Teletubbies
Who (or what) are the "Teletubbies?" Many people are familiar with this relatively new cultural phenomenon, but for those who are not, they are rather hard to describe. They appear on a PBS television program designed for toddlers. One newspaper writer has described them as "four roly-poly futuristic rugrats." They are brightly colored, alien-like technological babies, complete with baby talk and giggles. They live in a hilly, pastoral land, full of flowers and bunnies and sunshine, as well as technological gadgets, such as their caretaker/vacuum cleaner named Noo-Noo. They each have their own personalities and favorite toys, and they have taken America, as well as much of the world, by storm.
PBS contends that the television series "is designed to encourage curiosity and to stimulate imagination" in young children: to help them learn. The creators of the program, which began in Britain, conducted research with children, nursery school teachers, and linguists. The co-creator and writer, Andrew Davenport, has a degree in Speech Sciences. "Teletubbies" makes use of bright colors, music, repetition, and a slow pace, because this is how young children learn, according to the current research on education. Michael Brunton, in an article in Time, said that "people are missing the point" when they criticize the repetition and hear the baby-talk of the teletubbies. "Teletubbies is in fact closely modeled around the latest theories of speech that identify patterns of movement, a sing-song voice,...repetition and social interaction as key building blocks." These views have been widely publicized, as has been the idea that young children learn the most, and most rapidly, before the age of three. PBS also...
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...eir tummies come from--the devil?
The show's repetition and music, and use of objects that are familiar to children seemed to be the key. My son was very attentive during all 3 episodes. He said, "girl" and "book", "bucket" and "rabbit", and "baby" as the cute sun with the baby face in it came on. The show uses things that are common in the world of children, and they are confident in themselves when they recognize these things. My son would look at me and smile as he recognized each object and said each word. Ok, so by the 3rd episode my husband went to wash the dishes. By the 3rd episode my 2 year old wanted to stand right in front of the television. After 1 1/2 hours of watching the "Teletubbies," my husband asked my son, "Are you brainwashed yet. I think I am. I feel like having some tubby custard." This is about as harmful as the teletubbies get.
While normally creators need to completely come up with an idea for a show, pitch it, and hope for the best, Blue’s Clues was the opposite (Jaffe). Nickelodeon approached the creators specifically about creating a new type of television show for their new Nick Jr. line-up, shoving the creative team in a conference room for a month until pre-production was finished (Behind the Clues). But the idea for Blue’s Clues didn’t just pop up out of thin air. To understand how this show came about, one must first look back to the popularization of children’s’ television. In 1969, Sesame Street was introduced to families across the country, and the very idea of how children learn was challenged. The most important contribution Sesame Street added to educational programming was the increase of the importance of child research. I’ll go into detail about the different research behind the two aforementioned shows a bit later, in an effort to analyze it against developmental ideas discussed within this course. But, as a brief summary, Sesame Street directly addressed the question of how children allocate their attention during a standard television program, resulting in the creation of the segmented “magazine” style the show is known for
...ficult goals, Grant was able to inspire his troops. Although Grant signed the terms of surrender for Robert E. Lee, he did not take advantage of or humiliate Confederate troops through anger. Through professionalism and ethical standards, the Confederate troops surrendered and kept their dignity as they were granted American citizenship. Lastly, Grant made his vision clear to the American people during his presidency, and did not change his intentions to appeal to one specific group. This vision did bring about opposition from southern states. However, Grant continued to support the rights of minority groups and did what he felt was right for the American people, and not his personal gain. Overall, Ulysses S. Grant served as a military leader concerned with achieving high goals through his excellent inspiration techniques and dedication to achieve the task at hand.
“The result of the last week must convince you of the hopelessness of further resistance… [I] regard it as my duty to shift from myself the responsibility for further [loss] of blood, by asking you surrender [of] the Army of Northern Virginia.” is what General Ulysses S. Grant as the highest ranking officer of the Union Army, wrote to the opposing the highest ranking officer of the opposing Confederate army, General Robert E. Lee on April 7, 1865. (Alter, 2002) In 1861, the Southern states of the United States of America had seceded from the Union, forming the Confederate States of America, and President Lincoln deciding it was worth it to bring them back, declared war, sparking the American Civil War. (Gaines, 2009) Grant joined the army and was quickly promoted to general-in-chief, and despite a few setbacks, managed to force the Confederates to surrender after forcing their forces from the Rapidan River to the James River in a manner one soldier describe simply as "unspoken, unspeakable history." in 1865. (Civil War Trust, 2013) Four years later, Grant was voted as the United States president at forty six years old – the youngest president at that time. (Simon, 2013) Grant tried to help ease racial tensions during his term, but his presidency is most remembered as one filled with scandal. (PBS, 2013) From a humble background, to a soldier, and after some time, to a gifted and experienced general, eventually becoming a president, Grant fought his entire life as hard as he could for what he believed in, through both hardship and peace, helping America in many ways.
