Media Literacy Research Report

Transcription

1 Media Literacy Research Report Michael Trivette Media Literacy 12/01/06 Dr. Considine

2 Over the past few months while taking the Media Literacy course at Appalachian, I have had the opportunity to explore more of what actually goes into the field of media literacy and what makes up media literacy. Whether it was immersing my self into a film while studying Mise En Scene, or screening a media awareness documentary, or even simply reading a few articles, I have learned a new definition of what media literacy truly is and with that I have a new appreciation for the program I intend to study. My new definition constitutes a new way of thinking about the media. I was fortunate to be able to learn a few things as an undergraduate and now, since becoming a graduate student, I have the wonderful opportunity to expand upon my knowledge. Throughout the following I will attempt to point out and explain the main points of a few main websites used by people all over the world who choose to learn about media literacy. I will also attempt to list the contributions from world renowned leaders in media literacy while also attempting to point out their main focus or main approach to media literacy. The first website that I found to be useful was the Center for Media Literacy ( The center is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide leadership, professional development, public education, and educational resources nationally. The center is concerned with educating younger generations to help them live meaningful lives by providing critical thinking and media production skills. The Center for Media Literacy is dedicated to a new vision of literacy for the 21st Century: the ability to communicate competently in all media forms, print and electronic, as well as to access, understand, analyze and evaluate the powerful images, words and sounds that make up our contemporary mass media culture. Indeed, we believe these skills of media literacy are essential for both children and adults as individuals and as citizens of a 1

3 democratic society (CML). I found the website to include many articles discussing media education and the site included very useful features such as drop-down menus where I was able to select articles ranging from how to teach media literacy to parents, kids and media. The site was well structured and easy to use which would be an added benefit for someone who was new to media literacy. Another useful place to search for information dealing with media literacy is the Alliance for a Media Literate America, also referred to as the AMLA ( The AMLA goal is to help people to be able to critically analyze and create messages using a wide variety of technological tools. The AMLA strives to create a diverse alliance of individuals and organizations in order to provide media literacy education to the 60 million students across the United States. Their mission is to stimulate growth in media literacy education in the United States by organizing and providing national leadership, advocacy, networking, and information exchange (Alliance). The AMLA realizes that technology is rapidly changing our society and that in-turn affects the understanding of ourselves, our communities, and our diverse culture. By applying literacy skills to media and technology messages, by learning to skillfully interpret, analyze, and create messages, media literacy empowers people to be both critical thinkers and creative producers of messages using image, language, and sound (Alliance). While the website currently lacks recent articles about issues involving media literacy, it does offer a few handouts for teachers to be able to print and give to students. The site also provides information for those who wish to attend a media literacy crash course where attendees are given the opportunity to attend seminars that will teach them the basics of media literacy. While this site did not provide as much information as the 2

4 Center for Media Literacy, I still feel that their website was clearly organized and that in time it will be a good website to gain even more information about media literacy. The last website I looked at for information on media literacy was the Media Awareness Network ( The Media Awareness Network works to support media education in Canadian schools, homes, and communities. Our aim is to help people, particularly children and youth, to develop an informed and critical understanding of the nature of the media, the techniques used in creating media products, and the media's role and influence within society (MNet). The network believes that in order for people to be functionally literate in the world today we have to be able to read the massages that inform, entertain and sell to us daily. I found the website to be useful in that it provides helpful resources to explore a variety of topics such as media stereotypes or online hate and many more. Each section also offers links to articles and other resources related to the given topic. The Media Awareness Network seeks to promote their cause by offering licensed material online to school systems and other academic institutions. In fact, the website offers over 300 different lesson plans for teachers who are interested in promoting media education. If a teacher was interested in teaching media literacy to children or young adults, this website would be a perfect choice due to its educational games, resources, and topics. All of the websites were very useful in learning about how media literacy is advocated throughout our world. I found the Center for Media Literacy and the Alliance for a Media Literate America to be primarily concerned with the United States, while the Media Awareness Network was geared toward the Canadian population. Each website stressed the importance of focusing on teaching with a primary concern on youth. I agree 3

