A Saturday Conference focusing on 'Teaching New Media' will be hosted by the Media Education Association and the National Media Museum in Bradford on 2 February 2008.
This is the first of several conferences that MEA will organise, possibly in different parts of the country on this and other topics.
A conference flyer can be downloaded here. Membership of MEA offers a significant discount on the Conference fee. Membership applications are available via the MEA website.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
New MEA website up and running
The new MEA website is now up and running on the same address at www.mediaedassociation.org.uk
I'm particularly pleased with the new forum, which looks attractive and easy to use. I hope everyone will be able to join debates and post their ideas. It looks like we are kicking off with the Creative and Media Diploma developments, but I'm sure a whole range of other issues will soon emerge. Please join the forum and make your contribution.
I'm particularly pleased with the new forum, which looks attractive and easy to use. I hope everyone will be able to join debates and post their ideas. It looks like we are kicking off with the Creative and Media Diploma developments, but I'm sure a whole range of other issues will soon emerge. Please join the forum and make your contribution.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Cosmat Conference
COSMAT PROGRAMME 2007
We are delighted to announce this year’s COSMAT CONFERENCE which takes place at the Duke of York’s Cinema on Friday 30 November. It is especially for film and Media A Level students from schools and colleges across Sussex. It is also part of Brighton’s film festival, CineCity.
This year’s conference features one of British film’s major successes of recent years: the gripping and realistic thriller London to Brighton (Paul Andrew Williams, 2006) as well as its director to speak about his career and how he came to make the film.
The day will start with documentary: we have Brighton film maker Michele D’Acosta and her extraordinary film shot in the New York subway: Hip Hop Train.
Admission is £6.
Details are as follows:
09.15 Doors open.
09.30 – 10.30 Michele D’Acosta talks about and screens Hip Hop Train
10.30 – 10.45 Break
10.45 - 11.30 Script-to-Screen discussion with Paul Andrew Williams, director of London to Brighton
11.30 – 12.00 Lunch break
12.00 – 1.25 Screening of London to Brighton
1.25 – 1.45 Q & A with the audience.
NB
Booking is now closed.
However it is worth emailing Briony at bbg@varndean.ac.uk nearer the day to see if there are places left.
We are delighted to announce this year’s COSMAT CONFERENCE which takes place at the Duke of York’s Cinema on Friday 30 November. It is especially for film and Media A Level students from schools and colleges across Sussex. It is also part of Brighton’s film festival, CineCity.
This year’s conference features one of British film’s major successes of recent years: the gripping and realistic thriller London to Brighton (Paul Andrew Williams, 2006) as well as its director to speak about his career and how he came to make the film.
The day will start with documentary: we have Brighton film maker Michele D’Acosta and her extraordinary film shot in the New York subway: Hip Hop Train.
Admission is £6.
Details are as follows:
09.15 Doors open.
09.30 – 10.30 Michele D’Acosta talks about and screens Hip Hop Train
10.30 – 10.45 Break
10.45 - 11.30 Script-to-Screen discussion with Paul Andrew Williams, director of London to Brighton
11.30 – 12.00 Lunch break
12.00 – 1.25 Screening of London to Brighton
1.25 – 1.45 Q & A with the audience.
NB
Booking is now closed.
However it is worth emailing Briony at bbg@varndean.ac.uk nearer the day to see if there are places left.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
GCSE Media Results
(This is a mirror of the post on the in the picture blog.)
Today attention switches to GCSE Media Studies. Over the last few years, entries to GCSE Media have risen dramatically. Since media studies as a subject is not part of National Curriculum, examined courses at KS4 (14-16) in England and Wales have always suffered in comparison to the more market-led situation post 16. At A Level, some 4% of candidates take AS/A2 Film or Media Studies, but only around 1% take GCSE Media. This means that the numbers are significant, but don't as yet cause the same murmurs amongst traditionalists in education as the presence of A Level Media in the Top 10 subjects.
This year's results posted by the Joint Council for Qualifications show that in 2007 there were 66,425 candidates for GCSE Media, representing a significant increase on the 57,521 in 2006. In fact, according to the 'trends' report on the JCQ website, media studies shows a 15.4% increase in take-up. This makes it No 3 in the 'Top 10 subject increases', but since this table is topped by the relatively small numbers representing Additional Maths, media is still growing as fast as in 2006 when it was No 2. The champion is Statistics with an increase of 21% for a total of 82,000. It does look as if all the attempts to boost Maths are having some effect at both GCSE and A Level and this may deflect some of the predicted attacks on media. However, a little lower down the Top 10 increases are the three separate science subjects. There has been a clamour for a return to single science GCSEs because combined science does not seem to be 'stretching' students. Biology, Physic and Chemistry are, as a result of official promotion, growing by 4-5% a year, but this clearly doesn't match media studies which, without official sanction, is ahead of any of the single science subjects. I suspect that this will be picked up by commentators. It's worth remembering though, that media is still relatively small beer at this level. The main National Curriculum subjects each attract over 200,000 candidates. Religious Studies has been one of the recent success stories and it now attracts over 170,000.
In the next couple of years, Film Studies GCSE will make its appearance and will no doubt add a few more thousand. For the moment, more attention might be paid to the vocational alternatives. The new 'Applied Media' course has only been piloted in a few centres so far, but it has produced some results (300) so far. I was also intrigued to discover that a Journalism GCSE is offered by the Awarding Body in Northern Ireland, CCEA and this produced 170 candidates in 2007. BTEC results are not included in the JCQ press release, so I will report on these when I find them.