What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of Amish folk? From a personal perspective I think of old times dresses, horse drawn buggies, beards, farm lands and an extremely religious set of people. While I have not had the chance of actually sitting down with people that are Amish, I have had experiences with them from a distance, as to gain some knowledge on this front. As we submerge into the basics of this wondrous culture we will learn the origins of the Amish culture, why they hold religion so deeply and how their religion ties all aspects of their culture together:
It needs, what Gladwell calls, “stickiness.” Gladwell explains how two children’s television shows started a social epidemic by using factors of “stickiness.” Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues used different methods of making their information stick to their viewers, 4 and 5 year olds with short attention spans.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Picture this, in the late sixteenth century a small group of individuals led by Jakob Ammann broke away from the Swiss Mennonites (as stated in Amish 101 - Amish Beliefs, Culture & Lifestyle, By Albrecht Powell) and traveled thousands of miles from Europe to America to start their own communities and practice their own religion. Sounds kind of scary moving that far away from home, but that small group of Anabaptist's was more than ready for the long journey that awaited them. The reason they broke away was mainly because of the lack of punishment also known as shunning, this is when a member is disowned by the family and the members in the community because of extreme disobedience. This small group is now known worldwide by 'The Amish'.
PBS. (n.d.). Child development tracker: Your four year old. PBS Parents. Retrieved February 12, 2014 from http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/four/index.html
whatever show is on can be dangerous to the child in the long run. With the
...do not want to spend the money to air educational children’s television programming knowing they do not have the audience and will only lose money. In addition, broadcasters are facing practical issues in their efforts to comply with these regulations. For example, a single thirty-minute episode from Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego or Ghostwriter from PBS costs as much as $390,000 bringing this cost more than most non-educational programs. Another problem occurs when a broadcaster spends the money to air “educational” television shows and the FCC decides that show is no longer deemed as providing necessary educational content. The broadcasters also contend that many Americans subscribe to cable or satellite television where there are many channels and children will opt for programs on Nickelodeon or Disney over what the broadcasting station has to offer.
In Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, the character Brutus, was portrayed as a malevolent and hateful person. Although he is forced to betray his best friend and suffer through the bitter passing of his wife, he never lets that distort the goal that he has set, which is to better his country. Throughout the play, Brutus shows very knowledgeable, perceptive, and noble qualities toward the Roman Democracy.
Over time there has been a major debate over television and children. Some think that kids shouldn’t watch it, some say that it is okay in moderation, and others say it doesn’t have any effects. The real debate starts when one starts to talk about the content of the shows. Sesame Street is a show that most would say is for all ages, but is it truly educational? Can kids really learn from it?
Brutus’s great character and nobility can be seen in Scene 2 of Act 1, when Cassius is trying to manipulate Brutus into joining the conspiracy. Brutus shows his close relationship with Caesar when he says, “I do fear the people do choose Caesar for their king...yet I love him well.” (I.II.78-82) Brutus at first didn’t like the idea of Caesar becoming King and Brutus didn’t want to join the conspiracy because he loved Caesar very much. Although, in Act 2, Brutus is so brainwashed that he decides that he needs to stop Caesar before things get any worse when he says, “That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder, whereto the climber upward turns his face. But when he once attains the upmost round, he then unto the ladder turns his back.” (II.I.22-25) Brutus does not want Caesar to rise in power, so that then he can turn his back on the people of Rome. Brutus saw that Caesar’s ambition could destroy Rome. Brutus shows his loyalty to his country when he says, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (III.II.21-22) Brutus cared about Julius Caesar, but he loved the people of Rome more. Brutus’ intentions were noble and his ultimate goal was to save the people of Rome. Brutus’ ethical beliefs help him make the tough choices he encounters to protect the people he most cares about. Brutus is
After visiting and examining the PBS Web site, I was able to conclude that it is an extremely successful entertainment and educational site. The Web site has won many substantial awards, including the prestigious "Webbie Award" in 1998 and 1999. According to a recent survey, fifty-six percent of users at the PBS Web site are male and sixty percent are between the ages of eighteen and forty-four. Forty-four percent of the Web site users have children and fifty-seven percent make online purchases. (Gallup/Plaw Release: Survey of 40,000 Internet Users. Fall 1998.)
should be censored to an extent, yet they do not see the significant effect that regular television shows really have on their children.As a child grows, more and more statistics are proving that they are being exposed to too many shows that should be censored. Many studies have concluded that young children are most affected by what they see on television (Dritz, Russel 1996). For example, a child that watches a cartoon with a lot
According to Paediatrics & Children’s Health, T.V can teach kids many different things, such as “watching Sesame Street is an example of how toddlers can learn valuable lessons about racial harmony, cooperation, kindness, simple arithmetic, and the alphabet through an educational television format.”(2003) T.V shows can teach very good lessons to children about many important things, that these kids can use in their adult life. Another positive effect of television for kids is that it sort of opens their horizons to different things and people. For example, according to The Raising Children Network, teens and children can benefit from media exposure by developing cultural and political awareness. Television, films, magazines, and social media sites expose teens and children, who might be otherwise be limited to interactions with people from their own cultural and ethnic backgrounds, to an array of different people”. (Mokeyane) Children can really benefit from watching T.V, they can learn many educational things from shows like Sesame Street, Barney, or Caillou. Also, older children can learn about other cultures and political things that might not be talked about at home. Television really helps kids learn more important personal and educational lessons, that the generations,before, never had. Children, nowadays, have a great advantage in learning much more