5 with this philosophy trying to reach youth first as they will be the future of media literacy in years to come. If we can teach children of today the principles and importance of media literacy, they will teach the children of tomorrow and the cycle will continue. I enjoyed browsing through the websites and it was nice to see the features offered on each site. Personally, I found the Center for Media Literacy to be the most useful website as it offered the most resources and articles to choose from. The choices seemed almost limitless from the site and I found a lot of interesting articles relating to the many different topics associated with promoting media literacy. If anyone is interested in media literacy, I would highly suggest any of these three websites as they all offered useful and beneficial information. The sites are not difficult to use and they each cater to those who are new to the media literacy field. Whether you are a teacher or just someone who happened to stumble across media literacy, each website offers educational information that can help you learn about media literacy. Media literacy has come a long way since its early beginnings. Key leaders in the field of media literacy have worked hard over the years to make it what it is today. Their contributions can not go unrecognized and each person who studies media literacy should know their approach and main contributions to the field. I will now work to briefly summarize the work and contributions of six different international leaders of media literacy. Barry Duncan: Perhaps no one has had a more significant impact on the implementation of media literacy, or media education, in their respected country than Barry Duncan. A native of 4

6 Canada, Duncan s interest in media literacy came about in 1961 after completing a graduate course in communication under the instruction of Marshall McLuhan at the University of Toronto (Tilson). Duncan would go on to be an advocate of media literacy throughout his own country as well as internationally. Barry Duncan has addressed over 10,000 teachers through workshops and keynote presentations in Canada, the U.S., and 13 other countries including Japan, Korea, Argentina, U.K. and Brazil (AML). His main focus all along has been to promote media literacy through education. His work led him to create the Association for Media Literacy in The AML is made up of many influential educators and media professionals who have inspired teachers from across Canada to critically examine the role of the media in the lives of young people (Tilson). In 1989, while chairing the Ontario Ministry of Education, Duncan helped in publishing the Media Literacy Resource Guide, a highly successful book that would help spread media education throughout Canada and finally into the United States. The book also created a working definition of media literacy that many refer to as the Canadian definition: Media Literacy is concerned with helping students develop an informed and critical understanding of the nature of mass media, the techniques used by them and the impact of these techniques. More specifically, it is education that aims to increase students understanding and enjoyment of how the media work, how they produce meaning, how they are organized, and how they construct reality. Media literacy also aims to provide students with the ability to create media products (CML). In 1988 Duncan wrote the book titled Mass Media and Popular Culture and the second version was released in 1996 with the help of three additional co-authors. The book is regarded 5

7 as one of the best in teaching media literacy in secondary schools and it is the text book of choice in Canadian high schools (Tilson). Duncan continues to teach to this very day. His main focus and contributions have been the development of media literacy in education curriculums throughout Canada and the United States. He continues to be a consultant and speaker for the Association of Media Literacy and he is involved with many other different organizations dealing with media literacy. Duncan has received numerous awards for his work and was honored as a recipient of the Jesse McCanse award from the Wisconsin based National Telemedia Council. Duncan has appeared on countless television and radio programs including a segment on ABC with the late Peter Jennings for American Agenda when ABC covered the topic of media literacy in the Canadian educational system. Duncan s work is sited in books and articles throughout the world and he is regarded as one of the most significant leader s in media literacy. John Pungente: John Pungente has been an influential leader in educational programs designed to teach children and students the importance of media literacy. Pungente began his work in 1971 when he took a teaching position at St. Paul 's, a Jesuit high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he began teaching Media, English and Religion. In 1983, Pungente was assigned to the Center for the Study of Communication and Culture in London, England, where he conducted a two-year research project on media literacy around the world. The results were published in Getting Started on Media Education in 1985 (Pungente). Pungente would go on to publish work for both the Canadian government and 6

