Double Entry Journal #8

“The whole media literacy enterprise this day, clearly a regular part of this middle school English classroom routine, has taken up about ten minutes of the period.” 

This statement stood out to me because it shows that media literacy can easily be implemented into the classroom.  Curriculum is sometimes over-crowded, but this teacher proves that she found time to teach something that is important.  I also found the different reasons to introduce media literacy interesting.  Some teachers use it to connect the classroom and the culture and others see how themes and issues relate to literature and history.  But no matter how media literacy is taught, all students can learn how to critically analyze all forms of media and text.   

Teaching Story

This site provides tools of digital storytelling to students and combines them with teaching methods to help students tell their own stories. Students can learn video editing and publishing techniques to be digital storytellers.

Hobbs, R. (n.d.). Teaching media literacy: yo! are you hip to this?. Retrieved from http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/teaching-media-literacy-yo-are-you-hip

Teaching story. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.teachingstory.com/

Week 8

Departure From a Love

I liked that this video was centered on a letter.  The letter was written by a boy who personified the city as a girl he was in love with.  Any viewer can learn that one should have pride and be thankful about where they came from.  You will always remember the good and bad things, but you will always call that place your home.  I learned that it is completely acceptable to represent situations and feelings that are not always happy and good.  It gives viewers a chance to completely understand what you are trying to present. 

Digital storytelling can be used to promote critical media literacy.  Digital storytelling involves graphics, images, narration, video clips and music to express a point of view.  So students could create a digital story about their reaction and analysis of a video clip, picture, text, etc. 

Week 7

I chose the lesson plan "What is Causing Global Warming."  Attached is the worksheets that students will answer after watching three video clips.

Week 7 Journal

Why did the authors do this study?  The authors wanted to evaluate the impact of implementing media literacy into secondary language arts curriculum to determine the effects on students’ reading, listening and viewing comprehension, writing, and message analysis skills.

How did the authors do the study?  Because this study examined the entire school, they had to compare the results of a school that had similar demographics.  Data was collected from activities that evaluated students’ comprehension while reading, listening and viewing text or media. Data was compared from the control group and from the school with integrated media literacy.

What data/results emerged from the study?  There was a statistically significant difference in the results between the two groups when examining the three types of comprehension that were tested.  The students in the treatment group were able to understand the main idea better than the students of the control group.  But there wasn’t a statistically significant difference with identifying details between the two groups. 

What do the authors conclude from the data analysis?  They concluded that the treatment groups’ reading comprehension improved and that the students were continuing to improve their writing skills.  The authors agreed that media literacy embedded into instruction is effective in meeting traditional academic goals. 

What is the significance of the study?  Teachers need to be less fearful when considering other methods to teach traditional academic goals.  The teacher who presented this instruction was not an expert with media literacy; she was just a standard secondary language arts instructor.    

How do these findings influence your position on media literacy and school curriculum?  The results from this finding emphasize my feelings and understanding of how easy and important it is to embed media literacy into the curriculum.   This process doesn’t have to be done all at once.  Curriculum designers can take this process one step at a time by embedding it into one subject at a time, just like this study. 

Double Entry Journal #6

 “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).” 

The overall goal of every teacher should be to give students knowledge that will stay with them and impact them for the rest of their lives.  A common problem with many teachers is the way they help their students prepare for the WestTest.  Some teachers will incorporate the WestTest preparation in their curriculum all year and some teachers will devote the three to four weeks prior to the test.  I believe WestTest preparation is essential, but I believe that teachers are missing an important element that will help students prepare for all subjects on the WestTest—incorporating critical thinking skills.  Incorporating critical thinking skills can easily be achieved by incorporating media literacy into the curriculum.  The students will be able to relate and connect with the content, which in turn will have a lasting impact on them. 

I found a recent article in the Charleston Gazette titled, “Kanawha students to start the 2012 school year Aug. 17.”  This article mentioned the creation of the WestTest 2, which would emphasize critical thinking skills and high-order skills.  State officials created this test to help narrow the achievement gap between white and black students during the first WESTEST.

Learn critical thinking through media literacy education. (2010, October 25). Retrieved from http://medialiteracycolloquium.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/learn-critical-thinking-through-media-literacy-education/

White, D. (2011, September 06). Kanawha students to start the 2012 school year aug. 17 . The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved from http://wvgazette.com/News/201109061233?page=2

Media Literacy as an Aid to WestTest Preparation

I chose the activity “What is Causing Global Warming,” which can be used in Environmental Science-- an elective course for high school students.  This activity addresses the following 5 CSOs:

SC.O.ENV.2.3
analyze and evaluate the use and availability of renewable and nonrenewable energy resources:

• coal
• solar
• biomass
• biofuels
• hydropower
• natural gas
• geothermal
• nuclear.

SC.O.ENV.2.4
evaluate environmental and economic advantages and disadvantages of using nonrenewable and renewable energy.

SC.O.ENV.2.6
explain how technology has influenced the sustainability of natural resources over time:

• forestry practices
• fossil fuels
• farming.

SC.O.ENV.2.16
identify causes for the thinning of the ozone layer and evaluate the effectiveness of the Montreal Protocol for reducing ozone depletion.

SC.O.ENV.2.17
debate climate changes as it relates to greenhouse gases, human changes in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, and relevant laws and treaties.

Question:  Can integrating media literacy into your classroom activities help prepare your students for taking the WestTest?

After reading the article “Learn Critical Thinking through Media Literacy,” I believe that integrating media literacy into the classroom will help students prepare for the WestTest.  Media literacy gives students the skills and knowledge needed to access, analyze, evaluate and communicate media messages.  These same skills are needed in all areas of the WestTest.  Students will be able to analyze the question, give the question some thought, and then give the best answer possible.  The students will be preparing for the WestTest without even realizing that they are preparing for the WestTest.