Common Essential Learnings Foundational Objectives

Learning Objectives	Notes
9.1 To become familiar with examples of software and innovative computer technology associated with communication production.	Have students find current information and examples of innovative software, equipment, and processes used in communication production technology. Have students develop a list with anecdotal comments on a variety of websites that demonstrate or offer examples of software and new technology.
9.2 To understand the importance of keeping up-to-date in a rapidly changing industry.   9.3 To explore technical developments. (TL)	Have students search the Internet for recent free software available for download that is applicable to audio, video, or multimedia productions. Or, the school may have purchased new software or equipment that students can learn to use. Have students learn to apply the new technology individually or in pairs. Ask each student to teach the others about the new technology he or she selected. Students could work in pairs. Have students conduct an evaluation of the new technology and write a review for a fictional consumer report. Add the students' product reviews to the school website. Provide a rating system for the reviews (e.g., 1 - 4 stars).
9.4 To examine websites for examples of innovative technology.	Examine and evaluate websites that demonstrate use of innovative software, video clips, flash technology, and unique graphic design. Lord of the Rings is an example: http://www.lordoftherings.net/index.html

Module 10: Effective Communication (Optional)

Module Overview
In this module students explore the relationship between the message, the audience, and the medium. Students should reflect on and critique productions based on their effectiveness in reaching the target audience.

The module also encourage students to reflect on the prevalence of communication technologies, and the effect they can have on public perception. Students should reflect on the responsibility of producers toward their audience, given the influence of communication technology.

Foundational Objectives

Common Essential Learnings Foundational Objectives

Learning Objectives	Notes
10.1 To identify the roles and use of various communication media in the students' community.   10.2 To organize information for reporting and discussing. (COM)     10.3 To analyze data. (CCT)	Have students design and conduct surveys on radio, television, film, and multimedia usage. Ask students to include "age categories" in their survey so they can compare the preferences and uses of various age groups. They might survey members of their household, school, and/or community about their use of radio, television, or the Internet. They might ask how often their subjects attend a movie in a theatre, attend a drive-in, or watch a movie on video. They might investigate the use of websites, e-mail servers, search engines, etc. Have students determine the amount of time (duration) and how often (frequency) in a given time period (e.g., one week) the subjects of their survey use various technologies, and for which purposes. As a class, discuss the survey findings. Ask students to reflect on how media influence their lives, family, or community. Consider these comments in relation to the prevalence of technology in our everyday experience.
10.4 To understand that all communication productions are created for an audience.     10.5 To discover patterns and relationships. (CCT)	Remind students that all of the communication media they investigated through their survey are concerned with audience. Create a brainstorm list of specific television and radio programs, commercials, videos, websites, etc. with which students are at least somewhat familiar. Examples might include: various rock videos radio programs (e.g., Dr. Laura; CBC's Ideas) television programs - entertainment (e.g., Simpsons, Jerry Springer) television programs - current events (e.g., W5, Witness) specific commercials (e.g., various car commercials) specific Internet web pages. Once the students have a list, determine who the audience is for each item on the list. Within categories, the audiences may vary. For example, one rock video might be aimed at a pre-teen audience, while another might be aimed at a middle-aged audience. Ask the students to reflect on how they were able to tell who the audience is for each item.
10.6 To understand the interrelationship between message, audience, and medium.   10.7 To discuss the meaning of a message and the appropriateness of the medium used. (COM)	View a short television program or segment (e.g., a children's program, a soap opera, a toothpaste commercial) and ask students to suggest who the audience might be. Discuss who generated the production and for what reason. How does the medium (in this case television) serve the producer's intended purpose? Have students, as a class, list various purposes for creating a video, audio, or multimedia production. To get them started suggest examples such as: to advertise a new car to tell a dramatic story to convince people to vote for a certain political candidate to organize and present pictures of a holiday to raise awareness about an environmental issue to present the work of a stand-up comedian to give a weather report Once students have compiled a list, discuss the potential audience for each purpose. Then discuss the pros and cons of using various production technologies for each purpose (television, radio, CD, Internet, CD-ROM). Does the intended audience influence the choice of technology? Do certain media attract an audience demographic more than others? Students might turn to their survey results. For example, does a younger age demographic make more use of the Internet than an older age demographic? If the students found that the older generation (their grandparents) does not make much use of the Internet, would it make sense to advertise holiday opportunities for seniors on the Internet? What conclusions can the students suggest about choosing the medium for a particular message and audience?
10.8 To understand that the desire to reach the intended audience is a major consideration in planning communication productions.	Have students work in small groups. Give each group one of the following categories (or other similar category): product advertisement (e,g., breakfast cereal) political candidate promotion (e.g., election) public service announcement (e.g., new bicycle traffic lanes) fund-raising campaign (e.g., Humane Society) event promotion (e.g., pop music concert) exposé on a controversial issue (e.g., a dangerous prescription drug).
10.9 To discuss the meaning of a message and the appropriateness of the medium used. (COM)	Have each group plan its hypothetical campaign, considering the following questions: What message to do you want to get across? Who is the audience for your message? What medium (or media) will you use to reach your target audience most successfully? Have the groups present or "pitch" their campaigns. The rest of the students will act as "producers" who might or might not decide to fund the campaign. Remind the producers that their decision should rest on the proposed campaign's potential to reach the target audience with the intended message.
10.10 To evaluate the effectiveness of a communication production.   10.11 To critique sources of information. (CCT)   10.12 To render a judgement. (CCT)	Have each student choose a production and write a critique of the production in terms of its success or lack of success in reaching its target audience. Productions might include: television programs websites music videos commercials radio or television documentaries weather or sports reports. In their critiques, students should answer the following: What was the production's message? Who was the production aimed at (audience)? How did the medium chosen help to convey that message? Was it the best medium for the message and the intended audience? What factors stand out as contributing to the production's ability to attract its audience? (e.g., costumes, humour, acting, shock value, etc.) How are these factors related to the chosen medium? Was the production successful in reaching its audience? Why?
10.13 To examine the wide-ranging impact that communication production technology can have.   10.14 To apply conclusions and generalizations. (CCT)	Have students select a major media event with which they are familiar and discuss the impact of communication technology on the event. How did media influence public perception and consequences? Suggestions might include: the Gulf War the Quebec referendum a trial such as the trial of O.J. Simpson or Robert Latimer the APEC Inquiry.
10.15 To organize information for discussing or debating. (COM)	Invite an expert such as a journalist to discuss the issue with students. OR In small groups, have students answer the following question, giving reasons and/or examples to support their answer: Has recent communication technology changed the level of public involvement in decision making around current events? In order to answer the question, students might have to conduct research, looking for articles or editorials. Encourage students to think about the role of the Internet in addition to that of broadcast journalism. Ask students to reflect in their journals on the responsibility of a person working in the communication industry, given the influence that effective communication can have. OR Organize a formal debate in which students argue for or against a statement such as the following: People who work in communication industries are responsible for the effects of their productions on their audience.
10.16 To understand that media critics play an important role in raising public awareness about the influence of media.   10.17 To share ideas in their own words. (COM)	Have students search for information about media critics such as Marshall McLuhan (The Medium is the Message) or Noam Chomsky (Manufacturing Consent). Students might watch and discuss excerpts from videos in which media critics and industry representatives present their viewpoints about the effects of media and new technologies. Students might summarize essays or articles, and then discuss them in small groups.