Media Literacy They think they are smarter than you!

Defining Media: So what is media? Any ideas?

Media defined: Media (singular: medium) can be defined as forms of communication that reach many people. So what are examples you can think of?

There are two types of media: Electronic: radio, TV, film, cd’s, internet, videos, video games, commercials, public service announcements, electroniczines, etc... Can you think of more electronic types? Print: newspapers, magazines, books, comics, billboards, print advertisements, junk mail, travel brochures, photography, etc... Can you think of any more print types?

Why or why not? Is a letter to your friends considered a form of media? A letter to the editor that is published?

So what is Media Literacy? Any ideas?

Literacy defined: What types of materials do you study, read and discuss together? Short stories, plays, poems, essays, novels, speeches, textbooks, articles, etc.. When we discuss these things, we determine whether or not we like or dislike it, the author’s point of view and so on. We use our ability to read, write, interpret and understand. This is called literacy

So what is media literacy then? Your thoughts!?

Media literacy defined: Media literacy is commonly defined as the ability to access, analyze, interpret and produce a variety of print and not-print communication.

Crossing the line: Decide whether or not you agree or disagree with the following statements.

Types of messages: Positive messages use concepts such as: family unity, community involvement, friendship, kindness, courage, sharing, sympathy, charity, respect, personal sacrifice... Negative messages use concepts such as: greed, war, hate, envy, violence, selfishness, anger, cruelty, laziness...

So what does it mean to be a media literate person? A media literate person can access, analyze, interpret and produce print and non-print communication. Ultimately that is what we want to do for this unit. We will look at the strategies companies use and then create counter ads that use those same techniques!

So what’s the point? Why would we want to study this? Any ideas?

Homework! Best homework ever: Watch TV for 1/2 hour. Write down every advertisement for that 1/2 hour period. Be sure to note the show you are watching, the time of day. Categories of shows we are looking for: news, comedy, cartoon or drama. Check out Hesse’s page on school website for example. You can either print that out or just follow the format.