Media is a term for anything that communicates
such as books, magazines, computers, radio, film or
billboards. Media literacy expands the definition of
literacy from reading and understanding printed
matter to examining and analyzing the components
of other media, especially television. Media literacy
is the ability to interpret and create personal meaning
from the many verbal and visual symbols we take in.
It is the ability to choose, to challenge and question,
and to use the media actively and consciously for
one’s own purposes.
For years, child-development experts and social
critics have been studying the effects of television
viewing on children. Their concerns are twofold: the
violent and sexual natures of program content and the
amount of time children spend watching television.
Educators have begun to recognize the need to help
children deal with the information overload and to
find ways to steer them away from less desirable
content. The Media Literacy workshop will help
students become media literate, enabling them to sort
through and find meaning in the daily media barrage.
The My Journey Home student multimedia project
and competition allow teachers and students to take
the basic fundamentals of media literacy and apply
them to middle and high school curricula in Language
Arts and Social Studies and television production
courses at community colleges to produce their own
print, audio and video essays.
In public schools, media literacy tends to be taught
in the Language Arts or Social Studies curriculum.
Let’s take a look at how each curriculum supports
our efforts. Media literacy across these curriculum
areas can foster better communication abilities from
Language Arts/English and the fine arts to enable
students to express their understanding of the concept
in a personally meaningful way.
Language Arts Curriculum
Standard VI: Instructional Resources
Media literacy can empower youth to be positive
contributors to society, to challenge cynicism and
apathy, and to serve as agents of social change
(ONDCP, 8). During the last decade, media literacy
has shown substantial growth in several areas of the
curriculum including health, English and Language
Arts. In the Instructional Resources section of the
Second Edition of The National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards (2002) English Language Arts
Standards for ages 11 to 15, there is detailed information
on media literacy skills to improve reading, writing
and comprehension skills.
Teachers work to integrate media and technologies
into opportunities for their students to meet learning
goals in the classroom. Teachers also help students
understand the practical applications of media and
technologies by giving them opportunities to produce
various "products" — newspapers, posters, skits,
stories, videos and Web pages —that are meant to be
shared with different audiences such as parents, peers
and the community. Accomplished teachers know how
to help select media and technological resources that
aid students in the production of text. Teachers know
that studying texts of many cultures is essential for all
students. A goal of English Language Arts instruction
is to prepare students to live in our increasingly
diverse society; therefore, teachers familiarize themselves
with texts from other cultures and traditions
and expose students to a wide range of materials.
When selecting high-quality texts representative
of world diversity, teachers affirm works by authors
of both genders and a variety of backgrounds and
perspectives. In evaluating the authenticity and value
of the cultural aspects of texts, teachers may enlist the
help of members of given cultures, seek the opinions
of colleagues, or read the work of critics. Teachers are
careful to present information about the culture and
historical contexts in which texts were produced.
Teachers give students strategies to help them
evaluate and question texts and to see how texts
offer unique representations of the world. The rapid
increase in the availability of information that can be
accessed by teachers and students provides new
challenges in selecting resources.
Standard V: Equity, Fairness and Diversity
Accomplished teachers are alert to stereotypes
and to racist, sexist and other prejudiced content in
written resources, works of art, media and current
events. They understand the demeaning nature of such
content, and they select instructional materials and
experiences that promote positive images of people
of different races, genders, religions, cultures, sexual
orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, and physical
and mental abilities.
Teachers build, enhance and support the self respect,
self-confidence and self-worth of children.
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