Transcript Meeting Students Where They Are With Media Literacy

Meeting Students Where They
Are With Media Literacy:
Critical Thinking for
21st Century Learning
Frank W. Baker
[email protected]
“Being literate in contemporary society
means being active, critical, and
creative users not only of print and
spoken language but also of the visual
language of film and television, commercial
and political advertising, photography, and
more. Teaching students how to interpret
and create visual texts such as
illustrations, charts, graphs, electronic
displays, photographs, film, and video is
another essential component of the
English language arts curriculum. Visual
communication is part of the fabric of
contemporary life….”
“….We must therefore challenge
students to analyze critically the
texts they view and to integrate
their visual knowledge with their
knowledge of other forms of
language. By studying how visual
texts work, students learn to employ
visual media as another powerful
means of communication.”
Source: NCTE/IRA Standards for The English Language Arts
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/Sample/StandardsDoc.pdf
Critical challenges
# 1 There is a growing need for
formal instruction in key new skills,
including information literacy,
visual literacy, and
technological literacy.
New skills are required of students in writing
and communication, different from those of even a
few years ago. Students and teachers both are
finding it necessary to be technologically adept, to
be able to collaborate on a global scale and to
understand content and media design. Issues of
assessment and integration of new literacies across
the curriculum, and of teacher training, are
complicated by the overarching need for a fuller
understanding of what constitutes new literacy skills.
Media Smarts
“With words, music,
photos and
videos, students are
expressing themselves
by creating,
manipulating
and sharing content
online .”
“ In light of the study
findings, school
districts may want to
consider reexamining
their policies and
practices and explore
ways in which they
could use social
networking for
educational
purposes.”
“technology officials
should find ways to
send homework,
video lectures, and
other classroom
material so students
can study wherever
they are.”
Arne Duncan
US Secretary of Education
Creating “The Invisible Man”
Join me later today
Frank W. Baker
[email protected]
Media Literacy Clearinghouse
www.frankwbaker.com