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When the younger generation hear of old people they think disease, vulnerable, ridiculous and childish. I think this is a misconception that the media gives out to the people and they don’t give the older generation the credit they really deserve. When people think about aging they think that they will be ugly and not attractive and will not receive the attention they need. Mostly on TV older women are usually played as mothers or grandmothers. Nowadays, older women are getting stronger roles and not always shown as weak and dependent on others.

                What television shows portray is a process of systematic stereotyping and discriminating against older people because of their age. Older people are mostly branded as old fashioned, traditional, inflexible and people who despise change. They are usually shown on day time advertisement because that is when there are more older people staying at home. They are normally dressed in styleless clothes such as  frilly sweaters and hats. They are usually portrayed in ads about, retirement, funeral, insurance, and greeting cards.

                I think being older in a society is being devalued. This give the older generation more pressure to be young and really try to pass as younger individual. Older people try to be young by wearing hipper clothes and getting cosmetically altered. Also many magazines show women and men that are 60-65 , who are airbrushed making them look more like they are 40. This really makes the reader more distress that a person at the age of 60 does not look like them and they think that they are too old because they are comparing themselves to the people in the magazine.

                I know many individuals that over the age of 60 and are not frail, vulnerable and confused. These individual sometime are in better shape physically then I am. I see the older people getting more active and getting more involved. Also where I worked during my summer internship these people don’t want to retire. These people want to work keep themselves busy rather than staying home and let their energy go to waste. I have my dad and uncle that are reaching the age of 60 and nothing stop s them from doing what they want to do. I think society doesn’t give them the credit they really be worthy of. I think they are more willing to learn now than ever. My father is preparing himself for retirement and his planning to take courses that will keep him busy. At home I am helping him upgrade his computer skills and he wants to improve his other skills such fluency in another language. I think this just shows that older people are not worthless and not vulnerable.

                I am happy that the media slowly, but surely are changing that way that they are seeing  the older generation. As it mentions in the book it not older women and men that will benefit from this it will be all of society as well. It is a good thing to teach the younger children to value the older generation because they know soo much more than we do. They have been here longer and seen the world change and are aware of more things than we are. We can ask question about the wars and of that certain time and moment because they were there.

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Social networking sites are popular and are growing especially with the high-tech world and they spread quickly by word of mouth. Most of us are either on Myspace, Facebook or any other types of social networking site. When I was in college I had heard about Facebook and wanted to join, but I was not able to because my college was not registered and it always only universities in the beginning. Later that year they had changed it and practically any school or individual was able to join. I only heard about this networking site because of my friends and they were telling me how you can find your lost friends from corner of the world. Today on my account I am connected to many family members that I normally don’t see and don’t talk to much because they live in on the other side of the world.

Most of these social networking sites have the same base, but have some different technological features that make it different from each other. I usually prefer the ones where you can make it private and not visible to all because I think my privacy is very important to me. On my Facebook account I have pictures of my friends and family and I don’t want complete strangers staring at it or taking them and putting these pictures as their own. I also like it how you can pick and choose even if it is only one individual you want to block them from certain information and you can.  As time passes by these social networking sites incorporate more new information and new tech-savy tools that cater to the individuals.

Social networking site are also places where you meet complete strangers and they become your friends. It also easy for some people that are not upfront about talking to people in person because they are shy or scared. This enables them to articulate by using visual and written communication. The individual who is shy can express their feeling through words and images. I thinking by looking at someone profile can tell you a lot about the one individual. You can find out there favourite music , hobbies, education  and much more. One thing I like about this social networking site is that when it reminds you when it is someone birthday. I think this was the best tool ever because I mean I always forgot people birthday and this device on Facebook has really saved me.

Social networks sites also help young people that need to get notice for the work they are doing. I have friend who does spoken word she started out in Montréal did few shows and put some of work on Myspace. Today she is known around the world she has been interviewed by new reporters she gets to travel to other cities to perform. I think this really helped her get in contact with the right people and also she shares her passion with the rest of the world.

I think social networking sites are great they help people express their feeling and emotions. It also helps because it provides us with technological skills and literacy. It helps one to learn how to create a home page , how to add pictures, and how to communicate and to get along with each other. They keep people connected and more informed about themselves and their friends. Yah sometimes we get tired of those continuous pokes or those juicy news feed, but going on it once in while make my day. I am sure this just a phase right now I am addicted to Facebook is couple of year I don’t know their might be a new social networking site or maybe wont have time to go on anymore.

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I think teaching the younger generation how to use the media to express their public voice is very important. It helps shape the individual and helps them create their own identity. The recent technological changes have made the internet accessible to majority of people and today more and more people are connected through the internet and other devices. Today the way people use the media influences their culture and their surroundings. If we want the younger generation to become fully active, creative and critical and responsible participants in the media-rich environment we have to give them and provide them with the tools they need. We want the younger generation to be trained so that they exist in this tech world as good citizens.

