DHS Media Studies: April 2017

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Our final unit! Teens and media

Happy Monday! Sorry I am not there with you today. I am at a conference.

To start off our final unit, please spend some time answering this survey today.

Teens in media survey

Friday, April 28, 2017

YouTube - In-Class Essay

Here are the directions to your writing for today

Thursday, April 27, 2017

YouTubers - Last Day

Happy Thursday!
Today we will continue our look at YouTube and independent creators of content.

We'll use this site to check out the categories they named for YouTube videos:

http://mediakix.com/2016/02/most-popular-youtube-videos/#gs.uZB=RJg

You'll choose one more video channel to check out, based on what we see today.

That means you will have a total of three YouTubers you will write about tomorrow:

The one you wrote about last Thursday (in a Google Doc - check the 4/20 blog post)
One you select from the list of VidCon presenters (someone with a type / style of channel different from your first choice)
One you find today, based on the categories we see.

You'll have half of class today to watch videos from those channels. For tomorrow's essay, you will need to:

Use some of the technical terminology we first looked at last week on these sites:

Describe the basics for your channel - type of content, number of viewers, role of "host"
Compare / contrast the ways in which these channels present content and appeal to viewers

Who is the intended audience?
Is there continuity from one video to the next? Is it easy for new viewers to just jump in?
How do they use different technical / video / film techniques to add to this appeal?

Conclusions about YouTube based on the videos we've watched together and the ones you selected.

You'll have the whole period to work tomorrow. Bring headphones / earbuds!

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

YouTubers - Continued

Yesterday you looked through the list of presenters at VidCon, and then recorded some basic information about them into a Google Form.

Today we'll start with another 15 minutes to add in a few more entries, using the same list as yesterday.

Then, we'll look at the results! The goal is for you to select a video channel to follow - one that has several different qualities than the channel you personally selected last week.

Here is a link to a spreadsheet of the results

On Thursday you will have time to watch several videos from that channel, and to add an entry to the document you started last Friday.

Monday, April 24, 2017

YouTubers and VidCon

Happy Monday!
Each summer for the past 8 years, VidCon has been the main gathering of creators and fans of YouTube content. Here is a link to last year's speakers / presenters:

Vid Con featured creators

You will look at as many as you can during class today, by looking at the three rows starting with the person I name here:

Brant- Dan Howell
Audrey-Rhett & Link
Arthur-AJ Rafael
Shana- Ash Hardell
Ben- Cenk Uygur
Sami- Davey Wavey
Allison- Family Fun Pack
Kyle- Jackie Aina
Maya- Joe Penna

Use this link to keep track of what you find:

YouTubers google form

Thursday, April 20, 2017

You Tubers - Let the analysis begin!

Today you will start the process of analyzing the YouTuber of your choice. You'll select one or two videos from their channel to write about today.

You'll use these different glossaries as a starting point:

Glossary of Standard Media Studies Terminology (New Zealand)
Media Studies 101
New York Film Academy Glossary

Choose 10 terms - Describe the ways in which your chosen YouTuber uses those techniques / qualities. Then, write a short overview describing what your chosen channel generally does / is about. Are there certain themes / shots / ideas present in each video on the channel? Do certain characters reappear? Do the different videos link together link a television show, or is each one independent?

Save your responses in a Google Doc - we'll build onto it next week.

Here is a link to the people who presented at VidCon last year - you'll use that to choose a new channel to follow next week!

Monday, April 17, 2017

YouTube Mania!

Today we'll start a unit on YouTube - looking at the most popular independent creators of video content and trying to figure out what makes it work. Here are a few lists of channels for us to check out together as we get rolling: