Reading Response: Satirical Graphic Design

It's really interesting to see how fair back in history satirical commentary of social issues goes. Seeing graphics from the French Revolution for some reason really set with me. I remember back in one Jamie's Visual Language class we went through how posters through history were very coded with symbols and clues to what the poster really meant to the people. I mean comparing those times to now it's not hard to believe that the people had a hard time trying to show and express their opinions to a wide audience. I think  now it's much more accepting to be more in your face about social issues, because people's tolerances have raised quite a bit. I went to the Russian WWI Poster exhibition this summer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago Museum and it was filled with satirical messages and caricatures dealing with Hitler.

 This exhibit was interesting because seeing how the people viewed the issues that were going on was refreshing.

I really enjoyed this poster because of all the different "utensils" that are used to attach the creepy hitler man. Artists, journalists, the Army etc.. It shows a since of community coming together for a cause. In which relating to the readings that were given they all had something to do with a ban of people coming together to fight for a cause they believed in. It's quite inspirational to see this happen. I really enjoyed the reading about the BPP and the newspaper and posters that were made for the cause. Seeing the symbols embedded and the relationship it made with each other was very deep and emotional. To connect and relate is very important.

MX: Gen. X Politics Summary Sentence

Creating a safe environment for diverse (political preferences) Advanced Placement students who are wanting to hold and share an opinion, and be properly informed about current political contexts. 

MX: Gen. X Politics

• research/brainstorming activity parameters
• sharing events directly effecting you
• learning about events in other countries
• vote on the most pertinent events
• pick out an event that intrigues you and learn more about it
• talk with someone in a different country about whats going on with him/her
• record video of yourself talking about whats going on in your town/city
• research what people are talking about and come to class talking about it
• if its a gradeschool setting, teachers could relate current events to every subject they’re teaching
• be able to pull out the non-biased facts

• physical boundaries
• one school
• interschool

• equipment
• computer
• ipad
• iphone
• classroom
• other emerging technologies
• video chat(vlogging)
• interschool
• space to meet in with other school
• one school
• classroom to meet in

• what & who’s involved
• students
• teachers
• spreading of current knowledge & events

• demographics
• high school students
• ages 14-18
• girls and boys
• all nationalities

• wants and needs of the individual and community
• inform people of whats going on in their community
• having a safe, unbiased space to research and learn

• symbols, icons, tools, markers, etc
• 
  

• motivation for participation
• stay informed of whats going on
• rewards system
• points
• ranking
• spotlight of most actives
• help bring attention to communities in need
• good grades
• grading system

• initial questions
• interschool or singular school?
• focus on a small demographic?
• focus on particular current event?
• what should our boundaries be?

links about current events & high schoolers

• http://www.teach-nology.com/forum/showthread.php?t=749
• http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/general/general_allen.html
• http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-05-08-high-school-usat_x.htm
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/madison-junior-high-holocaust_n_862599.html
• http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/the-events-in-libya-using-reporting-and-multimedia-to-understand-news/
• http://www.cesweepstakes.com/
• http://www.multcolib.org/homework/sochc.html
• http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html

Design Systems: Rebranding POT PIE!

Looking through all the places I wrote down, it was apparent that what I decided to initially go with would be a bit different to fully rebrand. As Kidwell said: "What else can Retro Inferno be?" Which was a good point. So, after re-evaluating what I wanted to do I came across some restaurants that I thought would be fun to give a shot at. Succotash being one of them, and then Pot Pie being another. I felt that these both needed a rebrand because their current branding just doesn't match their initial experience at the restaurant. So my final choice is Pot Pie. I'm really excited to start this project...mostly because I haven't eaten there, so I get some pot pie out of it.

Reading&Video Response

It was interesting to watch these videos based on education comparatively with all I researched this summer up in Chicago. I started to kind of question what I found throughout the summer, but we'll see where this goes. To me, I think education is vital. Kids are going to need to learn how to be even more technology witty than they are today. It's funny, some of us were looking at our "klout" score, and considering how much we think we're involved on the internet...we really aren't....I have a disappointing score of 17 (pathetic, right?). Although, connecting this with the reading of the Web 2.0 is interesting, because it states some interesting facts about the speed, and efficiency of the internet. Is it going to help us get jobs faster? Will it even help us get jobs at all? I like to think, yes. At least if we take advantage of what is out there for us. Being diverse in media is beginning to become a demand, rather than a choice. They referenced Malcolm Gladwell once, and I wish they would have referenced him more for some of his other writings. Although, the point he makes is powerful, and so true. The internet, or should I be saying Web 2.0? Anyway, the internet is a marketing tool for anyone and everyone, it just depends on how many people that reaches in the right amount of time. Being "plugged in" can most likely be a good thing, but it can have it's negatives. Say you are apart of a business that doesn't offer something your target customer wants...the word will spread like wild fire no matter how many other great products you have available. People have a opinions, and they sure do love to share them...and why not share them where you don't actually have to say them out loud.
This brings up another point we talked about in class on Monday. Having social skills and knowing how to act in certain situations is something that needs to be addressed more. One thing that I'm personally scared of happening is that people won't experience things anymore. And if they are out experiencing, they're probably distracted by tweeting about it, or texting their boy/girlfriend about it. This brings me back to a point of basic needs that human strives for. Connecting with someone is one of the most powerful things that I think people can do. The question is though: Is connecting with someone in a physical space better than connecting with them in a virtual space? I recently have been going through this a bit, and my personal opinion is physical all the way, I think you just get way more positive feelings out of it. But, is the physical connection dying? Will people be okay with that instant connection they get with a tweet from someone they admire or know?
Considering technology in parallel with Howard Gardner's Seven Types of Intelligence rises a lot of questions in my own mind. All seven types seem very specific, and the thing that strikes one of my questions is that none of these types have anything to do with computers...I'm not sure if it's necessary to even point that out, but if someone is theorizing what different types of intelligences are out there, wouldn't you think they would consider what time of technology is available to all them. I think that is where this could get interesting. Thinking about how each of these types interacts with technology and possibly then how they interact with each other.