"WHY YOUTH LOVE SOCIAL NETWORK SITES: THE ROLE OF NETWORKED PUBLICS IN TEENAGE SOCIAL LIFE"

In this article by Danah Boyd, the author discusses the importance of social network sites in the lives of teenagers. The author tells us about the opposition MySpace, Facebook, and other sites meet from society, and the issues these sites are creating. There are many expectations placed on these social sites which are also leading to social hierarchies and drama. Parents and older generations do not appreciate the lack of privacy their children have online and do not understand the new behaviors that come along with networked publics. The author established that the norms of older generations and younger generations are creating a divide between participants and their families. This article was interesting to read because what the author said was true, but it was wierd to think that someone actually studied something that everyone already knows and accepts.

"RIGOR REDEFINED"

This article by Tony Wagner is based on the 21st century skills that employers look for in possible workers. We learn that many schools are failing to teach students these necessary school and how this is becoming a problem. 21st century skills are the skills necessary for survival in the modern world and include: critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, leadership, agility, adaptability, initiative, entrepreneurialism, effective oral/written communication, accessing/analyzing information, curiosity, and imagination. And although these skills may me missing in some students and workers, they are included in the ESLRs of my school, Granada Hills Charter High School. The teachers have taught us how to communicate and think, not just how to memorize information. I have also learned basic technological skills and how to learn as well as many other things that will come in handy when I enter the work force.

MY ROOM Personal Narrative Video

For my film class we created a film that told our story. The film is our own personal narrative. For my film i decided to base it upon my life--where and how I live. I realize that I spend most of my life in my room and everything in that room represents me. Hope you enjoy it!

VIDEO STILLS:

THE REAL WORLDStan Chambers Video Journalism Award

What everyone says about sports is true—it prepares you for real life. Volleyball is my sport. From it, I have learned leadership, teamwork, patience, and all the other cliché qualities we say are essential in a person. But I have also learned how to let things go, how to keep my mouth shut, and how to put up with people one wouldn’t necessarily want to work with—qualities necessary for survival in the business world, the so-called real world. They aren’t traits one would necessarily strive to attain, but vital attributes nonetheless. But I wonder why the life I’m living now not considered the real world. Is it fake? Does my current environment not exist? No, I think people just don’t want to admit that high school is the real world—it never really ends.

MY ROOM Personal Narrative

I live at school. The hallways, the lockers, the gum speckled floors. This is where my day begins.

I live at work. I sip my Starbucks frugally as I enter the grey room. Work, paper, red pens, paycheck. Then I drive home when the lights are bright and the skies are dark.

I live at home. Up the wide streets lined with trees. I park, eat dinner, catch up on my shows, and go upstairs.

I live in my room. I see my bulletin board, points in time frozen to be stuck upon my wall. I have a closet, my own bathroom, a desk, a bed. In my closet there are the clothes I wear and the volleyball gear I cherish. In my bathroom there is all the makeup I use, a shower, a toilet, and more lotion and body spray than I will ever need. In my desk there are papers and paychecks and junk. In my bed there are blankets and a pillow. This is where I live. After all, you spend two thirds of your life sleeping!

“PILOT EPISODE” My So Called Life (1994)

This film followed the life of a high school student named Angela as she grew up and took on new friends. As she tries to fit into high school she meets resistance from her family and friends. We learn that Angela doesn't really know what to do and is forced to follow her friends without knowing who she is. Angela transforms the stereotype of the high school student desperately trying to fit in and makes it personal by showing us her relationships. The video/audio techniques used were voice overs and scripted footage.

WINGS FOR WHEELS:THE MAKING OF BORN TO RUN (2005)

This video told us the story of Bruce Springstein and his band as they made music and tried to make an impact with their unique sound. We learn that Springstein is a devoted artist who had a lot of ambition and drive, and tried to put his music on the map. We learn that he (along with his band members) is a talented artist who can be described as determined, ambitious, driven, and focused. As Springstein and his band tell their story they transform the universal idea of a struggling band, trying to be heard, and make it personal by telling us their personal feelings and emotions as they made music. They used interviews and voice overs as their primary source as well as photos and footage of Bruce Springstein's experiences as a singer (including performances and recording sessions). I felt the movie was well put together and edited, but as I watched it I felt that the movie became boring, tedious, and repetitive. After a few minutes, I was sort of over it.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY...MONAAAAY!!!My Experience With The Current Economic Climate

In this day and age, the economy is unstable, unreliable, and has caused countless sorrows. Money is the root of all our problems some say, and I agree. But that is not all money causes; it also causes tremendous stress and anxiety. Even though I am only seventeen, I feel the economic pressure with the onset of college. The college I hope to attend next fall is going to cost me approximately 50,000 a year, and around 200,000 for the entire education. Even without a tumbling economy, this is an incredible amount of money. But the reality of the situation is that the economy is only getting worse.

