Blog Post #2

The first community that I am joining is a community on Thinkfinity that I stumbled upon called Reading & Language Arts. While I am still unsure about how the communities work on Thinkfinity, I like the posts that are on the site. In particular, the latest post there was all about mobile apps from ReadWriteThink.org. Since I am a high school English teacher,  my students are constantly using their phones. While many teachers become aggravated by this fact, I am interested in finding out how I can utilize SmartPhones in my classroom. In her article "Expanding the Concept of Literacy", Elizabeth Daley discusses the changes in literacy from the traditional print literacy to a multimedia literacy. Since students are using the phones, why not figure out a way to teach the students academic skills around incorporating these multimedia tools. One of the apps that I always suggest to my students is an app where they can have flashcards on their phone. In certain classes, one third of my students now take out their phones and immediately put their new vocab words and definitions into their phones so they can study right away. Plus, my students always have their phones on them so I tell them to flip through the words on the bus, or even during lunch to help them study.

The second community that I joined is called Everything Google on Thinkfinity. (I would have joined a community outside of Thinkfinity, but honestly I don't know how to find a trustworthy one!) I joined this second group because I think Google has so much to offer an educator and I only know the tip of the iceberg! I encourage my students to work in Google docs and I use their blogger site, but that is all I know how to do. My friend Jose actually uses Google maps to create a show of all of the locations in the literature that he teaches. I am hoping to learn how to do more in my classes. I didn't know about Google docs until I started Rutgers and it has certainly helped me through many of my assignments. Hopefully it will help my students in the future!

Blog Entry #1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKL254Y_jtc&feature=player_detailpage

Analysis: The purpose of the Eminem/Chrysler commercial was clearly to sell cars. It is selling an image of a strong American who has been knocked down and clearly gets back up time and time again. The images are strong, yet poetic. There was a clear choice in connecting Chrysler not only with the famous rapper, Eminem, but also with Motor City efficiently pointing out that if one wants a strong, American car, then one should buy from a company that builds cars in a strong, American city.

Audience: The Chrysler company is building an image of American strength in the video. While it is clearly male-dominated, with Eminem as the "lead character" and the narrator being male, there is still appeal to a female audience to want to attract a strong, American male who is tough, and yet seemingly sensitive. There is some strong competition for the appeal of tough American made car. It made me think of the Chevy Silverado commercial that uses the country western song "Strong". In the Chevy commercial, the ideals of Americana are portrayed very differently. The "main character" of that video is a hard-working mid-western man who uses his truck to make an honest living for his family. However, the glamour of the Chrysler commercial is lacking in the Chevy commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=asLiTaweuIM

Representation: The characters in the video are portrayed as fighters - who always manage to come out ahead. It is an urban view of a classic car. This is not necessarily a family car commercial, like the Volkswagen commercial. This is more of a luxury reward car that one treats himself to when he overcomes obstacles and finds himself still thriving. 

Design: I think the images of Detroit were all specifically chosen to convey images of strength and stability. Detroit might not be thought of as one of the most glamorous cities, but this video showed that the city was resilient. The addition of the choir at the end of the commercial was also a smart choice because it showed diversification. Eminem was not used in this commercial to portray a rambunctious rapper; he was shown with class and style. Commercials are common place for the sale of cars, but this video plays up a glamorous and still strong image of a proud American product.