Using all the information you've already put together after the self-assessment of your blog work, and the action plan you created after reading the Med 5 pack, you now need to produce - on your blogs - an Action Plan Timetable, where you identify the main tasks that need to be done (at least 10) over the next fortnight.
List each one in detail with a deadline for completion. All of the tasks need to be done by Tuesday 4th November (first lesson after the holiday).
Peer Assessments
Make sure you've posted up www/ebi comments for every student who has already presented their Med 5 powerpoints and blogs.
To be completed over the course of the next week (by Friday 19-10). Your responses will be used to help write your Interim Reports and help us to plan a better course for you.
1. SELF EVALUATION Write an evaluation of your progress on the Media course so far. Post the work up on your Module 5 blogs. a. Comment on each of the following, giving yourself a grade with an explanation outlining why:
(Grading should be1-5: 1 = excellent, 2 = v. good, 3 = good/average, 4 = poor, 5 = v. poor)
Attainment
Effort
Punctuality
Submission and quality of homework
Ability to work independently
Quality of writing
Organisation of Media folder
Oral contributions in class
Standard of Module 5 blog
Standard of Module 6 blog
b. Make a list of three achievements (www) and three targets/areas for improvement (ebi) over the next half-term.
2. COURSE EVALUATION Write an evaluation of the actual course/teaching. Please submit the work as a comment after this post. Include your name! a. Answer each of the following with a grade (1-5), giving reasons/examples:
(Grading should again be1-5: 1 = excellent, 2 = v. good, 3 = good/average, 4 = poor, 5 = v. poor)
How well is the course organised?
How interesting is the content that is covered?
How useful are the handouts?
Have the lessons been well-paced?
What is the standard of the teachers’ presentation/subject knowledge?
How well has the course met your expectations?
Have the extra-curricular events been useful? (eg. Awards Eve.)
Has the Macguffin Blog been useful?
b. Make a list of three things you like and help you to learn (www) and three suggestions of things you’d like to see changed/improved (ebi).
For the allocated institution (either Time Warner, Sony, Viacom or Newscorp) research the different brands owned and the media platforms covered in detail (broadcasting: TV, Radio, Film; Print: newspapers and magazines; E-media: internet, gaming, mobile technologies. Post your findings on the blog and consider the information in the light of the globalisation debate. your findings can be organised as a flowchart but you must also analyse and annotate.
Which terrestrial broadcaster has closed its radio division, with the aim of saving £10m in 2009? Channel 4.
Which of Rupert Murdoch's tabloids has just reduced its cover price? The Sun - it's now just 30p.
How has Barack Obama upped the ante in the US presidential race? By buying a 30-minute advert slot on CBS and NBC.
Which Sunday newspaper saw its circulation drop to its lowest for the second month running in September? The Independent on Sunday, which saw circulation drop 14.54% year on year.
Which radio company is being sued by a Swedish alcohol producer, and why? Absolute Radio is being sued by Absolute vodka, for violation of its trademark.
The 'credit crunch' appears to be affecting advertising spend. What's the lastest forecast? UK advertising spend will slump 5.8% this year.
Ofcom is considering allowing PSBs to boost advertising income by £85m annually. What might this mean to your average viewer of Saturday night ITV? An extra 20 minutes of adverts.
What are Gmail Goggles? A solution to late-night drunken emails - you can pre-set your Gmail account to stop you from sending emails during times you expect to be inebriated.
Which international body is fixing to ban a £14m bailout for Channel 4? The EU in Brussels.
Which famously belligerent news presenter has accused the BBC of 'fawning over' the royal family? Jeremy Paxman.
All 13C1 students must ensure their MED 5 blogs are up to date and have done the same as the other groups (in particular see the work set for the other 2 groups fo 7/10/08 which you must also complete this week). George, Hanna & Jyoti please make sure you have sorted out any problems you are having with your posts as a matter of urgency!
...then for each of the following Module 5 Assessment Objectives, provide a detailed self-evaluation, answering the questions, including an overall www + ebi/key target (with details of how to achieve it) for each one:
AO1
demonstrate knowledge and application of the Key Concepts employed within Media Studies and the evaluation of texts and ideas using the Key Concepts
How well have you analysed your text/topic using the Key Concepts (MIGRAIN)? Which have you covered best? (Think about when you answered all the Key concept questions for the Summer Research Project). Which still need more research? How could you achieve this?
