Developing Media Literacy
In this lesson I'll discuss one of the most difficult concept for teachers to grasp--media and information literacy. Many teachers get this confused with media knowledge (how to use a VCR, computer, video camera, etc.), and although one needs knowledge to have literacy, literacy is much more.
Media and information literacy involves developing an understanding of how humans process information, and how the various forms of media (print, music, graphics, motion pictures, etc.) can be used to transmit ideas. Also, media literacy involves an understanding of how the various forms of media and media-makers can urge, cajole, and manipulate people and their ideas. Media and information literacy is not an add-on to the school curriculum--it is an essential survival skill for the information age.
During this course, we will be spending a fair amount of time developing media knowledge. You will learn a lot about computers and how they can be used to gather, interpret, and transmit information. You may learn how to use a video camera. You may learn how to edit video and tell a story using video and sound. All of these skills are important skills for modern teachers. But skilled teachers move beyond simply teaching about computers and video as a goal in-and-of-itself. Teaching about computers and media is simply training. You can go to Kinko's or to your local community education center to get media training. My goal for you is to move beyond simple media training. In this course, I want you to develop the ability to embed your instruction with media and information using skills which truly help your students develop media literacy.
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!
Much of the background information which will help you develop media literacy is covered in the videos we will see in class and in the readings you have been assigned. You should take thorough notes regarding these resources and place these notes in your portfolio. We will talk about each of these resources in class, but even if we don't talk specifically about every key idea, they are crucial resources for which you are responsible! Start right now--take notes on this lesson and study them for your upcoming quiz on the Internet Lessons! Keep up with the readings so you can constructively participate in our class discussions.
Think about ways your K-12 students could be shown how to use media knowledge to answer questions that they might have in your class. People who are information literate:
Computers and video are information gathering, interpreting, and disseminating tools which must be part of a total information literacy program for your students.
As you work to learn about computers and information technologies during this course, please pay attention to more than simply knowing what button to push or which address to visit. Think about how using these technologies can help your students develop their skills to gather information, solve problems, and communicate their solutions to others. When you develop media-enhanced lesson plans in your methods courses, think about ways that your students can use computers to solve problems in your content area. Think of video and computers as tools--just as we use books, pencils, telephones, etc. today--think of computers and video as today's digital tools to gather, interpret, and disseminate information.
Internet Lessons version 1.8. Copyright of lessons (C) 2007 by Joseph A. Erickson, All Rights Reserved. Permission Granted for Individual Usage.
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