4.5.4 Media Literacy in the classroom

I choose to reflect on the learning and classroom experiences of integrating media literacy with the Language Arts as an off shoot of my Assure Lesson assignment.

Media Literacy provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, create and participate with messages in a variety of forms — from print to video to the Internet.

Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.”

It is the ability to:

 Bring critical thinking skills to bear on all media.

 Ask questions about what is present and absent.

 Question what lies behind the media production (motives,  money, values and ownership).

 Be aware of how these factors influence content.

Most Ugandan Students are both consumers and producers of media. However,they  need to develop the skills necessary to access, analyze and create media texts, and evaluate what they view, read and hear. They need to be aware that most mass media is produced for general consumption and rarely reflects the culture of smaller groups and issues on a local level. It is therefore necessary for students to see themselves and hear their own voices in order to validate their culture and place in the world. This is only possible through media literacy.

As a teacher, I need to inculcate the notion of media awareness in my students. This will provide them with the opportunity to examine the reliability, accuracy, and motives of media sources. The students will gain the interest to recognize that  the types of media that they  are involved with (television, videos, electronic games, films and various print media forms) is an important part of media awareness, along with learning to analyse and question what has been included, how it has been constructed, and what information may have been omitted. Thus, Media awareness will force them to exploring deeper issues and questions such as:

“Who produces the media we experience – and for what purpose?”

“Who profits? Who loses? And who decides?”

Media literacy involves being aware of the messages in all types of media. It involves students asking questions such as:

Do I need this information? What is the message? Why is it   being sent?

Who is sending the message? How is the message being sent?

Who is the intended audience? Who or what is left out?

 Who benefits from this message?

 Can I respond to this message? Does my opinion matter?

It is important to note that how teachers choose to integrate media literacy into the English language arts program will be determined by what the students are listening to, and what they are reading, viewing and writing. The following are only examples:

Students might be involved in comparing (the print version of a story to the film version; add images to the product being sold), examine (the use of images in music videos and newspapers,sexism in advertising), write (a letter to an author or store manager); produce (a poster on an issue) and/or create (a video, announcements for school).

The fundamental idea is that media literacy is an opportunity to encourage students to discover a voice through the production of their own media.

Media Literacy must be backed up with critical Literacy: the ability to question, challenge,and evaluate the meaning and purposes of texts in order to learn how they are used to construct particular historical, social, cultural, political and economic realities.

Critical Literacy involves the ability to read deeper into the content and to recognize and evaluate the stereotyping, cultural bias, author’s intent, hidden agendas, and silent voices that influence texts. The student must be aware that Texts are constructed by authors who have different purposes for writing.

Critical literacy requires students to take a critical stance regarding the way they use language and representations in their own lives and in society at large in an effort to promote and effect positive change by addressing issues of social justice and equity. It is a way of thinking that involves questioning assumptions and examining power relations embedded in language and communication. Students need to recognize their personal power and learn how to use language and other text features to communicate a perspective or influence others.

Critical literacy learning experiences should offer students opportunities to:

 Question, analyze and challenge the text.

 Recognize ways that texts are not socially just.

 Identify the point of view in a text and consider what views are missing.

View texts which represent the views of marginalized groups.

Examine the processes and contexts of text production and text interpretation.

Students can deconstruct the texts that permeate their lives by asking themselves questions, such as the following:

 Who constructed this text? (age/gender/race/nationality)

 For whom is the text constructed? To whom is it addressed?

 Where did the text appear? For what purpose can it be used?

Who is marginalized in this text?

What does the text tell us that we already know or don’t know?

 What is the topic? What are the key messages?

 How is the topic presented? How else might it have been   presented?

 What view of the world does the composer assume that the reader/viewer holds?

 What has been included and what has been omitted?

 Whose voices and positions are being/not being expressed?

 What is the author/text trying to do to the reader/listener/ viewer? How does he/she do it?

What other ways are there to convey this message? Should the message be contested or resisted?

In the classroom, I need to create an environment that is language-rich, respectful of  students’ interests and provide  them with opportunities to engage with a variety of materials and situations. I also need to stimulate the students’ natural inclination to learn, explore and build on their existing knowledge in order to scaffold learning..

The learning   environment that I have to create needs to be structured in such a way that all students can gain access to information and to the community. This will make the students develop confidence and the competence of using language for real purposes. 

