March 29, 2008

'Today' Programme - Video Games

The BBC came to Greenford again last week - this time to find out what we all thought about video games, their increasingly violent content, and whether more should be done to protect children from them.

Our students featured on the 'Six O' Clock News' on BBC1, as well as on 'Newsround' on CBBC. And we were on Radio 4's 'Today' programme too.

This is an important media debate...Is it the state's responsibility to regulate content, and to what degree? Are violent games actually harmful? What is the evidence? Is this yet another 'moral panic' about new technology?

Start thinking about some of these issues by reading the Guardian article on it all.

March 16, 2008

New Media Mentors 08

Congratulations to the five Year 13s who were successful at interview and have been appointed as the new Media Mentors. You can see their schedule below...they'll be in the edit suite every day (mornings and afternoons) giving feedback to Year 12s about their Practical Productions. And thanks, too, to Amit (as the Year 12 representative) and Mr Babu who were on the interview panel...it was a long but very fruitful morning.

Aside from working directly with Year 12s, they are also contributing weekly to a Media Mentors Blog, providing extra advice...make sure you read it regularly!

You'll see from the brief resumes that there is some outstanding talent on the Media Mentor Team - their own productions have gone on to win awards and even international recognition, and they have been majorly involved in numerous other media projects outside of their coursework...


Athar

The 'token' male on the team?! Produced - to a tight deadline - the Leadership Training video earlier this term (covering the event that took place at Windsor Castle) and this was subsequently shown in assembly. Also part of the team that went to Birmingham to film the SSAT National Conference. Last year's production - Kurdistan Unveiled - was a hard-hitting political documentary.





Lamia

Edited a powerful film featuring two GHS students' recent visit to Auschwitz for Ms Elcock that was recently shown in assembly. Her dedicated coursework research this year on the representation of black people in 'Get Rich or Die Trying' has received favourable comments from academics in the USA! And she was a leading member of the group that produced the last year's horror trailer - Pulse of Darkness.





Zainab

Recently completed a project for Somali parents - in Somali, which was quite a challenge! - commissioned by Ms Ayshford that offers an introduction to GHS. Also produced Mr Munro's leaving film last year and the Kurdistan doc with Athar.















Naziya

Ms Bollywood (as she likes to be known) starred in Kabhi Socha Na Tha, which was a smash-hit at last year's Media Awards, as well as co-producing the year's best political documentary...Islamophobia (that's generating some heated discussion on YouTube at the moment). Was also part of the team who covered the SSAT conference, and the captain of the winning team at this year's Media Debate.












Rohini

The leading light in last year's best documentary - Dotcom - that has gone on to becoming one of GHS's most successful productions ever...featuring as the opening presentation at iNet's international online conference about New Technologies, and being included in a recent BBC1 news report about social networking.