A Level Media Introduction
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Summer 2012 Introduction to A-Level Media and Blogging CHEW VALLEY SCHOOL MEDIA STUDIES A-LEVEL
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Handout from AS Media Studies Induction lesson, 29th June 2012
Transcript of A Level Media Introduction
Summer 2012
Introduction to A-Level Media and Blogging
CHEW
VALLEY
SCHOOL MEDIA STUDIES A-LEVEL
A-Level Media Introduction – Summer 2012
Chew Valley School
Notes Page
A-Level Media Introduction – Summer 2012
Chew Valley School
Blogging for A Level Media All of your coursework across the A Level Media course is assessed via a blog. This blog should
contain all your research, planning, drafts, analysis, audience feedback and completed productions
for each element of the coursework.
Setting up your blog You automatically have a blog set up for you using the Tumblr blogging platform. Access to your blog
is initially through a central Chew Valley Media hub. Follow the instructions below:
1. Go to www.tumblr.com and click “log in”.
2. Sign in using the email address [email protected] and the password
“mediastudies”.
3. This sign in will take you to the dashboard for the central hub, which is a blog maintained by
me at the address http://chewvalleymedia.tumblr.com/ . This will contain lesson notes,
useful resources, links etc.
4. Across the top of the dashboard you will see options to navigate to your own blog’s
dashboard as follows:
Your blogs have been set up with addresses consisting of your name followed by the word
“media” – for example http://jacobstraffonmedia.tumblr.com/
A-Level Media Introduction – Summer 2012
Chew Valley School
5. Clicking on your name will take you to the dashboard where you can post text, photos, links,
and videos to your blog. You can also customize the theme and appearance of your blog, but
remember to choose a theme which displays all types of post clearly and completely.
6. If you already have a Tumblr of your own, clicking on the “members” option will allow you to
invite yourself to be a member of your media blog using the email address you have
registered to your personal Tumblr. This will mean that your media blog will appear in your
personal Tumblr dashboard, allowing you to post to your media blog without having to log in
and out each time. Please do not leave the “chewvalleymedia” hub as this will be required
for assessing your work.
Posting to your blog Clicking on one of the posting options across the top of your dashboard will allow you to compose a
new post.
Click here to
publish or save
drafts of posts
Use this box to
tag your posts
so you and your
teachers can
find them easily
Use the HTML
button to
embed videos
from YouTube
or other web-
based content
When adding
pictures always
use the highest
resolution
possible
A-Level Media Introduction – Summer 2012
Chew Valley School
Guidelines for blogging Think of the blog a bit like an Art sketchbook or a Technology
portfolio. The whole blog will be assessed at the end of the
course and should show the development of your skills,
knowledge and understanding.
Posts on your media blog should only be related to your
media course and should be appropriate for academic
assessment.
You should aim to post at least weekly with progress on the work you have
been doing. This might be a reflection on what you have learned in your lessons, an update
on your coursework, or a commentary on a good television programme, film or music video
you have seen.
You can also use the blog to keep notes on important theories and theorists, ideas,
concepts, examples and case studies.
Using tags when you post will enable you and your markers to find posts more easily. You
could use the tag “Foundation Portfolio” to identify all posts related to your AS
coursework, for example, and the tags “Preliminary Task”, “Main
Task” and “Ancillary Task” to differentiate between different
elements of your coursework. Popular tags also include
“research”, “theory”, and “evaluation”.
Before the start of the course in September 1. Customise the theme of your blog. Try to customise it so that it represents your interests and
personality. Remember, media is a creative subject with an eye on design and originality! Make
your blog stand out.
2. Post the following:
An introductory text post that explains:
who you are
why you have chosen to study the media
how you’d like to use the subject in the future
what your media interests are (favourite films, adverts, TV programmes etc)
A music video you like, embedded from YouTube or similar, with a brief analysis of why
you like it
A film trailer you like, embedded from YouTube or
similar, with a brief analysis of why you like it
An advert (still or moving image) that you like,
posted as an image or video clip, with a brief
analysis of why you like it
A link to a media website (see overleaf for some
options – but don’t be limited to this list!) that you like
with a brief analysis of why you like it.
A-Level Media Introduction – Summer 2012
Chew Valley School
Research and further reading Media Studies:
www.mediaedu.co.uk
www.mediaknowall.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/subjects/media_studies.shtml
News:
www.guardian.co.uk (especially
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media )
www.bbc.co.uk/news
Music:
www.nme.com
www.q4music.com
www.popjustice.com
www.thestoolpigeon.co.uk
www.drownedinsound.com
www.pitchfork.com
Film:
www.totalfilm.com
www.empireonline.com
Media Institutions:
www.ofcom.org.uk
www.aardman.com
www.endemoluk.com
www.itv.com
www.sky.com
www.channel4.com
Follow on Twitter:
@hildrewmedia (Media Studies feed)
@arusbridger (Guardian editor)
@mediaguardian
@davidgauntlett (theorist)
@malcolmcoles (theorist)
@JulianMcDougall (theorist)
@TheMediaTweets (media blog)
@tabloidwatch (media blog)
