Integrating media literacy into the curriculum.Abstract Media literacy Media literacy is the process of accessing, analyzing, evaluating and creating messages in a wide variety of media modes, genres and forms. It uses an inquiry-based instructional model that encourages people to ask questions about what they watch, see and read. education is required by most state curricular in this country. It is still not taught systematically in our schools. Teachers are worried about adding a new subject to their already crowded curriculum. This article addresses this problem by showing teachers that by nature media literacy encourages an interdisciplinary approach to education. Teachers can make connections across content areas by teaching with media and about media. This article demonstrates how media literacy education can be integrated into every subject we teach through classroom examples. ********** As our global village continues to be wired up electronically, and as we move our daily lives online, mass media play a tremendous part in our society, providing information as well as entertainment (Clay, 2003). Young people today live media saturated lives, spending an average of nearly 6.5 hours a day with media (Kaiser Family Foundation The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), or just Kaiser Family Foundation, is a U.S.-based non-profit, private operating foundation headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Study, 2005). Virtually all that we know about the world beyond our immediate experience comes to us through mass media, TV, Radio, Internet, etc. There would be little problem with this if the media simply reflected reality. But each medium shapes reality in different ways and we can no longer consider any message in any medium to be neutral or value free. All the messages that we come in contact with contain information about values, beliefs, and behaviors and are shaped by economic factors (Ontario Ministry of Education, 1989). Tyner (2003) suggests that new digital media departs from traditional media insofar in·so·far adv. To such an extent. Adv. 1. insofar - to the degree or extent that; "insofar as it can be ascertained, the horse lung is comparable to that of man"; "so far as it is reasonably practical he should practice as it facilitates non-linear browsing, privileges interactivity, allows for the manipulation of sound, text, stills, and moving images, and can perform these task at rapid speeds. "If students are to use new media to their own greatest advantage, they too must learn to creatively and critically browse, research, organize, select, and produce communication forms that use the full spectrum of literacy tools available to them" (Tyner, 2003, p. 374). Thus, traditional literacy (reading and writing)_alone is far from enough for our students to be successful in the 21st century. Becoming literate in the new century means that students also need to understand the influence of media on our society, develop strategies to critically analyze media and become independent from the influence of media. Media literacy refers to the understanding of media and the use of it as a source of information, entertainment, enrichment, growth, empowerment and communication. Equally important to understand the media is to use IT (information technology) rather than allowing IT to use you. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Thoman (1995) critical media literacy incorporates three stages that lead to the empowerment of citizens of all ages: (a) Becoming aware of the importance of making choices and managing the amount of time spent with television, videos, electronic games Electronic Games was the first video game magazine published in the United States and ran from 1981 to 1985. Co-founded by Arnie Katz, Joyce Worley and Bill Kunkel, it is unrelated to the subsequent Electronic Gaming Monthly. , films and various print media forms; (b) Learning specific skills of critical viewing and surfing--learning to analyze and question what is in the frame/on the screen, how it is constructed, and what may have been left out; (c) Exploring deeper issues of who produces the media we experience and for what purposes. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently : Who profits? Who loses? And who decides? A review of related studies and documents shows that calls for teaching media literacy in our schools are everywhere. Kubey and Baker (1999) argues that for four decades, both young people and adults in our society have spent the majority of their leisure time in contact with the electronic media. But all too many schools still operate as if the only forms of expression worthy of study are the poem, the short story, and the novel. FCC (1) (Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, www.fcc.gov) The U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications including wire, cable, radio, TV and satellite. The FCC was created under the U.S. Commissioner, Michael Copps (2006), calls for a sustained K-12 media literacy program to teach kids not only how to use the media but how the media uses them. He states that in a culture where media is pervasive and invasive, kids need to think critically about what