Back to the Beginning

For my last blog of the semester, I am returning to my first blog: click here! In this blog, I analyzed P. Diddy's Ciroc commercial before I learned about multimedia and design. Now, I am taking another look at this commercial and will critically analyze it with my new knowledge.

Take a look:

    The purpose of this video is simple: it is to promote the lavish, expensive vodka: Ciroc. This video is intended for people of age, of course, and it is to promote that "the fabulous" celebrate with Ciroc. I also still think that it is geared toward people in their late twenties-mid thirties because there is no club scene, there is a relaxing, enjoyable night out with people who look older than 21, but younger than those with gray hair. This commercial contains P. Diddy, along with other individuals who are in tuxedos and long, elegant dresses. One watching this commercial will think that Ciroc vodka is used to celebrate life events and by doing so you look elegant and classy. The actors/actresses in this commercial are laughing, and having a great time with a glass of Ciroc in their hand. The others in this video are around P. Diddy, who is the leader of this group, and they all seem to be having a fabulous time celebrating and drinking this vodka. This gives off the image that Ciroc is classy and fabulous, and it is a vodka that celebrities drink. P. Diddy is a celebrity, personal opinions aside, he makes a lot more money than we do and receives a lot more publicity. Everyone knows P. Diddy. This video is also done in black and white, which may reflect old Hollywood, which represents the rich and famous. Old Hollywood also reflects classy, respectable individuals.
     From a designer's perspective, I think four aspects are extremely important: 1) having a celebrity icon (again- personal opinions aside, he is a celebrity), 2) the color of the commercial, 3) the song chosen, and 4) the happy and classy faces of the actors/actresses. People who idolize P. Diddy or even enjoy his songs, would definitely take into consideration that he drinks this vodka. I definitely had to think about Ciroc and how it tastes- what makes it attract celebrities. Also, I think the black and white color adds the Old Hollywood effect in that it portrays this classy, lavish, and respectable lifestyle. If you drink Ciroc, you are celebrating in the classy way. The song chosen is by Frank Sinatra, who is also a huge icon. "Come Fly with Me" is a very popular song, which would attract people who enjoy this song. I also thought how can this song and this vodka be related? This song makes me feel calm and enjoy life- which is something that I also got from this vodka. Also, I've recently noticed how P. Diddy is wearing a bow tie and I found this picture of Frank Sinatra who is also wearing a bow tie. Coincidence? Or is it that the designers wanted the men to dress like this to resemble Old Hollywood and the classy icons? The people in this video are dressed very professionally and classy- tuxedos and long, elegant dresses. These people are also so happy and glowing. They look as if they are celebrating something by drinking this vodka and they are enjoying every minute of it.
     After taking this class, I really think more critically about commercials, pictures, ads, and graphics that I see. I have learned a great deal from this course and I will apply my knowledge whenever it is appropriate.

Mathematics, Differentiation, & Technology!

For this week, I created a toolkit based on mathematics, technology, and differentiation! (Check it out!) I decided to explore the topics before actually creating a name for my toolkit. I came across a lot of articles regarding mathematics, technology, and differentiation. So, I thought of my first colleague: another young mathematics teacher that I share a room with and talk to everyday. As I continued exploring, I saw a lot of differentiation using technology. Then, I thought of my co teacher, who is also young and straight out of graduate school. Thus, I decided to put together a toolkit with articles about mathematics and differentiation using technology. Of course, these are articles that I also find interesting since I am a middle school mathematics teacher and I co teach one period. I figured I could send my toolkit to these two first, and then send it to the other mathematics and special education teachers.

If I were to send my toolkit to an administrator, I would definitely make changes. First, I would not include only mathematics, but all subject areas. I want them to be aware of the resources that teachers can implement in their classrooms. It is important for not only teachers to be aware of these resources, but administrators as well. My toolkit would would a lot longer because there are so many different resources, but I would narrow it down to the articles that relate to the technologies we have available and the curriculum we adhere to.

Although technology is rapidly being implemented in schools, there are some teachers that are afraid of the “T” word. No, not teacher, but technology! All teachers should be willing to accept suggestions and attend workshops regarding technology in their classroom. However, if there still is a teacher that is absolutely terrified of technology, I would change my toolkit further. In my toolkit, I would put things such as worksheet creators, behavior chart cards online, teacher planning chart online, and things to assist him/her first. Then, I would have some article regarding technology for beginners or articles in which you do not need to change your teaching style immensely with the incorporation of technology. Teachers who are reluctant must ease into incorporating technology and they also must recognize how beneficial it is to students and themselves. That is why I would choose resources that benefit the teacher, to show that there is a method behind technology madness, and then resources that would benefit everyone in the classroom.

I really enjoyed creating a toolkit and will continue checking this site to increase my knowledge of technology in the classroom!

Learning Element

For this week, I planned a learning element for my MMP. I took one lesson, the lesson in which I introduce the golden ratio to my students, and took on the perspective of the teacher and the student (since that is what the learning element essentially is). I critically examined how I looked at the lesson as well as my students. After they have gained the knowledge regarding the golden ratio, they will create their own multimedia presentation of the drawings/images they found that possess the golden ratio.

When I was taking on the perspective of myself, I found writing out the activities more professionally, as when I was taking on the perspective of my students, I was writing in more simplistic language for them to understand. Also, creating the learning element, I thought more critically about the different activities and which sections they belonged in (experimental, conceptualizing, analyzing, and applying).

 

My Learning Element