why media literacy?

8/22/2019 Why Media Literacy?

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Why Media Literacy

The on-demandgeneration is here. We all live in a constantly connected world. Rapid

changes in technology are offering new ways for people to interact, access information, and

learn. As educators preparing students to navigate this complex world, we must ensure that

schools keep pace and successfully deliver life skills necessary for full participation in our

media saturated, information rich society. (Hobbs, 2010) The 2009 Knight Commission report,

Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age, is very clear when it states,

the time to bring digital and media literacy into the mainstream of American communities is

now. (Knight, 2009)

Steven Goodman lays out a powerful argument on the lasting effects of our new media

saturated society in his book, Teaching You Media: A Critical Guide to Literacy, VideoProduction, and Social Change. Mr. Goodman believes that media is now competing with

family and school as the master storyteller in childrens lives. This media relationship is

influencing sense of identity, community, and world view Images are now transforming and

overshadowing the written word. (Goodman, 2003 p. 1-4) This indeed is a major paradigm

shift. The written word has been the master storyteller and cornerstone of traditional American

education since its inception. We have now entered into a new uncharted age where networked,

media rich, non-linear learning is the prefered way students of all ages choose to interact, accessinformation, and learn.

Most studies put youth screen time at about 6.75 hours per day. This is a full time

occupation. It is also noted by Mr. Goodman that one hour of TV viewing can subject viewers to

as many as 1,200 unique and complex images. In a recent TEDx talk childrens interactive book

author Patrick Carmen, described from his research and travels how American childrens lives

now revolve around the Hi-Five. (Digital music, Cell phone, Computer/social media, Video

games, and TV)(Carmen, 2010) It is clear that education must confront this shift and equipstudents with the necessary tools to become successful contributing members of our on-demand

connected, global community. To some degree, large national educational movements have

responded with the inclusion of media literacy language. NCLB part D Section 2402 states, All

school districts must ensure the technology literacy of their students by 8th grade. (NCLB 2001)


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Even the new Common Core Standards sponsored by the National Governors Association has

integrated media literacy standards. Just as media and technology are integrated in school and

life in the twenty-first century, skills related to media use (both critical analysis and production

of media) are integrated throughout the standards. (Common Core 2011) National technology

professional organizations such as ISTE have done a great job creating the NETSstandards and

support teachers on how to best implement this new curriculum and standards.

As Renee Hobbs states in her Plan of Action, effective media literacy education helps

schools move beyond the idea that access to media and technology is synonymous with the

skillful use of it. (Hobbs, 2010) Will Richardson, noted education technology author, continues

to sound the alarm for comprehensive, meaningful, media literacy education in his bookBlogs,

Wikis, Podcasts, and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. He writes, A growing majority

of students are immersed in social networks and technologies outside of school, and most have

no adults in their lives who are teaching them how to use those connections to learn. At a time

when our access to information, people, and ideas is exploding online, that reality is simply

unacceptable. (Richardson, 2010)

Richardson further develops this call to action for educators through his examination of

the modern read/write web. He continues to build on Douglass Rushkoffs notion that we are

quickly evolving toward a society of authorship (Rushkoff, 2004) This concept correctly

points out that in the read/write web every teacher and every student with access- will have the

ability to contribute ideas and expertise to the larger body of knowledge that is the Internet

Richardson believes that educators must view students not only as readers and writers but also as

editors, and collaborators, and publishers as well. (Richardson, 2010) The rapid development,

and evolution of this open, participatory society of authorship is astounding. Neal Pollack

recently documented an aspect of this trend toward the popularity of user-generated media

content in an eye-opening story on Machinima for Wired Magazine. Machinima, the number

one independent channel on Youtube, (2012) is fundamentally populated with videos of people

playing videogames. Why has this become an Internet juggernaut? Rob Jones, Machinimas VP

of gamming programming has an answer. Rob states, This generation doesnt watch TV in the

same way. They want to create. Were giving them something that television isnt. (Pollack,


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2013) Simply stated, it is time educators give students something that traditional schooling isnt.

