Our holiday-themed topics were a big hit last week, so we're continuing with a new batch of hot topic choices. This week's selections are based on ideas and events that came to our attention over the course of the last week. We have tried to include some links to get you started. The holidays offer many opportunities for discussions around rich and meaningful texts. We hope to use these "teachable moments" to think critically about our interactions with these texts so that we can better understand our relationship to them, their beauty, and why they mean so much to us. We also hope to examine how these qualities are used to persuade, convince and sell. Please share any links you find with us during the chat or any time using the #K12Media hashtag.

Last week's discussion was lively (and blog posts are coming soon) so we hope you'll vote and join us on Monday December 5 at 8pm on Twitter for #K12Media. Please choose from the topics below!

Hot Topic 1: T’is the Season for Giving…

Mashable recently published “5 Companies Giving Back Online for the Holidays” and everywhere we look we’re seeing a push to donate to worthwhile causes. Corporations are at the forefront of many of these campaigns which raise much-needed funds. How do these campaigns work? Who benefits? What techniques are used to persuade people to give? How are incentives used in these campaigns, and is it really giving if we expect something in return? Let’s take a closer look at one way in which the holidays are used as a marketing tool.

Hot Topic 2: Holiday Television

The networks recently released their holiday programming for this year. How do holiday movies/specials evoke a sense of nostalgia? What are some of the codes and conventions of holiday programming? Which holidays are represented? Which are missing? How does the repeating of holiday classics influence the population’s feelings about Christmas?

Hot Topic 3: Christmas Intersectionality

The holidays have their own sets of issues related to race, class, gender and more. A predominant Christmas icon is Santa (white, male, wealthy). Advertisers present us with ever more sentimental images of heterosexual families, sitting with their children (and dog) in front of a roaring fire by the Christmas tree. How might we, as teachers discuss issues of equity and diversity within this context? What can we do in our classrooms to promote a more equitable treatment of the holidays?

Image by: http://christmasstockimages.com/free/christmas-trees/slides/budget_christmas.htm