Casablanca Film Review

Film Study Guide Completion: Casablanca

Questions for Reflection and Discussion:

1.) In my opinion the film fulfilled all the criteria I think of when rating whether or not a story is good. The audience really cares about Rick and what decision he will make at the end. The characters are vibrant, interesting people that are dynamic and not easy to figure out. The story is driven by both romantic and political factors. I value when a narrative encapsulates the essence of both individual and national affairs in an artful way. It has an exposition and a really long rising action. I feel that the climax comes at the end of the film when Rick gives the papers away. I don’t think that the story needed a falling action or resolution. The audience sees that Rick and Louie are going to be friends so we know Rick isn’t alone. I think the actors and storyline keep this movie popular. The actors really convey dynamic characters. I usually don’t get into a film, or novel, if I cannot become connected to the characters. I think that the audience connects to Rick and that is a main reason that the film endures.
2.) In all honesty, I did not know anything about Morocco in the 1940’s. I knew about the tension between the Germans and the French. I also knew that Americans ended up fighting the Nazi Germany. I knew about the Holocaust and Hitler. There are many historical messages in the film. One night in Rick’s Café Americain people start singing a German military song and others, led by Victor Laszlo, sing “La Marseillaise” louder than the German supporters. This showed how these people were all sharing this place and spending time together but underneath it all they held opposing political beliefs and that there was tension. Another political reference is when Rick questions what time it is in New York if it is December 1941 in Casablanca. He also says “I bet they’re asleep all over America.” This line is linked to the shock that Pearl Harbor had on Americans. The fact that Rick fights for the ‘underdog’ and that Rick’s decisions model the decisions made by America— this film shows that America roots for the underdogs and that although we tried to stay neutral we ended up helping the French in the end.
3.) The French are represented as having fortune, money, and luck. Germans are represented as being extremely political beyond personal relations. Rick represents America’s politics and attitude. When asked his nationality Rick answers, “My nationality is a drunkard.” Sam is one of the few African-American or simply African characters. (His ethnic background is not explicitly stated in the film). He is represented as a step lower than Rick; they are friends but not quite equals. The group of people is noticeably, and almost completely, absent from the film is Moroccans. The only time that I saw any people that seemed to be natives was when Rick and Ilsa were in the market. The lack of the portrayal of native people shows how the concerns of the French, Germany, and America dominated Morocco and how the natives had no voice in their affairs.
4.) At first I saw Rick Blaine as being a cold, reserved, and bitter guy. I thought he was only concerned with his bar. Then when I saw his time in France with Ilsa, the source of his bitterness, I grew to understand him better. Rick is unable to easily be read. I also thought he was being selfish until he gave the letters of transit to Victor and Ilsa. This moment showed me that he was willing to put his personal feelings for Ilsa aside in order for Victor to be able to leave Casablanca and help the French. It was a selfless love that Rick showed for Ilsa. I think that element of Rick won me over completely and made me feel crushed that Ilsa couldn’t have stayed with him.
5.) I can reconstruct the fact that Rick and Ilsa were in love in Paris. Although they didn’t know a lot about each others background they saw how one another reacted to the world around them and they enjoyed one another’s company. The song As Time Goes By held a lot of significance between the two of them. I was also able to see that Ilsa was the one that didn’t follow him when he left France. The reason why wasn’t explained until later. The flashbacks of Paris show a time when Rick was happy and not so serious or heavy with burden. Although it happened fast, they really loved each other. This knowledge explains why Rick reacts to Ilsa like he does. This also explains more about Rick’s character and helps the audience connect with his life and his personal struggles.
6.) Ilsa and Laszlo have an ordinary marriage. I believe that although they care for one another, Ilsa isn’t really excited by Victor anymore. I believe that the only reason she fell in love with Rick was because she thought that Victor was dead in a concentration camp. I think that had Victor been around she would have been content with her marriage and her life with him. I think that Renault and Strasser don’t like sharing the power and that Renault has an edge over Strasser because he is more personable. I think that Rick sees Renault as a friend before anything that has to do with politics. Eventually he ends up joining politically with Renault anyway. Rick seems to be quite close to Sam even if he didn’t talk to him much. It is obvious that they are close from how they interact with one another and from the way that Sam talked to him after he had interacted with Ilsa for the first time in Morocco. It is obvious Sam really cared about Rick and wanted the best for him.
7.) I also noticed that there was a lot of cigar and cigarette smoking as well as alcohol drinking in the film. I think that because tobacco is the number one cause of death in the United States filmmakers don’t include heavy smoking in films because they don’t want to promote it. I hardly ever see a film where a person drinks as much as Rick does and is so down about life. This part of the film reminded me of It’s a Wonderful Life when George Bailey drinks himself into a stupor and wishes that he never existed. I think that older films could show these real problems in some American’s lives easier because there wasn’t as strict of laws regarding the media then. I know that alcohol advertisements on television cannot show anyone drinking the product. I think the main reason that these things aren’t as evident in modern films is because of research about tobacco and alcohol and laws put in place regarding media content.
8.) “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” I think this statement means that Rick is now freed from the burden he placed upon himself when he was bitter over Ilsa. I believe that Rick was starting over and that he was going to be more open to Louie than he had been in the past. I think he means that he has finally put his past behind him, he now has closure. I wouldn’t want to see a sequel to the movie because I think it ends on a brilliant note. The audience is left to think about what just happened. I think the sequel would reveal the separate lives of Rick and Louie in Morocco and Ilsa and Victor in America. I don’t think that they would interact but that they would be content where they are and who they are there with.

