Sam


 * Thoughts **

As I was thinking about this in the "big picture" sense, I found myself caught up thinking in circles. Therefore, I am particularly glad that my colleagues have been putting many thoughts to it. I think that as far as the big picture stuff, my main thought is wrapped up in the material supports stuff. That is, what type of cameras will they have and how many? What type of computers will they have for editing? Will there be computers for the students to use? Alternatively, will they have to resort to linear editing? (In which case, I will have to dig out some old dusty text books about linear editing or find my copy of Video Toaster.) I think the thing that frustrates me the most is that there is probably going to be a disparity in resources that the school has in comparison to richer schools. After all, this school is in a poorer part of Philadelphia.

Thus, for me, a main thought is how we are going to have to tailor the curriculum for a school that does not have as many resources as we might have liked.
 * My thinking thus far **


 * Materials I hope the school has/can afford **

3CCD camcorders (the more the better) ADAT or other ways of recording audio Microphones Monitors Cables Spare batteries Headphones Editing space Software Mic booms Camera dollies or tri-pods Tapes (many, many tapes)

I realized that as far as the material costs are concerned, there can be a cheaper way:
 * My idea for a Plan B **

Regular camcorders Cable adapters Audio cables Spare batteries Headphones Editing space Open Source video and audio editing software (I think I can find this and become proficient enough to be able to train someone, if need be) Tri-pods Tapes

Of course, there are the learning goals that exists beyond the material concerns of this type of class. What should be the learning goals? In thinking about this, I thought about Eco's chapter and the MLE core-principles.
 * Beyond the material concerns **

One thing that Eco pointed out is the concept of genre. Goodman points out that often television media is looked upon with suspicion in poorer communities. I think one way that we can help the students have a richer understanding is by exploring genres and how genre and context of media content can situate the credibility or believability of that content.

To begin this discussion with the students, I think we should talk about journalism, its norms, and its articulation. Perhaps, if we let the students tell us about what they know and help them explore how other people (through videos or such) view journalism. Maybe Skype chats with working journalists?

Of course, the other principles of MLE will be important as well. For instance, the created nature of media content, the political economy of the television news industry, and the production of television content are areas that are critical for the students to understand and more importantly explore.

Which, of course, begs a broader theoretical question: How does one do this without fostering an oppressive learning environment? That is, in the Freireian sense. Areas to think about.

Second broad theoretical question: How do we, in the political act of teaching (or designing curriculum specifically) not politicize the material to oppress unduly the students.

Well, on the bright side, we are not actually teaching a class. We are merely designing a curriculum for teachers to implement or not. Yet, that does not free us from the duty to be responsible in the curriculum design process.