Integrating Media Literacy Into Your Classroom Activities

What is Causing Global Warming?

Ithaca.edu Global Warming Lesson

1. Choose a grade level and explore the West Virginia  CSO's. How many CSO's would that lesson plan meet? List the CSO's in a Blog posting. Then answer the question:

Grade 8 Science

The lesson itself would meet at least 12 of the West Virginia CSO’s. If I were actually teaching this lesson however, I would focus on 5 or 6 of CSO’s to narrow the lesson, for a more thorough understanding of what they are to learn.

SC.O.8.1.01  Formulate scientific explanations based on historical observations and experimental evidence, accounting for variability in experimental results.

SC.O.8.1.02 Demonstrate how a testable methodology is employed to seek solutions for personal and societal issues. (e.g., “scientific method”).

SC.O.8.1.03 Relate societal, cultural and economic issues to key scientific innovations.

SC.O.8.1.04 Conduct and/or design investigations that incorporate the skills and attitudes and/or values of scientific inquiry (e.g., established research protocol, accurate record keeping, replication of results and peer review, objectivity, openness, skepticism, fairness, or  creativity and logic).

SC.O.8.1.06 Use appropriate technology solutions within a problem solving setting to measure and collect data; interpret data; analyze and/or report data; interact with simulations; conduct research; and present and communicate conclusions.

SC.O.8.1.07 Design, conduct, evaluate and revise experiments (e.g., compose a question to be investigated, design a controlled investigation that produces numeric data, evaluate the data in the context of scientific laws and principles, construct a conclusion based on findings, propose revisions to investigations based on manipulation of variables and/or analysis of error, or communicate and defend the results and conclusions).

SC.O.8.1.08 Draw conclusions from a variety of data sources to analyze and interpret systems and models (e.g., use graphs and equations to measure and apply variables such as rate and scale, evaluate changes in trends and cycles, predict the influence of external variances such as potential sources of error, or interpret maps).

SC.O.8.2.01 Demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships among physics, chemistry, biology, earth/environmental science, and astronomy.

SC.O.8.2.18 Examine the various sources of energy (e.g., fossil fuels, wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear, biomass.

SC.O.8.3.02 Investigate, compare and design scientific and technological solutions to personal and societal problems.

SC.O.8.3.03 Communicate experimental designs, results and conclusions using advanced technology tools.

SC.O.8.3.06 Given a current science-technology-societal issue, construct and defend potential solutions.

2. Can integrating media literacy into your classroom activities help prepare your students for taking the Westest? Use what you learned from this week's reading in your answer.

If I were teaching a subject such as Science where a good portion of the subject is critical thinking then yes integrating media literacy, with a focus on critical thinking could be added to help prepare my students for Westest.  Media literacy is used more frequently in the classrooms in all subjects however it is used to enhance the lesson in order to reach out to more students. Teachers use hands on projects and teacher based instruction to teach the main factual information to their students. Media should be used as another outlet for students to learn. All students learn differently therefore it is the teacher’s job to use every idea possible to better their students’ education. As far as the Westest, it is still very focused on items learned from books. It is close- minded to media education and still requires a student to use pencil and paper to complete the test. The only section of the entire test that uses a computer is the writing portion, in this section students simply answer a prompt by typing in their response. There are very few media related questions on the test and none that require the use of a computer screen or other commercial type media to complete. Until it is required on the Westest to use certain types of media, I feel teachers will still be using it simply as a teaching enhancement. The article from our weekly reading,  “Learn critical thinking through media literacy education” says: “Summers states, `Teachers who recognize the goal of teaching thinking rather than just imparting knowledge help students make connections beyond the content of the coursework’ (2005, pp. 2) She suggests teaching critical thinking by applying it to the study of media literacy. This practice gives students the skills and knowledge needed to `access, analyze, evaluate and communicate’ (NAMLE) media messages.” Their belief is quite different. They feel that we need to use the media literacy and critical thinking in our plans everyday to enhance their skills. This idea is a good theory and should work however most teachers barely have time to make it through the lessons that they are required to cover let alone add new complications and assignments for their classes. The other problem is that to increase critical thinking we must teach it from the beginning and have an active educational support system from the parents to encourage critical thinking at home. If we ask a group of eighth graders to critically examine an assignment but this hasn’t been taught in prior years they will have great difficulties with the task at hand. Critical thinking is a skill to be learned to help reach greater levels of achievement on the Westest and in basic everyday life.