8 professional agencies around the world. His work has also been published in many different media journals and other printed material. Perhaps Pungente s most well-known achievement came in 1997 when he developed a media educational series titled Scanning the Movies which allowed children the opportunity to be able to critically examine and better understand movies (Paul). The series is designed to assist teachers of media literacy classes in teaching about contemporary movies. This new series follows Scanning Television, the predecessor to Scanning the Movies, which was another teaching kit that took home awards at different film and educational festivals. Since 1985 Pungente has given over 500 lectures, presentations, and workshops on Media Literacy in Canada, Australia, United States, Britain, and many other countries. His work on different media education councils and organizations has earned him the respect of his peers, and in 1995 Pungente received the Jessie McCanse award given by the National Telemedia Council for excellence in the field of media literacy. Pungente continues to follow his passion in education by serving as a sessional professor of Media Literacy at Regis College, University of Toronto (Pungente). Pungente s focus lies in teaching the public about how to interpret the media they view on a daily basis. From what I have read it seems that Pungente enjoys creating tools and methods to enable an audience to be able to critically examine a piece of work from their own perspective, and thus formulate their own opinions about the piece. I think Pungente s work and leadership has really inspired a whole new wave of individuals interested in the field of media literacy. His work paved the way for many of us to follow in his footsteps and I often value a person by how they have made the world a better 7

9 place during their lifetime. Without hesitation I would say that Pungente has made this world a better place by giving people a chance to see things they have never seen before. Media literacy gives you the chance to think outside of the box and Pungente has given this opportunity to all of those he has taught and presented to in his long tenure of teaching. Renee Hobbs: Regarded as one of the nation s leading authorities on media education, Renee Hobbs is the co-founder of the Alliance for a Media Literate America (Hobbs). The AMLA is a national membership organization responsible for hosting the National Media Education Conference. For over 20 years Hobbs has worked to help bring media literacy education to thousands of students in the United States through her collaborative work with state education agencies and media companies. Her recent work included working with the Maryland State Department of Education along with the Discovery Channel to develop Assignment: Media Literacy, a comprehensive K-12 media literacy curriculum and staff development program that has been used by over 2,700 teachers in the State of Maryland (Hobbs). Teachers in the schools here, from kindergarten through high school, are integrating media education in the curriculum as one of four demonstration projects funded by a federal grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention in Rockville, Md. (Conover). In 2003, her curriculum, Viewing and Representing in Texas, based on the Maryland project, enables the Texas Education Agency, with support from the Texas Cable and Telecommunication Association, to provide the first statewide training of large 8

10 numbers of secondary English teachers all across Texas (Hobbs). The state education framework also mandates that students use a variety of media formats and technology tools such as photography, video cameras, microphones, presentation and graphic design software to create their own media messages (Hobbs-2). Like Maryland, Texas is now a national leader in advocating a curriculum including media literacy. With more than four million K-12 students enrolled in Texas schools (more than any other state except California), the state s leadership has helped increase the public visibility of media literacy among educators nationwide (Hobbs-2). Hobbs main focus continues to be the promotion of media literacy in school curriculums nationwide. She has published articles in scholarly and professional publications and has created videotapes, teacher guides, lesson plans and curriculum materials about integrating media literacy into K-12 instruction (Hobbs). Her goal of incorporating media literacy into school curriculums remains her driving force. She currently directs the Media Education Lab at Temple University and hosts the Media Smart Seminars, a free professional development program for Philadelphia educators, media professionals and community leaders. While remaining active in the field of media literacy through her teaching, writing, and work, Hobbs remains one of the pivotal leaders in her profession. David Buckingham: Another world leader in media literacy is David Buckingham. A native of the United Kingdom, Buckingham has been instrumental in researching the effects of media on youth. He is one of the leading researchers in the U.K. associated with studying 9

