iMovie Reviews

Justinn:
First of all, I loved your topic. I think it was super interesting to pair a cultural trend with technology. I had never really considered the advances that the internet might have on one particular topic, in this case hip-hop music. Your Drake example summed it up perfectly -- I didn't know that much about him other than the fact he was on the Canadian TV show Degrassi, but it's awesome that he was able to market himself through online music sites.
As for the technical aspects of your piece, you used a lot of images and transitions which helped to keep relevant to your audio. The audio, at times, was hard to hear. However, your pacing and voice were very good and helped to move the piece along.
Good job, and again, I really liked your topic!

Jillian:
You did a really cool presentation on Couch Surfing - a network and phenomenon I never heard about. I think it's cool that you put your faith into something that could be considered dangerous, like hitchhiking, but positively tied it into a network of fellow surfers which made you feel apart of something. You also make a great point about what it takes to be a couch surfer - fluent in English and technology.
I liked how to added audio from the TechTalk, and someone else's voice using testimonials, as apart of your project. It made your audio more sophisticated.
I really enjoyed learning about this website and your experiences, good job!

Hi Genevieve!
You are my random blog pic. I was really interested from the start about ThriceColdCash and how this whole interaction between him and your boyfriend play out. You make a great point about how social gaming can be - the gaming world is quite stereotypical! I also really like the interview part of the piece, although the levels are little low, but it mixes up the movie well. You're right to bring up the concern about a stranger in the online world - the internet allows for a lot of anonymity!!
Good job on your project, it was a really cool topic!

iMovie Project

Here is my iMovie Project - hopefully everything is uploaded properly and you can see it.

Below is my final version of my script, however, a paragraph was omitted in final stages because it took the movie to 6 minutes...I figured shorter was better for viewing purposes.

When I was growing up in the ninety’s, I thought it was punishment that the only televisions shows I was allowed to watch were educational. My parents would try to tell me that learning was fun but I was so mad that I wasn’t allowed to watch Power Rangers like my other pre-school friends were allowed to. On the Saturday morning network shows, I would see ads for educational products such as ‘Hooked on Phonics’. Now, we see brands like the Leap Frog toys that use an interactive pen to zoom across the pages of a children’s book and help the little sound out the words as they read along. There is different product called Leapster , children’s version of a Kindle, a personal console that you can load with books and games to take on the go. Also, the Baby Einstein brand of DVDs and CDs teach themes from colors to animals…supposed to be incorporated to a baby’s lifestyle before he or she can even talk. This makes me question if all of these technological influences at a very young age help to make learning more enjoyable, accessible, or engaging. It all seems too good to be true to pop in a video and raise a child’s IQ!

It seems more than ever, society engages youth with technology. According to a study from the University of Michigan, children ages 2-5 spend 32 hours a week in front of a television [1] and the media is making use of that demographic. For example, there has been forty years of the Public Television show Sesame Street, who in their mission statement say they are determined to “inform, inspire, and educate,” [2]. Pairing this mission statement with new technologies, we see the furry little monsters teaching their audience about computers, email, and one character using the Elmocam to connect with others.

 These young viewers are growing up in a society where they don’t have to learn how to double click, it’s inherent to them. Programs more extensive than paint and word processing become a breeze. Their skills are influenced by computers in the home from a very young age. In one study by a local news team, a group of three year olds were given an iPhone, a smart phone with a touch screen, to play with a virtual bubble wrap application. Within seconds, the kids had figured out that pressing the circles on the screen warranted a large POP! and pressing a lot of them made a very satisfying sound. They knew exactly how to control their actions to create a reaction.

This generation is made up of the “mobile kids” and raised very closely in tie with the wireless world. They expect “instant access” to anything they might be interested in, learning they can search the Internet from a smart phone or see their favorite character or hear their favorite song while on the go.  They crave power to control, and expect to be able to have anything at their imagination within reach at any moment. Along with control, these children are able to use the smart phones as learning tools through educational games. Parents can access sites like childrenslibrary.org to call up to the screen free digitized childrens books from any location. Also, about 60% of the 25 Top Selling Education Applications from the iTunes App store targets toddlers and preschoolers, proving that this demographic of consumers is very popular and accessible [3] .

            Along with the engagement with technology are the effects that multi-media stimulation might have on youth. Pediatricians say that children under the age of two shouldn’t spend any time in front of the TV because cognitive development can be stunted. Research also says that the more TV kids watch, the more likely they are to be overweight. So where is the balance? There are some applications which require a child to take mom and dad’s iPhone outside to look for squirrels and leaves in the park, but as kids grow up being used to engaging on the computer, will they leave less time for fresh air? According to a 2007 study from the New England Journal of Medicine, the number of overweight children in ages 6 to 19 has tripled since the 1970s [4]. Our technology today requires children to sit there to engage. There may be some mental stimulation occurring, but the constant involvement with technology may be hindering children to smell the fresh air.

            New technology for kids of any age is awesome. It’s pretty amazing that there are new things coming out every single day, but my concern is balance. As the new generation is born with a smart phone in their hands, are the parents going to be able to censor their children and create an appropriate amount of stimulation in front of a screen as well as off? Soon enough we will be able to set up our waterproof computers on the beach, but hopefully there will be enough time to break away from the screen and enjoy the scenery as well.

---

[1] http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm

[2] http://www.pbs.org/producers/mission.html

[3] iPhone for 3 Year Old - Swidley

[4] Overweight – Blake

5 Designing an I-net for kids -- Sutter

archive.org

Also, to be added in the near future, is a complete list of my sources.

-Kate