Shot-by-Shot Analysis:

A. Casablanca Scene—At the Airport [1:35:25]
B.
1.) Airport hanger
2.) Long shot
3.) High angle
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Voice-over
7.) Cut

1.) Airport worker reporting conditions on runway into phone, profile shot
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Backlight from car approaching
6.) Dialogue reporting runway conditions on phone
7.) Pan

1.) Pan over to car approaching
2.) Long shot
3.) Eye level
4.) Pan
5.) Low key
6.) Rick tells Louie to get Mr. Laszlo’s luggage and put it on the plane.
7.) Cut

1.) Airport worker walks away and camera shows Victor Laszlo’s look at Ilsa.
2.) Medium shot
3.) Low angle
4.) Zoom
5.) Front lighting
6.) Sound of person walking
7.) Cut

1.) Camera pans to Ilsa with a concerned look on her face.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) Zoom, pan
5.) Front lighting
6.) Rick talking to Louie about filling in the names on the papers.
7.) Cut

1.) Rick handing Louie the papers with Ilsa standing behind while looking at Rick with a concerned expression.
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) Tracking
5.) Front lighting
6.) Rick explaining what he wants Louie to do with the papers.
7.) Cut

1.) Just as Rick says for Louie to write Mr. and Mrs. Laszlo on the papers it cuts to Rick and Ilsa.
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) Zoom
5.) Front lighting
6.) Background music begins abruptly as Rick shocks Ilsa (and the audience) with his decision. He also is talking to Ilsa in this shot.
7.) Cut

1.) Louie filling in the papers while looking over his shoulder with a pen in his hand.
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Music continues, Louie responds to Rick’s question.
7.) Cut

1.) Rick standing closely to Ilsa. Louie is in the left foreground of the shot.
2.) Long shot
3.) Eye level
4.) Zooms to Rick and Ilsa
5.) Rick and Ilsa illuminated with light
6.) Music continues, Ilsa speaking
7.) Cut

1.) As Rick tells Ilsa she belongs with Victor, the camera is on her face.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick is talking, string music continues
7.) Cut

1.) As Rick continues to explain how Ilsa would regret staying in Casablanca with him the camera is tight on his face.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick is talking, Ilsa tries to interrupt but fails, string music continues
7.) Cut

1.) Ilsa asks, “but what about us?” The camera cuts back to a close-up of her face.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Ilsa is talking, strings continue
7.) Cut

1.) Rick delivers the famous line, “We’ll always have Paris.” The camera is back to a close-up his face.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick talking, string music softens
7.) Cut

1.) Camera cuts back to Ilsa’s face
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick talking, string music, Ilsa speaks too
7.) Cut

