Scott’s blog…

• What influences your values about issues relating to your life?

I think that family and media greatly influence my values relating to life. Something said from my family or media can really change the way i think depending on my mood.

• Do you ever compare images/values presented by the media to those of the bible? If so why? If not why not?

I didn’t compare images presented in the media to those in the bible but i think it impacts on the way we see a picture of Jesus in our imagination. This is mainly because the media likes to mass produce and advertise certain products through repetition and catchy songs. This makes us remember the ad a lot longer.

• Has this project challenged you to examine your values? Why / Why not

No it hasn’t. I have read through the articles on social justice and am well aware of the issues. After reading through, i didn’t find find the need to examine my own values.

• How do you feel the media portrays social justice issues?

They portray social justice issues by making a big headline that may mislead the reader. The media will then provide quotes or information that has been paraphrased from other specialists or evidence

• Has it been difficult to find articles on social justice issues why/why not?

I think it isn’t hard to find hard on social justice issues as it is such a large and broad topic. A simple internet engine search could give you hundreds of quality articles. My current issue is poverty. I found it quite easy to search up articles about this particular subject.

• Do you think that the media operates from a moral framework? Give evidence by using your research.

Yes. The media does operate on media framework. I think this statement is true because many of the journalists rely on the information given from certain companies or sources that aren’t necessarily reliable. One example of this is when the reporters use quotes that haven’t been properly addressed. They didn’t provide when the quote has been said or where he said it. Sometimes the quote has been taken completely out of context in regards to the article being presented

I believe they do, this is because the reporters and journalists that collect the information for their media company just accept what they are given to be the truth. Sometimes they don’t go far enough to see if its true or not and therefore they are not reporting an article that’s accurate.

1. Open and read the “How to write a critique” document in the resources menu. Describe what is a critique.

To critique is to be able to read an article and write down the main points that are conveyed in that particular document/topic. By doing so, we are able to summarize it into a short message covering all main points/messages.
2. Outline the FOUR stages in a critique.

1. Introduction
2. Summary
3. Analysis
4. Evaluation

3. Can a critique be positive? Discuss.

A critique can be positive. The writer can acknowledge the good points in that document/article. To critique simply means to give critical evaluation of what the reader thinks about the story/topic. Although lots of positive and negative points can be conveyed by critiquing, they are only opinions and are not necessarily correct.
4. Critique the accuracy of the following articles:

1. Name the issue

The issues are racism and poverty
2. Describe one media account of this issue

The media was reporting about poverty and issues with homeless people living on the streets. They wanted to investigate further into homeless or low income earners.

3. Where did you get this media account from?

This media account was on Today Tonight, Channel Seven. 6:30 to 7pm

4. Is this media account correct or reliable? Why?

I think this media account has some parts of truth. They try to show clips of the person talking so that it can me more persuasive but many parts of the film is cut and edited so not everything is heard.

5. Where else might you be able to find more information about this issue?

I can find more information about this issue by looking at Today Tonight’s website of from visiting government internet sites that provide genuine information.

1. Describe TWO things that you have learnt during this lesson.

During this lesson i have learnt about our project briefcase. We will be required to host a show on Mediawatch about today’s social justice issues. I also learnt about what group I’m in. In my group there is Stephen Zeater, Joseph Rashid and Ehab.

2. Identify TWO areas you want to concentrate on during this project that you think need a greater improvement from the last project.

During this project i want to improve my organization skills so that all work will be handed on time. This will allow me to keep all my work neat and tidy. I will also improve my typing skills so that i can type more efficiently.

3. Discuss TWO ways in which your group could resolve any disputes during this process.

We can resolve all our disputes by talking one at a time. Other members of the group will listen and respond with positive advice so that we can all contribute to supporting each other. Another method is to set out a good contract so that the rules are set from week 1. This will create a standard guideline of how everyone in the group will work.

1. Has your image of Jesus changed during the project? How or Why not?

No, it hasn’t changed because i haven’t learnt anything that has influenced me to change my image of him.

2. What do you feel is the best way to portray an image of Jesus and why?

I think that the best way to portray an image of Jesus is through a poem. Poems have lots of expressive and descriptive  language. This allows readers to visualize his image.

3. What have you enjoyed about the project so far and what would you do differently?

So far, i haven’t enjoyed anything in the project. I find PBL a waste of time. Incorporating photoshop was to me,  the only thing that has kept me working in this project.

1) What form of medium (music, art or literature ) allows you to best connect with Jesus and Why

I think i best connect with Jesus though artworks and visual representations because i have an interest in art and look for symbols or signs in the pictures that help portray the artist’s feelings.

2) Why has Jesus been portrayed in so many different ways throughout history?

I think he was portrayed in many ways because different people in different religions from different cultures and backgrounds had different perspectives about God and Jesus. There was no official picture or standard so many started to wonder what he looked like and imagine his facial features.

3) How is Jesus portrayed at Parramatta Marist?

In Parramatta Marist, Jesus is portrayed as A crucifix in the classrooms. He can also be portrayed though the emblems on our shirt and bags.

4) What artistic time period do you think best represents your image of Jesus and why?

I think the Renaissance best represents him because that was an art movement that was strongly affected by the Catholic Church. The artworks made at that time were very realistic and symbolic.

5) Identify one image of Jesus that appeals to you. What do you like about the representation?

i enjoy the artwork Last Supper. The artwork shows the feast Jesus had with his disciples before he was betrayed by Judas.

6) What factors currently shape your image of Jesus and why.

My school and religion help shape the image of Jesus. When i enter sacred areas such as church, i see images of Jesus which influence the way i imagine him.

The discovery of Pulsar stars

In 1967 Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell a radio astronomer, discovered the first pulsar star. For two years, Bell Burnell constructed the radio telescope which she would begin to operate in July 1967. Each complete coverage of the sky with the radio telescope required four days. For the first time in the history of radio astronomy, a large area of the sky had been repeatedly surveyed with an extremely sensitive radio telescope tuned to meter wavelengths. The discovery of pulsars was announced in 1968 and the media were fascinated. Soon other pulsars were found and astronomers searched for an explanation of their behaviour.

The recent Phoenix spacecraft is a robotic spacecraft on a space exploration mission on Mars under the Mars Scout Program. Phoenix is the sixth successful landing on Mars, out of twelve total international attempts (the sixth successful landing of seven American attempts).

The mission has two goals. One is to study the geologic history of water, the key to unlocking the story of past climate change. The second is to search for evidence of a habitable zone that may exist in the ice-soil boundary. This will take about a length of 92 days.