Critical Media Literacy: Core Concepts and Debates

The ability to deconstruct media is so important.  I think everyone is more aware of the tricks that are going on in the media today, yet we're still able to fall victim to them.  I think what Cameron Russell had to say is incredibly important.  There is so much talk about how magazines photoshop images, and that young girls shouldn't feel insecure for not looking the way a model does.  This is a common discussion today, especially with increases in suicides and eating disorders among young girls.

What we don't talk about, though, is deconstructing a commercial on television, or a product ad in a magazine.  There are a lot of smoke and mirrors surrounding these things.  The use of celebrities to sell water or pizza or makeup is all too common.  Playing with emotions to convince you to give money to a charity is common as well.  Most of the time, we don't pay attention to these persuasion tricks, which are designed to convince us to do something.

I fall in line with the media literacy movement.  The ability to deconstruct media is something that should be taught.  Media is all around us.  It's better to teach the younger generations about the tricks used out there instead of denying their existence.  In both of my subjects, English and Social Studies, I have discussed this.  In English, I teach about persuasion techniques.  I make the kids aware of the ways that media can trick them.  In Social Studies, I discuss politics.  We evaluate debates and campaign ads.  It's important that everyone knows the techniques used to convince them to vote for a candidate or think a certain way.  Fact checking is incredibly important, and goes into the whole concept of deconstructing media.

I really like this image, and I think it goes with what we're saying about media and the need to evaluate it's meaning.  When watching advertisements or political debates, we as a public, are being "spoon fed" what those who create this media want us to know and see.

Deconstructing Media

Authors and Audience

This is a magazine cover for the magazine The Blaze for the May 2014 issue.  Specifically, Chris Fields wrote the article attached to this image.

I would say that this image is targeted at the parents of students in school.  The text says "Common Core's threat to our kids".  Our, meaning the person writing must be coming from the standpoint of a parent, speaking to other parents.

Messages and Meanings

The greatest message conveyed is that Common Core is a negative approach to student learning.  The cover calls it a "threat".  It also displays a message that Common Core makes all students the same.  All the students lead up to the thought bubble at the top where it uses the word "Collective".  This is the largest word in the image aside from logo, which draws attention to it.  When looking at this text, it's impossible not to continue reading to see the full message.  At first, it almost seems like the collective idea with the students might be positive, but then you read the subtitle and see that it's not meant to be.  If you don't read the entire text, the image can be seen differently.

Those who are against the use of Common Core would benefit from this image.  The text implies that these standards are a threat to not only the future of everyone's kids, but also to freedom (uh oh).  This is a very inflammatory suggestion.  This image is not good for those schools and educators who implement and believe in Common Core.  If this image draws people into reading the article, as it is intended to do, then some parents might end up believing the claims and cause outrage over it's use within the schools.

Representation and Reality

The perspective of an educator is left out of this.  The message is from the viewpoint of a parent who sees the use of Common Core as negative.  It doesn't speak of educators or the students who may have benefited from these standards.  This is not a credible or accurate representation, in my opinion.  In fact, it's very biased.  It holds one stance:  Common Core is bad.  There's no debate, no indication that it might actually be a good thing (hello, it's a threat to freedom!).

Chris Fields is a conservative Republican, which may be where his bias comes from.  Given this information, it's understandable that he sees Common Core as something negative, especially when discussing collaboration among students.

Language and Persuasion

The technique of emotional appeal is clearly the most obvious one.  Use of the words threat, freedom, and future are meant to cause an emotional reaction.  When discussing this in the context of someone's kids, it's all the more powerful.  Along with that, you can add Glittering Generalities, which has the same effect.  I would also say that there is use of Loaded Language as well because the word "threat" is used.  This word is fairly negative, and creates a strong response with it's use.

Introductory Post

Hello!

My name is Brittany Morgan, and I'm from Preston County, WV.  Currently, I'm teaching English to 6th and 7th grade at South Preston School, which, funny enough, is where I went to Middle School!  I am also a student in the Digital Media, Literacies, and Learning Program.  So far, I have taken the following courses:

• EDUC 6812:  Technology, Leadership, and Change
• EDUC 6814:  Game Design and Learning
• EDUC 68301:  Research in Education
• EDUC 6809:  Teaching in the New Media Age
• EDUC 6816:  Information Architecture (aka Curriculum in the New Media Age)

This semester I am taking Programming for Learning (EDUC 5099) and Advanced Educational Technology and Media (EDUC 6305) in addition to this course.

As with all the courses I take within my program, I always look forward to learning more about teaching and using technology.  Now that I have a classroom (currently, at least) to test out the things I learn, I'm even more excited!  I can't wait to get started!

