Monday, October 18, 2010

My Response:


How I will do things differently or creatively in my role as Teacher Librarian.


To look is one thing,
To see what you look at is another,
To understand what you see is a third,
To learn from what you understand is still something else:
To act on what you learn is all that matters.

-- Taoist saying


In today’s world, there is no escaping media. It is not only in our homes, schools and theatres, but for our youth it is now ever present in their palms and pockets. If it is true that youth reflect the character and conduct of our society then we, the educators, must accept that media and in particular, Film and Television is an enormous authority within this realm. We have an opportunity to educate students to understand not only the surface content of media messages found within films  and television shows but also the deeper and often more important meanings beneath the surface. Therefore I believe it is part of my job to guide our youth along the path of good moral conduct and decision making by incorporating media literacy into the curriculum. In doing so, it would be hoped that it will empower today's youth and, as Plato suggested, it will lead children away from images which lead to ignorance and toward that which leads to knowledge.  Becoming media literate in today’s world will hopefully help today’s youth to combat and deal successfully with the ever increasing ‘media panic’ that surrounds so much of the release of  new media and technologies, especially TV shows and movies. It will help them to use the media to their own advantage and for their entertainment and not be taken advantage of by the media.
Most students,  no matter how young,  bring to the classroom an enormous amount of information about,  and experience with the media.  While it is important for me to start where my students are, it is also necessary for me to lead them to where they are not.
Because my students are immersed in media, my role as teacher-librarian must be that of a facilitator and a co-learner.  I will endeavour to continue to help students negotiate meaning, engage in inquiry learning and research, identify patterns, and create their own media productions, through online resources.
I have been guilty in the past of knee jerk responses when it comes to online and social networking sites. Without truly investigating and educating myself of the positive aspects of some sites such as Moshie Monsters, I have ‘banned’ them. This was mainly due to ‘panic’ by parents and I complied.
After substantial interaction with readings, tutorials and websites through this course, I will endeavour to investigate and teach the necessary skills for analysing and critically engaging with media in all forms.
It is a wonderful time to be a Teacher Librarian. Major developments in our information and communication landscapes present new opportunities for us to teach and lead in areas that were always considered part of our role. We also get to help learners of all ages effectively use, manage, evaluate, organize and communicate information, and to love reading in its glorious new variety. 
When I look at the Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians according to ASLA (Australian School Library Association), they certainly advocate the need for media literacy . With this as my framework, my focus will definitely be on teaching the information rich skills of inquiry, critical thinking, digital citizenship, creative communication, collaboration, and  social networking.
Television and film have become the storytellers of our generation; these stories tell us about who we are, what we believe, and what we want to be. The purpose of teaching media literacy skills is to empower young people to understand these media stories so that they can be in control of this important aspect of their own lives.
Although Cybersafety education will be a priority within the teaching of media literacy, it will be about engaging the learner and motivating them to analyse media and use it at their developmental level and in the appropriate way.

A  PowerPoint workshop, from the Media Awareness Network website, provides an overview of what media education is and offers strategies for implementing media education into the classroom. Although Canadian based, I found it a very valuable resource in understanding the key concepts and framework to use when teaching media literacy and deconstructing media concepts across the grades.  

Some key points that I found useful were:
·          Media literacy is the process of becoming active, rather than passive consumers of media
·          Media literacy works toward deconstructing media products. It takes those   products apart to show how they are made and explores the decisions and  determining factors behind them.
·          Familiarize yourself with youth media, visit the environments kids like.
·          Media education includes the following:
4 learning hands-on online production techniques;
4 recognizing how the various elements of a specific medium convey meaning;   
           4 thinking critically about media issues and media influences
With these key factors in mind and armed with the knowledge from this course, it is hoped that I can become a teacher librarian who ensures that students and teachers can effectively and positively interact with information and use it to create and share and make a difference in the community and beyond.

REFERENCES:

Australian Schools Library Association. (2002). Standards for Teacher Librarians. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from ASLA: http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.htm
Media Awareness Network. (2006). Media Education Powerpoint. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from http://www.edselect.com

1 comment:

  1. Television and film have become the storytellers of our generation; these stories tell us about who we are, what we believe, and what we want to be. I agree with you in this statement.
    I believe that using film and television improves literacy. According to Marsh and Millard (2004) television and film can be incorporated in the classroom in order to develop a range of literacy skills. However, there are some issues that arose with regard to the children’s television consumption. First is the issue on displacement. Children displaced themselves from interaction with other media which proffer comparable experiences and that children stopped reading because of too much attention given to television (Neuman as cited in Marsh and Millard, 2004, p. 217-218). Other issues are related to television addiction and violence. However, it was not empirically proven to be true. Contrastingly, Marsh and Millard (2004) indicate that the use of video, television and film texts both as part of intertextual frame in which the advancement of conventional reading is supported and as an a vital way of making meaning in their own right. As a teacher, children must be advocated in developing their understanding on how to use the television, film and video in promoting literacy.
    by: JENNIFER

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