Multimedia Montage Project

For part one of our Multimedia Montage Project (MMP) we are required to join a professional online educational community that will help us to design our MMP.  I chose to join the professional development community on Thinkfinity because my project will be rooted in teacher learning.  One of the main reasons why I chose this particular community was the discussion topics that I saw as I was browsing the site.  The majority of posts deal with adult learning issues, as to be expected on a professional development site, but a lot have to do with technology and teacher training.  So, I think that this would be a valuable resource in that respect.  A discouraging observation I made was that there are tons of postings that people put up, and people read them, as indicated by the number of views.  However, the majority of the postings only have a few replies.  This shows me that community members are reading what their peers have to say, but there is a lack of communication and sharing within this particular community.  I wonder why people are not responding to people’s posts as frequently as they are viewing them. Could it be a time issue?  Do people feel uncomfortable responding to a total stranger?

In my opinion this is counterproductive to the purpose that this discussion board serves.  As a member I will be seeking the advice of other members to help me implement my MMP project to the best of my ability.  One of the requirements of the project is to receive feedback from your fellow online community members.  I hope that someone will respond to my requests for feedback as this project moves forward.

On another note, I noticed that a lot of the postings do not have to do with ISD or the ADDIE model. As a professional development provider, I feel that the ADDIE model is great way to design adult learning experiences.  The steps in the ADDIE process also correspond to the three steps in the change process—initiation, implementation, and institutionalization (Fullan, 2007).  The ADDIE model incorporates needs assessment, capacity building, goal development, plan piloting, and constant evaluation (Hodell, 2011).  All of these elements are important if one is looking to create and most importantly sustain change within an organization.  I hope that I can contribute some information and insight in this area to the Thinkfinity group I just joined. 

References

Fullan, M. (2007).  The new meaning of educational change. (4th edition). New York: Teachers College Press.

Hodell, C. (2011). ISD from the ground up. (3^rd edition). Alexandria, Virginia: ASTD Press. 

Media Messages

 

If you watched the Super Bowl last year then I am sure that you saw the Eminem and Chrysler commercial that I embedded above.  I was really excited about this assignment because I do tend to look at advertisements, in general, in a more analytical way.  Why?  I'm not really sure.  I think one reason could be that I see myself as an educated consumer.  I agree with Kellner & Share's (2005) fourth principle of critical media literacy: "Media messages have economic, political, social, and aesthetic purposes".  I think that this principle rings true in regards to this particular commercial.  

Rewind to last year at this time.  The country was in even worse shape economically than it is today.  The Wall Street and Auto Bailouts were still making headlines in the news.  Many people were losing their jobs, homes, and small businesses.  However, during all of this mess, some companies were deemed "Too Big to Fail" by the government and received special funding and tax breaks to keep them afloat.  The majority of the American public couldn't understand why certain companies were not allowed to fail, by government standards, and others were left floundering.  Chrysler, the company responsible for the commercial, was at the center of this controversy, having received the largest proportion of the Auto Bailout funds from the United States government.  At the time of the Auto Bailout, Chrysler, once a major player in the US auto market, was on the brink of a total collapse.  Many politicians and economists argued that if the US government did not intervene and save Chrysler, the social, political, and most importantly, economic repercussions to the state of Michigan, in particularly the Detroit area, where Chrysler is headquartered, would be catastrophic.  

So that little history lesson brings us to the commercial itself and what it represents.  It is apparent to me that the focus of this commercial isn't necessarily on a particular product.  It is much more than that.  The focus is on the branding of Chrysler itself, its re-acceptance in American society, and its rebirth.  However, this rebirth isn't the invention of another new and failing product line.  This rebirth is specifically aimed at the old successful Chrysler of yesteryear and what it accomplished in conjunction with the people of Detroit. 

Notice how the director of this commercial focused on highlighting the older grandiose art deco buildings in Detroit.  How did they get there, who built them?  The answer is the Big Three Auto Companies, especially Chrysler.  In their heyday they were very successful and they were solely responsible for the economic prosperity in the area.  Their profits were made on the backs of hard working "blue collar" Americans, hence the focus on the painting depicting the assembly line workers.  The narrator of the commercial alludes to that, using terms like "generation", "hard work", and "know how".  Detroit was once a very productive and prosperous city, whose citizens knew of the finer things in life.  Again, the focus on the architecture, the statues, the painting, and the few citizens in relation to Chrysler's product riding through the streets of Detroit brings about a sense of familiarity with the relationship between hard work a higher socio-economic status. Isn't that what the American Dream is all about?

The commercial closes with Eminem, a successful Detroit citizen, pulling up to a beautifully restored theater, which has "Keep Detroit Beautiful" displayed on its marquee.  One may take this message as a sign for the citizens of Detroit to follow.  The city is run down and crime ridden---a shell of its former self. And this theater is a beacon, with its bright and colorful neon signs.  However, this sign is much more than a simple public service message.  The phrase "Keep Detroit Beautiful" is telling consumers that to keep Detroit beautiful you need to purchase this car.  The money generated from its sales can save the city and restore it and the auto industry to the grandeur that they once knew.  The responsibility to bring the city back is now placed in the laps of the American public.  The commercial's purpose is to make you forget about Chrysler's gross management missteps and to focus on...First--What can I do to help these people and their city? Secondly--What can I do to help my country be number one again?  The choir inside of the theater in my opinion represents the hope of Detroit's citizens.  Their heads are bowed in what one can assume is prayer.  Eminem's simple directive at the end, "This is the Motor City, and this is what we do" summarizes Chrysler's theme--back to what we know worked, you trusted us then, so trust us now.