Listen Up!

While looking at the ListenUp website i found that it was a very professional looking site, but also that it wasn't exactly user friendly. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to naviagte the site which makes me think that if a teenager were to stubble on to this site, they may not take the time to learn the site. Of course by me saying this im making the assumption that teens need something to be fun and colorful inorder to be interested in it. but thats not what i mean. what i mean is that i normally would consider myself a "digital native" but i had trouble using the site at first, and i know that when i get frustrated online i just go to a new page. but thats just me.

While browsing the site, I found some videos that were just sort of funny, and then Nick recommended Resurrection which was a brilliantly horrifying video about a man try to play God. his son falls down the stairs and breaks his neck which kills him. The man injects a chemical into the sons arm which causes him to come back to life....kind of. he basically becomes a freaky zombie and kills his mom and another girl in the park. When the dad finds the boy in the park he shoots him, thinking that he has undone his mistake. yet when he gets home he discovers that his wife managed to inject herself before she died, so of course she comes back to life and hits her husband over the head with a hammer. first off the sound that makes made me cringe. second of all i took this as saying that there are something things in life that you should not try to change. Things happen for a reason and if you try to change it something bad will happen.

Another amazing video was Queens of NY which is about a 17 yr old girl who went out and interviewed drag queens of New York City. it was very impressive that this girl made the connection between herself and the Queens. Not because she was a Queen but because in her mind they both did not fit into the dominant culture, but at the same did not want to change who they were inorder to mold themselves into "normal." this was a fantastic video.

here are some other videos that were pretty cool
A Kids expericence in Zombie land

Locks of Gold I really liked this one. its narrated by a girl and she talking about kids who donate their hair to the Locks of Love organization, which is one that ive worked with in the past.

Delbert is quite possible the cutest movie about a child's imagination and their abiltiy to make frineds. its not in english but there are subtitles. however i think i would understand even if there werent.

And now that i've figured out how to use this site, i think it may become one of the ones i visit often.