I use the bank known as Washington Mutual and my parents have been saving money there for my education for as long as I can remember, but it was all for nothing. The bank used our money, and lost it in the stock market. My college fund went down the drain and now for me to go to a respectable college or university, my parents have taken the majority of the money out of my other four siblings’ college savings and transfered it into mine. This should not have even been necessary in the first place, but now we have no choice. So, in order for my siblings to go to college, I need to find a way to use as little money as possible for my education. The weight has been partially put on my shoulders and I am only too aware of the weight of the economy. (I can't even imagine the stress this is causing my parents)

I am not the only one. Some of my friends on my club volleyball team are in similar situations and are applying for scholarships that are worth only 200 dollars! I have to wonder, when is this crisis going to end? And why are teens under such stress from the economy? All I know for sure is that something needs to change in this country, and it needs to change fast.

"TEEN LEARNS FROM CREDIT MISTAKES OF OTHERS"

Jenna Jakowatz is a high school senior in Southern California and reveals to us that she is already beginning to feel the burden of finances even though she is just 17 [you can hear her full story at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101082178]. I have to say that as a senior myself, going off to college has made me more aware of our financial crisis. I have to think about how I can help my parents pay for the pricey private college I will be attending next fall. Unfortunately, our bank used part of my college savings and lost them in the tumbling market, and I am feeling the heat now more than ever [for my complete story visit MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY...MONAAAAY!!!Personal Narrative]. The economic crisis that surrounds my family is evident more than ever, not only because of my family's losses, but also because of my job. My boss is stressed and irritable, and has hired less people. Those that were left with a job, like myself, are constantly overwhelmed with work whereas in the past we were not because there were more people available to pick up the slack. All I can say is that I hope our economy will soon become more stable, Obama will do his job, and keep his promises.

“MY WAY” and “GOD'S CLOSE-UP”This American Life (2007)

Today we watched two episodes from the Lifetime series known as This American Life. The first episode we watched showed us four stories of people who made life changing decisions. Each of their decisions changed their lives and affected the course of their lives dramatically. They remember their decisions and how they affected them as they are forced to live with them. As they remember, they take the universal idea or stereotype of a life-changing decision and make it personal by showing the effects each of the decisions had on them. The second episode we watched was on the topic of God. We hear two stories. In both, the characters try to find God and we see how He influences their lives. They turn their journey and experiences into a personal myth by making it personal through their own ideas and views on how to express Him. In both episodes, they used interviews and voice overs to show us their personal ideas and opinions, and footage of their experiences to tell their stories.

THE RAINY DAYS My LA

Every state has something that defines it. California is known for its bright sun and warm weather. Within this sunny state is my Los Angeles, the so called “City of Angels.” It’s sunny so often that it is rare when the citizens don’t worry about conservation of water. We are almost always in the middle of a drought. It’s relatively annoying actually. But there are those occasional days where it rains. And those are the days that I remember most here in Los Angeles. We don’t remember every day of our lives; we just aren’t physically smart enough to do that. So the few days we do remember have to stand out to us, have something unique about them. That defining factor is the rain to me.
Today I drove to school. Like every other day. But I will remember this day for awhile. It rained. I wore Uggs—a stupid decision. They are ruined and I’ve almost fallen a few thousand times already. The count may reach a million by the end of the day. The puddles seep into my shoes and flood my toes with cold water. My freshly straightened hair from the morning has grown waves and frizz. The damp air is suffocating and I can’t help but wish for warmer days. I want it to be summer already—not just because of the weather though. I will remember this day. I will remember the cold, the damp, the rain, the puddles, the frizz, everything.

"ECHO PARK AVENUE"

Another personal narrative we read was from the book titled The Bus: Cosmic Ejaculations of the Daily Mind in Transit which was written by Steve Abee. In the story, the author walks to the bus and catches a ride on it because he has to pick up his car. We learn that he has a wife and a child and has recently gotten in a fight with his wife. After leaving his home, he tours Los Angeles and he retells us his thoughts and speculations on the universe. He tells us his story and turns it into his own personal myth by dominating the piece with his own personal thoughts, emotions, ideas, opinions, etc from that bus ride. Although he uses effective imagery and intriguing descriptions, his story is overwhelming to the reader because he floods us with so many ideas. Its information overload. This is why his piece didn't inspire me--although he created a well written story he simply told us too much.

