We Didn't Start the Fire
I'm very intrigued with the We Didn't Start the Fire video on Teacher Tube. For this video clearly demonstrates creative thinking. Consider the amount of research that the developers of the video had to do to find the precise pictures that they wanted to use. One question that I'm thinking about is does the video demonstrate the highest levels of critical thought? I don't think so. But, what would the developers have had to included to demonstrate this kind of thought?
Could teachers use this video to promote the highest levels of critical thinking? How?
What kinds of assignments does this video inspire you to create for your students?
posted by Andrew Pass @ 5:26 AM
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At first I was insulted, it appeared that the Rosa Parks issue was made inot a south park mockery. but as the video rolled it was intriging and I became curious as to some of the people or parks of history I did not know. As assignmnents go, how would they continue the song into the 90s and the 2000s. could they research and find positive events...or did anything positive or world changing happen because of the people and history sited in this video. it kept my interest...but it might go too far back for High schoolers.
I wasn't terrifically impressed with the video. Yes, it was a significant amount of work to find the images (by the way, are they all used legally?), but I didn't find them particularly provocative. I never knew what some items in the song referred to (I can still sing along with—it came out during my formative years), and the images helped place those for me, and that was mainly what I liked about the video.
I'm bothered by the title—this is in no way a history of the US, not even of the whole 20th century. I have an issue about titles being accurate to content (I think they should be).
In terms of using this to prompt critical thinking, I think a discussion of the choices Billy Joel made would be interesting. For example, I don't believe there's any mention of the formation of the State of Israel in 1948, or any mention of the 1967 War, the Yom Kippur war, or other world events that are very significant to Jews. On the other hand, Joel included "rock and roller Cola wars," which I doubt our students today would have any clue about, it's so insignificant in history. It would be interesting to discuss how that was a big deal when the song was written, and how history diminished its significance quickly and completely. What do we care about a lot today that we'll probably have forgotten about as completely in 20 years?
As for an assignment inspired by this video, I'd ask them to think about how they'd create a montage about the history of Israel, or the Jews of Europe, or the Jews of America, or the Reform Movement, or whatever my subject was. I'd ask them to create one, and explain why they choose whatever music they choose to accompany it (it wouldn't be a one-to-one correspondence like this one, most likely).
If I felt like being really provocative and possibly making trouble for myself, I might assign them to make a montage to go with Teapacks' "Push the Button" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_h_rLKTLvs).
That could be a really amazing and incredibly provocative video—the song is itself provocative, way more than "We Didn't Start the Fire" ever was.
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