#ANEW14 Day 2

I spent yesterday afternoon and evening exploring the museum and DC, so an early morning reflection on yesterday's learning.

We began by examining the work of Jacob Riis to determine if a more compelling message was made with images or with text.  See the activity on Pinterest.  Next, we went into the museum to examine the News for All exhibit, which demonstrates the diversity of American news media.  Our task was to find two examples of persuasive arguments and to share them.  I shared a runaway slave ad and this cartoon.

Our archivist joined us again, this time to show us the story of women's suffrage, as told via the news.  It was so cool to see not only the words of suffragettes, but also what was said about NOT giving suffrage.  Our task was to create an image using text and pictures either for or against the movement.  I created:

My contribution! #anew14 #betterlatethannever pic.twitter.com/gOVsfdHnTk
— Christina Roy (@smallbutfeisty) July 17, 2014

I love the image and interpret it as questioning the ways women will use their votes.

We enjoyed lunch out on the museum's terrace.  This was such a beautiful way to eat and enjoy, but from my seat facing the museum, I was captivated by the news ticker.  The news was grim; a plane was shot down and the Ukraine was blamed, the Gaza strip was a mess, and the White House was on lockdown.  My husband texted, asking if I'd heard about the plane to which I (not sarcastically!!) replied "Yes. I'm in a news museum."

After lunch, we explored more ways to use media.  We were given a (presumably fictional) community service project and were given the task of creating a media message to garner community support using facts and quotes.  Interestingly, most groups used video to communicate the message.

Then, we were given time to collaborate again on our lesson plan development.  I'm struggling with the idea of creating something new (in researching, I discovered that not only has our idea been done many many times, but that there is also a new book exploring the topic.  Sweet.)  but also meaningful for my class next year.

After the sessions were over, I explored the Newseum!
There was an exhibit about how free the press is in various parts of the world.  What a powerful image, and the next one explains what we see:

The Ed Murrow exhibit:

And a friend and I explored the DC Mall after dinner.  My favorite shot (I didn't take many, since my phone battery was certainly on its last legs):

I'm excited for day 3!