11 media and how it relates to children. One of his main focus areas involves the application of cultural studies approaches to analyzing children's and young people's interactions with television and electronic media. A 1987 study on young people s responses to educational media and to television soap operas in the study EastEnders and its Audience, led Buckingham to create the Center for the Study of Children, Youth, and Media. The center is part of the Institute of Education at the University of London. While Buckingham s main focus has been on observing the effects of media on children and youth, he has performed a lot of research to back his observations and findings. He has used this research to author and co-author 20 books, and well over 180 articles and book chapters (CSCYM). Some of his important works include Children Talking Television, Moving Images, The Making of Citizens, After the Death of Childhood, and Media Education. I picked up a copy of The Making of Citizens to get a feel for some of Buckingham s work. This book uses an intensive study on today s youth to explore why young people have different views on both news and politics compared to that of youth 30 or 40 years ago. Buckingham explores what makes this generation different from the previous generations and suggests ways of combating common misconceptions about youth with ideas for better ways to make news stronger and engage youth. Buckingham argues about young people s relationship with politics and how common views seem to be negative. Young people are frequently represented here as ignorant, cynical and apathetic (Buckingham). We commonly think of the youth as the ones who are ignorant but I wonder if we ever think of ourselves as being ignorant toward youth? As educators we seem to be failing if we are raising a generation that many argue are a deviance to society. 10

12 Instead of looking at the glass half-empty, Buckingham looks at the glass halffull. Unlike others Buckingham is not quick to give up on today s youth, rather he spends a large amount of his time researching ways to create better solutions to teach today s younger generations. His book The Making of Citizens is a shining example of his work. His main focus is creating ways for today s educators to be able to reach youth in meaningful and successful ways. His studies have given us factual evidence as to the effects of media on today s youth and we would be at a disadvantage if it were not for people like David Buckingham. Today Buckingham continues to be a leader in the media education field. He continues to teach at the University of London and he constantly travels abroad to lecture and promote his research. Len Masterman: Len Masterman s focus in media literacy revolves primarily around television and electronic media. Masterman prefers the term media education to be used when speaking of media literacy, and he has developed what he calls the 18 Principles of Media Education. The 18 principles work as Masterman s guide to perform his daily work of explaining how the media affects everyone and what those effects actually constitute in today s world. Media education is a serious and significant endeavor. At stake is the empowerment of majorities and the strengthening of society's democratic structures (Masterman, 1995). This is the first of Masterman s 18 principles of media education. He realizes that media education is a huge undertaking and in his book, Teaching the Media, Masterman explains the significance of media education in our lives. For 11

13 hundreds of years, society has valued literacy the reading and understanding of texts. In today's society, the visual image is arguably more important than the printed word yet there has been no corresponding focus on reading the meaning of visual images (Masterman, 1985). Luckily over the past 20 years since this book was written, we have began to process and deconstruct images and the underlying meanings that come along with images. Masterman realizes the significance of visual communication and his research and reportings on electronic media such as with television explain how we are affected by this medium that is viewed as the most influential source of media coverage. Another excerpt from Masterman s book that really stuck in my mind was the world economy is fast becoming an information economy, with information a commodity to be bought and sold. A danger exists that new classes of "information-rich" and "information-poor" people may result, with the information-poor unable to afford the information they need to better their lives (Masterman, 1985). I began to think about this quote and the implications that technology and media have on our society. Although this quote was made over 20 years ago, we can apply it to today s world. Think about all of the computers, I-pods, satellites, palm pilots, cell phones, etc. Many people around the world cannot afford to have all or even some of these items. For those who can they are continuosly fed information from around the world giving them more knowledge of the world s events. For those who do not have the luxury of owning electronic devices they are left with the older and more traditional ways of receiving information such as newspaper, mail, etc. Our society constantly expects people to keep up with technology in order to be successful and I am left to wonder about the world we are creating. I certainly do not know everything about the newest technologies but I consider 12

