ABOUT THIS WEBSITE
This website is a model for the students I teach in English 12: European Literature and Film Studies. I have three goals for this project:
1) for my students to learn more about a European country, specifically the social issues in another country;
2) for them to remix a text into a compelling narrative or commentary about this social issue; and
3) for my students to experiment with the affordances of multiple modalities of writing and creating persuasive media.
1) for my students to learn more about a European country, specifically the social issues in another country;
2) for them to remix a text into a compelling narrative or commentary about this social issue; and
3) for my students to experiment with the affordances of multiple modalities of writing and creating persuasive media.
ABOUT THIS RADIO AD
My remixed radio advertisement ties my tourism website to the 2012 “Travel UK” ad, which uses actors Stephen Fry, Julie Walters, Michelle Dockery, and Rupert Grint to sell a “staycation” to Brits when London hosted the Summer Olympics. To create my track, I first ripped the audio from the travel ad and sectioned it into recognizable bits that mentioned some of the beautiful locations one could visit in the UK (photos from and links to these locations are also featured on my website). My thinking here is that this part of the audio reflects the photos of Britain’s natural beauty that I chose for the website. I also emphasized clips of Stephen Fry commenting that “no passports” are needed within the UK, and clips of all the actors remarking “no Euros,” since those words seemed eerily relevant (and satirically humorous) now that the UK has officially left the EU.
Next, I intermixed clips of Brexit protesters and Brexit newscasts with speeches from Member of Parliament Nigel Farage and current British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. I chose to focus on Brexit as a social issue because even though the decision to leave the EU is politically and economically motivated, the country's decision (which has taken four years and two referenda to enact) also has worldwide consequences. In March 2020 when I was creating this project, Brexit was also a very timely topic. Finally, I used radio static as a transition sound, and the songs "Closer" by Lemaitre ft. Jennie A and "God Save the Queen" as large themes/beats that could bring everything together. All audio clips come from freesound.org or YouTube, and I included the YouTube clips to each on my website so that I could show my students my full effort to be transparent in giving credit to my sources. I hope this track sonically shows some of the turmoil that this vote caused in the UK over the four years it took to leave the European Union. I think the audio track definitely has a more anxious tone than this website, but together they paint a certain picture of the UK that goes beyond the typical persuasive tourist-baiting rhetoric one might see on the internet.
After I had the completed track and edited it slightly, I had to find a way to upload the ad onto my “UK GETAWAY” travel website. I was trying to show my students that they could build an aesthetic website and create original content without paying for a website domain; unfortunately, the ability to play audio and video files on Weebly is a premium feature reserved only for paying customers. YouTube clips, however, can be embedded into the website for free. Unfortunately, YouTube no longer supports MP3s/audio only file types, so I had to tap into my multimodal knowledge to create a YouTube video.
I went back to the Adobe Creative Suite. In Photoshop, I added text to one of my images of a double decker tour bus to make it look like a print advertisement for my Weebly travel site. I imported that image into Adobe Premiere and also imported my completed MP3 mixdown. Fortunately, thanks to Amanda’s tutelage throughout this semester, I realized it was relatively easy to have my audio track play below the image, and that this simple file would qualify as a YouTube video. I decided to not spend too much longer on this video because my goal was not to remix videos but to remix audio and visual text. After uploading the track and getting YouTube’s blessing to privately share this video (I think I cannot publicly publish it because it uses the entire Lemaitre song), I was finally able to embed it into my website. I continued to add additional media elements, photos, hyperlinks, and small amounts of text to persuade visitors that they should come check out post-Brexit Britain for themselves. I chose to emphasize visuals for the website because a photo is worth a thousand words, especially to casual internet surfers.
