Hobbs offers seven instructional strategies for exploring popular culture in the classroom using iCarly

1.
Seven
Instructional
Strategies
for
Exploring
iCarly
By
Renee
Hobbs
These
activities
can
help
you
support
the
critical
thinking
and
communication
skills
of
students
in
middle
and
high
school,
college/university
and
teacher
education
while
modeling
seven
instructional
practices
of
digital
and
media
literacy
education.
1. REFLECT
ON
YOUR
EXPERIENCE
WITH
iCARLY.
After
watching
the
opening
sequence
of
iCarly,
offer
your
reflections
on
the
show
through
informal
writing
combined
with
pair-­‐share
discussion.
Consider
exploring
these
questions:
a. Have
you
seen
this
show
before?
What
do
you
remember
about
show?
What
is
the
typical
situation
or
context
in
which
you
view
it?
Do
you
watch
alone
or
with
others?
In
what
room
of
the
house?
What
other
Nick
shows
do
you
enjoy?
b. What
are
your
expectations
about
the
show?
Which
character
will
you
like
the
best?
What’s
likely
to
happen
in
the
story?
Will
you
enjoy
this
show?
Why
or
why
not?
2. VIEW
AND
DISCUSS.
In
a
small
group,
discuss
one
episode
of
iCarly.
Use
the
media
literacy
Remote
Control
to
guide
your
discussion.
Share
your
own
ideas
and
listen
to
those
of
your
team
members.
Ask
“why”
and
“how”
questions
to
encourage
deeper
reflection.
Document
key
ideas
and
share
them
with
the
class.
3. CLOSE
ANALYSIS.
Watch
one
short
clip
from
the
iCarly
clip
folder.
Work
with
a
partner
to
watch
and
listen
carefully
to
the
laugh
track
to
identify
five
different
types
of
humor
(visual,
insult,
slapstick,
wordplay,
running
gag).
Then
view
the
same
clip
again
to
explore
how
various
social
roles
(parent-­‐child,
man-­‐woman,
boy-­‐girl,
teacher-­‐student,
friend-­‐enemy)
are
represented.
Finally,
view
the
clip
again
to
see
how
different
types
of
technologies
are
depicted.
Ask:
what
is
the
technology
used
for?
What
deeper
significance
might
it
have?
4. INFORMATION
SEARCH
AND
EVALUATION
STRATEGIES.
Select
one
of
the
following
activities
–
but
be
sure
to
comprehensively
document
your
search
journey.
First,
talk
over
a
plan
for
your
research
with
your
team
members.
Then
use
an
online
search
engine
to
find
relevant
information.
Keep
track
of
all
of
the
keywords
you
use
as
you
search.
Using
cut-­‐and-­‐
paste,
create
a
list
of
all
the
URLs
you
visit,
including
ones
that
are
useful
and
the
ones
that
are
not
useful.
As
you
gain
information,
make
detailed
notes
to
capture
what
you
learn
from
each
resource
you
review.
Remember—research
is
a
process.
Reflecting
on
how
you
find
information
is
as
important
as
what
you
find.
Be
prepared
to
describe
the
process
you
used
to
gather
information—and
what
you
learned
from
the
search
process
itself.
a) Find
out
more
about
the
show’s
producer,
Dan
Schneider.
How
much
money
does
he
earn
for
producing
iCarly?
What
exactly
does
an
executive
producer
do?
b) Name
five
products
that
are
advertised
on
the
Nickelodeon
website.
Find
out
how
much
Nick
charges
for
a
30-­‐second
ad
on
iCarly
or
a
banner
ad
on
the
website.
Interview
your
friends
to
see
if
they
have
purchased
or
used
any
of
the
advertised
products
and
find
out
their
opinions
about
the
goods
and
services.
c) What
can
you
learn
about
Jeannette
McCurdy,
the
actress
who
plays
Sam,
by
watching
three
YouTube
video
clips?
What
can
you
learn
about
her
by
finding
and
reading
three
different
websites?

2.
Seven
Instructional
Strategies
for
Exploring
iCarly
d) New
fanzine
companies
offer
online
video
content
about
teen
actors
featured
on
iCarly.
Compare
and
contrast
Clevver
TV
(www.clevvertv.com)
and
Fanlala
(www.fanlala.com)
to
discover
similarities
and
differences
in
how
they
represent
Miranda
Cosgrove,
the
actress
who
plays
Carly.
Consider
how
these
two
websites
structure
the
online
experience
for
fans.
e) What
famous
actors
have
had
guest
appearances
on
iCarly?
What
different
reasons
might
motivate
an
actor
to
choose
to
appear
on
the
show?
f) Watch
three
videos
created
by
people
who
“hate”
iCarly
and
make
a
list
of
the
specific
reasons
they
dislike
the
show.
Offer
your
own
opinion
about
their
ideas
and
their
possible
motivations
for
expressing
their
dislike
of
the
show.
5. CROSS-­‐MEDIA
COMPARISON.
Compare
and
contrast
an
episode
of
iCarly
with
an
episode
of
Rocket
Power,
which
was
broadcast
on
Nickelodeon
from
1999
–
2004.
As
you
view,
make
a
list
of
similarities
and
differences
and
use
a
Venn
diagram
to
represent
the
patterns
you
notice.
In
a
small
group,
discuss
the
significance
of
the
similarities
and
differences
you
observe.
6. GAMING,
SIMULATION
&
ROLE-­‐PLAYING.
Be
the
online
game
producer
for
iCarly.
After
viewing
an
example
of
a
game
based
on
iCarly,
work
with
a
partner
to
brainstorm
a
new
type
of
game
based
on
iCarly—an
educational
game.
Think
about
your
target
audience
and
your
purpose
as
you
brainstorm
ideas.
Be
prepared
to
share
the
best
ideas
with
the
class.
7. MULTIMEDIA
COMPOSITION.
Contribute
to
new
knowledge
by
developing
an
original
argument
that
uses
evidence
and
reasoning
about
some
aspect
of
Nickelodeon’s
iCarly.
a. Paper.
The
website
should
include
a
1000
-­‐
1500
word
summary
of
the
project,
well-­‐
formulated
to
include
(1)
a
rationale,
(2)
a
strategic
connection
to
the
work
of
other
scholars,
(3)
clearly
stated
research
questions,
(4)
careful
description
of
the
project's
approach
to
gathering
data/methodology,
(5)
a
well-­‐organized
presentation
of
evidence
and
results,
and
(5)
thoughtful
discussion
of
key
findings
which
integrates
the
thesis
statement
with
evidence
from
the
research
project
and
readings.
b. Presentation.
The
oral
presentation
offers
a
cogent
summary
of
the
key
thesis
statement
and
supporting
ideas,
presented
in
a
way
that
demonstrates
professionalism
and
credibility,
using
multimedia
support
materials
that
enhance
the
audience's
understanding
of
the
main
argument.