Meeting Students Where They Are With Media Literacy: Critical Thinking for 21st Century Learning...

Meeting Students Where They Meeting Students Where They Are With Media Literacy: Are With Media Literacy:

Critical Thinking for Critical Thinking for 21st Century Learning21st Century Learning

Frank W. BakerFrank W. Baker

fbaker1346@aol.comfbaker1346@aol.com

“ “Being literate in contemporary society Being literate in contemporary society means being means being active, critical, and active, critical, and creative userscreative users not only of print and not only of print and spoken language but also of the visual spoken language but also of the visual language of film and television, commercial language of film and television, commercial and political advertising, photography, and and political advertising, photography, and more. Teaching students how more. Teaching students how to interpret to interpret and create visual textsand create visual texts such as such as illustrations, charts, graphs, electronic illustrations, charts, graphs, electronic displays, photographs, film, and video is displays, photographs, film, and video is another another essential componentessential component of the of the English language arts curriculum. Visual English language arts curriculum. Visual communication is part of the fabric of communication is part of the fabric of contemporary life….”contemporary life….”

“…“….We must therefore challenge .We must therefore challenge students to students to analyze critically the analyze critically the texts they viewtexts they view and to integrate and to integrate their visual knowledge with their their visual knowledge with their knowledge of other forms of knowledge of other forms of language. By studying how visual language. By studying how visual texts work, students learn to employ texts work, students learn to employ visual media as another powerful visual media as another powerful means of communication.”means of communication.”

Source: NCTE/IRA Standards for The English Language ArtsSource: NCTE/IRA Standards for The English Language Arts

http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/Sample/StandardsDoc.pdfhttp://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/Sample/StandardsDoc.pdf

New skills are required of students in writing New skills are required of students in writing and communicationand communication, different from those of even a , different from those of even a few years ago. Students and teachers both are few years ago. Students and teachers both are finding it necessary to be technologically adept, to be finding it necessary to be technologically adept, to be able to collaborate on a global scale and to able to collaborate on a global scale and to understand content and media designunderstand content and media design. Issues of . Issues of assessment and integration of assessment and integration of new literaciesnew literacies across across the curriculum, and of teacher training, are the curriculum, and of teacher training, are complicated by the overarching need for a fuller complicated by the overarching need for a fuller understanding of what constitutes new literacy skills.understanding of what constitutes new literacy skills.

Critical challengesCritical challenges# 1 There is a growing need for # 1 There is a growing need for

formal instruction in key new skills, formal instruction in key new skills, including information literacy, including information literacy,

visual literacy, andvisual literacy, andtechnological literacy.technological literacy.

Media SmartsMedia Smarts

““With words, music, photos With words, music, photos and and videos, students are videos, students are expressing themselves expressing themselves by creating, by creating, manipulating manipulating and sharing content and sharing content online .” online .”

“ “ In light of the study In light of the study findings, school findings, school districts may want to districts may want to consider reexamining consider reexamining their policies and their policies and practices and explore practices and explore ways in which they ways in which they could use social could use social networking for networking for educational educational purposes.” purposes.”

““technology officials technology officials should find ways to should find ways to send homework, send homework, video lectures, and video lectures, and other classroom other classroom material so students material so students can study wherever can study wherever they are.”they are.”

Arne DuncanArne DuncanUS Secretary of EducationUS Secretary of Education

Creating “The Invisible Man”Creating “The Invisible Man”

Join me later todayJoin me later today

Frank W. BakerFrank W. Baker

fbaker1346@aol.comfbaker1346@aol.com

Media Literacy ClearinghouseMedia Literacy Clearinghouse

www.frankwbaker.comwww.frankwbaker.com