“LAUREN & CAPPIE” High School Confidential (2008)

We watched episode one of the series High School Confidential. The video portrayed the stories of two high school students--Lauren and Cappie. Lauren is a popular student with a comfortable lifestyle whose life is shaken by a brain tumor. Cappie was an average teen who turns into a party girl. She chooses a job over the volleyball team, is hit early with financial responsibility, and has a troubled childhood. As we see the two girls grow and mature, it is evident how clearly they both fit high school cliches. They both seemed so naive and immature to me for so easily falling into their high school stereotypes, but then I realized that I am the same way. Both of their stories become personal myths because we are able to witness how they changed and what changed them. In the film, interviews, voice overs, and footage of their experiences were used. After watching it, I was inspired to tell my story through the visual medium of video.

“THE ROAD WARRIOR” The O.C. (2006)

We watched an clip from The OC from an episode called "The Road Warrior." In this clip we see one of the characters listening to her own voice. Eve, though their lives are dramatic enough, she creates her own voice over because she says it makes her own life more dramatic. A voice over is a production technique where dialogue is spoken by someone who may be on screen at the time and is also known as off camera commentary.Voice overs allow us to her what a character may be thinking and what defines a person.

"RUNNING"

Another one of the narratives that we had to read was titled Running and was written by Ron Rodriguez from Roosevelt High School. The story begins with the author describing how running influences and impacts his life. We see it is such an important part of his life that it is nearly all he thinks about. In fact, as the author is telling his story he falls asleep and dreams about running through Los Angeles. The author continually awakens and falls back asleep during the story and we are able to see Los Angeles through his eyes. The author uses effective imagry and descriptions which draw in the reader and make his story interesting to read. He turns the story into his own personal myth and we can see that his life is saturated with running and it is all he thinks about. This is evident because every time he falls asleep, running is what is on his mind.

"JUST WATCH"

The latest personal narrative we read is titled Just Watch and was written by Saskia Boggs. The author explains how television saturates her life and how its relevance has changed over the years. We learn that she has strong and passionate views on television but is not a strong enough person to voice her opinion or speak out against TV. She tells her story in a frustrated and angry tone, and takes the universal idea of the inflated importance of television and makes it personal by telling us how TV can be found in her environment and its effects on her. Her piece is effective because every one can relate to what she says about television, understand her views, and even learn how to improve our lives from her story.

"THE DEPTH OF DEPP"

Another personal narrative that we read was titled The Depth of Depp and was written by Grace Habeggar. The author tells us how Johnny Depp has influenced her and reveals that she is obsessed with Johnny Depp. She doesn't seem to live her own life and even goes as far as to model her own after his. She transforms the average cliche of a crazed fan into a more personal message by telling us how he has influenced her. The author includes stories of how she has seen his movies, ideas of his she agrees with, etc. Her mini-stories are clear and easy to read. The story as a whole, is also effective because everyone can relate to being in support of a person, cause, etc.

GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS My Story

You know what our problem is? We care too much. We think we have ‘intuition’ but that’s just another way of saying we are so self-conscious that we pay attention to every little detail. Everyone is nervous about what people think about them, no matter how confident they claim to be. Everyone is imperfect, and therefore, there is always something someone can criticize themselves on. Take me for example. Some may say I’m pretty or I have a lot going for me but what I see is that I can be incredibly lazy, I am always in a bad mood, I am regrettably flat, my nose is too big, and I’m super pale in the winter. I also hate to write essays and I am miserable, like many others, whenever I have to do homework or any other type of labor.
The bottom line is: we all care too much. That is why there are so many problems in our world today. But girls, oh man! We just take it to another level. We are known for fighting with each other and our infamous drama. Take my club volleyball team for example. When we met each other I thought it was a nice group of girls. But then the tallest girl on the team asked me if I had noticed the cliques that were forming. After her saying that, I could help but notice that our team was separated into two groups and me being ditzy and oblivious had just begun to notice. I started paying more attention to the cliques that had formed and began to notice everything. Girls were turning their backs to me. They weren’t inviting me into their rooms at the Vegas tournament. The little things augmented into huge ordeals. I had thought myself to have gotten over my middle school self-consciousness, but I was wrong. I realized I had not changed one bit. Now, every practice is an awkward one. I keep a distance from certain girls and they keep their distance from me.