Media Literacy

Teaching kids to intelligently navigate the information highway.

Media Literacy - Overview of presentation

» Definition» Importance» Teaching points» Resources» Question and answer

Definition 1

» ･ The ability to read, analyze, evaluate and produce communication in a variety of media forms (television, print, radio, computers, etc.).www.pbs.org/weta/myjourneyhome/teachers/glossary.html

Definition 2» ･Media literacy is the skill of

understanding the nature of communications, particularly in regard to telecommunications and mass media. The skill entails knowledge of the structural features of the media, and how these might tend to influence the content of the media. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_literacy

Importance

» How do our students learn to make sense of their worlds when so much of their information arrives distorted through the "looking glass" of mass media?

» Journalistic ethics are often "put out to pasture" and left to rust in the chase after ratings and profits.(http://www.fno.org/jun99/media.html)

Importance

» The Internet Explosion » There are at least 600 billion web

sites (“billions and billions”)» Search engines or directories

typically access “only” 6 billion» Typical students usually look at the

first few entries

One exampleA true story - source

» Educational Renaissance Planners - founded by Alan November to promote the effective use of information and communication technologies that support and enhance learning for children and communities.(http://www.anovember.com)

“How the Holocaust didn’t happen”

» http://pubweb.acns.nwu.edu/~abutz/index.html

» Arthur Butz, author, Professor at Northwestern University

Addressing Media Literacy

» Author credibility» Format and presentation» Scope» Cost and accessibility» Final considerations

Author credibility

» Backwards navigate http://pubweb.acns.nwu.edu/~abutz/index.html

» Author search:Ask JeevesGoogleProfusion

Author credibility

» Grammatical or spelling errors?» Sources of information available?» Bias and stereotype?

Format and Presentation

» Graphics and content» Navigational ease» Who is the audience?» Readability» “Clutteriness”

Scope

» Usefulness and uniqueness» Purpose» Factually based» Originality» Currency» Frequency of updates

Cost and accessibility

» Consistently available» Text based alternative» Dead links» Fee based

Final considerations

» Use of tildes ~» Comparing information» Who sponsors or authors the site?» Research from MS and HS in CO:

500 sites selected randomly (of 130,000)27% considered reliable

Resources» Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators

http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html» Teaching Media Literacy in an Age of Edutainment

http://www.fno.org/jun99/media.html» November Learning

http://www.anovember.com/Default.aspx?tabid=160» An Introduction to Media Literacy

http://www.ci.appstate.edu/programs/edmedia/medialit/article.html#What%20is%20Media%20Literacy

Questions and Answers

Presented by…

Janet Buckenmeyer & Staci Trekles Milligan

Purdue University CalumetHammond, IN

http://education.calumet.purdue.edu/

Tutorials/ICE