they see, hear and read. No child's education can be complete without this. Studies (Thoman and Jolls, 2005; and Kubey, 2003) tell us that for more than twenty-five years media literacy has been growing and become an established field of study in school curriculum for many countries such as Canada, Australia and England. The United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. has lagged behind these countries in the formal delivery of media education, and the reasons are historical, political, and sociological (Kubey, 2003). Kubey and Baker (1999) and Baker (2006) report on the recent development of media literacy education in the United States Education in the United States is provided mainly by government, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. School attendance is mandatory and nearly universal at the elementary and high school levels (often known outside the United States as the that all fifty state curricular frameworks and many national curriculum standards, such as National Council for Teachers of English, require the teaching of media literacy concepts and skills. While many teachers use a variety of media in instruction (video, film, Internet, PowerPoint, music, newspapers, books), many have not had the guidance--or the mandate--to teach effectively about media (Baker, 2006). Other researcher (Butler, 2004) notes the discrepancy and suggests that teaching media literacy need not be "one more thing," and proves it with teaching strategies designed for language arts language arts pl.n. The subjects, including reading, spelling, and composition, aimed at developing reading and writing skills, usually taught in elementary and secondary school. , science and social studies. Baker (2001) shows how media literacy fits in with the teaching of math and science. This article adds to this effort by sharing more ideas of integrating media literacy into the existing curriculum. As teachers, we understand and recognize the importance of teaching our students media literacy skills. However, we are still frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: and concerned about implementing it in the classroom. One of the questions that teachers may ask about media literacy education is, "How can I add media literacy to my already crowded curriculum?" The answer lies in the fact that media literacy can be integrated into the existing curriculum at all grade levels. By nature, media literacy encourages an interdisciplinary approach to education, and it is NOT a new subject to be added to the school day. Rather, media literacy is a set of skills that can be taught and learned through other subject/content areas (Wan and Cheng, 2004). Media literacy--like traditional literacy--is a part of every subject. Just as reading and writing are required in science, math, and social studies as well as in performing arts and English courses, so is media literacy. Teachers can make connections across content areas by teaching with media and about media. Media literacy creates an authentic learning environment for students by providing meaningful and relevant tasks. Let us take a look and see how media literacy is a part of every subject we already teach at school through some examples. First, media literacy supports traditional literacy because both of them involve reading and writing for the same purposes. With traditional literacy, we read to receive and comprehend information and write to express, entertain, inform and convince; with media literacy, we view/read to receive and comprehend information and compose to express, entertain, inform and convince. For example, when we ask students to compare the novel and movie versions of Harry Potter, we have an opportunity to teach critical reading skills, comparing and contrasting, comprehension, drawing conclusions, decoding de·code tr.v. de·cod·ed, de·cod·ing, de·codes 1. To convert from code into plain text. 2. To convert from a scrambled electronic signal into an interpretable one. 3. and logical reasoning The three methods for logical reasoning, deduction, induction and abduction can be explained in the following way: [1] Given preconditions α, postconditions β and the rule R1: α ∴ β (α therefore β). skills at the same time. When students make posters of TV viewing rules, they practice writing skills and using art to convey meanings. When we ask students to create their own video games See video game console. simulating a game they love, students go through the process of creating with multimedia and writing scripts of their own. Second, media provide us with many wonderful opportunities for math education. The weatherman tells us there is a 50 percent chance of rain; the morning newspaper reports the stock market numbers, and gives us statistics on sports. Think about the statistics, TV ratings, annual reports, opinion polls, daily weather reports and weekend grocery sales on media, and ask "How many math questions of problem-solving can we make each day out of the examples on media?" We can also teach graphic displays using bar or pie graphs on newspapers and magazines as live examples. When one brand of cereal made the claim on TV that three out of the four interviewed children love it, we can ask children "What about the thousands of other children not surveyed?" Science is a natural part of media literacy. Various scientific studies, assumptions and topics are covered daily on media and shown on TV, such as Discover Channel. The reports on media about bird flu bird flu: see influenza. bird flu or avian influenza viral respiratory disease, mainly of birds including poultry and waterbirds but also transmissible to humans. present a great chance to discuss the spread of infectious diseases infectious diseases: see communicable diseases. and animal migrations. We can show students that human beings still have a lot to discover and study. Science fiction and fantasy movies, such as Contact, Deep Impact and Tuck Everlasting everlasting or immortelle (ĭm'ôrtĕl`), names for numerous plants characterized by papery or chaffy flowers that retain their form and often their color when dried and are used for winter bouquets and decorations. are intriguing in·trigue n. 1. a. A secret or underhand scheme; a plot. b. The practice of or involvement in such schemes. 2. A clandestine love affair. v. to our students. Teachers may take advantages of students' interest in these movies and explore the scientific principles depicted. The studies of inventions of media, such as TV, Internet, paper and printing are great science topics to cover in our curriculum. When students compare information from different sources online, they use their critical reading skills. Social studies curriculum is closely related to media literacy as well. Media literacy reinforces multicultural education and promotes cultural pluralism cultural pluralism: see multiculturalism. . It encourages students to consider multiple perspectives on current and historical multicultural issues. It also analyzes and evaluates how media represent social groups, different cultures, and ideologies. For example, when we teach students how to identify ethnic stereotypes from TV images, knowledge of social studies is involved. The use of email greeting cards See e-card. can take our students on virtual tours Virtual Tours The phrases panoramic tour and virtual tour are often used to describe a variety of video and photographic based media. The word panorama indicates an unbroken view, so essentially, a panorama in that respect could be either a series of photographs or panning video to celebrations and holidays in many countries around the world. Thus geography knowledge, such as countries and continents, can be taught at the same time. World history and American history can be taught during discussions of current world affairs Noun 1. world affairs - affairs between nations; "you can't really keep up with world affairs by watching television" international affairs affairs - transactions of professional or public interest; "news of current affairs"; "great affairs of state" on media and dealing with hate online. Studies on resources, environment and human populations can be integrated in the discussions on commercialism and materialism materialism, in philosophy, a widely held system of thought that explains the nature of the world as entirely dependent on matter, the fundamental and final reality beyond which nothing need be sought. , and the observation of Buy Nothing Day can lead to the discussion of unequal distribution of resources in the world. Reports by media on the conservation of rainforest resources can lead to the understanding of the few remaining nomadic See nomadic computing. tribes on earth. Health and physical education can be addressed as well with media literacy. Students' understanding of safety is enhanced while learning about Internet safety rules. Personal health is a natural extension of discussion on commercials for healthy snacks, exercise machines, dental care products, and tobacco and alcohol. Discussions on the nutrients we receive from good food can lead to discussion of how the body uses food and to recommendations for eating a variety of foods, less sugar, less fat and leading a tobacco and alcohol free life. Reading news about the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Definition Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is the first emergent and highly transmissible viral disease to appear during the twenty-first century. ) can be a great topic to address personal hygiene personal hygiene person n → Körperhygiene f , such as washing hands before meals. Art education and media literacy go hand-in-hand. What techniques are used to attract our attention in a TV program and newspaper ad? How does digital technology create virtual reality? How are television programs filmed with cameras? Why is seeing not believing any more with digital manipulation? Knowledge of arts helps answer these questions. Techniques, styles and media of art can be taught with various media literacy units when illustrations of books, objects and projects are required. Media literacy education can also be integrated into physical education. When viewing the report by NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. about the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. , teachers may conduct a survey to see how well their students are informed about the Olympics. Survey questions