Critical investigation proposal

The next step in our critical investigations is to develop our presentations into detailed academic proposals. You will be given a one-to-one tutorial to help you find the right angle and issue to concentrate on but first need to develop a blog post working through the following headings and tasks:

Working title

Include specific texts in the title and either 'how or 'why' or both, e.g.: To what extent and why are video games such as 'Call of Duty' and 'Grand Theft Auto’ becoming more violent?

Angle

E.g.: What impact are these increasingly violent games having on their audience? Is this simply a moral panic of the 21st century or is further regulation required?

Hypothesis

E.g.: Video games are psychologically damaging for young people, and audiences have become increasingly desensitised to screen violence.

Linked production piece

E.g.: Newsnight-style documentary video report looking at the impact of violent videogames on young people.

MIGRAIN

Apply the Key Concepts to your texts/topic by using the questions from the Summer Research Project to help you. (Include at least five bullet point/key concept). Include as many media keywords as you can.

SHEP

Apply the Wider Contexts (Social, Historical, Economic, Political) to your text/topic, including at least three bullet points on each one.

Issues/Debates

Select at least five and say how each relates to your study, using the Media A-Z to help you think about this:

• Representation and stereotyping
• Media effects
• Reality TV
• News Values
• Moral Panics
• Post 9/11 and the media
• Ownership and control
• Regulation and censorship
• Media technology and the digital revolution – changing technologies in the 21st century
• The effect of globalisation on the media

Theories

Select at least five and say how each relates to your study, using keywords/specific theorists' names from the Media A-Z:

• Semiotics
• Structuralism and post-structuralism
• Postmodernism and its critiques
• Gender and ethnicity
• Marxism and hegemony
• Liberal Pluralism
• Colonialism and Post-colonialism
• Audience theories
• Genre theories
• Contemporary Media Landscape

Explain how your study fits into this.

Research plan (media texts, academic texts and websites)

Media texts
What your main focus will be, E.g.:
Call of Duty
Grand Theft Auto

Other media texts
(at least five related examples)

TV documentaries
Research videos online, e.g.:
BBC One - Panorama, Addicted to Games? http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wlmj0

Academic texts/books
(a minimum of five, including author/full title/year, e.g.:)
Barrie Gunter: The effects of video games on children: the myth unmasked (1998)
James Newman: Playing with videogames (2008)
Nancy Signorielli: Violence in the media: a reference handbook (2005)
Peter Vorderer, and Bryant Jennings: Playing video games: motives, responses, and consequences (2006)

Internet Links
1. At least FIVE from Media Guardian or Guardian Culture or another newspaper website.
2. At least FIVE from university websites/academic papers online. Use Google Scholar as a starting point.
3. Any other relevant sites/articles - the more the better.

Use our archive of previous top-grade Critical Investigations to help you.

You have 10 days to complete this detailed proposal before you need to start your research in depth. Good luck!

Media Awards meeting

A reminder that we are meeting at lunchtime today to establish our Year 13 Media Awards committee and allocate roles. We are looking for people to manage the following:

• Hall decoration and design
• Refreshments
• Entertainment/music
• Graphic design/Photoshop work
• Marketing and promotion

Get involved - this is YOUR Media Awards! 

See you in DF07 at lunchtime!

NDM News case study: Audience and Institution

Remember our key question from the lesson: How has news changed in the last 20 years?

Now consider that question specifically in relation to audience and institutions.

What are the benefits for audiences and institutions from the changes new and digital media have had on the news industry?

What are the downsides for audiences and institutions as a result of new and digital media in news?

Blog task: Audience and Institution

1) Read this extract from the Ofcom 2014 report on the consumption of news in the UK. What are the key statistics relating to the influence of new and digital media?

2) Come up with an example of an institution that has benefited from the changes new and digital media has brought to the news industry. Explain how new technology has helped the institution and try to find statistics or financial figures that support your point.

3) Find an example of an institution that has suffered as a result of the changes new and digital media has brought to the news industry. In what way has it had a negative impact? Again, try and find actual statistics or financial figures to explain your point.

4) Answer the following question in a mini-essay on your blog:

Who has benefited most from the changes new and digital media have had on the news industry - audiences or institutions?

Use this set of points for a very similar question - although not specifically about news - to help you come up with some additional points. (Username: greenford; Password: greenfordedu)

Complete for homework if you don't get it finished in the lesson: due next week.

Ignite presentations - learner response

There have been some outstanding Ignite presentations on a wide variety of different topics - it really is a highlight of the year to see such engagement and expertise on such contrasting texts. Hopefully the Q&A sessions following the presentations have highlighted media debates and issues that your critical investigations will address and develop.

Your learner response is as follows and will take some time to do properly:

1) Create a new blogpost called 'Ignite presentation learner response'

2) Type up your feedback in full including the rating for significance, structure, simplicity and rehearsal. You then need to use this feedback to self-assess and write a detailed WWW and EBI for your research and presentation as a whole.