Learn Critical Thinking through Media Literacy

“Rather than teaching facts, teachers can use Lockwood’s ideas to give students something more valuable than good test scores; they can impart critical thinking skills through media literacy education.”

I agree with Lockwood’s theory that critical thinking skills are important to students’ learning however, I also feel they need textbook facts to base their opinions off of. If my instruction simply asks a student to read a passage on the internet and think through it critically, than the only part they are getting from the message is what the author has written, not how it compares to the facts. Teachers have to use facts placed in textbooks to teach their students information, they can use the internet and other media as add-ons for the lesson but their main lesson should not solely be based on that information alone. The article discusses NCLB and the problems associated with reaching AYP. It suggests that if students could critically evaluate then they would perform higher on their standardized tests. Students will benefit from learning critical thinking, however just because they can apply it to media does not mean they can apply it to state mandated tests. The state tests are done on pencil and paper and have written information with little or no pictures, verses media which is based on the idea of attracting people to read or watch them. Even educational media uses characters, bright colors, attracting layouts and pictures to help students learn. Therefore I feel that in order for all students to succeed on standardized tests we must teach facts and enhance our lessons with media. By creating a bond between both forms of education not only will students be more interested but they will also become more thorough critical thinkers and will perform better on their tests overall.

While considering the effects of critical thinking I tried to find simple rules that not only applied to media critical thinking but instead to any critical thinking.  Robert H. Ennis has written this article that states three basic strategies to follow for quick analysis and then has extended his theories in more thorough steps as you proceed through the article.

How to Teach Critical Thinking

 “The actual teaching of critical thinking is a function of many situation-specific factors: teacher style, teacher interest, teacher knowledge and understanding, class size, cultural and community backgrounds and expectations, student expectations and backgrounds, colleagues’ expectations, recent local events, the amount of time available to teachers after they have done all the other things they have to do, and teacher grasp of critical thinking, to name some major factors. I suggest here some general strategies and tactics gleaned from years of experience, research, and others’ suggestions. They are guidelines and must be adjusted to fit the actual situation.” Robert Ennis begins to describe strategies for teaching critical thinking as “Reflection, Reasons, Alternatives” (RRA). His theory is a bit more compact and easy to follow compared to Summers’ however it is also not as thorough as her process. He breaks down his steps as follows: 1. Urge students to be Reflective, to stop and think, instead of making snap judgments, or accepting the first idea that  comes into their heads, or automatically accepting whatever is presented in the media. 2. Gently ask such questions as “How do you know”, "What are the reasons?" and “Is that a good source of information?” thus prodding them to have good Reasons for their views and to seek reasons for others' views. 3. Emphasize alertness for Alternative hypotheses, conclusions, explanations, sources of evidence, points of view, plans, etc. His strategies are similar to those of Sue Lockwood Summers and overall they both are good starting points to increase critical thinking skills. His steps apply to the article itself, how to teach critical thinking and the underlying strategies that you would use, and her steps focus on all aspects of the message: Who created the message? What is the message? How was the message delivered? What is the impact of the message on me? What is the impact of the message on society? Both articles are well written and portray the same basic message; the difference is how they are written. Both articles are written to apply the rules to be used on all forms of media; Ennis focuses his article on how to teach with the shortest amount of steps whereas Summers wants to make sure all steps are answered to their fullest extent. 

People Magazine Cover

Magazine Cover Deconstruction

1. What do you think about this person based on the cover of the magazine? How does he look? How does he make you feel?

He is young athletic individual that takes pride in his appearance. He chooses to amplify his physique through body-building techniques used to build muscles and promote macho-ism.  He looks strong and his facial expression gives the illusion that he is very serious about his work. Personally he makes me feel like I do not work out enough.

2. What is the main purpose of this magazine?

The purpose of Muscle and Fitness magazine is to inspire individuals to become more active. They amplify words such as Lean, and 20 inch Arms to get the attention of potential consumers.

3. Describe who you believe is the magazine's intended readership.

The magazine uses bright colors, bold font, and a well-known celebrity to glorify the benefits of working out. Intended readers of this magazine I believe are described as young, middle-class individuals that are searching for ways to better themselves. They might already be obsessed with their appearance but need a different solution to increase their positive self-esteem.  