1.) Back to Ilsa’s face
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick talking, music
7.) Cut

1.) Camera cuts to Ilsa’s face, her face is the only thing in the whole shot
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick talking, music
7.) Cut

1.) Rick delivers line, “Here’s looking at you, kid.” Camera is on his face, Ilsa in right corner of screen.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick talking, music
7.) Cut

1.) Camera cuts to Ilsa’s face with Rick’s hand on her chin and tears welling in her eyes.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick talking, music intensifies
7.) Cut

1.) Camera cuts to Rick’s face for only a second.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Only sound is background music
7.) Cut

1.) German official shows up in car. Camera is close-up on him driving and honking.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) Tracking
5.) Normal
6.) Music, car honking
7.) Cut

1.) Victor comes back into the scene.
2.) Long shot
3.) Eye level
4.) Pans to Rick grabbing papers from Louie.
5.) Normal
6.) Loud music fades out
7.) Cut

1.) Victor talks to Rick while Ilsa has her back to them trying to gather herself by wiping her face (all in frame).
2.) Medium-shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick and Victor talking
7.) Cut

1.) Camera cuts to Louie with a concerned expression
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick talking
7.) Cut

1.) Victor tells Rick he doesn’t need to explain anything.
2.) Medium/close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Victor talking
7.) Cut

1.) Camera shows Rick’s face while he explains to Victor his and Ilsa’s relationship.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick talking
7.) Cut

1.) Rick explains that Ilsa came to his place for the letters of transit the night before. Camera cuts to Ilsa.
2.) Medium-shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick is talking, music in background
7.) Cut

1.) Rick continues talking. Victor’s face is in background. The back of Rick’s head is blurred in the right foreground of the shot.
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick talking, Victor quickly answers “Yes”. Rick talking. Music.
7.) Cut

1.) Rick hands papers of transit to Victor. Victor smiles, says “thanks”. Ilsa is in the right side of the frame still wiping her face.
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick and Victor talking, music
7.) Cut

1.) Victor tells Rick, “Welcome back to the fight.” They shake hands.
2.) Close-up on Victor, Rick still partially in shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Victor speaking, music
7.) Cut

1.) Cuts to a propeller on the airplane beginning to spin
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Music and airplane noises
7.) Cut

1.) Cuts to all three (Rick, Victor, Ilsa) looking in the direction of the plane
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Music, airplane noises
7.) Cut

1.) Full airplane in shot with all propellers spinning.
2.) Long shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Music, airplane noises
7.) Cut

1.) Close-up of Ilsa turning to look at Rick with tears in her eyes
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Music, airplane noises
7.) Cut

1.) Close-up of Rick still holding his composure
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Music, airplane noises
7.) Cut

1.) Close-up of Victor asking Ilsa is she’s ready.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Music, airplane noises, Victor speaking
7.) Cut

1.) Medium shot of Ilsa walking toward Victor. Rick standing with his back to the camera.
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) Pan
5.) Normal
6.) Music loud
7.) Pan

1.) Victor and Ilsa stand side by side looking at Rick. Rick’s face is not looking at camera as Ilsa says goodbye.
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Ilsa speaking, music
7.) Cut

1.) Close-up of Ilsa saying, “God bless you.”
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Ilsa speaking, music
7.) Cut

1.) Cuts to Rick saying, “You better hurry, you’ll miss that plane.”
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Rick speaking, music is loud
7.) Cut

1.) Medium shot of Victor and Ilsa walking away from Rick.
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Music, airplane noises
7.) Cut

1.) Medium shot of Victor and Ilsa walking together. Ilsa half-smiles at Victor.
2.) Medium shot
3.) Eye level
4.) Pan
5.) Normal
6.) Music, airplane noises
7.) Cut

1.) Close-up of Ilsa with a tear hanging on her cheek.
2.) Close-up
3.) Eye level
4.) None
5.) Normal
6.) Music quite loud, airplane noises
7.) Cut