My Video

Changing Literacies; Changing Pedagogies

Quotes

"From this perspective, it may be that the new generation of teachers is well placed to develop innovative uses of new technology in the classroom." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 7

I feel like this can generally be true.  Often times, it's the more experienced teachers who have been teaching for years who don't like to change the way they teach.  They may use technology occasionally, but it's in simple ways that are mentioned in this chapter, like sometimes using SmartBoards or Laptops.  It's a rare occurrence within the classroom.  I feel like teachers who are younger and around my age are more open to bringing technology into the classroom, and using them in more innovative ways.

"Education can be enriched by the contributions of new 'playful social' teachers because these are the 'first generation of young teachers to have had the possibility of playful social learning in their social lives'." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 8

I think that, not only can "playful social" teachers do better with incorporating technology, but that they also connect better with students.  It's easier to find commonalities with the students and this helps to make connections.  I've connected with both Middle and High School aged students over video games or shows they watch.  We've used them for writing assignments or analogies that help them understand content.  It also simply helps the teacher build a relationship with the students in the classroom.

"Parallel pedagogy is a way of describing how old and new literacy practices, including print texts and visual texts, may be fruitfully taught side by side, rather than the 'old' being a precursor to the new or being replaced by it." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 9

This particular quote speaks to me primarily because it's in line with my own teaching beliefs.  I love using technology in the classroom and coming up with new ways to incorporate it, but I also love using more traditional texts, like novels.  I don't think that novels and books loose their value.  Perhaps the way we read has changed, but the act of reading itself shouldn't.  I've watched students read print books, graphic novels, on tablets, on e-readers, and even on their phones.  There are many ways to combine these two modes of teaching, and using both could even help multiple learners.

Illuminated Text

Media Ecology and Learning Case Rough Draft

My Media Ecology and Learning Case Rough Draft

Changing Literacies

Quotes

"Other classrooms use their wiki as an information hub.  In this context, the wiki becomes the site where homework is posted, where assignments are listed, and where student upload various pieces of work.  The wiki is a central point for accessing and disseminating information; for drawing students and teachers together in a community space unhindered by distance and time." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 4

I have heard about wikis before, but I have never seen them used within the classroom.  I really liked the idea of having a kind of classroom site where students and parents could access that displayed everything they might need to know.  I work with middle school students a lot, and they can be very forgetful, especially when they don't write information down.  If something like this was used, parents would not only be able to see homework assignments and such, but they would also know what was going on in their child's classroom, and even see work that they've done.  This, to me, seems like a great idea, and it's rather disappointing that many teachers don't take advantage of the opportunity.

"We now realize that to read online texts in a critical way, one needs to see them as more than free-standing, isolated constructs to be deciphered in the same ways as paper-based texts." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 5

I really liked the discussion they had here about how blogs were examined for accuracy and realism.  When working with online media, there is always the question of whether or not what you're reading is the truth.  We ask ourselves the same questions when reading news articles or even watching or hearing about events.  The ability to examine text, and the world, critically is a great skill to have.  Finding online resources is not always easy, because sometimes information is unreliable.  This also relates back to the discussion in Chapter 4 about Wikipedia and it's academic use.  Cross-referencing information is always important, and working with digital text can be a good way to teach that.

"The idea that digital technology might help to motivate reluctant learners and provide more meaningful contexts for literacy has captured the attention of an increasing number of educators." -- Digital Literacies, Chapter 6

One of the major questions I think every teacher faces is "How do I teach someone who doesn't want to learn?"  What if nothing that is tried in the classroom motivates that student to learn?  It's a big issue, and I love the idea that technology can be that motivating factor for students.  There was a conversation about the use of video games in this aspect, which is something I find interesting.  I think games, whether digital or not, have always been a good motivation for kids, especially those that are younger.  I have, however, seen high school kids get excited by the use of games.  They're kind of a universal teaching methods that we don't always utilize, because there's this belief that high school kids shouldn't be playing games in class.  When dealing with reluctant learners, though, any means that works shouldn't be ignored.

Illuminated Text

Interview Analysis

Hanging Out

Mia spends a lot of time on Social Media.  She is active on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, which she uses to communicate with her peers.  She also plays a number of games (usually gaming apps) which have been shown to her by her friends.  They are games that they usually play together.

Messing Around

Mia doesn't use the computer often, except when she has to do something for school.  Most of the time, she is on her Smartphone.  However, in relation to the use of her phone, she's taught herself a lot of what she knows and how to use it.

Geeking Out

Mia has not developed an interest in any sort of specialized skill set in relation to technology.

Schooling

Mia has taken several technology courses in high school, such as Basic Computer Applications (BCA).  When texting, Mia tends to use correct spelling, though capitalization and punctuation are questionable.  Sometimes she uses texting language.  Mia has never been much of a reader, but she also does not spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer, either.  Typically, she only writes for school purposes.  At this time, she usually uses the computer to do research and write papers.