4. What lifestyles, values, points of view are represented or omitted?

The lifestyle presented is of a person who is somewhat arrogant. They are confident in how they look. They work hard to keep getting stronger and won’t stop until they are better than everyone else. Perseverance, determination and goal setting are three important values you can detect when viewing the front cover. Your common everyday person and their appearance was conveniently missing, in a way, this is encouragement for those individuals to become like the person in the picture. Women and the female body builders were left out, perhaps saying that men are the only gender concerned with muscles and fitness.  We might also note that even though steroids were not as big of a deal when the magazine was published, in today’s knowledge we might suspect they were used as a performance enhancing drug for his appearance.  

 1. What do you think about this person based on the cover of the magazine? How does he look? How does he make you feel?

He is an approachable, professional Politician.  He looks authoritative and in control. He is trying to appear as a down to earth businessman, someone everyone could respect and trust. He might be described as “A man of the people.”   His trusting and playful stare makes us question who he really is. Is this the real politician or is there another side?

2 What is the main purpose of this magazine?

The cover suggests that the purpose of the magazine is to educate readers on such topics as politics, economics, celebrity gossip and lust. The cursive magazine title gives it a more classy upscale appeal. Most typical magazines use large bold font in generic print, however this magazine attracts a different following simply from its title.

3. Describe who you believe is the magazine's intended readership.

The magazine targets upper class, highly educated, intrinsically motivated individuals who are interested in not only politics but the basic Hollywood gossip.   The magazine is trying to appear friendly by putting a familiar face on the cover, to entice inquisitive personalities of non-targeted classes, to increase reader response.

 4. What lifestyles, values, points of view are represented or omitted?

The blue collar worker is completely overlooked, as the magazine’s targeted audience seems to be white collar Americans.  Political figures, politics, economics, celebrity gossip and lust are a few points of views represented on the cover.  Values suggested from the visual media are hard work, a friendly face, and direct eye contact can help promote ordinary working class to extraordinary leader.
 
1. What are the differences between the two covers? What techniques are used to attract your attention? Pay attention to body language, clothing, camera angle, lighting, color, eye contact, ect. How do the differences influence what you think and feel about the person?

 Some basic differences between the two covers include the same celebrity but different aspects of their personality; the focus audience for each magazine is made clear through their wardrobe differences and the eye contact versus sunglasses. The covers of both magazines use several different techniques to draw the consumer in. Appealing aspects of these covers are a focal point of a single celebrity, bold font, and dynamic personal hygiene.   Body Language used in Muscle and Fitness shows the main focus as the bulging bicep. All other insignificant areas blend in to the background through photo camouflage, such as sunglasses covering his eyes.  Esquire magazine chose a different angle completely. They chose to emphasize his friendly eyes, by significantly covering his muscles and showcasing a custom fitted suit. Muscle and Fitness outfitted Arnold in a bland, plain-colored muscle tee to emphasize his physique, while Esquire wanted to display his political side by dressing him in a stylish patriotic suit. Muscle and Fitness uses a face forward camera angle to truly show-off his 20 inch arm, whereas Esquire positions Arnold slightly off center with his face and commanding finger turning to find you. Consumer selling points and straplines highlighting high interest articles such as celebrity gossip, American music, pictorial lust, storytelling, and improving physical appearance through exercise are all promoted features for purchase of these magazines.  Lighting for both covers display the same shadow angle, therefore proving the lighting is identical. Using bright background colors such as red and orange portray the image of fire on Muscle and Fitness, encouraging the reader to burn off fat and define muscle.  The simplistic nature of the light, teal blue gives off the calm, cool, collected confidence we hope to have in our politicians, such as Arnold displayed on Esquire’s cover. Values suggested from the visual media are hard work, a friendly face, and eye contact can help promote ordinary working class to extraordinary leader.  The difference in the personalities displayed gives us the impression that there are always two sides to a person. Intended readers of Muscle and Fitness, I believe are described as young, middle-class individuals that are searching for ways to better themselves. They might already be obsessed with their appearance but need a different solution to increase their positive self-esteem.  Esquire targets upper class, highly educated, intrinsically motivated individuals who are interested in not only politics but the basic Hollywood gossip.   The magazine is trying to appear friendly by putting a familiar face on the cover, to entice inquisitive personalities of non-targeted classes, to increase reader response. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the sole pictured celebrity on the cover of both magazines; he is used to demonstrate the diversity of his personality on both periodicals of varying subject matter. I think he is inadvertently challenging the stereotype that celebrities only care for themselves by announcing that he is running for Governor and giving a voice to the people.