C. 1.) Plot This scene is the climax of the story. This pivotal moment is when Rick’s desire to be with Ilsa takes a backseat over political value. The film is about Rick and his transformation from a suffering, bitter individual to someone that puts others needs before his own. This scene shows a lot about Rick’s character.
2.) Point of view. This scene displays an objective view of the event because it displays the reaction of Rick, Ilsa, Victor, and Louie. There are many close-ups on Ilsa and Rick during the scene because they share the most emotional attachment in the scene but the other perspectives are represented by close-ups. Louie isn’t given really any dialogue of an opinion on the matter. Ilsa’s facial expressions show how she feels although she is forced to restrict how she feels outwardly so that Victor doesn’t know. I think this scene effectively displays an objective view of the event.
3.) Character. This scene shows that Rick is selfless. It shows Rick’s transformation. It shows that Rick was willing to do the right thing even though it wasn’t easy. It shows that Ilsa suppressed her feelings about the event. It shows that Victor was willing to put the love affair that happened between Ilsa and Rick, when he was in a concentration camp, behind him and start anew in a new place. It also shows how much Louie cared for Rick. The camera shows all of these things through dialogue and facial expression as well as body movement. I think Rick’s character is strongly displayed through dialogue and action in the plot because his expression is composed throughout the scene.
4.) Time. The mood is bittersweet. The audience is happy that the married couple stays together and gets to leave Casablanca to go to America but it is bitter because the audience feels for Rick’s heartache— and Ilsa’s hurt too. The mood is set by the action of the plot and the characters expressions. The lighting is fairly average although it is hard to tell because the film is in black and white. The camera cuts to many shots during the scene which creates an emotional effect. The many shots also speed up the moment to the audience and convey that there isn’t much time until the plane is going to leave despite the things that need to be said.

Photography as a Text

 This year's TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) prize winner was JR-- a French somewhat-anonymous street artist. JR takes photos and displays them on entire sides of buildings or rooftops and in other public places therefore creating a museum out of normalcy. The photos are more than just snapshots of people but convey a layered and profound meaning. He did a Face-to-Face project in Israel and Palestine where he paired a photo of an Israeli person next to a photo of a Palestinian person both people had the same occupation in common. People in these countries that were exposed to the art couldn't tell Israeli from Palestine and it humanized the peoples of these countries. It widened the audiences' perspective of the people from the other country. The people in JR's photos often make facial expressions that are a caricature of how the media portrays them-- this is what evokes such emotion from the art. Communication through the art of photography is something that will probably increase as it is becoming a movement. JR said, "I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we'll turn the world... INSIDE OUT." He set up a website http://www.insideoutproject.net/ that photographers can upload photos to and they can get a poster sent back in which they can put up themselves. The point of the art project isn't for JR to receive credit but for injustice, prejudice, and a new perspective on humanity to be exposed. This movement shows just how powerful images are as texts.



This is a photo of JR's work from the Face-to-Face project.

 This is a link to JR speaking about his work and making his TED Prize wish.
http://www.ted.com/talks/jr_s_ted_prize_wish_use_art_to_turn_the_world_inside_out.html

This is a short clip explaining the Inside Out Project.
http://vimeo.com/20543283

Firestone Experience (Kist)

Given the resources, or lack thereof, that we had at Firestone High School, I think that it may be a bit difficult to include multi-modalities into test preparation. However, I think that this issue will be different when I have my own classroom. Including multi-modal literacy into test preparation will benifit students. One idea that I stumbled upon on the Internet was http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/readwritethink-notetaker-30055.html?tab=4#tabs This interactive web-based note taker shows students how to make an outline. This tool would be useful in teaching how to respond to an essay prompt on the OGT. I noticed that my student did not pre-write before responding to the prompt unless I made her do it. Pre-writing and outlining are essential tools that aid students in their response to essay prompts. This interactive tool can present outlining in a fresh way that may be more appealing to students.

Another fun multi-modal idea to use in the classroom is music. I found this song on the Internet that deals with vocabulary. Give it a listen! http://www.songsforteaching.com/fillyourhead/iaintgot.htm This website is full of songs that are fun and educational. This song on vocabulary would serve as a sufficient model for a project. Students could prepare songs that help with test taking. They could take one teacher-approved idea and write a song about it. (It could be something about process of elimination, think aloud, etc.) Then all the groups could present during a class period. The students serving as an audience would take notes about each groups presentation. Not only would this experience be fun but students would remember the material and be excited to share it with the class!

