"aha" moments from Morrell p. 57-114

I totally agree with Morrell that "There is no doubt that popular music plays a pre-eminent role in the lives of America's youth" (p 58). Not only with today's youth, but it has been that way since way back in the early 20th century. Look at the hairstyles, clothes and dances employed by the "Flapper" girl and "Hipsters"; they were most certainly influenced by the Charleston! In the 1940s, the youth went wild over Big Band music and especially "Old Blue-Eyes", the God-Father himself, Frank Sinatra. A decade later came Elvis and, a decade after that, The Beatles, all of whom achieved God-like status with the youth of their times. It is still the same today where "Hip-Hop is the popular music" (p 58), and names like "Tupac" and "Biggie" have replaced the afore mentioned in the minds of today's youth!

I also agree w/ Morrell that music can be used in lesson plans to help teach today's youth. Morrell's unit can, among other things, use the kids love of music to "provide students with the awareness and confidence they need to transfer these skills onto the literary texts" and to "enable students to critique the messages sent to them through the pop-cultural media that permeates their everyday lives" (p 61).

It is important that teachers understand that because pop culture songs, artists etc. change so quickly that we need to "consult with our students early and often about the artists, songs and genres that have had...a big impact on their lives" (p 70). Using the knowledge you gain from students can help you write a more relevant unit utilizing media literacy. Chapter 4.

In Ch. 5 Morrell goes into Teaching Film and Television. I also like this take on teaching w/ media. After all, "There is no doubt that adolescents watch a great deal of t v and film...and spend more of their waking hours watching t v than any other activity" (p 74). To me, once again, it only seems logical to utilize this form of media to help instruct our youth.

Educators must keep in mind though, that utilizing such media in the classroom is in fact a controversial matter because it is a "non-traditional classroom practice". We must make administrators, parents etc "understand how innovative classroom instruction can also increase student' academic literacies" (p 89).

Ch. 6 goes into Teaching Mass Media. I found it interesting that Morrell identifies advertising and news reporting as "the two most pervasive and influential forms of mass media" (p 93). I myself love watching the news daily, and I see how pervasive and influential it can be by just flipping from one news station to another. For example, Fox is always going to have a different slant on things as opposed to MSNBC or CNN. The slant that each network places on the news can definately influence how people feel about say, the Palestinian situation or what Pres. Obama is trying to do! Advertising is even more pervasive and influential, especially for today's youth. It influences everything from what cleanser they apply to their zits ("Just a dab will do ya'"-Jessica Simpson re: Proactive), or what gym shoes they are wearing! By utilizing mass media as a part of the curriculum, we can "help students to more critically interrogate the mass media that plays such a central role in their identity development and worldview [and]simultaneaously promote academic and critical literacies [to create] empowered citizens" (p. 93) out of our students!

And finally, in Ch. 7, Morrell tells us that we can even use popular sports to teach our students! This is because, in part, "so many teens are involved in sports, whether as athletes or fans" (p. 104). Sports can be used in our curriculum to teach "reading" (p. 106), "writing" (p. 108), and even "deconstructing" or "decoding words on the page" (p. 111). Morrell advises teachers to even "establish powerful relationships with the coaches at their schools [and] to see coaches as their allies rather than their enemies" (p. 113).

I think Morrell has a lot of great ideas in these pages to help fledgling, as well as experienced teachers to utilize the pop media in their curriculums!