            The question of participatory media literacy in the curriculum is a big debate, but I really think it is an important cause to fight for. This will help the future generation speak out and voice their opinion with technological devices that they have of that time. A few decades back during the time of our grandparents or even our great grand parents television, radio and newspaper was the way of expressing an opinion and a voice. Today the inexpensive technology makes it easily available for majority of the people and we have the tools necessary, but we need the future generation to act on it. We need to help the future generation use the new medium in the same way we used radio we need them to make an impact on social,  political and economic aspect of our lives.

            For what I can recall when I was in high school we did not have media classes and our teacher did not help us incorporate technology in our learning. Only in my last year we had started to have media classes where we would learn how to make websites and play around with some other techy features. When I was graduating that year they had made an additional class where they would help students learn more about making web pages, and learning how to use these tools and put it to their advantage. They had made a website where there homework would be posted and this was accessible from home and it was big deal for everyone. I think the most technology I have ever learned in my education life was when I was here in McGill University in this media technology class. I mean yeah I had some social networking sites, but I had never learned how to make movies on imovie. I never knew using a mac computer would be so simple. I was really happy to learn how to embed video in a PowerPoint presentation, which can also help me in the future when I have a job and have to do many presentations. I only learned this year how to make a wikis and a blogs.

            I think Wiki, Blogs, Mashups, and Podcast etc are important because it helps individual express their own opinions and feelings. By showing the students these powerful tools can make a difference in their learning. The blogs and wikis are where students can address and issue or a public concern. From that they can get feedback from fellow classmates or people around the world and this will help them share knowledge and interact with others that will help then build their social network. As it mentions in the reading “ in order to engage in political life, people have to access to public life first. Youth need publics-networked or physical before they can engage in any form of political life”. I think students should have a media class just like the lab for this class where they can learn how to use the specific tools. Later when  they have assignments from other classes they can channel the information that they have or discuss about the  issues that they really care about such “saving the environment”, “Darfur”, and “aids” and make a blog or wiki where they can get feedback or simply just express the feelings. I really think they should encourage media literacy in the school curriculum.

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I think that technology leadership is important to a school’s culture so we can determine how certain technologies can really help the learning for all students. Schools need to have knowledgeable and effective leaders, so that they can help implement effective technology because many teachers are uncomfortable and are uncertain about certain aspects involving technological advancement. They need leader to make an important recommendation who is more informed about technology and has specifics in that area. I think if students are well prepared and have full access to technology it could do a lot for their educational opportunity and the quality of their learning.

Many believe that technology is simply a burden and the tech-savy teachers are faced with disorganized environment due to many imbalances such as drop-out rates and parents not being involved and disciplinary problems.  On top of that many school have bureaucratic pressures from the government to have specific achievement in technological literacy and if that not enough school are also faced with financial constraints, technological obsolescence, security and access challenge.  The challenges that teacher are faced with is that they have to maintain their role as a class room teacher and in addition have to be smart in the technological area. Yes, there is a lot of pressure but schools play no role of preparing these teachers to develop the skills to apply the use of new media and technologies in the curriculum. I think the program that “ No Child Left Behind” is good because that give opportunity to even the less fortunate people to have access to same type of education. I simply think that if bureaucratic pressures can measure rate of literacy I think they should try to fund some school that don’t have the financial ability to get their school with the latest technology.

To have a good technology leadership in ones school they need to have a strong communication with parents, communities, administration and especially with the principal. The principal is the most important person in school because they usually have the answers to the essential questions about funding, planning and can give the teacher the quick responses that they need. If you involve all these people you can have better organization of budgeting, staffing, and goals. Also by informing people parents might have connection that can help the school be provided with better services. The more people and more support the better and can prioritize what is important and what is not.

Also for all this to be successful we have to truly understand how technology plays an important role in out environment and how it impacts everyday. We have to also examine We also have to look at the negative and the positive because yes there is a new way of teaching and school but they are also other way of bullying and being victimize. Nowadays, instead of being bullying at school student can be victim from home and can not be safe at home from predators. As teachers they must know what their student use as technology such as cell phone, laptops, and mp3 and show them the good and bad and what are appropriate times to use it and what are inappropriate times. They have to tackle the new ways of victimization they need to give classes on the first step not responding cyber bullying. The ways of teaching have also changed instead of using chalk board we use power point presentation. Today many teachers can not live without their cell phone it the same fore their students. Teachers have to learn how to integrate the technologies that student use now in the curriculum. Yes sometime children do cheat , but during test or examination time they can take away cell phone and during group project they can use their phone to take photos which later can help them in their project.  There are new video games that are out there they help children develop their spelling and grammar skills and they can have one day when they have English class teacher can incorporate this in their teaching and student would enjoy and learn. Teachers need to find out what technological things their student are using and try to incorporate that in that classroom.

