What Every Media Specialist Should Know About Media

What Every Media Specialist Should Know About Media Literacy Frank W. Baker Fbaker 1346@aol. com Media Literacy Clearinghouse www. frankwbaker. com

What Every Media Specialist Should Know About Media Literacy Generation M= multi-taskers

What Every Media Specialist Should Know About Media Literacy

What Every Media Specialist Should Know About Media Literacy “As film, TV, video, and other moving image and sound formats continue to pervade and shape our lives, the ability to understand how these media ‘work’ and how they impact our lives is crucial for all librarians. ” Lori Widzinski, University of Buffalo Studies In Media & Information Literacy Education (SIMILE)

What Every Media Specialist Should Know About Media Literacy Students "spend lots of time chatting, looking at pop culture web sites, and downloading MP 3 s, but they don’t deal with critical evaluation of information. " Donald Leu University of Conn. Teaching With The Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times

What Every Media Specialist Should Know About Media Literacy "We spend a lot of time teaching kids to find things on the Net, but we need to expend 10 times more effort teaching them how to interpret what they've found. " Alan November, Education Technology Consultant (quoted in Edutopia: October 2006)

What Every Media Specialist Should Know About Media Literacy “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 their relationship with 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, media educator, Appalachian State University

What Every Media Specialist Should Know About Media Literacy What media literacy means n Where it fits in Ohio’s Academic Standards n What it looks like in the classroom n What resources are available n What your role is in promoting it n

What Every Media Specialist Should Know About Media Literacy Write a definition of “media literacy”

What media literacy means 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.

What media literacy is: n n n n n Set of skills, knowledge, & abilities Awareness of personal media habits Understanding of how media works Appreciation of media’s power/influence Ability to discern; critically question/view How meaning is created in media Healthy skepticism Access to media Ability to produce & create media

What media literacy is not: media bashing n “protection” against media n just about television n just TV production n how to use AV equipment n only teaching with media; it is also teaching about the media n

Media literacy: Ohio standards ELA SOCIAL STUDIES HEALTH ART LIBRARY MEDIA

So what does media literacy look like in the classroom? ELEMENTARY SECONDARY

ML Core Concepts 1. All media messages are constructed 2. Media use languages with their own set of rules 3. Media convey values & points-of-view 4. Different people see the same media message differently 5. Media: power and profit Source: Center for Media Literacy www. medialit. org

1. All Media Are Constructed media construct reality

2. Media use languages with their own set of rules The Language of IM BRB Be Right Back PIR Parents In Room LOL Laughing out Loud The Language of Film Cameras Lights Audio (sound, music) Editing Set Design Costume Actors’ expressions Makeup

"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

3. Media convey values & points-of-view

4. Different people experience the same media differently

5. Media= power + profit FOX (News Corp) NBC (NBC/Universal) CBS ABC (Disney) CNN (AOL/Time Warner) VIACOM

What would your students say is the purpose of television ?

The following program is brought to you by the sponsor. You are brought to the sponsor by the program.

Critical inquiry: questioning n n n Who produced and/or paid for the message? What is the purpose of the message? Who is the ‘target audience’ ? What techniques are used to both attract attention and increase believability? Which lifestyles are promoted and why? Does the message contain bias or stereotypes?

Critical inquiry: questioning Why is this message being sent? n Who stands to benefit from the message? n Who or what might be omitted and why? n How might different people interpret the message differently from me? n What can I do with the information I obtain from the message? n What do you know; not know; like to know? n

Visual literacy

Analyzing advertising

The languages of TV & film n n n CAMERAS a. lens b. position c. movement LIGHTING SOUND (music) EDITING SET DESIGN COSTUME; MAKEUP; EXPRESSION

Camera position Jack & The Beanstalk To Kill A Mockingbird

Expressions Images from Disney’s Finding Nemo

Deconstructing commercials Cell phone Script Toys Script Politics

Analyzing film Opening Pocket Watch Fear

Resources The Media Literacy Clearinghouse www. frankwbaker. com Center for Media Literacy www. medialit. org The Media Awareness Network www. media-awareness. ca

Capstone Press (Grades 3 -5)

What can SLMS do? Help students learn how to be critical viewers n Help students learn how to use critical inquiry skills- questioning n Help teachers appreciate teaching WITH media, but also teaching ABOUT media n Consider writing about media literacy in school and/or parent newsletter n

What can SLMS do? n n 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