Another interesting multi-modal way to help prepare students for tests would be through photography. Students could be assigned a few vocabulary words. Then students could then take photos of what those words mean and present them to the class. (The teacher would approve the photos beforehand, of course.) The photos may be literal or abstract. This exercise would help students learn to visualize what words mean and would help make learning vocabulary concrete. This idea of thinking in images would then translate to the thinking process that students go through while taking a test. Using multi-modality in the classroom engages students and thrives on an educator's creativity.

While working with my student at Firestone it became apparent to me that she had little knowledge of vocabulary and test taking skills. She also did not mark up the text as she read. I think that common sense things that are not taught in the classroom should be taught explicitly. Teachers are assuming that students are actively reading. Teachers also assume that students know how to use context clues to figure out what words mean. In my future classroom I'd like to explicitly teach independent reading and I'd also like to teach the thought process behind figuring out new words-- not just giving my students a list of vocabulary words to memorize for Friday's quiz. I also think that it would be helpful to hold a test-taking workshop in preparation for the OGT. I think dedicating one or two class periods to explicitly explain test-taking strategies would be beneficial for students.

There is a huge emphasis placed on test preparation in the modern American high school. I think that if teachers taught beyond the test there wouldn't be such an emphasis on whether or not students can pass a standardized test. Tests are black and white, multiple choice, and irrelevant to the modern definition of literacy. In real life students are confronted with colorful images, music, websites, television, and other texts that they read. It may be hard for students to concentrate on standardized tests because the way it is presented to them is foreign. They are used to more stimulation. Using a multi-modal approach to teach test-taking strategies may help close that gap between the world outside of the classroom and the standardized testing world. As a future teacher I want the material that I teach to stick. I'm willing to use multi-modality to achieve that.

One classroom issue that I noticed at Firestone was the lack of technology. One day, while I was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the teachers lounge, I asked some teachers if there was a laptop cart or something that teachers could reserve for students to use in the classroom. I found it quite disgusting that the two teachers I asked could not answer my question. They had both been teaching at the school for at least three years apiece. I'm not sure if the school didn't have the equipment because of funding issues or if the teachers didn't look into using the resources that are available due to his or her own laziness. The worst idea that I had was that maybe the teachers thought that the students were not capable of completing assignments that challenged them. I noticed a lot of teachers that didn't seem to have hope in their students-- this posed the most problematic classroom issue to me. I will always challenge my students. I will always believe that they are capable to amount to something greater. This is where multi-modality comes into play. It is not easy to incorporate multi-modal literacies into test preparation or into the classroom in general. Teachers must be creative and put forth extra effort to include such things into their practice. I don't think that a classroom should completely revolve around technology but I think that including multi-modal elements into the classroom will benefit the students and help them connect their learning.

As a future educator I hope to have enough creativity and drive to include things into my classroom that create extra work for me. It's selfish for teachers to want to do the minimum because ultimately students are the ones that suffer. I saw too many teachers at Firestone scraping by with the bare minimum. I hope to establish a dynamic classroom and is booming with learning and I'm willing to go the extra mile and include multi-modality into my teaching to achieve that goal.

Representation in Film (Kist)

I found this chapter to be highly important. Having students do a critical analysis of how, say, African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and other minorities are represented in film would be interesting. Costanzo mentions that "Behind the history are questions: questions of identification and identity, representation and appropriation, politics and power," (Costanzo 95). A crucial part of learning multi-modal literacy is for students to filter what they see through an educational lens. Students often see through their narrow ego-influenced lens and don't explore other's perspective without the outside influence from teachers and/or other adults. Using film to have students examine others perspective is exciting and can change how students view film. Film can help students understand sexism and racism in a concrete way. It can spark class discussions and research papers. Students can explore their own identity on a deeper level and discover how that identity has been shaped by the many texts that they have interacted with in their lifetime. They may also learn more about how other identities are shaped through different texts. When I was in high school I didn't study other cultural groups enough and I think that today's students are thirsty for this type of learning/research. I would love to include film into my future classroom.