Deconstructing corporate media's assault on the American workforce

http://medialiteracyproject.org/deconstructions/qwest-becoming-centurylink

Is this commercial an example of corporate media's attack on the American workforce? How?

In my personal opinion I do not fully agree with the idea that it is an attack on the American workforce. I can vaguely entertain the idea that the slinkies are perhaps making light of the workforce in general, by saying we are enjoying going to work instead of dreading our everyday jobs. I can also see in the oriental scene with the slinkies going down the stairs and the oriental woman walking up the stairs, might mean America is declining compared to other nations. My true beliefs in this commercial however do not elude to either of these statements, I think the commercials is simply a fun and entertaining way to introduce their merger.

A Seven-Power Lens

A Seven-Power Lens on 21^st- Century Literacy

“By sequentially focusing seven increasingly strong lenses on the news media, beginning with a close-up look at a news photo, students learn to apply powerful cross-disciplinary skills of visual, news media, and information literacy to analyze current political issues.”

I feel this quote best describes the entire feel of the article. The seven lenses are incredibly insightful when deconstructing a photo or an article. The idea of using our senses first to get the basic understanding of the photo is the farthest most people will ever go. However, this quote guides us in a further direction to look deeper and apply other skills to analyze political issues through a simple photo. By using visual skills learned in other areas, we will be able to understand photos better. We need to apply all information learned and questioned when looking at our media sources. The seven lenses the quote describes breaks down our examination into simple steps for everyone to follow. Those seven steps are senses, inference, research, contexts, evaluation, synthesis and teaching. Through critical examination using these steps students will be able to apply their own basic knowledge and further understand all aspects of the photograph.   

I found this website based around image analysis that follows similar steps to deconstructing photos or images as Debbie Abilock describes in her article.

http://mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevel.php?pageID=image

“Every element of an image contributes to its meaning, and much time and thought is devoted to mise en scène (putting things in the picture) by the creators of an image.” This quote is a basic summary of the article written by Karina Wilson. She has different titles for each “lens” however the steps and the basic breakdown are quite similar. Her article uses these steps Organization (how the photo is taken), Composition (what is in the photo), Framing (where does the real picture begin and end), Lighting (natural or artificial), Colors (anything that sticks out, to create mood or atmosphere). Her steps apply simply to the photo without much deep thought required, creating the biggest difference between the two articles.

Deconstructing Commercials

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq6CErN7smY&feature=player_embedded

The Geico commercial titled “Animals Sing `Take on Me,’” is paid for by the Geico company to advertise the low rates they have on car insurance.  The company has a variety of commercials and billboard ads that play on the humorous side of advertising. They chose to make commercials humorous to appeal to all types of audiences, and create an unusual approach to a somewhat monotonous business of insurance. They wanted the company and its product to appeal to the common individual. The company started in the middle of the Great Depression by Leo and Lillian Goodwin, and has been going strong for 75yrs. 

The target audience in this commercial is the working class with limited funds available to live life. The main focus is on a white woman, and her two pets. The simplistic nature of her wardrobe and the outdated appearance of her house gives us the opinion that she is either frugal with her spending or needs an extra nudge to do something for herself. She also appears to be young and judging by her comments concerning downloading music she enjoys spending time on her computer.

The scene opens with a young woman seated on the couch of her dated living room, with items that appear to be from the 70’s or 80’s. She has a short hair cut that falls at her chin as a straight cut around her head. She is wearing an outdated plaid patterned dress. She states, “Downloading music can be expensive. So to save money, I’ve trained my dog and his cockatoo to play all the hits of the 80’s.” The scene then pans outward so you can see the entire room; she looks over to her right and verbally cues her yellow Labrador retriever to play the piano and white cockatoo to sing.  “Hit it Mr. Butter’s…””Take on me (take on me), Take me on (take on me) I’ll be gone.” A deep male voice interrupts the song and the scene we’ve been watching becomes a pop-out window on a computer screen. “There’s an easier way to save, get online, go to Geico.com, get a quote, 15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance.” The commercial closes with a plain white screen and the word Geico written in large bold blue letters in the center of the screen with the website geico.com written in the same font directly beneath it.  

