Granby Mass Media Classes          

Welcome to Mass Media!                                      

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More to come!

Mr. Kwajewski

Prompt One

Now that we have started our study of Mass Media your first prompt is to look at your timeline and pick one event that you consider to be the most significant. Explain why you think this to be so. Write a full paragraph on this topic. This is not a text message - grammar counts!

Hello Everyone

Everyone did a great job on the first prompt! We will look at the timelines today (Feb. 8th) to start our study of Mass Media. Don't forget to read my comments regarding your prompts and make any necessary changes.  Also, don't forget to think of what your major, hands-on project might be.  Once we all decide where we are beginning I will provide information and prompts on that topic.

Prompt Two

Many groups and individuals chose Gutenburg and the first major mass media event. Consequently, we will begin our study of Mass Media on this topic. Please discuss what Gutenburg actually printed with his use of movable type. Perhaps on your page you could show examples of his inventions. To what extent did he affect the culture of his time or was his influence only seen in later years.?

PROMPT THREE

Discuss the impact the telegraph machine had on the society of the time. What is morse code? Are there present day uses for this technology? If so, in what ways?  (A prompt answer is a FULL paragraph.)

Assignment

Before the end of the week I need what everyone is doing for their major project of the semester and who is in the various groups. You can do this by yourself, just let me know. 

Prompt 4

Go to the following WEB site(morsecode.scphillips.com/translator.html) and try your hand at Morse Code. Get a headset or speakers from me and type a message. Have your partner work with you to try to figure out the message. Don't peek at the message (cover it up). Hit translate and you will see what you typed in Morse Code. Then hit play and listen to the message. If you change the speed you may be able to pick up the words by looking at the alphabet provided. Call me over to see how you did.  Fix Prompt 3 if you need to.

Prompt 4A

Watch the video on Electricity and write a prompt on waht you saw. Pay careful attention to the part on Morse Code and the telegraph machine. You should be able to do both of these prompts (4 and 4a) by Friday.

Prompt 5

Say goodbye to the telegraph and Morse Code and hello to the telephone. Write a short background about this invention. it was first thought that a telephone was not a mass media device, in that it did not communicate a message to the masses. What changed that type of thinking as we look at modern phone technology. In our next prompt we will be looking at some of the legal issues surrounding cell phone usage.

Prompt 6

Look at curent cell phone laws. Explain how they work in the State of Massachusetts. If you send inappropriate pictures or messages with your cell phone what might happen to you?  If you delete these items are they still able to be recovered and used against you. This is something that youths never had to concern themselves with. Do you find this a hard thing to deal with? You might also discuss bullying as it deals with cell phones.

Prompt 7 

Time to tune in at your favorite radio station, Wkwy, 213 on your dial. As with the cell phone, write a brief background on radio technology. Then for the remainder of the prompt discuss the initial impact radio had on the culture of the time. We will then look at this impact by analyzing the radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds" with prompts to follow. You also have this time to work on your major project.

Prompt 8

Pick up handout on how to access The War of the Worlds radio broadcast. Listen to it  completely and write a prompt on the impact radio had on audiences at this time. Hint: there was mass hysteria throughout the country. Do you think this could happen today? Why or why not?

Prompt 9

Look up on the Internet how radio advertising works. For instance, is cost based on time of day, frequency of ad spots, who creates the ad etc. Second part of prompt.  Write a radio commercial on a product of your choice. Make teams if you wish. Include background music. Also write up as part of the prompt, costs and the type of audience you are trying to reach. We can tape this and play it for the class if you wish. This will count as two prompts.

Prompt 10

Everyone - Please do a short write-up of your major project so I can see where everyone is. A simple overview would be great and how it ties in to Mass Media. Also try to catch up if you are behind on prompts.

Prompt 11

This is MCAS week with delayed openings and reduced class time. This would be a great time to wotk on your major projects. Photography group - I will get the film this week - so start building the camera.  No new prompts until Friday.

Prompt 12 (For Friday) 

We will now take a quick look at Photography. So, first a brief history and then we will discuss the impact photography has on our lives. I will be giving you some WEB sites to look at and you do a  photo essay, where you will explain how to do something with just pictures.

Prompt 13 

Go to Kodak.com and read the section on Top 10 tips HTML Version. Call me over if you can't find this link. Plan out a photo journalism project where you tell how to do something with a group of 5 or 6 pictures. You will borrow the digital camera to take these pictures.  Example: How I bake a cake, How I start my dirt bike, How I put on makeup, How I change the oil in my car, etc. You can post these pictures on your site. No words of explanation.

Prompt 14

We will now begin our study of TV. We will spend a great deal of time in this area. Write a prompt on the history of TV. We will start our study by looking at early TV programming, comparing it to today's shows. For instance we will look at early comedy (sitcoms) and compare them to what we watch today.

 Prompt 15 

We will first watch the Three Stooges and then a current sitcom which involves slapstick comedy. can you think of any? You will then prompt on a comparison of this type of entertainment. We will use the cartoon Roadrunner to compare the early slapstick comedy of the Stooges with more modern examples. The Three Stooges were one of the first to use this type of comedy. The Roadrunner is available on a compter in Graphics (see me to setup).

Prompt 16

Early television had many restrictions on what could be aired. This was controlled by the FCC. Write a prompt about (compare) an early TV show with a modern one discussing things like language, attire, how couples interact, etc. Did the regulations change or did it just evolve into todays more promiscuous programming. What role does the FCC play today in whatwe watch on TV.  You might look into the Neilson ratings and see how they influence what we watch.

Prompt 17-?

Go to www.imdb.com or www.hulu.com and watch older TV shows in the following categories: westerns, sitcoms, drama, sci-fi, crime, variety shows. Watch one from each category and comment on them pointing out things like dialogue, wardrobe, plot etc. Compare some of them with modern shows. Examples of shows in particular categories: comedy/FTroop, Drama/Alfred Hitchcock, Crime/Dragnet, sci-fi, Lost in Space. Other notable TV shows, Beverly Hilbillies, Bonanza, Car 54 Where are You, Taxi, Addams Family.

Prompt 18

I need to start seeing these comparisons of Television Categories. We will now take  look at the motion picture industry. Your first prompt should be to discuss when this industry got its start and what types of movies were first produced. Then we will watch the 1952 version of War of the Worlds and then the Tom Cruise version. Compare them in dialogue, scenery, special effects, etc.