3) The final aspect is a paragraph discussing how your presentation will lead into your critical investigation. Some of this may refer to your feedback (a greater focus on media debates, for example) or in rare cases you may want to change the focus of your investigation entirely.

You will get some lesson time for this but will need to complete for homework.

You also need to ensure that ALL your research from over the summer is posted to your MEST4 coursework blog.

Due: next week.

NDM Baseline assessment - learner response

Well done on completing your new/digital media baseline assessment - it's an important first step towards success in the A2 MEST3 exam next June.

The first part of your learner response is to look carefully at your mark, grade and comments from your teacher. Next, read the Examiner's Report from this exam and look particularly at the comments on Section B and the question you've answered on audience empowerment.

Your learner response will depend on your own individual essay but you MUST do the following:

1) Create a new blog post called 'NDM baseline assessment learner response'

2) Type up your feedback (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential)

3) Complete the learner response task given.

New and Digital Media: News case study

Today we are starting our new topic - New and Digital Media and News. You need to complete the following activities...

News institutions

Research the major players in terms of UK news providers and make notes in a detailed blog post. List companies, publications/ channels/programmes, owners, statistics and anything else you find relevant.

You must include all three platforms (print, broadcast, e-media) and both commercial and non-commercial institutions (e.g the BBC). 

Make sure you include at least FIVE different institutions across the three platforms. You may wish to use bullet points to cover the key information about each institution.


The impact of Google

Read this article looking at the impact Google has had on the traditional newspaper business.

Answer the following questions:

1) Why has Google led to the decline of the newspaper industry?

2) Do you personally think Google is to blame for newspapers closing and journalists losing their jobs? Why?

3) Read the comments below the article. Pick one comment you agree with and one you disagree with and justify your opinions in detail.

All of this work needs to be done on your MEST3 Exam Blog - it's the first step in developing an outstanding case study that will help reach that A grade in the MEST3 exam.

Finish for homework if you don't complete it in the lesson - due Friday.


**REMINDER**

Next week you have your baseline assessment in new/digital media. You've got the question in advance so no excuses! The question:

• Developments in new/digital media mean that audiences can now have access to a greater variety of views and values. To what extent are audiences empowered by these developments?

Revise everything you covered before the Summer (use the Powerpoint from last term) and remember you'll be working on paper in exam conditions on Friday. This blog post has all the details you need.

Good luck! If you have any questions then speak to us - we're here to help!

Year 13: Weekly New/Digital Media homework

In Year 13, you have an ongoing homework EVERY week of the year without fail: to find, read and post TWO New/Digital Media news stories on your blog.

We recommend putting this homework into your timetable so you have a regular slot you complete it every week.

The details: every week you must find, read, summarise and comment upon two stories about New and Digital Media (A/B candidates will do more). The best sources to begin with are...

The Guardian: Digital Media 
The Guardian: Technology
The Guardian: Newspapers
The Guardian: News Corporation
The Independent: Media News
The Telegraph: Digital Media News

...but don't stick exclusively to these throughout the year. Find your own too - magazines like the Economist have some excellent articles and you may find interesting blogs or media sources elsewhere too.

You'll also find stories linked from our Twitter account, @blogmacguffin so make sure you're following that.

Most importantly, you need to do the following on your blog for each story...

• Provide the title and weblink;
• Include a relevant image or graphic;
• Summarise the story in your own words;
• Produce a list of bullet points of any key data/statistical information;
• Comment on the story: What's your view? (At least one paragraph).

You'll be presenting these to the class each week (I'll randomly select a student and you'll be expected to present from memory, so make sure you come prepared) and this will ensure you build up an archive of up-to-date examples to include in any exam answer. Indeed, by the end of the year, you'll have over 50 stories to call upon in the exam when you need to provide examples from the wider media.

What does this look like? Check out this blog post from one of our previous Media students - this gives you an idea of what a valuable resource these stories quickly become.

Due: EVERY week - no excuses. 

Year 13 New/Digital Media baseline assessment

Your baseline assessment in New and Digital Media will be in the week commencing Monday 21 September. We're being generous and giving you the question in advance:

• Developments in new/digital media mean that audiences can now have access to a greater variety of views and values. To what extent are audiences empowered by these developments?

Plan/revise your answer for this question (using the PowerPoint from last term, and your own research) for a one hour timed essay.

• Here's the Mark Scheme for the question (June 2010).

• Here's a C grade model answer.

It's out of 48 and the grade boundaries are as follows...

• A: 37 (77%)
• B: 31 (65%)
• C: 25 (52%)
• D: 19 (40%)
• E: 13 (27%)

Important note: If you do not reach your A2 minimum target grade (always much lower than we're aiming in A2 Media) then you will re-sit this assessment after school.