Through the integration of media literacy with the English language arts, students will be encouraged to question their assumptions and attitudes, and to find their own voice.

The following link discusses the media literacy fundamentals including tips on how a teacher can integrate this literacy in his/her lesson.

 http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/media-literacy-fundamentals

The image below is a summary of   what opportunities a teacher can give learners in order to develop their media literacy, media education and critical thinking skills.  

4.4.4 Digital Literacy: Visual Representation

This image is the  litmus test towards my competence in digital Literacy!

Am I able to adopt,adapt and use digital devices  applications and services?

Am I able to find interpret manage and share information?

Am I able to critically read and creatively produce academic and professional documents in a range of media?

Am I able to participate in emerging academic professional and research practices that depend on digital systems?

Am I able to manage digital my digital reputation and on line identity?

Am I able to participate in a digital network for learning and research?

Am I able to participate in emerging academic professional and research practices that depends on digital systems?

This is how I went about it:

I gathered information around my topic, selected the relevant information and  decided the best format to present it.

I decided to create my image using Microsoft PowerPoint  because it provides many more options/features  for creating images

I created the image, chose the format, font size colour scheme and modified  (cropped) the size using paint and  converted it to PNG and saved it on the desk top. 

On my blog, I clicked on the insert image icon and I picked this image from the desk top here.(I must congratulate myself here after I had failed  to find the best way to pull my Wordle onto the blog)

I chose the hue of black grey and blue in a totally white background in order to give the image a neat professional and academic look.

How do I assess my competence? Nellie's digital competence is excellent and Nellie needs to keep  working to make it even better!

4.2.4:OVER EXPOSED SEXTING AND RELATIONSHIPS and DICTIONARY ADVENTURES! Creating a class dictionary

Lesson development is central to the work of every teacher. Lesson development is a process of creative design and decision-making that includes three elements: (1) what to teach, (2) how to teach, and (3) how to know what students have learned and the infusion of technology tools supporting all three aspects of lesson development.

I evaluated:

Section   A   OVER EXPOSED SEXTING AND RELATIONSHIPS   (Grade 9-12)

 http://cctionline.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/Education_Digital_Society/dccs_9-12-unit2-overexposedsextingandrelationships.pdf

 Section B      DICTIONARY ADVENTURES!   Creating a class dictionary (2nd Grade)    http://edtech.boisestate.edu/bridges/cds/Dictionary/dictionarytitlepage.htm

This evaluation is centered on the three interrelated elements of   teaching lessons:

Academic content (what to teach)

Teaching goals, methods, and procedures (how to teach)

 Learning assessments (how to know what students have learned)

 Lesson development using technology   which involves how teachers use electronic resources to facilitate these processes

In Dictionary Adventures and over exposed sexting relationships, both   teachers decided on   the teaching goals, methods, and procedures they would use in their classes. The goals are the reason why a lesson is being taught.

Dictionary   Adventures    specifies   two types of goals   which   complement each other during the lesson.  The teacher leads students on a journey of self-discovery   through the dictionary practice where children use the words they  have located to describe themselves and the others after taking each other’s picture and remodeling it  with technology.

Content Area Objectives Addressed:

1.      Alphabetizing to the third letter.

2.      Use dictionary skills of locating word to determine definition, guidewords, entry words, and multiple definitions.

3.      Interpret a dictionary page.

4.      Assess relevance of themes to self.

5.      Identify ways of improving self-concept and self-esteem

 Technology Objectives Addressed:

1.      Use a digital camera.

2.      Inserting pictures from floppy disk into a document.

3.      Resizing picture inside of document.

4.      Word processing skills/rules when typing definition.

5.      Saving to their file on the server.

While Over exposed sexting relationships sets 3 teaching goals reflecting on the students’ prior knowledge of the use of social media, sexting in particular and pegging it to their daily lives. This is appropriate   since these students are of Grade 9-12. They use social media and are most likely the engage in on line relationships.