AO2
demonstrate knowledge and application of the wider contexts (historical, social, political, economic) relevant to Media Studies
Have you considered the current zeitgeist (‘spirit of the age’) and how this has impacted on your text? Which aspects of SHEP have you covered? In what way? How could you go about covering those missing?
AO5
demonstrate the ability to use appropriate investigative and research techniques in carrying out an independent study of a media text, topic or issue
Have you fully reviewed the available literature on your text/topic (books, online articles, reviews etc.)? Have you formulated a good question? Have you written a detailed hypothesis? Have you considered the issues and debates surrounding your study? What textual analysis have you done? How many scenes/sequences from your text have you analysed? Have you analysed your text from different theoretical perspectives (e.g. feminist, Marxist, psychoanalytic, postmodern)? How many times have you actually viewed your main text? Have you analysed other texts from the same/different genre or from the same/different historical period, comparing them with your own? Are you keeping a detailed record of specific website addresses, key quotes - who said/wrote them and where they came from (including page numbers!)?
SYNOPTIC ABILTY
draw together understanding of Key Concepts, from different parts of the specification in order to make effective textual readings
draw upon knowledge and application of a wide range of possible relevant contexts, in order to account for the characteristics of media texts
Have you linked what you’re studying to other parts of your course? Your Med 2 study last year (e.g. narrative or audience theories)? Your Med 4 study this year (representation, genre)? Your Med 6 issues, debates and theories (institutional factors, globalisation, etc.) What MediaGuardian stories have you read which are relevant to your study? Have you done research into the dominant values and ideologies that will influence the production of your text?
CRITICAL AUTONOMY
apply critical ideas and principles to new situations – and demonstrate media literacy in responses to media texts
Are you thinking for yourself? Coming up with your own ideas? Working independently? How self-motivated have you been?
QUALITY OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
select and use forms and styles of writing appropriate to purpose and complex subject matter
organise relevant information clearly and coherently, using specialist vocabulary when appropriate
ensure text is legible, and spelling, grammar and punctuation are accurate, so that meaning is clear
How carefully have you presented your work so far?Is it clear and well organised? Do you use key media terminology? Do you spell check your work? Do you highlight key points from research from what you cut and paste?
Please complete the following on your Med 5 blogs by Thursday's lesson (25.09)...
Find one YouTube extract from your text (a clip or trailer). Paste into your blog and carry out a detailed MIGRAIN analysis.
Find three online reviews about your text (one from each of The Guardian/Film , Rotten Tomatoes, and IMDB) and put the links on your blog. Read carefully and cut and paste two quotes from each that are particularly useful or relevant to your study. For each one, either explain why you chose it or say how you agree or disagree with the view provided.
If you do the work I will mark you present in the register but you don't have to come to the lesson to sign in.
Welcome to year 13. As you all know by now, your Med 6 exam requires extensive knowledge of current media issues and debates. This is the kind of knowledge that we just can't give you in class - it's up to YOU to visit the Media Guardian website and start reading around.
What you can expect from us, however, is this weekly quiz. Send your answers to Ms Jones by the end of each week (that's 26.9.08 for this week's quiz), and the student who gets the most correct answers over the course of the year will win a media-related prize.
Which news channel, recently taken to an employment tribunal and accused of religious, sexual and race discrimination, is now facing allegations of bullying?
Which radio station is planning to invest £15m on its marketing and content over its first few years on the air?
Deepak Chopra, Bill Gates, Eva Longoria and her basketball-playing husband Tony Parker all have cameos in which new advertising campaign?
The BBC and ITV are embroiled in a Saturday night scheduling contest. Which programmes are battling it out?
Which satellite channel is about to launch a week-long campaign against knife crime?
This week you all need to set up a new blog (in addition to the Med 5 - Independent Study one that you should have already done, including the Summer Research Project). This one is for Module 6 - an exam that you'll be taking next June - and will be where you include research about the media in general (that's not directly related to your coursework).
The following needs to be completed by Monday 22-09-08...
Set up a new blog on Blogger (make a note of your username and password and don't forget them!)
Call the blog Med 6: Issues & Debates
Post up the link, your name and your Med 6 teacher's name (whoever teaches you two lessons/week) in the comments below.
Carry out your First Research Task...
Choose a large media institution (one that produces media texts). You could choose from the following suggestions (or come up with your own) but try to do something different from that you know someone else is doing...
