05+Visual+Media+Literacy

Visual and Media Literacy

By the time a student graduates they will be able to:

Licensing images

Remixing and Copyright

Create and Posting Videos

=** Media Literacy Overview **=

//__ Definition of Media Literacy (paraphrased from the [|NCTE website]): __// Media literacy is reached when a student can not only **(1)** **manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information**, but also **(2)** **create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts**, in order to **(3)** **build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally** and **(4)** **attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments**.


 * // As enumerated on page 3 of “Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century” by Henry Jenkins (attached) //**

Specifically: “‘Increasingly, as computer use is ever less a lifestyle option, ever more an everyday necessity, inability to use computers or find information on the web is a matter of stigma, of social exclusion; revealing not only changing social norms but also the growing centrality of computers to work, education and politics.’ (Castells, 2002, in Livingstone, 2003, p. 16)” (Jenkins 14).
 * The **** Participation Gap ** — the unequal access to the opportunities, experiences, skills, and knowledge that will prepare youth for full participation in the world of tomorrow.

Specifically: “In… //The Internet Playground//, Seiter (2005) expresses concern that young people were finding it increasingly difficult to separate commercial from noncommercial content in online environments” (Jenkins 16).
 * The Transparency Problem ** — The challenges young people face in learning to see clearly the ways that media shape perceptions of the world.

Specifically: “In professional contexts, professional organizations are the watchdog of ethical norms. Yet in more casual settings, there is seldom a watchdog. No established set of ethical guidelines shapes the actions of bloggers and podcasters… different online communities have their own norms… but many young people seem willing to lie to access those communities” (Jenkins 17).
 * The Ethics Challenge ** — The breakdown of traditional forms of professional training and socialization that might prepare young people for their increasingly public roles as mediamakers and community participants.

** Key Skills: **

 * // As enumerated on page 4 of “Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century” by Henry Jenkins (attached) //**
 * // Although all skills should be addressed by the curriculum, some are already being addressed by the faculty. Those highlighted are the areas which are most easily overlooked by US faculty. //**


 * Play ** — the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving
 * Performance ** — the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery
 * Simulation ** — the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world processes
 * Appropriation **— the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content
 * Multitasking ** — the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient details.
 * Distributed Cognition ** — the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities
 * Collective Intelligence **— the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal
 * Judgment **— the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources
 * Transmedia Navigation **— the ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities
 * Networking **— the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information
 * Negotiation **— the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms

1. Computers are Tools
 * The students should understand that…
 * The computer is a tool with specific job functions and accessories
 * Effort applied to understanding software can have substantial rewards
 * Specific Skills
 * Understand of computer hardware, including ports, cables, and devices
 * Typing
 * Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Beyond, for instance, using Word as a glorified typewrite

2. Ethics & Managing Information
 * The students should Understand that…
 * The power of the computer has created new opportunities for exploitation of individuals and resources
 * Databases, in particular, are a clear opportunity for societal advancement, as well as a major threat to the individual
 * Certain (relatively simplistic) uses of technology are violations of the rights and privacies of others
 * Reversing the misconception that theft does not include copying intellectual property, as the owner still retains possession of their work
 * They are responsible for protecting their own rights and privacyKey Skills
 * Key Skills
 * Database Management
 * Mashing websites (For instance, Google Earth and the Schnuck’s electronic circular to establish sales trends and, thus, eating patterns in the St. Louis area)
 * Perception of Streams of Information
 * Example: Understanding what caused a piece of junk mail to arrive at your door
 * Identity Defense

3. Media Use & Manipulation

4. The Participatory Culture 5. Delivering a Message
 * The students will understand that…
 * …high-powered media manipulation tools are at their disposal
 * …there are rules for the usage of these programs
 * …editing is a key component of creation
 * Key Proficiencies
 * Still Image (Photoshop-type program)
 * Video (iFilm-type program)
 * Audio (Audacity-type program)
 * The students will understand that…
 * “Collaboration” is fundamentally different from either “copying” or “divide and conquer”
 * It is “increasingly critical to… acquire skills in understanding multiple perspectives, respecting and even embracing diversity of views, understanding a variety of social norms, and negotiating between conflicting opinions” (Jenkins 53).
 * Creating media aids in understanding the output of others.
 * Key Proficiencies
 * Internet Publication (Blogs, Wikis, RSS Feeds, etc.)
 * The students will understand that…
 * Messages can be conveyed through the written word, speech, or image
 * Each format has specific rules, strengths and weaknesses
 * Deliberate thought must be put into which medium (or combination of medium) one chooses for delivering a message
 * Understanding the audience plays a critical role in developing the message and delivery
 * Key Proficiencies
 * Speech Writing
 * Speech Making
 * Storytelling (Through Word, Image, and Mixed Media)

**__ Summation __**** : **
Essentially, the definition of a well-rounded high school education must be concerned with **//the encoding and decoding of messages//**, in whatever form they appear, and **//the use of technology//** in that process. As such, it is necessary to provide texts to decode, analyze and build upon ,and as there is no “cannon” to grapple with, teachers should feel liberated by this not terrified as the actual source texts and issues used to build these skills can be flexible and coincide with whatever social or ethical issues are of relevancy to the community at that time. An exploration of current events or interesting //Newsweek// articles can easily, therefore, be woven into the course without have to sacrifice //The Great Gatsby//, for example.