computer.

- Use blogging provider sites with clearly stated terms of use, and make sure they can protect the actual blogs, not just the user accounts, with password protection. (Even so, it's better to assume anyone can see it.)

- Avoid trying to "out-do" or compete with other bloggers.

Image Source : livethegoodlifewithsara.com

- Keep it clean and positive: Our blogs are reflective of our Catholic values. Sexist, racist, homophobic, or any type of oppressive and offensive language will not be tolerated!

Welcome to a New School Year!

Image source : productivemuslim.com

Welcome to the 2016/2017 grade 10 Media Arts/Comm course.  I am happy to have you all as students in this new and exciting school year.  For this blog unit we will be sharing some news, stories and events that involve digital media along with various other forms of media.


As part of your media arts / communications technology course you will be required to create and maintain your own media arts / communications blog. Blogging has quickly become a very popular form of communication and online journaling.


Through this course your will be required to reply to six different media / technology issues or topics that will be posted here for you to respond to on your own blog. Each response must be no less than 300 words and should have discussions relevant to media arts and communication technology. You will also be required to respond to 6 other people's blogs with thoughtful ideas and comments with a 100 words (min). The evaluation for this unit is found in your unit guide. Once you have completed all tasks (which will take you several months) you will submit your unit guide, with a list of the six blogs that you responded to, for evaluation.


Happy Blogging!
Ms. Powell