Danah Boyd "Why Youth <3 Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life"

Danah Boyd writes about individuals who are active users of myspace and their parents. She talks about how teens are creating a hierarchy on the internet of what they think is cool to post on myspace. The social norms and school norms are creating different identities for people. Myspace has become its own new society, and has different rules. Students show a different side of themselves and they can tell people who they are instead of people coming to conclusions about them. Teens can also make themselves look "cooler" online then they are in person.

"Rigor Article" Tony Wagner

Tony Wagner did a very good job of forming a question and being able to research it. Students need to learn more then they are now because more is expected. Students need to be better at analyzing situations and ideas. The things I have learned to become is an effective communicator and teamworker. A lot of the time I am also good at problem solving.

Personal Narrative Video

Personal Narrative Video Still Frames

STAN CHAMBER JOURNALISM AWARD: "What Matter's Most"

The Place We Live In
What am I supposed to become? Is this the way I should be living. Things just don't seem right in the world. Everything seems out of place and no one is taking it seriously. The problem of no discipline scares me. Nothing in my life is really important to me because the world changed, but I feel like everything should be back to the way it was; when children were given rules and punishments by their parents instead of the children ruling their parents. Sometimes I feel as though parents have given up, so everyone else should too, except for me. I feel like I don’t fit in, because I want rules and I want structure. Recently I’ve figured out a lot about myself, and I don’t like how the world is at all. Children need rules.

My Experience/ Perspective with the Current Economic Climate

Sometimes I get scared, scared that our economy is going to collapse. I am scared we are all going to end up poor. The truth is that our world is going through a change, and it feels like we are going to become a socialist country, not the land of the free. Now the government basically owns all of the banks so that makes it socialist. Sometimes we make jokes about what is happening but the truth is were scared of what our world is going to become.

"Pilot Episode," My So Called Life (1994)

The main character Angela is being followed and we, the audience, learn about the person she is and the choices that she makes. In the video she tries so hard to impress a boy that it leads to her loosing her best friend and almost her mom. She starts doing bad things in order to get a different reputation. This is the typical story of high school girls, they do anything to fit in and get a boy, you can see it everywhere. Angela doesn't stick up for herself but finally in the end she realizes how much she's hurting herself and others and cries to her mother. This episode showed a lot of emotion and feelings.

Teens Learn From Credit Mistakes Of Others" by Jenna Jakowatz

Jenna Jakowatz talks about the way she see's her world and the problems it has with the economic crisis. She says that she wants the world to change so that hopefully one day the economy will return to the way it was. Jenna talks about what she believes our economy has become.

Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run

This video exceprt was telling a story of Bruce Springstien and his road to creating his video Born to Run. He was a major singer in the 70's and he liked to created simple songs. During his career he was feelinh the pressure that he had to be great and acheive freat fame. In the video he showed us what he was surrounded by and what affected him. In my video I plan on showing this too.

"God's Close-Up," This American Life (2007)

We watched a video on a man who was trying to repaint Jesus's Crusifiction and in order to do that he needed to take pictures. He went around trying to find men with beards and he finally found his perfect Jesus. The man was atheist and had a girlfriend who was raised in religious home but claimed she was atheist too. Her boyfriend playing the part of Jesus brought up bad memories of her past and how she was raised.

Samantha Cupingood, 17 "The City that Made Mee"

Word Count: 242

When I wake up this is the place I see, this is the city belong to. Los Angeles is the place that houses all of my friends and all of my enemies. This is the city that made me who I am. The scenery rarely changes but the weather is another story. One day it can be raining and freezing cold and the next it will be sunny. Figuring out what to wear in this place is probably the hardest thing there is, besides trying to find fun things to do. The only problem in this city is that there is so much to do, but my friends and I are not old enough yet (well some of them). Any ways in order to get anywhere we have to drive pretty far, but I guess that’s okay because we all have our licenses. Having my license made living here a whole lot better. I have this map in my head, I can figure out where I am and where I need to go. If I am given cross street I can pretty much get myself there. The only thing is my mom doesn’t really let me go wherever I want so most of the times I see the same scenery and the same people day after day. The days are usually all the same nothing exciting ever really happens. But I love this place and I don’t think I want to leave.

Steve Abee "Echo Park Avenue"

This is the story of a very analytical man who was aware of his surroundings. In parts of the story he contradicts himself about his thoughts of echo park. This is the story of Steve Abee on his ride on the bus. In his neighborhood he feels like he should be the top of the chart but in all reality he is the minority because his city is over populated with illegals. He provides good visuals and his language is interesting.

