Double Journal Week #12

1.      How can documentary video production help prevent the underdevelopment of urban youth minds and spirits?

 

Providing youth with a creative outlet feeds their mind and soul.  Many youth crave something more, something positive, and something different.  Young minds need to be stimulated and they need to believe that they have a way to be better, to be different.  If a soul believes they have a chance to move up, if they truly believe, than there is hope. 

 

2. What school-based literacies does documentary video production help to develop?

Students work towards achieving a variety of literacies including reading, writing, and even mathematics.  There are many life skills that are inherent to the process such as time management, analyzing situations, and the decision making process.   They are learning critical thinking skills, as well as communication in its most basic form, verbally.

 

3. What 21st century skills does documentary video production help to develop? Provide concrete examples from the chapter. Use this Wikipedia article to help you answer this questions.

 

Video Production skills encompass most, if not all aspects of the 2st Century Skills.  From the use of technology to professional development, from Life and Career Skills to Core Subjects all aspects are represented.

 

For example, one student,  Jackson questions the need and ability to analyze a question that he already believes he knows the answer to. (Goodman, pg 73, 3^rd par.)  He needs to learn (and does) that the obvious answer is not always the right answer nor the best.  Additionally, be closely examining questions he believes that he already knows the answer to he is learning that there may be different points of view.   This concept is an important part of life and career skills.

 

The Information, Media, and Technology Skills component of the 21^st Century Skills are very broad in their application.  It is easy to coorelate that learning the process of videoing including the details of logging, are a component.  There is more to the video process than running a camera, students in a video production class get exposure and hopefully develop the skill snecessary to support this endeaor.

 

4. Would you support a documentary video production in school or after-school program in your community? Why or Why not?

 

I believe that youth require a variety of diversionary activities to keep them out of trouble.  Providing the same basic offerings for extra curricular activities will leave students out of the loop. Students are, above all else, individuals.  They cannot all be treated the same.  In my school days there was the band geeks, the jocks, the dope heads, and the av junkies.  Today, that list of classifications has grown to include such diverse interests as the anime kids, the WOW junkies, and a variety of others.  By taping into modern video technology there is an excellent opportunity to include more youth in creative outlets and perhaps provide them skills for the 21^st Century.