Next, I intermixed clips of Brexit protesters and Brexit newscasts with speeches from Member of Parliament Nigel Farage and current British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. I chose to focus on Brexit as a social issue because even though the decision to leave the EU is politically and economically motivated, the country's decision (which has taken four years and two referenda to enact) also has worldwide consequences. In March 2020 when I was creating this project, Brexit was also a very timely topic. Finally, I used radio static as a transition sound, and the songs "Closer" by Lemaitre ft. Jennie A and "God Save the Queen" as large themes/beats that could bring everything together. All audio clips come from freesound.org or YouTube, and I included the YouTube clips to each on my website so that I could show my students my full effort to be transparent in giving credit to my sources. I hope this track sonically shows some of the turmoil that this vote caused in the UK over the four years it took to leave the European Union. I think the audio track definitely has a more anxious tone than this website, but together they paint a certain picture of the UK that goes beyond the typical persuasive tourist-baiting rhetoric one might see on the internet.
After I had the completed track and edited it slightly, I had to find a way to upload the ad onto my “UK GETAWAY” travel website. I was trying to show my students that they could build an aesthetic website and create original content without paying for a website domain; unfortunately, the ability to play audio and video files on Weebly is a premium feature reserved only for paying customers. YouTube clips, however, can be embedded into the website for free. Unfortunately, YouTube no longer supports MP3s/audio only file types, so I had to tap into my multimodal knowledge to create a YouTube video.
I went back to the Adobe Creative Suite. In Photoshop, I added text to one of my images of a double decker tour bus to make it look like a print advertisement for my Weebly travel site. I imported that image into Adobe Premiere and also imported my completed MP3 mixdown. Fortunately, thanks to Amanda’s tutelage throughout this semester, I realized it was relatively easy to have my audio track play below the image, and that this simple file would qualify as a YouTube video. I decided to not spend too much longer on this video because my goal was not to remix videos but to remix audio and visual text. After uploading the track and getting YouTube’s blessing to privately share this video (I think I cannot publicly publish it because it uses the entire Lemaitre song), I was finally able to embed it into my website. I continued to add additional media elements, photos, hyperlinks, and small amounts of text to persuade visitors that they should come check out post-Brexit Britain for themselves. I chose to emphasize visuals for the website because a photo is worth a thousand words, especially to casual internet surfers.
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My remixed radio advertisement incorporates audio from the seven videos on this page, especially the real-life tourism ad to the right.
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This United Kingdom tourism ad is from 2012, when Britain was hosting the Olympics and promoting staycations to their citizens.
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For more information about Brexit and its impact so far, please explore the videos I remixed or these links from credible sources:
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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
These are the sources I drew information from for the text on my website. I also I linked to several other websites on my blog but did not draw information (just photos) from them. Students will need to use at least four sites like this for their project.
Groffman, Adam. “The Top 10 Foods and Drinks You Have To Try in the United Kingdom.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 23 Sept. 2015, theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/articles/the-top-10-foods-you-have-to-try-in-the-uk/.
Kennedy, Natalie. “Giant's Causeway: The Complete Guide.” TripSavvy, DotDash, 31 Dec. 2018, www.tripsavvy.com/giants-causeway-the-complete-guide-4570900.
O’Hare, Maureen. “Most Visited: World's Top Cities for Tourism.” CNN, Cable News Network, 4 Dec. 2018, www.cnn.com/travel/article/most-visited-cities-euromonitor-2018/index.html.
Stephanie. “A Breakdown of the Full English Breakfast • i Am a Food Blog.” i Am a Food Blog, i Am a Food Blog, 23 Feb. 2019, iamafoodblog.com/a-breakdown-of-the-full-english-breakfast/.
- I knew about a few unique British foods, like their tendency to have afternoon tea and that a full English breakfast includes beans, but I could not remember some of the more unique dishes I had heard of before. This easy-to-read travel blog reminded me of Welsh tea cake and haggis, which I hope to try myself one day. I was tempted to also mention some of the British beverages that are popular around the world, but felt they might not be appropriate for a high school audience.
Kennedy, Natalie. “Giant's Causeway: The Complete Guide.” TripSavvy, DotDash, 31 Dec. 2018, www.tripsavvy.com/giants-causeway-the-complete-guide-4570900.
- This website was helpful for describing the Giant’s Causeway. I chose to feature this geologic location because it was mentioned in the travel ad I remixed, and because it is a stunning photo. I used the photo and the description of these rocks to sell visitors on this location. This website was up-to-date and included an author, so I felt that it had good credibility for a travel website.
