4.04 Make It Memorable

The two assignments in the attached. 

MJ LANGUAGE ARTS III : LIVING INNOVATION : 04.04 MAKE IT MEMORABLE

How Do I Present?

Competition for public attention is high and increasing. This is especially true in an age where anyone with access to the Internet can publish his or her thoughts (whether worth reading or not). There’s just an amazing amount of information available. So when you have a message or idea to share with the world, how do you know the best way to present it?

The answer depends on your topic, purpose, and audience. It also takes into account the advantages and disadvantages of various 

mediums

. Using multiple mediums can help spread the message to the most people possible. Yet that does not mean every medium is suitable for a certain idea.

How Do I Present?

Kristopher Bronner is an American teen. He supports the idea that candy doesn’t have to be made of unnatural foods to be tasty and low priced. He promotes both the innovative candy company he helped form and the idea that teens can change the world. Kris uses several mediums to share his message. Examine these formats to see the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Text

Audio

Video

Graphics

Static Multimedia

Dynamic Multimedia

Summary

Select each tab to learn about various means of presenting information.

Text

( newspaper article, formal report)

Advantage
Writers share in-depth information in a text to fully explain their ideas. People can reread to review details about the topic.

Disadvantage
People must use extended time to read lengthy explanations. A lack of audio or visual clues can lead readers to misinterpret the text’s statements.

Audio

( radio broadcast, podcast)

Advantage
Speakers can use vocal 

inflection

 to show passion for the topic and build excitement.

Disadvantage
Sound recordings lack 

visuals

 that can support a listener’s understanding. Listeners may find it dull if a speaker just reads a report.

Video

( television commercial, TV news segment)

Advantage
Presenters use sights, sounds, and motion to build interest. It can be very engaging and informative for viewers.

Disadvantage
It takes more time and money to create. Presenters cannot guarantee people will watch.

Graphics

( graphs, charts, maps)

Advantage
Graphics can simplify complex ideas into easy-to-view chunks. Colors and shapes can present information in a clear and attractive manner.

Disadvantage
Poorly designed graphics can confuse the viewer rather than aid understanding. Graphics provide the big picture but can lack supportive detail.

Static Multimedia
( posters, billboards)

Advantage
Designers combine written words and images. They can create a short, memorable message.

Disadvantage
People pass by quickly. Designers cannot include much detail. Information must be condensed to grab attention.

Dynamic Multimedia
( PowerPoint presentation, website)

Advantage
Designers can combine text, images, and sounds. The format can engage multiple types of learners. It can include virtually unlimited information.

Disadvantage
Audience must seek out the information. The format can distract from the message if it is too flashy or too outdated.

A Final Message About Mediums

You have seen that information may be shared in several different mediums. Each has its pros and cons. It is wise to share ideas through several different mediums rather than just one. This ensures that your message reaches the widest possible audience.

Evaluating Mediums

Using more than one medium to present information can help deliver the ideas faster to more people. Yet not all formats are equally effective for all people. You are familiar with the pros and cons of each medium. Keep this knowledge in mind as you view two different presentations about DNA fingerprinting—an article and an interactive.

DNA Interactive Text Version

Slide 1

There is an image of DNA strands.

Text:  DNA
DNA—deoxyribonucleic acid—we all have it in every cell of our bodies. DNA is similar to a fingerprint—everybody’s DNA is different. (The only exception is identical twins. They have the same exact DNA.) Scientists and investigators count on DNA analysis for its accuracy. This unique genetic code can be found in all body cells, including hair, skin, and blood.

What if you came home one day and discovered your iPod was not in its usual place? Help us solve the mystery behind a similar scenario.

Slide 2

There is an image of a small desk with a light and a book.

Text: Oh, no! My iPod is not where I left it last night. Where could it be?

Slide 3

There is an image of a bedroom with a green chair, a bed, a desk and an iPod on the floor.

Text: It seems to be on the floor … I should probably pick it up.

Slide 4

There is an image of a cracked iPod.

