Teacher Resource Bank A-level Media Studies E-Media Guidance for MEST2
For many years now, students have been given the option to create e-media products as part of their production work. In this time, web design and the technology used by professionals has altered and so too has the commercial software available to schools and colleges. In this context, in order to support centres, the following guidance on e-media production is offered. Codes and Conventions Web design is always evolving and changing. Sites from the 90s and the 00s look very different to contemporary sites. Social media and mobile technology have influenced the look and function of websites. Contemporary web design is becoming flatter, less text based, with more images (often super-sized ), hover animation, scrolling menus etc. Research should inform the students as to the latest design trends in the area they are working in. There are many web resources that discuss the development of web design. For example: http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/elements-of-modern-web-design-list https://econsultancy.com/blog/64096-18-pivotal-web-design-trends-for-2014/ Some of these conventions are difficult to replicate using commercial software but students can be rewarded for their knowledge and understanding of design conventions. Emulating a modern design is to be encouraged - even if some of the features don t work. Images Design is, of course, important in both print and e-media work. MEST2 briefs create scenarios that mean students are asked to emulate codes and conventions and sometimes the house styles of media products. Part of this will involve the generation of original images - usually photographs. Treating the photoshoot as an important part of the process, taking care when planning and creating images and using image manipulation software to edit and enhance the photos all require and develop technical and creative skills. Software like PhotoShop can be used as can free services online such as GIMP and Serif PhotoPlus. Fully Realised Productions Productions in e-media should be created as working artefacts. A number of specific things can be offered by using e-media that cannot be provided by print or broadcast media and so students should be encouraged to demonstrate this in the production task. For example, e-media productions can be dynamic in some way including sound and movement in the shape of animation or moving image. They can also engage active audiences offering opportunities for interaction with the producers or with other audience members. In order to view the work in the way it is intended, students should create work that is presented for marking (and moderation) in a browser. This way links, movement, sound and interactivity can all be accessed and assessed appropriately. There are two ways to achieve this. Working offline using software to create the e-media work or by using online web-design facilities, social media sites and/or blog sites such as WordPress. 2 of 5
Working Offline Centres can elect to use standalone software for the construction of e-media products. Specific Web Design Software There is no expectation that A-level Media Studies students will learn html coding - although if students have this skill and wish to use specialist web design software (eg MS Expression), they can. For most media students though, the software could be too complex to master given the time available. Web Design Software (eg Dreamweaver) - whilst potentially manageable, can also be complicated and so design conventions can be difficult to emulate. Again though, where teachers or students have the skills to use the software, this is an appropriate choice. Software like Serif WebPlus has been specifically created to support website creation but has a more user friendly interface. General Design Software - Desk Top Publishing (eg Serif PagePlus, InDesign) DTP software has the advantage of being intuitive to use for many students as they use pages and menus in a very familiar way. Some DTP software offers pre-made templates. Students should be encouraged to avoid using them as they limit the technical and creative input of the student. When using a blank page students are able to design their e-media work from scratch and can add multimedia features and integrate audience activity into the work. Another approach that can work well is to use DTP or image manipulation software (e.g. Photoshop) to design the e-media work. This would create flat pages but would enable students to have a lot of control over the look of the e-media work. These images could then be imported into web creation software (like WebPlus) to add links and other multimedia features. These types of software all allow work to be saved as html to allow the work to be viewed through a browser. Working Online Online Website Creators (eg wix/moonfruit etc.) There are many online website creators available online. These can be very useful - especially for students who would struggle to create work with standalone software. However, these online services are often targeted towards small businesses and so students should take care that they are able to create e-media work that meets the requirements of the brief. Online website creators provide templates and a range of features. Care should be taken though as an over-reliance on templates and pre-prepared features needs to be reflected in the mark awarded for the work. Students are marked (in part) for their technical and creative skills and a distinction needs to be made in the marks awarded for work that was done by the web service rather than the student. Having said that, some students use these websites as a framework but design the pages themselves rather than rely on templates. This, of course, can be rewarded. 3 of 5
Social Media/Blogging Sites Some tasks may ask for social media pages to be emulated. Students who start from scratch and make these pages for themselves in standalone software will demonstrate more technical and creative skills than those populating a template. If the students use the templates provided by the sites themselves (e.g. Facebook/Twitter) and add content, they should ensure that the content they add demonstrates plenty of evidence of creativity and technical skills. This can be shown in the addition of images, videos, animations, music etc. Similarly some tasks may be completed using online blogging facilities such as WordPress. As before, the more input the students have in terms of the design and the creation of content, the easier it is to offer marks higher in the mark scheme. The addition of some basic snapshots and text will not offer much evidence of technical or creative skills but again the sites allow for creative input and students can add videos, images and other features that attract marks. Not all MEST2 e-media tasks are to create websites and so creative approaches to production may be required. For example, if the student is making a number of banner adverts, they could present them as if they were within an existing website. They could copy an existing site into DTP/web design software - using a screen grab would be fine as the site itself is not being marked. The selection of an appropriate host site would also indicate knowledge and understanding of audience and institution. The student could then add their advertising banner(s) to the site within the software and so their banner ads could have sound, animation, audience interactivity etc. added - all of which could add to the attainment of marks for technical ability and creativity. The evaluation gives students an opportunity to indicate their own input into the production work. In addition, teachers can provide information for the moderators to help them identify the student s own input. This type of information helps the moderator understand the reasons why the mark has been awarded and is particularly useful when work has been created online. Submission of e-media Work Work can be submitted to moderators on discs, pen-drives or online via a url. Work on discs or pen-drives should be converted from the data files the students have worked on to html files that can be opened in a browser moderators may not have access to the software used by the student It is a good idea to test the finished submissions on a number of computers and through different browsers to check links and videos work and that all images and design elements look the way the student intended Where e-media work is hosted online, the url can be sent to the moderator but please do not send handwritten urls. The best way to send the web address is as a working link on a word document (for example) sent on a pen-drive or disc It is crucial that students do not change the work after it has been marked Whichever submission method is chosen, it is always good practice to submit an alternative in case there are any technical issues during moderation. Screen grabs of the e-media work could be sent and it is possible to film the e-media work in action. Printouts or MP4s could be sent in addition to the html files/url. 4 of 5
Making Software Choices There may be many local issues that impact on the choices made in the approach to coursework production: staffing, budgets, access to computers, finances, network issues, student ability etc. This is why no specific software or approach is identified as better than another as what works in one environment may not work in another. Investing in expensive software may not be advantageous if the students struggle to use it effectively. On the other hand, relying on templates can reduce the scope of the students work and limit achievement. There are a range of different ways that students can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding creatively and by using technology. A simple web design can be incredibly effective and appealing and modern sites are often dominated by photographs and videos which play an important part in their appeal. Audience interaction and user generated content can also be used to show technical skills and a creative approach. Try to make software choices that allow the students to use technology creatively and to develop technical skills that will allow them to engage with the design and function of contemporary e-media products. The software should also allow the work to be viewed as functioning e-media products. 5 of 5