Thursday, February 22, 2007

Reading the World in the Word/Image!

#1 -- When I looked at the six core assumptions in PLS, I found at least three that coincided with Renee Hobbs research project. The first one was that "media literacy teaches critical thinking skills such as understanding bias and credibility through rigorous analysis of appropriate media documents". In Renee Hobbs research she is trying to find out how Latinos in North Philadelphia analyze tobacco advertising, etc. She is trying to to find out how such bias as that from which the tobacco industry creates their advertisements are understood by those reading the ads in magazines.

Secondly, in her research on students at Montgomery Blair High School she is trying to find out the impact of media on students outside relationships - family, community, etc. This is in line with PLS's #6 , which says that "media literacy is essential for the development of informed, reflective an active citizens in a democratic society".

Last, her articles that she publishes on lesson plans and curriculum materials gives teachers the chance to look at these materials - and these materials are materials that "integrate media literacy into K-12 instruction". PLS's #2 says that "media literacy can and should be integrated across the K-12 curricula at all grade levels and in multiple subject areas".

It would seem that Renee Hobb's research and work falls right in line with the work being done by Project Look Sharp.


#2 -- Renee Hobbs is studying the effects of media on the outside lives of people as those of students and teachers in the academic setting. Her research takes on the media influence at all age levels and in different schools. It encompasses both the students as well as the teachers. I think from reading the article that she understands the need for students to be able to read the media and understand and critically analyze what the media is saying. I think that is so important since so much of what students access today comes from media sources. I also feel that her work falls right in line with Project Look Sharp. Both understand the impact of media on the lives of today's students and their need to be able to adequately assess the material that they are reading.

#3 -- ELA Standard #3 says that "Students will read, write, listen and speak for information and understanding - using knowledge generated from oral, written and electronically produced texts". I think that her book clearly addresses this standard from the very beginning when she talks about her students being engaged in assessing "reality shows" and where they fall on a real/unreal line. She used this media (television) which most kids are very much into and used that media to assess information (finding out things about her students) as well as involving them in critical thinking and assessment. I had never really thought about something this simple as a means of getting kids to think critically. I was amazed.

Bonus -- The article "Literacy for the 21st Century: The Hope and the Promise" was extremely interesting. It addresses the issue that in today's world information comes to us through multi-media as much as through the written words on a page, and how that fluency in reading and writing now means fluency in the "language of printed communications" as well. I really hadn't given that much thought before, but it is definitely so true.

The article talks about "creating a response so that others can know what I now know": we do this in our class with the blog - as I sit here writing I am sharing with others what I know (and sometimes what I don't know as well).

I guess the most important thing is that I am slowly beginning to realize how today's student is not as much involved in knowing everything as they are in knowing how to access what they don't know. When I attended school the teacher was the expert who shared the knowledge with us and what I learned came directly from that person. Now that is not the case. The student doesn't need to learn all of the things that I did because they can access it through a range of media that was not at my disposal. They can access the information - they don't need to memorize the facts, but they definitely need to know how to access that information. I guess that I would call this the "access generation".

My only fear remains one that I find constantly nagging at me. Megan had written in her blog that we as teachers must make sure that the technology is available to our students - writing grants, etc. to see that the computers and internet are available in our classrooms. I agree with that, however, my biggest concern is for those who do not have that access at home. It's really difficult to assume that someone who is struggling simply to feed their family is going to take the time to drive their children to the library to use the computer to do their homework. I wish that we lived in a society where everyone has computer access, but I simply do not believe that is the case. I don't have answers to that part of the problem, and I know that I am probably worrying needlessly. However, I cannot help but rely on my own experience, and I know how deeply frustrated I was at the beginning of this semester when financial concerns kept me from having internet access at home for the first two weeks of classes. I just don't want us as educators to be put in a position to put more pressure on families that are already overwhelmed with the everyday struggles of feeding and clothing their kids.

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