Text: But. … what is this? There’s a scratch on the screen! And there seems to be … grrrrr … peanut butter remains!!

Slide 5

There is an image of a young girl and a boy in yellow shirts. They are playing in a house.

Text: Well, both of my siblings enjoy eating peanut butter crackers after school. But which one of them did it? Since each human being has a unique DNA code, and they are not identical twins, I am going to do DNA testing to catch the culprit!

Slide 6

There is an image of a bathroom sink with 2 hairbrushes.

Text: Aha! Their hairbrushes are just what I need. I’d better take a closer look …

Slide 7

There is an image of hair in a pink hairbrush and a brown hairbrush.

Text: I know that hair has DNA. I will grab a couple of hair strands and take them into the lab.

Slide 8

There is an image of a laboratory.

Text: Okay, I’m here at the lab. I should open the DNA analyzer…

Slide 9

There is an image of a DNA analyzer and a slide with 2 strands of hair.

Text: I need to place the hair samples I collected earlier into the glass.

Slide 10

There is an image of DNA computer samples and a picture of a young boy and a young girl.

Text: The results are back. Help me select the person who did this terrible damage to my iPod.

(If sister is selected) Hmmm … based on the results, my sister seems to be innocent. Please try again.

(If brother is selected) Guilty!

Slide 11

There is an image of the Daily News newspaper and an older man.

Text: DNA evidence exonerates innocent man after 22 years!

Audio: 22 years ago I was convicted of a crime I did not commit. At the trial, I pleaded innocent. Although my family believed me, the jury did not. The circumstantial evidence was too convincing. I have been in jail for 22 long years. I have missed every family event. Even my lawyer had given up after several appeals. I finally accepted the fact that jail would be my only home when a group called “The Innocence Project” contacted me. They set up a DNA analysis by using a strand of my hair. When they compared my DNA to the DNA at the scene of the crime, it was not a match!  I was free. 

Slide 12

There is an image of the Daily News newspaper and an Egyptian mummy.

Text: DNA Extracted from 3000-year-old mummy!

Audio: 3400 years ago, I walked this earth. I lived in Egypt and lived and breathed, just like you do- except that I was Pharaoh. When I died, my family had my body mummified to preserve my tissue, skin, and organs. A new pharaoh took over after my death, and to preserve his power, he erased all information about my family and me from history. For 3400 years, my family was forgotten until one day a group of archeologist found me in my sarcophagus. Using CT scans, they figured out that I was Tutankhamen. You might know me as King Tut.  By analyzing the DNA of a group of mummies, they figured out who my family members were.  DNA analysis reunited my family in historically, 3400 years after our deaths.

Slide 13

There is an image of the Daily News newspaper and a two teens.

Text: DNA testing improves health!

Audio: My daily diet? Well … there is nothing I like better than doughnuts for breakfast, a big juicy hamburger for lunch and pizza night with my friends … yum!  All this changed when I had my DNA analyzed. The biologist informed me that the sequencing in my genetic code revealed a dangerous possibility- I was at risk for developing diabetes in my later life!  Armed with this information, I started exercising every day and eating my veggies- just like my mom always told me to do. I feel terrific knowing that I am doing what is best for my future me. 

Slide 14

There is an image of a computer and a hand pointing to the computerized DNA image. 

Text: Since the start of DNA analysis, investigators needed a way to keep track of all the data they were collecting from crime scenes. So the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice developed what’s called the Combined DNA Index System, or “CODIS” for short. CODIS is a database of DNA records of convicted offenders. It is used worldwide to share and compare DNA data. Any forensics laboratory can use CODIS for free to run a DNA sample against the database to see if there are any matches. Once a criminal’s DNA code is in the system, it remains there for identification in future crimes.

Is DNA forensic analysis reliable? Guilty as charged.

Kathryn Holmes, Department of Justice

What if you came home one day and discovered your iPod was not in its usual place? Instead of resting on your nightstand, you found it tossed on the floor with a big scratch on the screen. First, you would examine the scene. Picking the iPod up, you see it has a peanut butter smudge on it. That’s when you start making a mental list of potential iPod-scratching suspects. Since you have a little brother and sister whose favorite afternoon snack is peanut butter crackers, you determine they are the prime suspects. But which one committed this offense? You storm down the stairs to begin your investigation.

When law enforcement is faced with a real crime and must analyze a crime scene, they take a much more detailed approach. Using science and technology, they can conduct what is called a forensic analysis. For example, the police might find written documents and have the handwriting analyzed by an expert. They can even use ballistics testing to examine markings on a bullet to see if it was fired from a suspect’s weapon.

But out of all the methods, the most reliable forensic technique police use is called DNA fingerprinting. As opposed to traditional fingerprinting in which the actual fingerprints are lifted from the crime scene, this type of fingerprinting looks inside the cell of a human being to determine who committed the crime.

Scientists and investigators count on DNA fingerprinting for its accuracy. That’s because DNA is similar to a fingerprint — everybody’s DNA is different. (The only exception is identical twins. They have the exact same DNA.) This unique genetic code can be found in all body cells, including hair, skin, and blood. That means investigators can examine these types of evidence found at the scene of the crime, with the hopes of matching it to a suspect’s DNA.

Although it is widely used today, DNA analysis technology has not always been around. Scientists developed this method in the 1980s. Since then, police and investigators have used it to help convict criminals and solve numerous crimes. This technology has proven useful in solving cold cases, too. Those are cases that were previously thought to be unsolvable.

1.

But DNA analysis isn’t just for convicting criminals. Over the past few decades, it has been used to help free prisoners who were wrongly convicted of a crime. Some of these prisoners were even on death row. Archeology is another profession that uses DNA analysis. Ancient peoples are studied using DNA samples taken from 3,000-year-old mummies. The scientists determine interesting characteristics, such as the health of the Egyptian family lineage. A more recent use of DNA analysis involves preventing health problems before they start. If a person’s DNA indicates that he or she has a propensity for heart problems, he or she could start exercising and eating well in order to avoid getting sick.

Since the start of DNA analysis, investigators needed a way to keep track of all the data they were collecting from crime scenes. So the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice developed what’s called the “Combined DNA Index System,” or “CODIS” for short. CODIS is a database of DNA records of convicted offenders. It is used worldwide to share and compare DNA data. Any forensics laboratory can use CODIS for free to run a DNA sample against the database to see if there are any matches. Once a criminal’s DNA code is in the system, it remains there for identification in future crimes.

Although DNA fingerprinting would not really be used to solve the mystery of the scratched iPod, for more serious matters, investigators around the world agree — when it comes to reliability, DNA analysis is guilty as charged.

04.04 Make It Memorable

Directions: View the 

grading rubric

 as you complete your work. Write a reflection about the two DNA presentations.

1. Review the DNA article and interactive in the lesson.

2. Write a paragraph of at least five complete sentences that answers the following questions:

· What are the advantages and disadvantages of each medium used for the DNA information?

· Why can it be helpful to present ideas in more than one medium?

· Which medium did you like better and why?

· Which medium do you feel taught you the information better and why?

· How do your answers compare with those of your classmates based on the poll results?

3. Save your work to your computer or drive.
4. Submit your work in 04.04 Make It Memorable.

Read and complete the activities in Module 4.04.

 

You will look at the advantages and disadvantages of using various types of media to communicate your ideas:

1.  What does the term “medium” mean when used in the text?

2.  What are the two purposes the author has to consider when communicating ideas?

3.  What does the author mean by this statement: “Using multiple mediums can help spread the message to the most people possible. Yet that does not mean every medium is suitable for a certain idea.”

4.  What are some ways the topic, purpose, and audience of a message influence the way it is communicated?

5.  Create a chart that compares the advantages and disadvantages of types of media.

Comparing Types of Media 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Type of Medium	Advantages	Disadvantages
Text
Audio
Video
Graphics
Static
Dynamic