Frank W. Baker media educator
Media Literacy Clearinghousehttp://www.frankwbaker.com
Media Literacy: One of the 21st Century Literacy Skills
All Students Need
“Best Practices” Workshops
December 6 (elementary)December 7 (secondary)
ColumbiaBrooklyn Baptist Church Conference Ctr.
Registration: SDE Website
Multi-modal literacies (NCTE)
“From an early age, students are very sophisticated readers and producers of multi-modal work. They can be helped to understand how these works make meaning, how they are based on conventions, and how they are created for and respond to specific communities or audiences.”
2005 Declaration, NCTE Executive Committee
Media literacy 101 “ “It would be a breach of our duties as It would be a breach of our duties as
teachers for us to ignore the rhetorical teachers for us to ignore the rhetorical power of visual forms of media in power of visual forms of media in combination with text and sound…the combination with text and sound…the critical media literacy we need to teach critical media literacy we need to teach must include evaluation of these media, must include evaluation of these media, lest our students fail to see, understand, lest our students fail to see, understand, and learn to harness and learn to harness the persuasive power of visual media.” the persuasive power of visual media.”
NCTE Resolution on Visual/Media LiteracyNCTE Resolution on Visual/Media Literacy
Endorsing media literacy American Association of School LibrariansAmerican Association of School Librarians
Annenberg Public Policy CenterAnnenberg Public Policy CenterCarnegie Commission on Adolescent DevelopmentCarnegie Commission on Adolescent DevelopmentCenter for Substance Abuse Prevention Center for Substance Abuse Prevention International Reading Association International Reading Association National Board for Professional Teaching StandardsNational Board for Professional Teaching StandardsNational Council for Teachers of English National Council for Teachers of English National Council for the Social Studies National Council for the Social Studies National Middle School Association National Middle School Association National PTANational PTANorth Central Regional Educational Laboratory North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NcREL)(NcREL)Office of National Drug Control PolicyOffice of National Drug Control PolicyPartnership for 21st Century SkillsPartnership for 21st Century Skills
SC ELA Standards: Viewing
“Every day, students come in contact with media and technology. The challenge is to help them make sense of it all and respond personally, critically, and creatively.The inclusion of viewing recognizes the powerful force of visual media in the 21st century. ..”
SC ELA Standards: Viewing
“…..Teachers must be comfortable with integrating viewing into instruction. This can be achieved by teaching, for example, how to read a photograph, the techniques of persuasion in advertising, the language of film, criticaltelevision viewing skills, information/technology literacy and more.”
Generation M
multi-taskersmulti-taskers
What are they doing on line? 87% of U.S. teens between 12 and 17 years
of age use the Internet; just 66% of adults do so;
81% of teen Internet users play games online;
76% get news online; 51% of teen Internet users say they go online
on a daily basis; 43% have made purchases online; and 31% use the Internet to get health info
Source: “Teens and Technology: Youth Are Leading the Transition to a Fully Wired and Mobile Nation” (2005) & "Life Online: Teens and Technology and the World to Come," (2006)
“Our students are growing up in a world saturated with media messages…yet, they (and their teachers) receive little or no training in the skills of analyzing or re-evaluating these messages, many of which make use of language, moving images, music, sound effects.” R.Hobbs, Journal Adult & Adolescent Literacy, February 2004
“While more young people have access to the Internet and other media than any generation in history, they do not necessarily possess the ethics, the intellectual skills, or the predisposition to critically analyze and evaluate ……. these technologies or the information they encounter. Good hand/eye co-ordination and the ability to multitask are not substitutes for critical thinking.” Dr. David Considine, Appalachian State Univ.
Writing activity
What is media literacy?
video
Defining media literacy Media literacy is concerned with helping
students develop an informed and critical understanding of the nature of mass media, the techniques used by them, and the impact of these techniques. More specifically, it is education that aims to increase the students' understanding and enjoyment of how the media work, how they produce meaning, how they are organized, and how they construct reality. Media literacy also aims to provide students with the ability to create media products. Media Literacy Resource Guide, Ministry of Education Ontario, 1997
All media are constructions of reality
Media literacy’s rules
Media are constructed using unique languages with their own set of rules
Language of Instant Messaging
BRB= be right backHW= homeworkTTYL= talk to you laterLOL= laughing out loud
Media literacy’s rules Media convey values and points of view
Media literacy’s rules
Audiences negotiate meaning
Media literacy’s rules
Media= power & profitFOX (News Corp) FOX (News Corp) NBC (NBC/Universal)NBC (NBC/Universal)CBS CBS ABC (Disney)ABC (Disney)CNN (AOL/Time Warner)CNN (AOL/Time Warner)VIACOMVIACOM
Media literacy’s rules
Media contain ideological and value messages
Media have social and political implications Form and content are closely related Each medium has a unique and aesthetic
form
Source: Media Literacy Resource Guide, Ontario Ministry of Education, Toronto
Critical inquiry: asking questions
Who produced/created the message? For what purpose was it produced? Who is the ‘target audience’? What techniques are used to attract
attention; increase believability?
Techniques
Techniques
Techniques
Katie Couric “slimmed” for CBS promo
Techniques
Techniques
How do you know this is a fake website?
Product placement techniques
Critical inquiry: asking questions
Who or what is left out; why? Who benefits from the message
being communicated in this way? What lifestyle is promoted? How do you know what it means? Where can you go to verify the info?
Let’s take a look at some images
Media lit in SC Teaching Standards
ENGLISHENGLISHLanguage ArtsLanguage Arts
SOCIAL SOCIAL STUDIESSTUDIES
HEALTH
Communication:Communication:VIEWINGVIEWING
Demonstrate the Demonstrate the ability to analyze and ability to analyze and evaluate the evaluate the effectiveness of the effectiveness of the techniques used in techniques used in non-print sources for non-print sources for a particular a particular audience.audience.
PropagandaPropagandaMass mediaMass media
EconomicsEconomicsthe influence of the influence of advertising on advertising on
consumer choicesconsumer choices
Food SelectionFood SelectionBody ImageBody Image
Alcohol & tobacco Alcohol & tobacco advertising andadvertising andmarketing techniquesmarketing techniques
Teaching in the 21st century
"If video is how we are communicating and persuading in this new century, why aren't more students writing screenplays as part of their schoolwork?" Heidi Hayes Jacob
April 2004
The languages of TV & Film
Camerasa) Movement b) positioning c) use of lens Lights Audio (includes music, sound effects) Editing (post production; special effects) Set design Actors: wardrobes; expressions
Examples
Cell phone ad scriptToy ad writing activitiesPolitics Bush KerryFilm: Because of Winn Dixie
Tuck Everlasting To Kill A Mockingbird
Activity
Using the newspaper
What is the role of the school library media
specialist in promoting media literacy?
Recommendations
Help students learn how to be critical viewers
Help students learn how to use critical inquiry skills- questioning
Help teachers appreciate teaching WITH media, but also teaching ABOUT media
Consider writing about media literacy in school and/or parent newsletter
Recommendations
Acquire materials which correlate to standards
Include media literacy in teacher training Create bulletin boards which promote
better understanding of media literacy and media issues
Start files on ads or news stories on media topics