Technology won’t replace Librarians-Librarians who know technology will. ~Nancy B. Nassar
According to the Center for Media Literacy, “Media Literacy is defined as the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and communicate messages…The process of critically analyzing and learning to create one’s own messages-in print, audio, video, multimedia with emphasis on the learning and teaching of these skills through using mass media texts in primarily school-based contexts.”
As a teacher and future librarian, I am concerned about the influence of the media on our students. There is a problem when families who cannot afford a $5.00 museum trip but are able to afford a $100 Nike sneakers. How do schools create a hook for students who are influenced and attracted to the perceived life of movie stars, sports figures and the like? I am not sure what constitute an effective Media Literacy program but I know that we have to engage in a discussion to incorporate and fund activities that will prepare students to compete in the twenty-first century.
Oh! Have you all seen the life-like posters that ALA produced called "Celebrity Reads" @ the library, featuring celebrities reading books with children or holding a book? These posters are really great, especially when you visit a library and see your favorite celebrity holding a book with a big smile on their faces. This is a "Wow effect" with my students.
I see the efforts that Brooklyn Public Libraries have made and will continue to make to entice, lure and attract youngsters to the library. I was present at a Manga workshop at the Brooklyn Public in Spring 2008, conducted by a Pratt Grad and heard the conversations, listened to the buzz and saw the interested look on youngsters faces as they waited for Manga Mania. Great attendance and workshop that educated me on Graphic Novels and Manga Mania. The shelves in the YA section invite students to browse and mess up their displays. Great and welcome effect.
When media literacy is presented, some teachers don't have a clue on how to meld media literacy and critical literacy with their daily classroom practices. A few years ago, teachers were required to live in the same neighborhood that they worked in so that they would be more familiar with the community's culture and educational values. People change and rules change but the point is that teachers/librarians must learn about the things and issues that turn kids on and work to capture that culture of users and producers the best way they can.
There are schools that have wireless connectivity, desktops and laptops and all the amenities of a state-of the-art technology program, and are still not living up to their school's glorious mission statements of educating the whole child or preparing students for the twenty-first century, nor are they fulfilling the goals and objectives set forth in their school education plan.
As a point of information, many schools receive classroom sets of the Daily News and the New York Times but some teachers don't quite know how to incorporate aspects of the newspaper in their integrated programs.
Speaking of Media Literacy and newspapers, what do you all think about the satirical fiasco with the Post? Is this is a teachable moment?
I am very saddened about the Dalton student that committed suicide? What do you say to students on Monday when school resumes?
Media Literacy to me is a school wide program that require training, preparation, creativity, observation, reflection, student-centered learning with a multi-path progression. Most importantly, schools must engage in a paradigm shift and schedule appropriate funding to libraries that will better equipped teachers with the resources that will enable students to compete in the twenty-first century.
Do you think there's disconnect for teachers on how to meld media literacy/critical literacy in their own lives? If so, this could be wherein lies the trouble for teachers not being able to bring that skill into their classrooms. I imagine you'd have to be self-aware and interested enough to examine how the popular culture and the media inform or impact both your teaching and living practices.
ReplyDeleteThe Dalton suicide is pretty awful. It seems important to let students express their feelings in ways that feel safe to them, whether it's through print, graphic arts, or oral language. And sometimes it can be more meaningful to be a good listener.
Andrea, I think your point about teachers being part of the communities they serve is such an important one for educators to consider. While it may not be quite tenable to move your whole family for a new job, the idea of learning about the place does seem important, especially when considering your students' home literacies.
ReplyDeleteAlso re: the reading poster campaign, one of your fellow students launched a similar campaign on a local scale using students and teachers from the school where she works as an LMS. I will introduce you in class!
Your point about media literacy being a school-wide effort is, I think, an important one. The exciting thing about school libraries is their direct connection with their users' teachers, and the potential for working with those teachers to incorporate their curriculum into the library time. This might address some of the problem of putting the media literacy sessions into a context. If you know that a class is working on a project around a specific topic, you have a potential starting place for your own lesson!
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