How Stories Work (Pytash)

“I believe it is our job not simply to drag students through a series of books but rather to show them how stories work” (Jago 60).

I relate to this quote from the text because I feel the same way. I don’t want my classroom to be a place where students don’t want to read and rely on me to give them the theme, symbols, plot, etc. from the story. It’s not just about the stories that I will teach but about teaching students how to read stories and how to analyze them as well. It was interesting to me that students are so quick to say that they ‘hate’ a story when really they just don’t understand it. I will keep that notion in the back of my mind because I value students’ opinions but also want them to be challenged in the classroom. If they hate a story because of how it is written or because of what the writer is trying to get at, that is one thing. But if they hate a story because they don’t understand it, that is where the teacher comes in and leads them to understanding.

I laughed aloud when I read, “I can remember as a student being in awe of my teachers’ ability to identify themes,” (Jago 61). I felt the exact same way! I remember studying Macbeth and discussing symbols. I remember the teacher telling us what blood and other things were symbolic for throughout the work. I thought she was so smart because her answers were so elaborate and accurate. I didn’t know that I had the ability to think up the same things. Jago states, “As a teacher I try to dispel all illusion of magic and make my own process of thinking about a story transparent,” (Jago 61). It is important for teachers to teach students how to read a story so that they can continue that thinking for their lifetime. If we just teach them how to read, say, Macbeth, then students will be surprised at how the teacher came to the theme and symbols of the play, remember them, if only until the test, and ultimately be cheated out of learning how to really understand a story! The elements of literature provide a way for teachers to teach students how to really read a story. This chapter was quite helpful.

I also like the chart on page 74. It has three columns regarding Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. They are “Steinbeck’s images and metaphors, What they make me feel and think, What they suggest about Steinbeck’s message” (Jago 74). I think this chart because it takes concrete images and metaphors and makes students respond to how it makes them feel. But—most importantly— the learning doesn’t stop there. The students are challenged to think about what Steinbeck was trying to achieve by his images and metaphors. Stories aren’t simply about how they make us feel (which is important) but more about what that author was saying and why.

Video Games in the Classroom (Kist)

This statement is the source of a lot of anguish for me.

"What if we blurred the lines between academic subjects and reimagined the typical American classroom so that, at least in theory, it came to resemble a typical American living room or a child’s bedroom or even a child’s pocket, circa 2010 — if, in other words, the slipstream of broadband and always-on technology that fuels our world became the source and organizing principle of our children’s learning?"

 I'm not opposed to using technology in the classroom but I am opposed to creating a classroom that thrives on entertainment. Today's students are already entertained enough from screen to screen. Teachers don't need to add stimulation into the classroom just for the sake of it-- to keep kids wanting more. As a future educator I do not want to dumb myself down to a lower level to achieve entertainment. Using the internet is one thing but creating an environment like a "living room" is another. The Quest to Learn thing just irritated me. The article says, "Salen and Torres are at the forefront of a small but increasingly influential group of education specialists who believe that going to school can and should be more like playing a game, which is to say it could be made more participatory, more immersive and also, well, fun."

School districts are suffering all over the place due to problems with funding as it is, I don't see this trend taking off in most school districts. I think that it is interesting to see what some teachers are doing, and I respect that, I am all about a classroom being student-centered and for students to be motivated to learn but I refuse to provide entertainment!

Publish or Perish (Kist)

"E-books had undeniable advantages for publishers. There would be no more returns, warehouse fees, printing expenses, or shipping costs. The obstacle was that no one knew how e-books should be read. Computer screens weren’t portable enough, and for many readers cell phones were too small. E-books remained a niche market, mostly neglected by large trade publishers."

 

Sometimes I would like to own an iPad or a Kindle but then I remember that I struggle to continually read from the screen. I like to flip pages with my fingertips, write in the margins, and use scrap paper as a bookmark. E-books are becoming more and more popular but I don't think I will be joining the hype. 

"Publishers’ real concern is that the low price of digital books will destroy bookstores, which are their primary customers."

It is disappointing to me that bookstores are struggling. I like grabbing a hot tea and heading downtown to Last Exit Books in Kent, Ohio and scoring a deal on used books.