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Today in the world there is a rapid growth of technology. Different countries advance and surpass the old technology with something faster, and are equipped with far more superior gadgets. This can be a hazard to teachers because every time they have figured out one  new source of technology the next day there is something new available in the market  that the children are way ahead of. “Just when educators gain a foothold on technology, the landscape shifts right under [their] feet” (55).

            Schools today, try their best to prepare their students for the tech savvy world that they will be entering.  Public school today have the latest brands of computers and high speed wireless network. It really up to the teachers to decided how to come over their fear of using the technology. Teachers are scared that the power will not be in their hands, but in the hands of their student and they may feel weak. As teacher they must try to adapt and stay tuned with the children and with the latest technologies: ipods, cell phone, laptops,  and other tech savvy games. Teachers rather then banning it from school they should really try to show them how it can be useful and encourage their learning. For example in schools they may allowed to bring laptops because it can help the children take faster notes, but if they are using it to go on other site then it should not be allowed.  Teachers should not only rely on the traditional pedagogy , but try to incorporate technology in their teaching and work together to provide a good learning environment.

            Technology today is very handy as in Mcgill University we have WEBct and that is where our class can have discussions and post their comments on the discussion boards. If a student has a question either the teacher or teacher assistant or even a fellow classmate can be helpful and answer the questions because it is a virtual classroom chat. It also very easy for student to hand in assignment online rather then printing and wasting paper and easy accessible for the teacher to grade them and at the same time they are helping the environment by keeping it green. This is also useful for those shy students who do not participate in big group discussion in the classroom but they may take part by writing on the class discussion board.

            People more and more are becoming cybercitzens that is when an individual is actively involved in online communities and use the internet to engage social and political activities. Our generation is involved with a blogging device that is facebook it a social networking website and today you find everyone there from age 12-to 50. Eventually with time everyone will have to be ready to adapt with the new technologies coming out and if they are not well equipped or not ready for the change they will be left in the dark and outdated.

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In the reading “Chomsky, the Empire and Media Literacy,” by Joe Kincheloe, I  completely agree with the author in saying that the United States have used a form of media to create an ideological climate both within the country and abroad. America tries to show the world how compassionate they are and how they support justice and democracy. They want the world to know about their strong culture of military, politics and economics. The United States is a hegemonic state whose power has a heavy influence on the world and can make a country bend to his or her knees. Even when many countries did not support the Americans going to war, the United States had the power of veto to reject these decisions.  When the United States confronted the third world countries, they didn’t gain the support of the people.  Instead, they instilled fear by pounding them and teaching them the lesson,  “We are the masters, and you shine our shoes.”

       I also agree that the media did take the advantage of George W. Bush for his failure to win in Iraq, and  that the Americans do not care how many civilians and military troops are killed for geopolitical gain, as long as they are winning the war. I also believe that media controls so much that we never get to listen to the other side of the story – strong corporate-owned media surpresses the voice of the adversary. I also ask myself why the United States gets to decide what happens to other people in the world, and why their fates are in their hands. The media had a big hand in making George W. Bush one of the most powerful leaders post-9/11, and we see that people really believed in him because he got re-elected. When 9/11 occurred, all the TV channels were constantly telling the world to beware of Muslims, and that they are truly all bad people and terrorists.

            I think all the money that was put into war could have gone to a better cause and help people around the world. It could have helped fight poverty and hunger, provide better education and health plans, and fight many other injustices happening in the world that require the resources and capital of strong nations. I think the North American media tries to show that they put a lot of effort and generosity into help underdeveloped countries, and try to bring them into prosperity and future progress. I ask myself how that can be possible if they constantly loan money knowing that these countries will not be able to generate the same amount to pay them back. These third-world countries have abundant resources and have the capacity to feed their starving people, but the governments are run by the rich who overprice necessary goods, while they are exploiting their resources.

            According to the media, the Americans were winning by implementing democracy in a country in need.  After 2007, over 3,000 Americans dead showed their plans didn’t really work. America is in a time where they need to regain the confidence of their people, and I think they might gain this confidence with the new president Barack Obama. For the Arab world, the new order simply looks grim and knows the American strategy behind this “democracy” is to get the black gold, “oil.”  There is so much chaos in the world that there is need for a new order. “The Palestinians will be crushed, will die or turn into dust and the waste of society, and join the most impoverished classes in the Arab countries.” Examples like this show that we need to prioritize what is important. Things like ethnic cleansing are what large powerful nations should stand against, and evoke support of peace, not promotion of war.

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