Juan Rodriquez "Running"

This is the story of a boy who lives in Boyle Heights. One night he falls asleep and has a dream of running and gives very good descriptions. Then when he wakes up he feels like he was running and then makes his dream a reality.

"My Way," This American Life (2007)

"My Way" was a video about how a young kids are trying to decide their futures when they are young. They decide how they want to live and the goals that they have set for themselves in the future. They all talk about how they view the world and what is important to them. This was a good video because it made us as an audience think more about our lives.

"Lauren G & Cappie," High School Confidential (2008)

On this episode of High School Confidential we heard the stories of Lauren and Cappie. They both had very different stories. Lauren had the perfect family life and talked to her mom about everything. She also was homecoming queen and was liked by many people but then she was diagnosed with having a brain tumor and had to have surgery. After the surgery she was fine and continued on with her life. Cappies story was a little different, she lived with her single mom and she was looking for the attention from guys in being the party girl. After a while she got tired of her reputation and she decided to focus more on school. I think watching these made us realize we can relate to highschoolers in other states too.

Grace Habegger "The Depth of Depp"

Summary: This is the story of a 16 year old girl who has an obsession with Johnny Depp. Her name is Grace Habegger and her story is the "Depth of Depp." Her greatest goal in life is to meet him and perfom with him. She says Johnny Depp is her greatest inspiration.


Connection & What I Learned: I learned that people can be who they are because of someone that they see on television. This can be made into a film because you can show her obsession and what she does and she gives descriptions.

Saskia Boggs "Just Watch"

Saskia Bogs is a 17 year old girl who tells a story that television is her problem. She discusses how it takes her away from family and friends but she doesn't do anything about it. She says that watching shows has become a part of life and a way of life. She relates to an inanimate object. Saskia seemslike she is careless and lazy. Television made her who she was.

"The Road Warrior," The O.C. (2006)

We watched this video to see what a voice over was. Many of us watch this show during our normal life and it was good to see that we can connect one of our favorite shows to a class that we have in school. From this film I saw that a voiceover is when someone is not talking but we can hear what theyre saying or hear there thoughts. Voiceover's add drama to scenes, because we know something other characters don't.

My Story

Samantha Cupingood "No More Hearing Lies"
Word Count: 255

Everyday I face it over and over again, I’m scared, I wonder what they are saying now. Each day I wonder if one of my friends is going to tell me someone else was saying lies about me. I know they’re lies I know that everything they say is wrong but I don’t think other people do. When people are told things they usually always think they are real, why would they think someone made things up about me. But the truth is that I know where some of these stories came from and I know the people that made them up. Some people think I’m a partier and I like to drink, but the truth is that I never go to parties I would rather hang out with my friends at my house or watch a soccer game. That’s the person they don’t know, I’m really a simple girl, I don’t ask for much and I don’t talk about people I don’t know.
When I go somewhere I know people know me I feel weird I see their faces. Maybe I’m just paranoid sometimes but a lot of the time I am right. For a while now I’ve been hiding, I want to make sure they have nothing to say. But I’m going to college soon, and in a different state too, no one knows me there, and my friends that are going are my true friends. I get to start over, I get to escape everything, I don’t have to be scared anymore.

Kali Moriarty "Appeal From an Angry Not So Emo"

Summary: This is the story of the typical high school scene, where people judge others that they don't know. This is the story of Kali Moriarty and her friends. People in her school call her and her friends "emo" when they are not. She tells of how if people don't take control before things can get really bad and a war can begin.

Connection & What I Learned: This connects to film because she is telling her story and stories can be told in film. You can also show the types of people because there are sort of descriptions. I learned that different people feel the same way and that we shouldn't judge each other, because the truth is that we probably don't know what we are talking about.

Sarah Schelde "What Truthiness Taught Me About being (Un)Cool"

Summary: This is the story of a 14 year old girl named Sarah Schelde. She tells about how she realized that she has to be herself and stand up for what she believes in. She says that this will get her farther in life because she is being creative.


Connection & What I Learned: I learned that the narrator is right and that we shouldn't just follow what popular tv shows tell us we should be and how we should look. This could be made into a film that showed her being different from the rest and sticking up for what she liked and getting farther then the girls who thought they were perfect.