Students will be able to:

1. Explore the role of digital technologies in romantic relationships.
2. Analyze risky forms of self-disclosure and their possible consequences.
3. Identify strategies for avoiding sexting while enhancing  positive relationships

 In Dictionary   Adventures the students were   involved in a project through which they were introduced   to the dictionary through finding the shades of meaning of a new word. This   led   to each student writing 4 descriptive sentences of   themselves and one descriptive sentence of their neighbor. The students took pictures of each other using Mavica digital camera that saves images to a disk which they   inserted   in their written document. The students used a word processor to type their names, pronunciation and definitions. The students   then used these pictures to create a class book   all they as a repository for the library.

Since this was a project, the teacher employed continuous assessment where the students were assessed on their ability to insert images from a floppy on to the computer, resizing images, typing text sand following a set of directions.  Their basic knowledge of multiple definitions for words was also assessed. On the other hand, the students   co-operated in helping the others who lacked skills in managing various aspects of the project.

This lesson scores very highly in the integration of technology in the classroom.  The teacher kept the focus of the lesson on dictionary practice , where the students  used  the afore mentioned technology tools in a  vocabulary and  writing descriptive sentences  in  individual and group work to come up with  a class picture book for the classroom repository.

The teacher analyzed her learners in terms of their linguistic and technology skills and gave them tasks that helped build their skills further.

This lesson ranks high following the constructivist approach and the ASSURE lesson model.

In over exposed sexting relationships an overview of the lesson with the title: ‘What are the risks and responsibilities when you share online in a relationship?’ is given as: ‘Students explore the risks and responsibilities of carrying out romantic relationships in the digital world. They watch a video about a girl who sent a “sext” message to her boyfriend, which he then shared with others. After discussing the video, students create an ending to a story about a girl who is pressured to “sext.” They brainstorm ways to avoid sexting and to use digital technologies responsibly in romantic relationships’.

This is a very good summary of   the essence of the lesson. All the resources and reading   materials in class and for take home are given. The reading materials are topical, up to- date, relevant and authentic. The introductory video: “Ally’s Story – Second Thoughts on                                      Sexting,” an abridged version from MTV’s Sexting in America: When Privates Go Public. Is an example of an authentic material.

Each aspect of the lesson is introduced with an action verb such as: Distribute, Instruct, Invite, ask. This gives the teacher the direction the lesson should take.

The lesson   progresses in three interrelated steps: Warm up, (introduction) where the teacher sets the scene by asking questions which tests the students’ background knowledge regarding what social media are there for communication, how people in distant relationships communicate using technologies and what risks there are in this. The students are then guided to the crux of the lesson: risks and responsibilities in using technologies to communicate. This is an excellent way of situating the students in the learning context.

The body of the lesson is subdivided into three sub topics: Self-Disclosure in Relationship, Sexting: Risky Self-Disclosure and How Should It End?  Through which the students in their groups explore questions that deepen their understanding of these sub topics. In self-disclosure in a relationship, the students discuss   self- disclosure what self-disclosure is and its attendant risks in groups. In Risky self-disclosure, the students watch a video and answer questions related to it. And in how should it end? The students are supposed to provide the ending to the story in the video. This encourages the students to think about their personal response if they found themselves in a similar situation. In their discussion, the students   discuss how attitudes about, and experiences with, sexting have a lot to do with gender and   double standards. This is an excellent way of preparing them to meet the challenges of using digital literacies in their daily lives.

The lesson concludes with a wrap   up exercise taxing the students to create a short online multimedia presentation explaining how they would use social media to teach teens about   sexting using free on line tools such as Prezi (www.prezi.com), ShowMe (www.showme.com) or VoiceThread (www.voicethread.com).

Further, the students were given an extended assignment to do an on line research on selected websites and write   brief reports   about the legal aspects of sexting by teens.

This is an excellently crafted lesson with a clear progression of the theme wrapped up in a neat conclusion. The students used technology to understand the extent to which, when misused, technology (social media) can be very destructive.

The lesson was learner centered – the students were challenged to discussion questions in groups and giving personal responses towards a situation, which encouraged critical thinking and other higher order thinking skills. They had hands on experience while creating on line multimedia presentations. They were also engaged in on line research to galvanize the topic and later on, they would learn on their own the skill of writing a good report.

Conclusively: Learning took place.

 Both lessons are excellent examples of   simple ways to infuse technology   across the curriculum.

Both lessons depicted the use of SMAR TPACK and ASSURE model very well. 

 Let me try to create my own lesson plan and evaluate it too!