BBC, News Corp, C4, Disney, EMAP, Fox, MGM, ITV, Zee TV, Microsoft, Sony BMG, Google, IPC, C5, HBO, Time Warner
Carry out a case study into its workings, using at least three different internet sources. (Include the urls in your posting). Find out...
who owns it...people and other organisations involved
a history of the institution...how has it developed or changed
the texts it produces...give lots of examples
information about its finances & income...provide actual data
recent developments...how is it responding to the 'new media' age
Try to make this as detailed as possible, include images & logos etc. that are relevant, and make sure it has been written in your own words and not cut and pasted from other sources. You will be required to make a presentation on this topic - without notes - in lessons w/c 22nd September.
Well done to those who are working hard on their blogs. Yes, the Summer Research Project deadline has past so, in theory, everyone should have completed all the tasks, in as much detail as possible. Unfortunately, this is not the case and extended deadlines have been set for next week, after which action will be taken against those still unfinished. Please make sure you check very carefully what you have to do and GET IT DONE!
Amongst those in TeamC2 and TeamD1 there is a real range of effort. But the winners at this early stage - when all postings have been added together - are TeamC2 with 102 postings against 98.
Within each team the medal winners for the most postings are as follows... Gold (= 3 credits): Ajitpal, Hardeep Silver (= 2 credits): Mohammed, Vipesh Bronze (=1 credit): Latisha, Yasmeen
None of these blogs are perfect and they all still have work to do but please take a look at them to see what the best so far are like.
And have also have a look at one of the best from last year that puts everyone to shame at the moment (yes, she got an A for her coursework, will you?)...here are her postings from July and August - where you should be by now!!
For all Year 12 students (who'll be Year 13 in September 08)...
The following needs to be completed by the first lesson you come back at the start of September(some tasks you should have already done)...
Start a new blog. Call it after the name of your text/topic that you're doing for your Independent Study.
Leave a comment with the address and your name here so I can put up a link on this blog.
Your should post up a completed version of your proposal. Remember that this needs to include: a brief summary of your investigation (and, ideally, your hypothesis too); a few lines on each of the key concepts (MIGRAIN); a few lines on each of the wider contexts (SHEP); two or three theories/theorists and how they will be relevant; and a short list of related other texts that you hope to consider alongside your main one.
Get hold of a copy of your text. Watch it at least once over the summer. While you are watching it make key concepts notes like you have done on Module 2 texts all year. You need to consider the following questions for each key concept...
Media Representations
Who is being represented?
In what way?
By whom?
Why is the subject being represented in this way?
Is the representation fair and accurate?
What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?
Media Languages and Forms
What are the denotative and connotative levels of meaning?
What is the significance of the text’s connotations?
What are the non-verbal structures of meaning in the text (e.g. gesture, facial expression, positional communication, clothing, props etc)?
What is the significance of mise-en-scene/sets/settings?
What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?
What are the dominant images and iconography, and what is their relevance to the major themes of the text?
What sound and visual techniques are used to convey meaning (e.g. camera positioning, editing; the ways that images and sounds are combined to convey meaning)?
Narrative
How is the narrative organised and structured?
How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?
How are characters delineated? What is their narrative function? How are heroes and villains created?
What techniques of identification and alienation are employed?
What is the role of such features as sound, music, iconography, genre, mise-en-scene, editing etc within the narrative?
What are the major themes of the narrative? What values/ideologies does it embody?
Genre
To which genre does the text belong?
What are the major generic conventions within the text?
What are the major iconographic features of the text?
What are the major generic themes?
To what extent are the characters generically determined?
To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled or cheated by the text? Does the text conform to the characteristics of the genre, or does it treat them playfully or ironically?
Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?
Media Institutions
What is the institutional source of the text?
In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?
Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does this make to the text?
Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?
How has the text been distributed?
Media Values and Ideology
What are the major values, ideologies and assumptions underpinning the text or naturalised within it?
What criteria have been used for selecting the content presented?
Media Audiences
To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience?
What assumptions about the audience’s characteristics are implicit within the text?
What assumptions about the audience are implicit in the text’s scheduling or positioning?
In what conditions is the audience likely to receive the text? Does this impact upon the formal characteristics of the text?
What do you know or can you assume about the likely size and constituency of the audience?
What are the probable and possible audience readings of the text?
How do you, as an audience member, read and evaluate the text? To what extent is your reading and evaluation influenced by your age, gender, background etc?
Other Tasks to complete by the start of September...
