In order to be media literate in today’s digital multimedia world, children need to develop skills that allow them to become critical of what they are consuming while at the same time becoming empowered producers who play by all the right rules. (Although, the most complicated thing, it seems, is that some of the rules aren’t quite clear.) As Clay Shirky (2008) points out, everyone is a media producer. Anyone can create a website, set up a blog, post videos to YouTube, or pictures to Flickr. Also, Solomon and Schrum (2007) describe how educators are taking advantage of how easy it is to produce media and contribute and collaborate with others by creating classrooms where production is an integral part of the learning cycle. Isn’t it every educator’s responsibility then to make sure that students are critical readers and creators in this new landscape?
That was my thinking three years ago when I decided that my students’ skills as consumers of media were not what they should be. At that time, I was teaching a 2nd-7th grade multi-age classroom. My students spent a lot of time researching and exploring on the Internet, and I felt that they were too naïve. So, I decided to spend a year helping them to develop their ability to think more critically about content, images, story angles, etc. My theme for the year was Mythbusting. (Yes, I was a bit obsessed with Discovery Channel’s MythBusters when I selected the theme).
One of the units my students completed that year was about media literacy. I was so excited to have found the Center for Media Literacy and their guide for teaching media literacy skills for 21st Century learners. I found it to be well organized and easy to embed into my curriculum. The parents appreciated that their children were developing skills for how to be critical consumers of information from television, radio, Internet, movies, friends, teachers, and yes – even from the parents themselves. What made the experience more powerful, in my opinion, was that the year was spent using the five guiding questions to analyze all information we were ingesting from myths different cultures created about how the world began to results of scientific research to television newscasts to commercials. It was a timely unit for them and hopefully they remember at least to question what they read/watch/hear. I know my own son, who was in my class at the time, does at least check webpages more closely and doesn’t believe everything his friends tell him anymore. He only believes almost everything now.
So, while reflecting on how media literacy is no longer just about consumption, but now also about production with the wealth of Web 2.0 tools that exist, I wondered what was new at the Center for Media Literacy website (http://www.medialit.org/). To my surprise, they had a version 2 of the 21st century literacy skills guide I had used 3 years ago. (I was even more surprised that it wasn’t called the media literacy 2.0 guide since everything else is “something 2.0” to describe the read-write nature of the web.)
Curious, I downloaded the new guide and checked it out. Basically, the same five questions that are used to analyze their consumption of media are used to analyze their production of media. Unfortunately, I don’t have a classroom full of young students to mentor and guide this year because I would definitely revisit the topic. However, I do have my own children that I am homeschooling this year…any guesses what they’ll be learning about?
References:
Jolls, T. (2008). Literacy for the 21st century: An overview and orientation guide (2nd ed.). Retrieved from Center for Media Literacy Web site: http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article540.html
Shirky, C. (2008). Here comes everybody: the power of organizing without organizations. London: The Penguin Group.
Solomon, G. & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0 new tools, new schools. Washington, D.C.: International Society for Technology in Education.
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