Welcome

Welcome to the WNC Media Studies blog

Dear All.

I will be teaching you A Level Media Studies. My name is Mark Smith. I can be contacted via email: mark.smith@wnc.ac.uk.

This is my attempt to provide a model blog for WNC Media Studies students. I am creating this blog using Google Blogger one my computer at home. When you search for 'Google Blogger', just click on the relevant link and you will discover how easy it is to create your own blog. Blogger is well-established, free and easy to use.

Over the coming weeks and months you will develop your own blog. This will help you stay in touch with colleagues and me — your tutor. It will also provide evidence of your learning, understanding and media output. Perhaps most importantly, it will allow for feedback from your colleagues and myself. 

You will be creating 'posts' (similar to this page, but more interesting!) and uploading them on a weekly basis. Regular posts will be an important part of your Media Studies work. Yes, you will be writing for these posts. But your posts will also includes audio visual content — photos, graphics, videos, audio etc.

Every week you will upload a post that relates what you have learned that week. Not only regarding course work, but also your own cultural intake. A film you watched that grabbed your attention. A fantastic new website. Anything that relates to Media Studies and media in general.

You will be able to see your colleagues' posts as well. You will be expected to regularly look at colleagues' posts and add comments. These comments might include a question, e.g. 'How did you change the colour of that photo?' Blogs are a way of sharing content, ideas and opinions. Friendly opinions. You may have heard of 'assessment for learning', or 'formative assessment'. That is how we learn. To succeed in most aspects of life it really helps to listen to one another. To learn from each other. 

So, this blog is a way of sharing your work. Your ideas. Your enthusiasm. It is also a way for me to support your studies. It also provides a transparent method for you to support and learn from each other. Nobody knows everything. We all have different interests and understandings. Let's use these differences to our advantage. Onwards!

Regards

Mark