IDM yr 1

Media Representation I very much enjoyed and resonated with video 1 this week; 'Why representation matters'. Mo Rodman at the beginning of the video discusses how validating it can be for minorities to see themselves represented in the digital and fictional world, it gives those people something to resonate with, to see themselves in. I found the quote if one 'cannot be represented, cannot be remembered' particularly striking as it shows the harsh reality of erasure and its devastating effects. No culture, difference, or minority should be pushed into the shadows. Media should portray the real world and everyone in it, not just what is deemed the social norm. I found myself very interested in the second video, covering Stuart Hall's representation theory. Hall rejects the idea that anyone event has a single fixed meaning or implication. We are shown the example of Trump, how liberal media portrays him negatively while conservative media paints him in a more positiv...

 I found the review task extremely helpful in many ways, not only did I learn more about the topics of the blogs but I also picked up on techniques I will most certainly be using in my own blogs going forward. Blog 1 I was very much engaged by this blog as it used personal anecdotes and separately researched case studies that made the blog interesting to read. I picked up on quite a few grammar mistakes along the way which I brought up in my peer review. As I read the blog I was sure to jot down quick notes about phrases and information that I liked, not only could I reference back to these notes when writing my comment, but they also encouraged me to learn and retain the facts stated. I found it a very informative blog post.  Blog 2 I found this blog incredibly helpful to me, not only did it give me a deeper understanding of media ethics but I also picked up on a lot of techniques I very much liked and will definitely use in my future blogs. I liked the layout; the way subhea...

 While I initially found the academic paper wordy and complicated, after applying the skills I gained from the first two texts I found it much easier to understand and retain. I was surprised by the outdatedness of the journal in terms of when it was written but how applicable and beneficial it is to today's students. The text is dynamic in terms of the target audience, it is helpful to both college professors and how to teach their students while also being helpful to students themselves, showing meaning behind the literacy skills they are taught.  I found it extremely helpful to apply the ideas I learnt from the first two texts and had a totally different, more efficient, reading experience from past assignments. Skimming through the journal gave me an initial understanding of what the text was about and made it easier to reread in detail. Constantly asking questions also proved beneficial, I found myself to be more engaged and was able to stay focused on the reading as I wa...

For me personally, the rewrite experience was extremely beneficial and my blog is of a much higher standard now. The feedback I received was incredibly helpful, I was advised to use more quotations and sources and to add more structure to my entry. I incorporated both of these into my rewrite. I added direct citations from the text, this not only added more credibility to my blog but also helped me cut down on long-winded explanations of points that an interviewee made. I also added structure to my blog. I added an introduction and a closing, I also separated my points into different paragraphs. This massively impacted the blog, it is easier to follow and looks better at first glance. While splitting up my points it also helped me cut out any useless information that didn't fit with my main points.  I found the peer review very helpful and will most definitely utilise the advise when writing future blog entries. 

 The three texts I was presented with this week were very engaging and informative. Out of the two opinion pieces and one journal, I enjoyed reading and retained the most information from the journal article; 'Perceptions of bias, and interpretation of news.' I initially deemed the piece as daunting due to its length and initial, difficult-to-digest language. However, this worry turned to interest as they discussed the psychology of digital literacy and the interviewee's personal opinions on their own biases; their 'trust in news, bias in news stories, and personal worldviews.' They discuss selective exposure, a topic that was always piqued my interest but I have never read up on so I was interested to read about it. We often indulge in the idea that everyone is on the 'same side of the internet',' that we are all being fed the same political media, this is incredibly untrue and we learn more about that fact in this journal. We see news and opinions that...