English 10: TV Families Project due Thur. Nov. 15
English 11: Titanic Biography Blog due Tue. Nov. 13
English 12: Surveillance Society Essay due Wed. Nov 14
Other Dates to Remember:
Observations so far:
1950s: You’ve watched Leave it to Beaver, Ozzie and Harriet, Make Room for Daddy
1960s/1970s: You’ve watched The Andy Griffith Show, The Waltons
1980s/1990s: You’ve watched Punky Brewster, Full House, Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Now go to my TV Families Project blog and watch even more. It’s time to choose your three TV shows, start watching, and start making notes!
For more info on the shows you watched, go to their Wikipedia references: Leave it to Beaver,
Read the article Privacy is Not the Antidote to Surveillance by Felix Stalder (Director of the Department of Sociology, Queens University, Toronto) and do the following:
If you are a student who was absent for this class, please go here and print out or read the article.
Hi, Twelves. Guess what’s on sale at London Drugs this week? The Cobra Mini Elite Helicopter with Camera. It fits in the palm of your hand and comes with super wide infra-red control. You can take ariel photos and videos with the built in digital camera. Now everyone on your block can suffer from a lack of privacy! You can avoid Facebook and you can avoid twitter and you can opt out of having a cell phone, but you can’t avoid that little device hovering outside your window!
Oh, yes you can. Curtains! Ha! ……. Ha, indeed. Big win. Now you’re living in a cave of self-induced isolation. More on the psychology of living in a surveillance society next week.
For those who were absent, this is what we did Friday: Students got into groups of two and made lists of what they thought were the most insidious (sneaky) methods people/corporations/government/companies used to gain access to personal information. You had done a lot of research in the library and (I hope) at home and now have a pretty good overview of what a surveillance society is. After you made your lists, each group told the class what they thought was the most insidious method. No matter how much reading we’ve done, there were still a lot of things most of us had never heard of. Now you’ll be writing a paragraph — with reasons — on your personal choice for Sneakiest Snooping. Your paragraph is to be written on your blog, not on paper. It is due Tuesday.
Also, on Tuesday, I’ll be checking your blogs and marking your Library assignment. If you haven’t started it yet or you were absent, go here for instructions: 12: Library Research.
Update: Remember how I introduced the word “panopticon” a few posts ago? Here’s a fascinating article on it: http://cartome.org/panopticon1.htm. The original panopticon was a model for a surveillance prison — designed in 1787! The prison (called a surveillance machine) was designed as a semi circle so that the prisoner could be observed at all times. Jeremy Bentham, the originator of the panticon, believed the constant sense of being watched would produce a sense of mental uncertainty in the prisoner and constantly reinforce his powerlessness. Aware he was constantly being watched, the prisoner wouldn’t even attempt to escape.
You watched and took notes on The Waltons. We’re definitely in the 70s now. Like That 70s Show that wasn’t filmed in the 70s, The Waltons wasn’t filmed in the 1930s. It was filmed in the 70s.
This is the first instance you’ve seen of plot and sub plot. You’ll notice the story lines are much deeper, as is the characterization. The 50s shows had a simple plot with simple, almost one dimensional characters. This show, not at all.
After The Waltons, we went to the Library in double block and listened to a woman talk.
You went to the Library and began the research for your Biography Blog. If you go here you can see the updated Passenger Choices. Tomorrow’s 11’s will be going to the Library, too. I should now have all your blog addresses. If I don’t, here’s a hint: I need your blog address.
Update: I have almost all of your blogs and almost all of you have chosen which Titanic passenger you want to be. This is going to be so fun. Don’t forget to personalize your blogs! They don’t have to look the way WordPress gives them to you. Go to Dashboard then Appearances the Background and change things!
If you are leaving me a comment on one of the auxiliary blogs (1984, Titanic, TV Families Project) I only see the comment if I go to that particular blog. It doesn’t show up on my WatsonWork comments. That might explain why I didn’t respond! I didn’t know you’d left me a comment. Now I’ll look … or, even better, just leave comments on the WatsonWork page. Make my life easier!! (Please?)
Here are some real life Titanic love stories: Click here.
Don’t forget to tell me who your characters are! Go to the Titanic page and click on Passenger Choices 1-2 and Passenger Choices 2-2. Remember, it’s one student per passenger. We can’t have two people doing the same biography.
This morning you went to the Library and did the following:
If you want to review the instructions, go here .
This work is all due on Friday. Your Day of Grace is Tuesday. Tuesday is followed by Days of No Grace.
If you are a student who was absent today, please go to the instruction page above.
(By the way, some part of me thinks I’m being helpful by highlighting numbers. I’m sure if I’m not being helpful one of you will tell me. Perhaps two or more.)
Okay, perhaps I’m a bit opinionated. Today you watched The Brady Bunch and I endeavoured to keep my mouth shut as I watched it with you. We’ve now left the 50’s and are inching our way into the future. Did you notice things are changing?
Carol Brady is sort of a new woman with a lot of old woman still in her. There was a scene when the dad lined the whole family up, with Carol as one of the kids. That was significant. The show you watched first aired September 26, 1969, so things are right on the cusp for moms. She’s a bit more feisty than the fifties moms but not much. As we work our way into the 70s you’ll see more change. What are you noticing in how kids respond to the parents? What are you noticing about how they connect with each other? Think Wally and Beaver vs a couple of the Brady kids. More fighting? More competition? What else do you see?
Today you got the handout with the essay/power point/video topics. If you’ve got a better idea, tell me. There are so many areas you could look at. The whole point is that you do research and you use your critical thinking skills. You want to analyze and synthesize. As you’re watching the shows in class, remember you’ll be watching three different ones at home. You might want to start looking up time periods on the internet, too. Get a grasp of what things were like in each era.
Here’s an article called Did the Brady Bunch Lie?, written by an American therapist. Click here. Look at the way he describes the family and the details he uses. That’s what I want you to do in your essay. He’s specific. I want you to be specific.
Today you went down to the Multi Purpose Room where you probably learned you need to do a lot of work to graduate next year. I don’t know. I’m guessing. I was in the Single Purpose Room where I was marking my part of the work you have to do … to graduate next year.
When you returned, you had a little reminder from me. Go to the Titanic Blog and find a link to the Titanic passenger list and pick a person! You will be creating a biography blog. Find out who you are!
We watched more of the movie and now you need to determine which passenger you will be. Go to my Titanic page and then to Passenger Choice 1-2 or Passenger Choices 2-2 to see which passengers have already been chosen.
I’ve been posting giant photos of every passenger I can find. See if any faces resonate with you.
Your assignment will be to do a biographical blog of your character. Look at my Titanic page for a sample of how to do it and the assignment sheet.
Start now!!
Today you read Allison McCann’s article How Facebook makes creepy behaviour normal and then did an in class writing assignment on it. The question was “How will social surveillance affect people psychologically?” You were to give three points and write two paragraphs.
McCann introduces a new word to our vocabulary: panopticon. Here’s what it means: a building, as a prison, hospital, library, or the like, so arranged that all parts of the interior are visible from a single point. The idea is that no matter where you go, you are always being watched. The most obvious place this happens is in a prison, but McCann says we’re actually living in a virtual surveillance prison and just oblivious to it.
The irony is we are stalker and stalkee. Big Brother is watching us and we are Big Brother. At the same time we’re idly snooping on our exes, or reading gossip on Facebook about the friend of a friend, or finding out if Suri Cruise has yet to see her dad (50 days and counting), we are also being googled. Who’s watching the watchers? Here’s a start: your friends, your parents, your relatives, people at your school, people where you hang out, people at your part time job. Go further afield. Here’s who else can snoop on you: the man who may or may not hire you five years from now; the lawyer who’s going to check up on you twenty years from now, after you’re divorced and custody is an issue.
Forget that. Here’s your first wife! She googled you before she went out with you. Oh, my. Did you know the RCMP has a whole file on you? And the Doritos people. You answered that stupid questionnaire for the Get Free Doritos for Life contest and now they’ve sold your name, address, and phone number to about fifty advertisers. Wow. All that Spam you’re getting? That’s because a data mining company has been monitoring your internet usage. If you keep going to TMZ you’re just going to keep getting Justin Bieber spam! Sorry. Did you know the US government even has a file on you? When you went down to Palm Springs with your family last Easter, you phoned home to see how your best friend was. Remember? Bet you didn’t know the US government has a data base on anyone calling international numbers. That’s okay. They already knew all about you when you crossed the border.
In case you’d forgotten, they scanned you at the airport and they know you have a plate in your arm from that skiing accident. Luckily, you’re not on their no fly list. Really, what were your parents thinking? John Smith? Do you know how many John Smiths there are in the world? Maybe you’re getting their Spam. Maybe Justin Bieber is.
Hello 12s! Wednesday, we’ll be going into the Library to use the computers. Could you make sure you’ve done the following before then?
1. Make sure you’ve given me your Social Media link and be sure it’s posted on this blog (Check here.)
2. Make sure you’ve gone to my Infographics page to familiarize yourself with what infographics are. (Go here.)
3. Make sure you’ve created a blog and have given me the link to it. (Check here .)
Please come to class prepared.
IRRELEVANT UPDATE: If you want to feel instantly grateful, go to Videos here.
Still in the 1950s, we watched The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Harriet Nelson is a little bit spunkier than June Cleaver. Did you notice? They’re still focussed on the activities of their two sons, but mom and dad are more equal in this show.Then you watched The Andy Griffith Show. This show featured a single dad raising a little boy. He has help from Aunt Bea, pictured above, but you haven’t met her yet. Today’s episode, Opie and the Spoiled Kid, was an excellent depiction of discipline and expectations of children in the 50s. Later, you’ll be comparing this episode to a show from the 2000s.
Have you wondered yet if there were any shows featuring daughters? There weren’t. A little bit later, there will be one called the Donna Reed Show. It will have a daughter and a son. If you go to the TV Families page above you’ll find a link.
Here were your questions from the last TV viewing. You’re answering the same ones today. Give six points for each question.
UPDATE: For those of you who like to plan ahead, I have posted the criteria for the assignment for this unit. I’ve come up with 13 possible essay topics. If you have another idea, come and talk to me. You have the option of writing an essay, doing a power point presentation, or creating a video. Please go here for more information.
Homework: Find an article on the internet about the effect of technology on personal privacy. Start with these words: Facebook, Twitter, surveillance.
IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE YOUR ARTICLE ISN’T ALREADY POSTED HERE. THERE’S NO POINT OF PEOPLE LISTING THE SAME ARTICLES!! LUCKILY, THERE IS A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET.
Here are your responses:
Block 1-1
Block 1-3
Watson: Internet Privacy: Are they watching you?; Is Facebook Creating a False Self in Your Children? (Seattle P I); ; New Totalitarianism of Surveillance Society (the Guardian); Ever felt you’re being watched? You are. Big Brother really has got his eye on you. (the Telegraph);
Hello, my little TV watchers! I just found a cache of 1950s instructional films on everything from how to date to how to use an electric washing machine. The Dating Do’s and Dont’s will be particularly interesting to you. Go here to see them. You can also find complete videos of Leave it to Beaver. More to come!
Books!
You looked at books!
Books full of pictures!
Thank you, Mrs. Proske.
Today we started the TV marathon with two episodes of Leave it to Beaver. You watched, took notes, and answered questions from the board. It was almost like being in the 50s! Well, not quite. I didn’t treat the girls like they didn’t have a single thought in their pretty little heads and I didn’t assume the boys all wanted to beat each other to a pulp to see who wrote the best notes, and … well, I wouldn’t even be at school. I’d be at home, baking a pie for my husband Howard who would be late anyway and tell me I made lousy pie. Just for that, I’m not marrying Howard and he can go buy his pie at Costco like everyone else.
Oops. I seem to have drifted. There was no Costco in the 1950s. And there doesn’t seem to be a Howard, either.
So. What did we learn? If you didn’t learn life was different in the 50’s you just weren’t paying attention. Here’s Ward Cleaver: authority figure; in control of everything; source of absolute wisdom in the family. Here’s June Cleaver: nurturing; subservient; appeasing; explaining Ward’s dictates to the boys; attempting to soften Ward’s stances; deferring to Ward. Here’s Wally: almost on an equal level with June as Ward’s second in command; like another father figure to Beaver; a little girl crazy; innocent; obedient. Here’s Beaver: clueless; innocent; wanting to please his dad; easily led; deferential. Here’s the coach: same voice as Ward; same values as Ward; same expectations as Ward. Here’s Judy, the baseball player: bossy; unfeminine; a “bad” girl because she’s not fitting the expectations for 1950s girls.
What are the expectations for 1950s girls? Be like June. Be sweet. Be deferential. What are the expectations for 1950s boys? Be strong. Don’t cry. Be competitive. Be a typical boy. What’s typical for a boy? Eat a lot; do “dumb” things; fight. If you’re thinking life was simpler when people had such clear cut roles to play you just might be right. You also might notice the limitations. If you didn’t fit in one box, society put you in another one. There wasn’t much room for individuality in the 1950s.
Keep watching. There are more videos above on the Family TV Project site. Next class we’ll be watching Ozzie and Harriet and My Three Sons. Then we’re off to the 1960s. Also look for the TV Project Assignment on the Family TV Project site.
Here’s an excellent, extremely informative site on Leave it to Beaver. It’s hard to believe there could be so much information about such a simple show. You need to go here. REALLY. It’s perfect for your assignment.
WatsonWork 