Learning card

Critical analysis of online reviews

Description

Students learn to distinguish the elements that constitute a good critical evaluation. They learn to identify false or weak arguments through the critical analysis of reviews of products, goods or services in different online platforms (blogs, YouTube, Amazon, Rotten Tomatoes, Goodreads, IMDB, etc.). This activity can be used for books, music, series, products, movies, etc.

Tag
  • Blog
  • Book
  • Comic
  • Fashion
  • Music
  • Social Media
  • TV series
  • Video
Skills

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SKILLS

  • Search, select and download

MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

  • Evaluate and reflect

NARRATIVE AND AESTHETICS SKILLS

  • Play
  • Recognize and describe
  • Compare
  • Evaluate and reflect

IDEOLOGY AND ETHICS SKILLS

  • Evaluate and reflect
  • Carry out and apply

 

Learning areas
  • Language
Card language
  • Spanish
  • English

Structure

Sessions
2 (Variable – the number of sessions can vary according to the time available)
Duration
50’ (Variable)
Number of participants
10-30
Age
  • 10-13
  • 14-16
  • 17-18
Materials
  • Computer
  • Internet
  • Post-its
  • Cardboard
  • Papel
  • Sheets

Process

Key questions
  • What are the basic characteristics of a review? How can I summarize the good and bad aspects of a product or service?
  • What are the main elements of a good review?
  • What analytical tools are available for making a review?
  • Why do we need criteria to make a good argument?
  • How do we structure an argument within a review?
  • How can the different types of platforms and languages affect the format of a review?
Development

The first step is to select a product (TV series, movie, CD, a song ...) that has online reviews (e.g. on Amazon, Rotten Tomatoes, Goodreads, YouTube ...). Since we are going to focus on the quality of the argument, choose something that the students are already familiar with. (20’).

Organize small groups (3 or 4 people) in which to search for and select at least 5 product reviews on blogs (video blogs). Ask students to search and compare. Each group needs to analyse:

Type of language used:

-    Style

-    Types of argumentation

-    Rhetorical figures

-    Voice

What does the review say and what does it not say?

What aspects of the cultural product are revealed?

-    Ideological, cultural or racial bias

How are the arguments organized?

-   Types of arguments

-   Do they use false information?

(Duration 30’).

Each group presents its results to the rest. Encourage debate, highlighting coincidences and differences. Ask if the platform or language (video, blog, review on social networks) changes the content of the review. (30’).

The whole class should create a list of key traits of the good critic, highlighting all the recommendations that we should use when we review a product. (20’).

Evaluation

First, each group evaluates what the other groups have done according to what they learned during the sessions. Second, the teacher evaluates, comments and completes the list of traits proposed by the students.

References for professors
Author

Maria-José Establés. Universitat Pompeu Fabra – Barcelona (Spain), mariajose.estables@upf.edu

José Miguel Tomasena. Universitat Pompeu Fabra – Barcelona (Spain), contacto@jmtomasena.com

  • Blog
  • Book
  • Comic
  • Fashion
  • Music
  • Social Media
  • TV series
  • Video