Using Popular Culture & Media Literacy to Meet State Standards Frank Baker, media educator, March 3, 2007

National Media Education Conference June St. Louis MO

Media,Youth & Education Youth are attracted to media Teachers use media in instruction Not many know what “media literacy” is School libraries have little, if any, resources Media literacy is in the standards, but few have the skills or knowledge to teach it.

52 percent of Americans can name “at least two members of ‘The Simpsons’ cartoon family” but only 28 percent can name two of “the five fundamental freedoms granted to them by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Media use by youth 4:39 average time the TV set is on per day 87% number of youth playing video games 69% of youth have TV in their bedrooms 60% number who say they watch commercials 73% number of teens online regularly 72% (15-17 year olds) say sex on TV influences their peer group

Teaching with media “Movies, advertisements, and all other visual media are tools teachers need to use and media we must master if we are to maintain our credibility in the coming years.” Jim Burke, author of The English Teacher’s Companion

Teaching With Film Middle Ground: October 2006 Focus On Film: Learning It Through Through The Movies Who says movies aren't valuable instructional tools? When students are engaged with the content through a medium they love, they learn better and retain more.

Kaiser Family Foundation study Generation M: Multi-taskers “digital natives”

“Our students are growing up in a world saturated with media messages…yet, they (and their teachers) receive little or no training in the skills of analyzing or re-evaluating these messages, many of which make use of language, moving images, music, sound effects.” Source: R.Hobbs, Journal Adult & Adolescent Literacy, February 2004

Multi-modal literacies From an early age, students are very sophisticated readers and producers of multi-modal work. They can be helped to understand how these works make meaning, how they are based on conventions, and how they are created for and respond to specific communities or audiences Declaration, NCTE Executive Committee

NMSA recommends media literacy “The challenge will be to…. help students understand what is behind every message they receive and how to use that knowledge and their critical thinking skills to form well-rounded opinions and to become better informed consumers of media messages.” Sue Swaim, former executive director, NMSA

NMSA recommends media literacy “There are many opportunities to address media literacy throughout the school day, whether in language arts, science, social studies, math classes or through art, computer technology or health and physical education classes. Spending faculty professional development time to discuss media literacy and its impact on your students and to address it within your school’s curricula would be especially worthwhile.” Sue Swaim, former executive director, NMSA

SC recognizes media literacy in ELA Revised ELA Standards Guiding Principle 8 An effective English language arts curriculum provides for literacy in all forms of media.

So what is media literacy? Spend the next few minutes writing your own definition.

Media literacy defined: Media literacy is concerned with helping students develop an informed and critical understanding of the nature of mass media, the techniques used by them, and the impact of these techniques. More specifically, it is education that aims to increase the students' understanding and enjoyment of how the media work, how they produce meaning, how they are organized, and how they construct reality. Media literacy also aims to provide students with the ability to create media products. Media Literacy Resource Guide, Ministry of Education Ontario, 1997

Media literacy benefits “A growing body of research suggests that media literacy instruction improves student reading, viewing, and listening comprehension of print, audio, and videotexts; message analysis and interpretation; and writing skills. As students progress, they develop transferable analytical tools for learning and gain concrete connections between the curriculum and their experiences outside of school.” Media Matters, Access Learning, March 2005

Media lit in SC Teaching standards Language Arts Social StudiesHealth Demonstrate the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion, to compare and contrast information and ideas, and to make inferences with regard to what he/she has viewed. Explain the role of propaganda in influencing the US to enter WWI Economics the influence of advertising on consumer choices ATOD: analyze advertising messages related to alcohol and tobacco

Math & Science Connections TV RATINGS/SHARES These are percentages SCIENCE RELATED GENRES

Understanding advertising Do your students know all of the common “techniques of persuasion?”

Understanding bias/propaganda

Introducing popular culture

What is media literacy: Set of skills, knowledge, abilities Awareness of personal media habits Understanding of how media works Appreciation of media’s power/influence Ability to discern; critically question/view How meaning is created in media Healthy skepticism Ability to produce & create media

What media literacy is not: media bashing “protection” against media just about television- or turning off the TV just TV production how to use AV equipment teaching with media; rather it is teaching about the media

Best practice: Core conceptsCore concepts All media are constructed Media constructed with unique languages with their own set of rules Media convey values & points-of-view Audiences negotiate meaning in messages Media= power + profit Center for Media Literacy

Best practice: Critical inquiry Who produced the message? For what purpose? For which audience(s)? What techniques are used both to attract attention and increase believability?techniques Who benefits from the message? Who or what might be omitted and why?

Languages of TV & Film CAMERAS a) position b) lens c) movement LIGHTS EDITING SOUND SET DESIGN ACTORS: expression; wardrobe

Examples Cell phone Ad ScriptAdScript Film To Kill A Mockingbird 11 Youth produced 11

Using Popular Culture & Media Literacy to Meet State Standards Invite Frank Baker to present at your school or district’s next Professional Development Day