1/26-1/30

Title:Teach, Stream, Be Acquired: Why Online Education Investors Are Hot for Teachers

 Link: here

Citation: Bourque, A. (2015, January 30). Teach, Stream, Be Acquired: Why Online Education Investors Are Hot for Teachers. Retrieved January 30, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andre-bourque/teach-stream-be-acquired_b_6576768.html

Summary: Media and technology are not only improving and changing the way news is circulated, but they are also changing the education system. Itunes and Youtube offer educational resources via internet, which is giving these companies profit and business for these companies. It's interesting to see the way media is affecting lives in more ways than thought possible; people can educate themselves through the internet if they know where to look.

Quotes:
"Lynda.com, a pioneer in this space, knows this well. The online video education provider raised $186 million in financing last year. Founded in 1995 as a training program for web design, the company offers 5,700 online courses spanning linguistics, business, to photography."

"As college fees become prohibitively pricey for some would-be learners, a revolutionary solution has emerged. Popular video sharing sites like YouTube offer video-based lessons on everything from the proper grammatical usage of causative verbs to making cheese. Apple's iTunes U boasts more than 750,000 "individual learning materials" from nearly 70 countries."

"Education is at the core of Apple's DNA and iTunes U is an incredibly valuable resource for teachers and students. iTunes U features an amazing selection of academic materials for everyone around the world," said Eddy Cue, Apple's SVP of Internet Software and Services, in June, announcing Apple's updates to iTunes U iPad offerings"

 Reflection: Now that students in Florida are being required to take online classes, it's evident that many schools across the country are implementing policies regarding internet classes because they feel it's important. Online classes are accessible and are becoming increasingly popular.  But there are materials and options besides online classes, there are programs and youtube channels and sites that offer other means of education through media, giving media more power than it had in the past. Many people are looking to the internet for cheaper means of education, especially considering the cost of college. This new convergence of education in the media seems to be a positive thing. It's amazing that textbook print has been transferred to online print, online textbooks are very popular. To see the evolution of education from print to media is an example of the evolution of media convergence.

WEEK 3 1/19-1/23

U.S. Receives 20,000 Copies of Charlie Hebdo - link to source

CITATION:
Laurent, O. (2015, January 22). Retrieved January 22, 2015, from http://time.com/3679625/charlie-hebdo-paris-terror-attack

Summary:After the recent tragedy, demand for the newspaper has increased significantly. People are interested in what paper caused all the hype, and thus America will begin distributing this newspaper. Copies will be available in New York, San Francisco, L.A. and soon Chicago.

Quotes: "Thousands of copies of Charlie Hebdo will go on sale in the United States beginning Friday, more than two weeks after the deadly terrorist attack on the satirical newspaper’s Paris office." 

"Demand for the newspaper, which previously had a circulation of 60,000, has been unprecedented in the wake of the Jan. 7 attack, when two gunmen stormed the weekly’s Paris office and killed 12 people. Eight journalists were among the victims, including editor-in-chief Stéphane Charbonnier. "

Reflection: As media convergence grows, Charlie Hebdo is taking advantage of the recent tragedy and using the exposure/hype/attention to distribute their magazine in the US as well, gaining a larger audience. In Paris, the demand for the newspaper has skyrocketed, and Americans have shown interest as well. This shows the effect of media attention and controversy/strong current events. When an event that gains wide media coverage occurs, the business or source of it all can take advantage of the opportunities that arise from it. In this case, the opportunity to take sales internationally, increasing the audience and revenue for the newspaper. The audience increased and grew larger, meaning the the means of distribution had to also grow and adapt to this new level of popularity. Distribution of a newspaper across countries brings great success and exposure. 

Week 2 1/12-1/16

Title: ‘Broad Consensus’ that Media Violence Can Lead to Increased Child Aggression
Link to source: here

 Citation: Locker, M. (2014, October 7). ‘Broad Consensus’ that Media Violence Can Lead to Increased Child Aggression. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from http://time.com/3478633/media-violence-children-study/

 

Summary:This article focuses on debunking the myth that violent media doesn't actually cause aggression in children. This has been an ongoing debate. Do violent video games and other forms of violent really affect children? This article explains the science and evidence behind the truth of how media really is a factor in aggression in children.

 Quotes:"This study dispels that notion completely by showing that, in fact, there is broad consensus that violent content can lead to more aggression."

“I think there’s a perception partly driven by the mass media that the field is divided,” said Bushman. “When they report on a finding that violent media produces aggression in children, to find a balance, they find someone else who disagrees with it. It leads to the conclusion that scientists don’t know about this topic and that the field is divided. But the field is not divided. There is broad consensus that violent media leads to increased aggression in children.”

 

 Reflection: With recent events, the world is debating over the effect media has on the world. Are the terrorists in France justified for defending their religion against the satirical magazine, or is media free to share the least censored of media? But media has other effects, and a previously popular debate was: does media violence affect behavior in children? This raises the question: what other effects does media have on society? The responses to this question are endless. Social norms, self esteem, protests and awareness, etc.  If media has such a strong impact on society that it can produce aggression in children, media can rewire the brains of children in other ways too. This should be used in a positive way. This significant impact is borderline brainwashing. Media is psychologically rewiring the brains of children, and that is a scary notion, along with the other negative aspects of media. Media's power and impact is becoming increasingly frightful.

Week 1 1/5-1/9

Title of Source: Paris Police Say 12 Dead After Shooting at Charlie Hebdo

Link to source: here

Citation: Urquhart, C. (2015, January 7). Paris Police Say 12 Dead After Shooting at Charlie Hebdo. Retrieved January 7, 2015, from http://time.com/3657246/paris-charlie-hebdo-shooting/

Summary: The source explains the situation that unfolded in Paris; a shooting occurred at the office of French satirical weekly. It then continues to explain the significance of this act of terrorism: should the media censor its' satire? This was an act of terrorism, and it's the worst terrorist attack in Europe since 2005.

2-3 quotes: "The motive here is absolutely clear — trying to shut down a media organization that lampooned the prophet Mohammad. So, no doubt in my mind that this is terrorism."

"PM: We stand united with the French people in our opposition to all forms of terrorism & stand squarely for free speech and democracy."

reflection:   The reason I chose this source to focus on for this week's blog posting is because this act of terrorism is raising issues about freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. The question "should the media censor its' satire?" arises. This newspaper has been threatened several times, and people are questioning whether their publications were worth their lives. However, Obama condemns the shooting, saying we have the right to exercise our freedom of speech.
   This event effects media and how little or how much the media can or should say about politics/life/leaders. However, it is evident that media won't start censoring itself now. According to secretary of state John Kerry, “The freedom of expression that it represented is not able to be killed by this kind of act of terror.”Kerry added that a pen represents an “instrument of freedom not fear,” and emphasized the importance of free speech, “no matter what your feelings were about [the publication].” The secretary said that a free press is a core value that can be “attacked, but never eradicated.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/obama-paris-newspaper-shooting-react-114029.html#ixzz3OCLdJuxW