The subtext of the commercial is that Geico is easy and available to everyone. The woman in the commercial appears to be somewhat introverted and perhaps slightly studious. Geico will be a perfect fit for her.  Geico advertises silly situations to appeal to all types of audiences, this commercial asks us to believe that she trained her pets to sing songs from the 80’s. This also appeals to animal lovers and creative people. Animal lovers will enjoy the relationship and time that she spent with her pets to teach them a new trick, while creative people will like the different idea of animals singing and playing songs. Most of this commercial presents an introverted lifestyle but it also promotes an educated person. The woman looks as though she doesn’t get out much but she also appears to be well educated to have the ability to train her pets to perform the song. 

The values presented are the conservation of financial resources. To save your money for other items you may need or want, rather than using all of your money on something that is required such as car insurance. The suggestion is that by switching to their company would further assist in their financial needs.

Items not made clear in the commercial are: comparable rates, qualifications for participation in the program and terms and conditions of sales. As far as where to find this information, as the commercial suggests go to Geico.com. They have a customer friendly website, with plenty of easy to follow icons to answer any and all questions. They also list an e-mail and phone number to help with questions still in quandary during your visit. The company relies on the humor and light heartedness of its commercials to persuade consumers to switch to their insurance regardless of any factual information presented.

Photo Analysis Worksheet

Observation:

A.Study the photograph for 2 minutes. Form an overall impression of the photograph and then examine individual items. Next, divide the photo into quadrants and study each section to see what new details become visible.

The President is deep in thought. The background is a map of the lower half of the United States of America.

B.Use the chart below to list people, objects, and activities in the photograph.

People:                                                    Objects:                                          Activities:

1. President Obama                                1.  Map                                           1. Deep Thought

                                                               2. Location Identifiers                    2. Debrief/ Speech

                                                                                                                       3. Conversation

Inference:
Based on what you have observed above, list three things you might infer from this photograph.
1. Debriefing of Gulf Coast Issue possibly the oil spill that greatly affected our entire country's economy.
2. The President is thinking "Oh, Crud!, Now What??"
3. The photo appears to have been cropped to have the focus be entirely on the President versus the issue at hand and the administrative staff discussing the solution.
Questions:
A.What questions does this photograph raise in your mind?
Is the photo authentic? Or has it been cropped to portray the media viewpoint?
What is the real issue taking place?
Why is the United States always put on his shoulders, literally and figuratively?
B.Where could you find answers to them?
From a reviewed and reliable source, an example would be from an authentic government periodical.



Observation:

A.Study the photograph for 2 minutes. Form an overall impression of the photograph and then examine individual items. Next, divide the photo into quadrants and study each section to see what new details become visible.

Overall duties of the President of the United States. The celebratory walk with friends.

B.Use the chart below to list people, objects, and activities in the photograph.

People:                                                        Objects:                                     Activities:

1. Several Men walking                              1. Letters on Truck                   1. Walking

2. President Obama                                     2. Lookout Tower                    2. Conversation

3. Guy in the Bright Green Shirt                 3. Cement Dividers                  3. Celebration

4. Men in Lookout tower

Inference:
Based on what you have observed above, list three things you might infer from this photograph.
First, I think that the picture has been photo-shopped from the original.  The box-like image looks like a truck that appears too white for the sun in this photograph.  The gentleman in the dark kelly green shirt is too bright as well.  Additional people have been cropped in to add to the visual effect of the picture.
This is the after picture, from the first photo. The two images are connected through the environmental crisis focused on the Gulf Coast.
The people in the photo appear to be celebrating the end of the crisis based upon their smiles, and peppy stride.
Questions:
A.What questions does this photograph raise in your mind?
Where do I find a the original photograph?  What is the current photograph telling us?  And what is the original photograph supposed to tell us? Are these two photos connected? Is this supposed to be the after effect of the first photo?
B.Where could you find answers to them?
From a reviewed and reliable source, an example would be from an authentic government periodical.

What do you want to get out of the class.

As a teacher I am constantly trying to find new ways to get my students attention, I hope this class will teach me some new techniques. I have never made a blog or even tried to post something on someone else's blog, so at this point I am already learning new things. I enjoy learning and hope I will be able to continue expanding my education through this class.

Where you are from and what do you do.

I am originally from Weston, WV. I attended two different colleges, Wesleyan and Fairmont State. For a brief period after graduation I moved back home. Now however I live and work through the week in Webster County, WV as a traveling Music Pre-K-8 teacher at two small schools with multi-age classrooms. I am the Head Girls' Basketball coach, and the assistant Boys' Basketball coach for Diana School. I am also the color guard/ flag line instructor for Webster County High. On the weekends I am an Assistant Manager at CJ Banks in Clarksburg, WV.