Media Literacy, Critical Thinking, and Creating Savvy Students in a

Digital DecadeJason Griffith

8/17/10

GoalsTo consider the benefits and drawbacks of

multimodal texts and projectsTo discuss video, web, and print content on

the topic of media and critical literaciesTo consider strategies to help students

deconstruct media through critical thinkingTo provide resources for media projects and

building media and critical literacies

Schedule for the DayAM: Media Literacy

Intro articles, videos, and discussionHelpful web resourcesTime to explore resources, and articles in lab

PM: Critical Literacy/ThinkingStrategies for Critical ThinkingSample Comparison/Contrast Lesson: Global

Warming Documentaries, political advertisements, food ads, etc.

Other Sample Lessons/Share TimeTime to work on developing media awareness or

multi-modal components in lessons/units

RationaleNCTE and NWP: Sources Is media influencing us, or is it reflecting us (chicken or the egg)?

Internet Ecommerce (Itunes) Social Networking (Tom Corbett) and Youtube

Video Games Wii (replacing outdoor exercise) Violence

Movies Neflix (online); Blockbuster (onDemand)

Books EReaders

Television Hulu; Tivo

There’s a blending of media and a blurring of the lines.

Multi-modal TextNon-linear (a webpage as opposed to a print

article)Higher Level Thinking; Multi-tasking;

OverlapIncorporates different levels

TextPicturesVideoSound and Music

Handout

What do we do about this excessive media exposure? Media Literacy WebsitesAfter lunch: combining critical thinking and

media literacyUntil Lunch:

Explore the media literacy websites and the web resources for creating multi-modal media projects

Critical LiteracyGetting students to ask appropriate questionsQuestioning and exploring validity of sourcesViewing multiple sources and multiple

perspectives Comparing and contrasting viewpointsChallenging popular assumptionsChallenging our own assumptions

Types of Appeal (in persuasion/advertising/op-ed)Ethos (Ethics)Logos (Logic)Pathos (Compassion/Emotion)What do these types of appeal look like in

video? What do they sound like in music? In a multimodal document, these types of appeal can be delivered on multiple subtle levels at once (think subliminal messages without them being all that subliminal)

Global WarmingUnstoppable Solar Cycles

Produced by Izzit.orgThe 11th Hour

Produced by Leonardo DiCaprioExamine evidence of the three levels of appeal in

each film clip (Chart)Further questions for critical thinking:

Who stands to benefit from global warming being labeled as caused by man?

Who benefits from denying that humans have a significant role in global warming ?

Angles and benefits

Fear TacticsPolitical Ads (Amy Wilson)

Immediacy in internet/changes quicklyWith the internet, you can speak backwww.livingroomcandidate.orgYoutube political adsHandout

Advertisingwww.admongo.comFrank Baker (http://www.frankwbaker.com/)Five Key Advertising Lit. Skills

IdentificationIntentOriginAudienceTactics

http://www.medialit.org/pdf/mlk/02_5KQ_ClassroomGuide.pdf

Handout

How to “read” an ad:WordsImagesLayoutStorySubtextTechniques of PersuasionSloganExpressions

Other lesson IdeasInteractive Essay: What is an American?Digital Picture Books: Using Magic School

Bus as model; create fiction books to explain scientific concept

Podcasting in Speech ClassCreate own Public Service Announcements

(PSA’s)

For the rest of the afternoon:Continue to explore the resources on the wiki

or the handouts. Create a multimodal assignment for an

existing lesson or unitCreate a Critical Thinking activity for a

lesson or unit involving media sources