Start researching your text/topic on the internet. Use the de.li.cio.us tags that are in the sidebar on the main Macguffin page to guide your research. These links are the best sites for Media Studies. In particular, you must work through all of the sites for Med5 which have been specially selected to help you.
Post up all evidence of research on your blog. You are looking for the following: reviews, newspaper/magazine articles, useful book titles, relevant theory, relevant media issues and debates, information about wider contexts, etc.
Don't just cut and paste mindlessly - be selective, try to summarise the information, comment on it and explain why it is useful. Also, make sure that you include specific links to all the sites you find (this will be crucial when it comes to putting together your bibliography).
Feel free to be as creative with your blogs as you can (just like you were for Module 3). Include pictures, clips, reflections, links, etc.
Prepare a presentation to be given to the class during the first week you return. In this you will show everyone your blog and talk through the research you found. Also, you will need to put together a five-minute Powerpoint presentation that summarises what you've found out so far in answering your question. Here it is best to use the format/structure of your proposal but also try to make it interesting by including pictures/clips etc.
Good luck. There is a lot to do here. Our advice is to work on this throughout the Summer rather than leaving it all to the last minute. It should be an enjoyable process - finding out about something that you're interested in. If you have any problems then please don't hesitate to email me.
We've had a lesson on book research, and hopefully borrowed something from the library to start reading this summer. Now you're ready to start researching your text/topic on the internet.
Please do this intelligently. Do not just run a google search - the websites you cite in your bibliography must be authoritative. Use the de.li.cio.us tags that are in the sidebar on the main Macguffin page to guide your research. These links are the best sites for Media Studies. In particular, you must work through all of the sites for Med5 which have been specially selected to help you.
Those who have not presented their blogs to the class should expect to do so during next Wednesday's lesson (July 16th).
Your next lesson with me (you will still be expected in Mr Bush's lessons this week) will be on Wednesday, July 2nd. You must register at the start of each lesson this week, then you may go to DF07 (if available) or the LRA to work on your Independent Study proposals, due on July 9th. Your proposals, which should be posted on your Med 5 blogs, should include:
a hypothesis
a brief summary of your topic, and texts covered
a MIGRAIN analysis of a short scene (or the film's trailer)
details of any theorists you will refer to
issues and debates that you plan to discuss
research planned for the summer holiday
Use Tanya's proposal as a guide (you'll need to scroll down). Explore the del-icio-us tags to aid you in your research. We will begin the lesson on the 9th by hearing from those who have not already presented their ideas, and then discussing any developments in our proposals.
Please post up as a comment your name, independent study blog address and the class you're in (12c1, 12c2, 12d1). Then we'll get a link put up in the side bar.
Make sure you look at the best completed studies of the past few years...this year, last year and 2006. And also look at the blogs that other students have produced previously...they contain lots of useful (and possibly inspiring) ideas.
The final one (I purchased the prize at the weekend). Post your responses on your Med 6 blog, or email them to Ms Jones. Remember: you'll find all the answers on the Guardian media website.
Which 1989 film was enjoyed by 7.3 million viewers on Sunday night, and why was the repeat deemed 'timely'?
Which news agency is set to make some 140 journalists redundant?
What is Fiona's Story and why is it controversial?
Why is the Daily Telegraph concerned about its own blog?
Which popular BBC1 show is being re-scheduled to make room for the football?
Read through the Med 6 Issues & Debates blogs (see links on the sidebar) as they are full of information about everything already mentioned above and more besides. In particular, make sure you check out those by Baldip, Neelema and Zainab because they have links to lots of the key media stories over the past year which you may well need to know about in the exam.
Revise your wider contexts timelines.
Keep up-to-date with media developments right up to the exam. Log on to Media Guardian every day and keep posting summaries and links to them on your blogs!
Do timed practice - carry out comparisons of a range of two-minute (or less) moving image sequences with 2-3 page print texts (or less)...
So analyse and compare...
extracts, title sequences and opening sequences from any genre of TV programme, film (soap, sitcom, documentary, news, gangster, thriller, etc.).
TV adverts and film trailers.
video games, music videos and internet viral videos.
with...
newspapers and magazines (front pages, contents pages, back pages, both tabloid and broadsheet, etc.).
adverts (from the above).
DVD, CD or video game covers.
billboards and posters (especially for films).
book covers (really!).
Remember, the question is always..."Using the comparison of these two texts as your starting point, explore the media issues and debates which they raise."