O’Hare, Maureen. “Most Visited: World's Top Cities for Tourism.” CNN, Cable News Network, 4 Dec. 2018, www.cnn.com/travel/article/most-visited-cities-euromonitor-2018/index.html.
- I used this website to glean more information about London and how it fits onto the global stage. I referenced this article on the “Destinations” section of my website. I had initially heard that London was the number one most visited city in the world, but per my research, I discovered that Bangkok has actually been number one the last few years. London is still one of the most recognizable cities and is in the top ten in terms of visitors, however.
Stephanie. “A Breakdown of the Full English Breakfast • i Am a Food Blog.” i Am a Food Blog, i Am a Food Blog, 23 Feb. 2019, iamafoodblog.com/a-breakdown-of-the-full-english-breakfast/.
- This food blog provided the beautiful photo of a full English breakfast. I also appreciated Stephanie’s description of what does and does not belong in a full English. This blog was aesthetic and easy to read, and was published within the last year.
RATIONALE & REFLECTION
This is another example of what students should post on their website to explain their rhetorical choices.
For one of my personal rhetorical choices, I chose to use Post Malone as an example celebrity appeal/ethos because my Class of 2020 students challenged me to feature him. His made-up five-star review is full of puns from of his song titles and lyrics, including “Congratulations,” “Better Now,” “Rockstar,” and, “Wow.” There is also an appeal to ethos in the radio ad, which features the voices of some recognizable British actors and politicians.
The images I used on the website are mainly natural landscapes; all are high-quality images taken from Google images, and they appeal to me as a person who appreciates natural beauty and aesthetic photography. I personally think images like this are inspiring and thus serve as an appeal of pathos as well as an appeal of logos because they show the many options one can visit in the UK. I did keep a list of every image I used, but I ultimately had so many images that I decided to not force students to cite all the images on a Works Cited. Instead, I plan to have students write an annotated bibliography that shows they actually read a few websites to learn about their country. A lot of my knowledge of the UK comes from my own personal interest in this country; I have been following Brexit in-depth through The Guardian and BBC news articles. However, I did link to some articles and websites for real tourist locations in Britain (like the Shard, the Olympic Stadium, the Globe, the West End, and a website about food in the UK). This is the kind of research I want students to explore. Instead of relying on encyclopedias and listicles, why not go straight to the source? This research skill will help them if they ever try to plan a trip of their own.
Overall, I think I would give myself an A+ on this project. I definitely spent a lot of time and energy trying new techniques and new types of technology, as well as really focusing on aesthetics. I remixed a radio advertisement and even took the time to upload it to YouTube. I never thought I would be this competent with multimodal writing, but in the course of this project, I have expanded my own understanding immensely, and I am confident that this project will push my students to grow and learn in a similar way.
The images I used on the website are mainly natural landscapes; all are high-quality images taken from Google images, and they appeal to me as a person who appreciates natural beauty and aesthetic photography. I personally think images like this are inspiring and thus serve as an appeal of pathos as well as an appeal of logos because they show the many options one can visit in the UK. I did keep a list of every image I used, but I ultimately had so many images that I decided to not force students to cite all the images on a Works Cited. Instead, I plan to have students write an annotated bibliography that shows they actually read a few websites to learn about their country. A lot of my knowledge of the UK comes from my own personal interest in this country; I have been following Brexit in-depth through The Guardian and BBC news articles. However, I did link to some articles and websites for real tourist locations in Britain (like the Shard, the Olympic Stadium, the Globe, the West End, and a website about food in the UK). This is the kind of research I want students to explore. Instead of relying on encyclopedias and listicles, why not go straight to the source? This research skill will help them if they ever try to plan a trip of their own.
Overall, I think I would give myself an A+ on this project. I definitely spent a lot of time and energy trying new techniques and new types of technology, as well as really focusing on aesthetics. I remixed a radio advertisement and even took the time to upload it to YouTube. I never thought I would be this competent with multimodal writing, but in the course of this project, I have expanded my own understanding immensely, and I am confident that this project will push my students to grow and learn in a similar way.
Want to learn more about this project or adapt it for use with your students? I'd be happy to send you my materials. Just give me a ring!
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