Getting started.

Next week I begin a unit on the internet with the Grade 11 English Media Studies class at Stratford Central Secondary School (taught by the talented Mrs. McConkey). This is my first student teaching placement, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to teach, work with and learn from these students. But where to start? Many of the ideas buzzing around in my head are eluding capture just yet. I want students to be able to understand the web's history, its impact in the present and where it might be taking us. I want them to be able to analyse many different websites and understand the ways in which different websites construct meaning. In particular, I want to take a good critical look at Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and other on-line communities that have a large teen audience.

As a class, I think that beyond analysing and discussing the internet, we should make a mark on it ourselves. A good place to start is this blog. Every day, a different student will be asked to contribute, writing a summary of what we've been up to in class that includes their own reaction to and opinions about what we've discussed. Every now and then, I'll publish links to what we've been viewing or other sites I think are worth seeing. Hopefully the students will contribute their favourites as well.

To begin, here's this gem:





And another one wondering about what media may be like in the not-too-distant future. Can you tell where the science fiction begins?: