Related Texts: Websites
Websites can be used in an interesting way for this Area of Study because they create a virtual community - people who are displaced or alientated in reality can find a sense of belonging with like-minded people online.
Websites are places of virtual belonging – no matter how isolated you are, there’s always someone out there who shares your interests.
· AAMI Insurance Australia. Belonging. http://www.belonging.org/ This website is an online exhibition of photos, video and oral histories about the process of migration. Pick two or three elements to dicuss in detail, but don’t forget to discuss the layout and presentation of the site as a whole – eg the division into “people” and “place” or the “timeline” of links that show the process of migration from “arrival” through “dressing to belong” to “work”. This is a brilliant text to use if you are studying Skryznecki, but links well to any text which describes the politics of belonging.
· ABC Television. Choir of Hard Knocks http://www.abc.net.au/tv/hardknocks/default.htm This website supports and ABC documentary about a group of homeless people who formed an award-winning choir. It examines the impact of this sense of belonging on individual people’s lives. As well as analysing the language of the singer’s comments, don’t forget to discuss the colours (what do they symbolise?) and layout of the pages. This is a brilliant text to include if you are studying A Simple Gift, but could be used by anyone whose argument is based on personal aspects of belonging.
· Cabot, Meggin and Pierce, Tamora. Sheroes Central. http://www.sheroescentral.com/ Only 20% of books published today have female heroes This discussion board is a place for fans of female heroes around the world to recommend texts, critique popular culture or air an opinion. Get a feel for the types of composers using the site, analyse the way the discussion threads are grouped and then start looking at a couple of members and the way they are using the site to express themselves (eg register, vocabulary,
· Goldie Dahdal New Media. Long Journey. http://www.abc.net.au/longjourney/index_flash.html.This website collates the experiences of refugee children through short videos organised in four stages: homeland conflict, the journey, detention, and on reflection. Discuss the graphics, structure and layout (including symbolism of colours and barbed wire) as well as the language used by the children.The composers had a very specific audience in mind – who is it and how do the techniques represent belonging to this audience. This text is specially relevant to the study of Skryznecki,
· Indya.com. Six Degrees of Seperation http://www.slideshare.net/bharathi26/six-degrees-of-separation. This slide show (based on John Guare's play) explores the idea that all people on earth are connected by six degrees of separation – someone knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows the original person. It plays with the idea that everyone is connected but the virtual world can be used to reveal these connections
· It gets better Project http://www.itgetsbetter.org/ This website addresses the high rate of suicide for gay and lesbian youth through a blog, news items, links to support services and above all, videos from gay adults telling teens to “hang in there, it gets better”. Discuss the varied ways the site encourages you to take part in this initiative whether or not you are gay. Look for persuasive language, action verbs, imperatives (orders) and other ‘advertising’ features.
· New Moon Magazine http://www.newmoon.com/ This is the website community of an amazing magazine edited (and mostly written) by girls aged 8-14. It very girl-power and includes places to complain about sexism or celebrate girls’ achievements as well as support diversity of all descriptions. The price for membership is because there is no advertising but you don’t have to be a member to enter the site. Have a look at the “future issues” section to see if you’ve written anything Discuss the colours, fonts and layout in relation to the intended audience. Choose 5-6 important elements of content which relate closely to belonging.
· Twenty10. http://www.twenty10.org.au/ This is the website of a support group for gay and lesbian youth. It includes everything from a location search for services such as emergency accommodation and counselling to entertainment and events, including links to external sites (eg an anti-suicide site on youtube) and organisation for next year’s mardi gras float. Talk about the way different types of people are brought together online, no matter how isolated or invisible they are in everyday life as well as the way they have included pages supporting families to create a real-life sense of belonging where it matters most. Mention the symbolism of the fingerprint background and the use of the colour pink (an upside down pink triangle was worn by gay and lesbian people in WWII concentration camps and has since been adopted by the gay community).