Students need the tools to decipher and evaluate complex media messages and the freedom and

opportunity to create, thus joining in the building this new landscape. Is our schools curriculum

updated and aligned to meet this challenge and overnight paradigm shift? Do teachers have

training and confidence to integrate visual, information, and media literacy into instruction?

Will teachers allow students to demonstrate their understanding of material through media

production projects? Will they have the tools to evaluate this new media?

Obstacles to Successful Media Literacy Integration

On paper, it all seems so easy. Teachers in all subject areas should integrate basic media

literacy concepts into their curriculums. Students everywhere should be encouraged to harnessthe power of digital media production to demonstrate their knowledge. Media literacy is

obviously a key to help students attain deeper understanding through media studies and media

production. Not so fast! The issue for many media literacy scholars as well as NAMLE

(National Association of Media Literacy Scholars) continues to be the lack of empirical studies

that link implementation of media literacy curriculum to academic performance and/or

measurable changes in student attitudes and behaviors. As we all know, accrediting bodies

stress assessment to ensure stated goals and objectives are being obtained. (Arke and Primack

2009 p. 54)

Educators currently working to integrate media literacy skills and lessons into their curriculum

would do a geat service to the greater media literacy community by developing accurate pre-

assessments, collecting quantitative and qualitative data, and sharing their findings. Media

literacy integration is a fantastic way to increase the frequency of meaningful, authentic

assessments in our classrooms.

As a constructivist educator, I agree with Milton Chens view of assessment. Milton

Chen is the executive director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation and assistant

professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He compares the basic idea of

standardized testing assessments with the average state sanctioned driving exam. He points

out that most states do not assume that a perfect score on the written test proves that you are a


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safe and effective driver. Applicants must prove their skills though an actual driving test.

This combination of cognitive understanding and real world conditions determine the level of

driving proficiency. Chen in his book Education Nation states, the assessment activity looks

very much like the activity itself. To apply a term used by some assessment experts,

assessment becomes authentic. The difference between instruction and the assessment of

instruction vanishes. (Chen, 2010 p. 79) Authentic assessment must be included as a vital part

of all media literacy instruction and assessment strategies. When authentic assessment is

utilized in media literacy education to enhance achievement, higher order thinking and deeper

learning will occur.

When looked at in context, media literacy education is in its infancy. This provides

educators and scholars with a unique opportunity to construct a strong educational

foundation, conduct fresh quantitative research on the impact of media literacy education,

and to develop meaningful, 21st century authentic assessments to measure student

achievement. There is no argument that information and media literacy skills are vital for

students successes in the media generation. What is up for grabs however, on a state-by-

state or even school-by-school basis, is the scope, placement, and value given to this new

instruction.

Highly developed, fully integrated, and measurable media literacy education with a

renewed focus on inquiry based learning and authentic assessments will help our schools

produce passionate, lifelong learners, who are motivated to the tackle the challenges of our

complex, global, on-demand world.

References

Arke, E., Primack, b., (2009). Quantifying media literacy:

development, reliability, and validity of a new measure.

Educational Media Journal. 46(1), 53-65.

Carman, P. (2011). Education Reform Lecture TEDxNYED.

New York. March 5th.


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Chen, M. (2010).Education Nation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-

Bass.

Common Core Standards (20011) Key points in english language

arts. Retrieved from: http://www.corestandards.org/about-

the-standards/key-points-in-english-language-arts.

Goodman, S. (2003). Teaching youth media: A critical guide to

literacy, video production, and social change. New York,

NY: Teachers College Press.

Hobbs, R. (2011).Digital and media literacy. Thousand Oaks,

California: Corwin.

Hobbs, R. (2010). Digital and media literacy: A plan of action.Washington D. C.: Aspen Institute.

Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in

a Democracy. (2009).Informing communities: Sustaining

democracy in the digital age. Washington D.C.: The Aspen

Institute

Pollack, Neal. (2013, March). You are watching machinima.

Wired, 110-115.

Rushkoff, D. (2004, October, 10). Renaissance prospects.

Retrieved September 25, 2005, from

http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail243.html.Will

Richardson. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful

Web Tools for Classrooms (p. 164). Kindle Edition.

US Department of Education. (2001) No Child Left Behind Act
http://www.corestandards.org/about-http://www.corestandards.org/about-


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