Today attention switches to GCSE Media Studies. Over the last few years, entries to GCSE Media have risen dramatically. Since media studies as a subject is not part of National Curriculum, examined courses at KS4 (14-16) in England and Wales have always suffered in comparison to the more market-led situation post 16. At A Level, some 4% of candidates take AS/A2 Film or Media Studies, but only around 1% take GCSE Media. This means that the numbers are significant, but don't as yet cause the same murmurs amongst traditionalists in education as the presence of A Level Media in the Top 10 subjects.
This year's results posted by the Joint Council for Qualifications show that in 2007 there were 66,425 candidates for GCSE Media, representing a significant increase on the 57,521 in 2006. In fact, according to the 'trends' report on the JCQ website, media studies shows a 15.4% increase in take-up. This makes it No 3 in the 'Top 10 subject increases', but since this table is topped by the relatively small numbers representing Additional Maths, media is still growing as fast as in 2006 when it was No 2. The champion is Statistics with an increase of 21% for a total of 82,000. It does look as if all the attempts to boost Maths are having some effect at both GCSE and A Level and this may deflect some of the predicted attacks on media. However, a little lower down the Top 10 increases are the three separate science subjects. There has been a clamour for a return to single science GCSEs because combined science does not seem to be 'stretching' students. Biology, Physic and Chemistry are, as a result of official promotion, growing by 4-5% a year, but this clearly doesn't match media studies which, without official sanction, is ahead of any of the single science subjects. I suspect that this will be picked up by commentators. It's worth remembering though, that media is still relatively small beer at this level. The main National Curriculum subjects each attract over 200,000 candidates. Religious Studies has been one of the recent success stories and it now attracts over 170,000.
In the next couple of years, Film Studies GCSE will make its appearance and will no doubt add a few more thousand. For the moment, more attention might be paid to the vocational alternatives. The new 'Applied Media' course has only been piloted in a few centres so far, but it has produced some results (300) so far. I was also intrigued to discover that a Journalism GCSE is offered by the Awarding Body in Northern Ireland, CCEA and this produced 170 candidates in 2007. BTEC results are not included in the JCQ press release, so I will report on these when I find them.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
A Level Media Results Day
(This is a mirror of the post on the in the picture magazine blog.)
The 2007 A Level Media and Film results are available from the Joint Council for Qualifications on its website. The 2007 trends statement is also important to download.
My first impression is that the great expansion in numbers has now slowed down. Total entries for A Level Media/Film were 31,942 (an increase of 3.16%). This drops Media down the league table for 'increase in entries' from 2nd to 8th and should kill the comments about diverting students from Maths etc. In fact, Maths, Science and Spanish are the subjects with noticeable increases this year. AS Film/Media had 44,392 entries (an increase of 3.19% which didn't even get a mention in the Top 10 of subject increases).
At both AS and A2, Media/Film now accounts for 4% of all candidates. Females still outnumber males and they perform significantly better in terms of grades. At A Level the overall pass rate at Grade A for Media/Film is 14.1%, but for females alone it is 16.3%. Media continues to be a relatively 'hard subject' in terms of getting a Grade A.
Overall, Media/Film has moved up one place to Number 9 most popular A Level subject (changing places with Geography). Of all the 'new' subjects, Psychology is by far the most successful -- at Number 5 in the chart with 52,000 candidates.
What the current figures don't show is the split between Media Studies and Film Studies. It may well be that the increases relate more to Film than to Media.
The Applied A Level in Media has now reached A2 and there were 567 candidates (slightly more males) of whom 11.3% gained a Grade A. This is a far higher proportion than in other Applied A Levels, but overall Media attracted only 1.7% of entries. At AS numbers rose from 735 in 2006 to 912 and females were back in front and gaining more Grade 'A's. But at AS, only 1.8% of candidates took Media, down from 1.9% in 2006.
Communication Studies at AS/A2 is running at around o.3% of all A Level candidates, showing a slightdecline to 3,261 at AS and a very slight increase to 2,144 at A Level.
The 2007 A Level Media and Film results are available from the Joint Council for Qualifications on its website. The 2007 trends statement is also important to download.
My first impression is that the great expansion in numbers has now slowed down. Total entries for A Level Media/Film were 31,942 (an increase of 3.16%). This drops Media down the league table for 'increase in entries' from 2nd to 8th and should kill the comments about diverting students from Maths etc. In fact, Maths, Science and Spanish are the subjects with noticeable increases this year. AS Film/Media had 44,392 entries (an increase of 3.19% which didn't even get a mention in the Top 10 of subject increases).
At both AS and A2, Media/Film now accounts for 4% of all candidates. Females still outnumber males and they perform significantly better in terms of grades. At A Level the overall pass rate at Grade A for Media/Film is 14.1%, but for females alone it is 16.3%. Media continues to be a relatively 'hard subject' in terms of getting a Grade A.
Overall, Media/Film has moved up one place to Number 9 most popular A Level subject (changing places with Geography). Of all the 'new' subjects, Psychology is by far the most successful -- at Number 5 in the chart with 52,000 candidates.
What the current figures don't show is the split between Media Studies and Film Studies. It may well be that the increases relate more to Film than to Media.
The Applied A Level in Media has now reached A2 and there were 567 candidates (slightly more males) of whom 11.3% gained a Grade A. This is a far higher proportion than in other Applied A Levels, but overall Media attracted only 1.7% of entries. At AS numbers rose from 735 in 2006 to 912 and females were back in front and gaining more Grade 'A's. But at AS, only 1.8% of candidates took Media, down from 1.9% in 2006.
Communication Studies at AS/A2 is running at around o.3% of all A Level candidates, showing a slightdecline to 3,261 at AS and a very slight increase to 2,144 at A Level.
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