may include: Who won the most gold medals gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize ? Which countries were among the top gold medal winners? How many gold medal winners from other countries could students name? Why did students know more about certain aspects of the Olympics than the others from the coverage on NBC? Teachers may also talk about the roads to success and the people behind the winners of gold medals. We empower students by nurturing their higher order thinking skills The concept of higher order thinking skills became a major educational agenda item with the 1956 publication of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. The simplest thinking skills are learning facts and recall, while higher order skills include critical thinking, . This goal of education is supported by media literacy because teaching students how to use critical thinking skills to understand, analyze and evaluate media, and to make smart choices are the major purposes of media literacy education. For example, when teaching persuasive techniques used in commercials, students learn how to assess their own needs against the urge to buy. Students use critical skills to judge whether the information they find online is accurate or not. Media literacy offers teachers opportunities to develop various teaching strategies to meet students' needs and requirements of different learning styles. For example, showing a video tape about the rainforest as an introduction to a rainforest unit will catch students' attention and make the topic more relevant to students who have never been to a rainforest. Visual and auditory auditory /au·di·to·ry/ (aw´di-tor?e) 1. aural or otic; pertaining to the ear. 2. pertaining to hearing. au·di·to·ry adj. learners respond much better to visual and audio teaching materials. So students may learn more effectively in the classroom through multimedia means. Media literacy provides teachers with authentic tasks and materials to motivate communication and language learning among students who are learning English as a second language. Through TV commercials, menus, children's books, newspapers and Internet, ESL (1) An earlier family of client/server development tools for Windows and OS/2 from Ardent Software (formerly VMARK). It was originally developed by Easel Corporation, which was acquired by VMARK. students will be exposed to authentic and contemporary English. Materials beyond textbooks, such as drama, songs, objects and audiovisual materials, to help them learn more effectively. In short, by nature media literacy encourages an interdisciplinary approach to education and media literacy is a natural extension of our existing school curriculum. Teachers will be able to address media literacy education by teaching with and about media literacy and by integrating it into their already existing curriculum. References Baker, F. (2006). Where's Media Literacy? Threshold Magazine, Winter, pp. 16-17. Retrieved August 25, 06 from: www.ciconline.org/threshold. Baker, F. (2001). Media Literacy: Yes, It Fits in Math and Science Classrooms. ENC ENC Encoded (File Name Extension) ENC Enclosure ENC Mime-Encoded (virus scanners) ENC Eastern North Carolina ENC Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education Focus, 8 (3) p. 48-49. Butler, T. P. (2004). Standard Procedures. Access Learning, January, p. 7-9. Retrieved August 18, 2006 from www.ciconline.org Clay, R. (2003). Unraveling New Media's Effects on Children. Monitor on Psychology. 34(2). February. Copps, M. (2006). Remarks. Beyond Censorship: Technologies and Policies To Give Parents Control Over Children's Media Content, June 7. Retrieved August 21, 2006 from Media Literacy Clearinghouse: http://medialit.med.sc.edu/ Kubey, R. & Baker, F. (1999). Has Media Literacy Found a Curricular Foothold foot·hold n. 1. A place providing support for the foot in climbing or standing. 2. A firm or secure position that provides a base for further advancement. foothold Noun 1. ? Education Week, Oct. 27. Kubey, R. W. (2003). Why U.S. Media Education Lags Behind the Rest of the English-Speaking World. Television & New Media 4.4, pp. 351- 370. Ontario Ministry of Education. (1989). Media Literacy. Ontario, Canada: Ministry of Education Ontario. Rideout, V., Roberts, F., and Foehr, U. (2005). Generation M: Media in the Lives of 818 Year-Olds. Kaiser Family Foundation Study. Retrieved August 22, 06 from: http://www.kft:org/entmedia/entmedia030905pkg.cfm. Thoman, E., and Jolls, T. (2005). Literacy for the 21st Century: An Overview and Orientation Guide to Media Literacy Education. Retrieved August, 24, 06 from Center for Media Literacy: www.medialit.org/medialitkit Thoman, E. (1995). Operational Definition of Media Literacy. Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , CA: Center for Media Literacy. Tyner, K. (2003). Beyond Boxes and Wires: Literacy in Transition. Television & New Media, 4(4), pp. 371-388. Wan, G. & Cheng, H. (2004). Media Savvy Savvy® Gynecology A contraceptive vaginal gel that ↓ transmission of STDs–eg, HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea. See Contraceptive. Students. Chicago, IL: Chicago Press Review. |
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