It is vital that you practice under exam conditions - spend 30 minutes note-taking/annotating/planning (and watch the extract three times during this period) and then one hour writing your answer.
If you are short for time then you can always just do the 30-minute note-taking exercise on some days but try to do this as often as possible (every day?). Remember to use two sides of A4 paper (one for Text 1, one for Text 2) and include the following sections going down the page...
form & function
similarities & differences
key concepts (MIGRAIN)
theory
issues & debates
wider contexts (SHEP)
other texts
Please record the practice you have done as a comment after this posting - it will be useful for people to share ideas about what texts are good to try and an opportunity to ask Macguffin any questions about any of the theories, issues & debates and wider contexts.
Also, please post comparison notes and finished essays on your blogs for others to see and learn from. The best ones will be highlighted on this page as links.
And don't forget - you can bring any timed essays in over the next month to show to your teachers before the exam on Thursday June 12th at 1.30pm in the Hall. ARRIVE at least 15 MINUTES EARLY!!
Your revision/preparation for Module 4 should be...
Read through all notes, handouts and past essays on the key topics...
Representation...Representation packs (with cartoons), Gauntlett handouts, Guardian articles, Independent Studies on this topic, your own self-produced revision guides, teacher's summary notes, the mock exam, essay plans, etc.
Genre... Genre pack, Slasher pack, repertoire of elements worksheets (on each slasher film), watch key clips from the texts again (they might still be available on YouTube but most of the links here have been taken down on this list...do a new search and you mind find them), genre theory quotes, your own self-produced revision guides, the mock exam, teacher's summary notes, essay plans, etc.
Read through all 'Representation' and 'Genre' past questions - identify keywords etc.
Write essay plans for as many different questions as possible (all of them if you can). See these particularly good ones from last year...Alice, Heena, Jaskeerat, Jatinder, Kalpan, Pip. And if you post them up to your Med 5 blog as they did we'll give you some feedback on them.
Complete as many timed essays as possible (45 minutes/question).
Don't forget - you can email Macguffin with queries and you can bring any timed essays in over the next month to show to your teachers before the exam on Thursday June 12th at 1.30pm in the Hall (before the Module 6 exam). ARRIVE at least 15 MINUTES EARLY!!
Another superb year of coursework has finally come to a close. We say this every year but again it's true...the overall standard has been better than ever so well done! The vast majority of you didn't just meet your minimum target grades but went one higher (and in some cases two!). This is brilliant news and means you are really set up to achieve outstanding results again come August...so long as you make sure you revise hard for the exams!
What you see below are links to six of the best of the 'A' grade essays that were submitted (there were more but not all of them have been posted up by their authors). It is strongly recommended that you read through these as part of your revision programme. Not only will they provide you with plenty of synoptic material for Med 6 but they all make crucial links to Med 4 which will help refresh your memories about what you need to know here and, most probably, provide you with new case studies and examples to present in your essays.
In particular, make sure you read those by Rohini (genre), and Tanya(representation of women).
Just over 4 weeks now until the Med 6 exam. I'm glad to see that many of you have been posting your quiz responses on your blogs - I will check these, as well as my inbox (those who email their responses to me need to send them to Ms Jones), before I award the final prize next week.
Which radio station won the 'station of the year' prize at the Sony awards?
Which Sunday newspaper is looking for a new political editor, and why?
Which British drama series has been bought by ABC for its prestigious 10pm slot?
According to the Public Accounts Committee, how should the BBC be saving money on equipment?
What is Google's 'Street View' service, and why is it controversial?
Make sure you sign in and stay in the classroom throughout the period - teachers will be checking from time to time to monitor your progress! Write a 45 minute essay (at least two sides) on the following question...
Recent developments in genre have included the emergence of parody, pastiche and hybrid forms. Show how such developments have influenced the nature of media texts. (January ’06 b)
Also don't forget the important homework that's due in on Monday (12th) for both 13c and 13d...
Make revision notes on genre.
Go through all your notes (handouts, repertoire of elements sheets, your own research you may have done on the topic for Med 5, etc.)
Then type out concise summaries of everything.
Use bullet points, highlighting, italics, underlining, headings, subheadings, bold etc. to make it as easy to remember as possible.
You obviously need to cover all genre theory (especially the BFI pack), genre quotes, history of slasher (including the significance of each of the films you've studied and how they relate to the WCs).