 The E-books thing is causing a ruckus among the business of book selling. The worst part of it all is, "As a result, publishers, like the Hollywood studios, are under enormous pressure to create more hits—more books like “Twilight”—and fewer quiet domestic novels or worthy books about poverty or trade policy." I hate to see art suffer because of selling purposes. I'm not interested in reading cheap books sold at Walmart that are about as satisfying as a McDonald's cheeseburger. I want real meat. I'm hungry for quality art. I want a burger made from scratch.

I (heart) Novels (Kist)

Until reading this article I had no clue cell-phone novels even existed. It looks as though the market for this type of thing is booming, with millions hitting up sites with cell-phone novels on them. I don't find the concept terribly interesting but maybe that's because I'm more concerned with the art of literature instead of the newest technological craze. I understand that Japanese women are expressing themselves in new ways through these novels but I'm still not interested in reading them.
In my opinion, I feel that this article is more about selling books. Yoshida, a the technology executive that is mentioned in the article, is quoted saying, "The cell-phone novel is an extreme success story of how social networks are used to build a product and launch it.” In Japanese culture these books have been celebrated and embraced (although some people still do not like them). I think that these cell-phone books help Japanese women express their struggle and that the Japanese market is eating them up. I find the concept of these books troubling and I have me own reservations regarding this genre.

You're Leaving a Digital Trail (Kist)

This article mentions the new phenomenon of collective intelligence. The idea that every movement of a person can be tracked, recorded, and analyzed. Immediately my first thought was of George Orwell's novel 1984.

I think that recording this amount of information about anyone is unnecessary and could cause major problems in society. I would not put it past businesses (like insurance companies) to do their 'homework' on their customers before supplying them service. The article mentioned Google. I like using Google because it is effective and almost effortless. But, I use Google to find information about events, articles, music, photos, etc. NOT the private lives of people that I know. I don't think that it was fair for this article to mention Google alongside collective intelligence because I find them as two entirely different entities.

The Sense Networks studies are interesting because they gather information about social science in an entirely new way. I think that this form of observation is O.K. if the participants agree to it. I do not think that it is O.K. for this type of data to be generated from people that are unknowingly being tracked. I especially think that it is unethical to calculate this data to try and sell something to someone. Learning more about humanity is one thing, trying to make a dollar is another. Even Deborah Estrin, a computer scientist at U.C.L.A. admitted in the article that, "attempts to blur the identity of individuals have only a limited capability." It is unsettling to me that such personal information may be collected and there is no guarantee that it will remain private. I disagree with the statements made about privacy at the end of this article. The world being a global village is a good thing, as well as taking strides against pollution and disease, but there should be a code of ethics that takes place before information is misused by greedy businesses and others that may use it in a harmful way.

I'm So Totally, Digitally Close to You (Kist)

I found the discussion on social media in this article to be quite interesting. A person is quoted saying, "I feel like I’m getting to something raw about my friends," by using Twitter. I agree with that statement. I'm not completely opposed to the concept of Twitter although I was reluctant to use it at first. There is a raw element of expression that comes through this form of communication. Mark Zuckerberg is quoted in the article saying, "A lot of this is just social norms catching up with what technology is capable of." I've never really thought of it in that way before. Technology has allowed people to stay in contact that would not have necessary kept contact on a face-to-face basis. There are people that I talk to via Facebook that I have not seen in years yet I feel like I understand them and see what they are up to simply through the communication made through the Internet.

I also relate to the point about the "weak ties" concept. There are people that I used to work with years ago, or someone that I went to elementary school with (not even middle or high school), and people that I may have only met once in person or had one class with in college, that I am 'friends' with on Facebook. In all honesty, I would have probably completely forgotten about most of these people but now from time to time I see intimate details spill over on my Newsfeed on Facebook. Another good point that was made in the article was that "weak ties" "can observe you, but it’s not the same as knowing you". I feel that although I have interaction on the Internet, that doesn't mean I have more close friends. It is interesting how social media is drastically changing the way people interact with one another. I'm interested in seeing, and also scared in seeing, what communication will be like in 20 years from now.