14 myself to be technologically literate. With more and more companies, businesses, and foreign countries moving to newer technology, what result will this have on those who Masterman calls the information-poor? Only time will tell but I think it is our job as educators to find ways and resources to help those who can not keep up with technology. I believe everyone deserves the same opportunities and so I hope that we can find ways to teach people how to better their lives either with or without new technology. Masterman s work evoked a whole new side of media literacy that I have not really considered and that was the availability of technology. His work on media education is crucial if we want to continue to look for ways to explain the effects of media on our world. I think his main focus continues to be an area where many of us, I included, rarely ever consider. I feel that his contributions to media literacy are important and mind-evoking. David Considine: David Considine is regarded as a leading proponent of media literacy in the United States. He played a vital role in the success of the first National Media Literacy Conference that was held in Boone, North Carolina September 22-24, It was the first large-scale media literacy conference held in the United States and Dr. Considine s work helped in putting Appalachian State University on the map for media literacy. The conference attracted nearly 300 influential university level media educators along with long-time grass-roots advocates including key speakers such as David Bianculli, Roderick Hart, David Buckingham, Susan Jeffords, John Pungente, SJ and Dr. Milton Chen plus dozens of concurrent workshops (National Conference). The conference also 13

15 helped in creating the first and only nation s Master s Program in Media Literacy at Appalachian State University (Considine, 2006). Considine s work and primary focus centers around educating people about media literacy. In his book, co-authored by Gail Hailey and titled Visual Messages: Integrating Imagery into Instruction, Considine gives teachers a blueprint for how to teach and convey the meanings of media literacy. Considine explains that media literacy represents both a subject and a method of teaching. Both revolutionary and evolutionary in nature, it provides a philosophy and a pedagogy for transforming traditional education while it affirms some of the most traditional goals and values of American education (Considine, 1999). His book also explains the purposes and principles of media literacy and gives readers and educators an accurate description of how media literacy can be applied to all forms of mass media. I have personally used this book while taking a graduate course in media literacy and it has helped me to gain a clearer understanding of the goals of media and how to interpret the messages I view. Considine s work in media literacy continues at both the national and international level. In August of 2001 he attended the White House conference on Media Literacy, Substance Abuse and Faith Based Initiatives (Considine, 2006). He has been featured in television shows, books, articles, and many other forms of print media involving media literacy. In 1994 Considine received the Jessie McCanse Award for Individual Contribution to Media Literacy from the National Telemedia Council for his continued work and support of media literacy on both the national and international levels. He has been a member of many different organizations that promote media literacy such as the Alliance for a Media Literate America and the National Telemedia 14

16 Council just to name a few. Considine continues to teach at Appalachian State University and chair the Media Literacy Graduate Program. He also continues to travel around the world to lecture and present on the importance of media literacy in education. While searching for information on David Considine and media literacy, I found something that was quite impressive. Throughout my research I have consistently used Google.com as a search engine for finding resources. After typing Media Literacy in the search blank and performing a search, Considine s website at Appalachian State University was the second hit to appear on the list of over 30,000,000 sites finding the words media literacy. I was shocked to see Appalachian s program at the top of the list. Obviously his work as an educator and advocate of media literacy have helped make Appalachian s graduate program well known throughout the world. Conclusion: It is my hope that with the understanding of what media literacy is and how it is used by the people who have made it into what it is today, I too will have the skills necessary to one day promote media literacy to the best of my ability. It is rewarding to know that I am a student of such a respected program throughout the United States. I enjoyed studying about my program and learning about the key leaders of media literacy in our world. I think this knowledge gives me a better sense of where media literacy intends to go in the future and I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn more of the next few years. 15

17 RESOURCES: Alliance. Alliance for a Media Literate America. Retrieved November 25, 2006 from AML. The Association for Media Literacy. Retrieved November 25, 2006 from Buckingham, David. (2000). The Making of Citizens. London: Routledge. CML. Center for Media Literacy. Retrieved November 25, 2006 from Conover, Kirsten A. Decoding the Media. (1996). Christian Science Monitor, v88 i96, pg10. Considine, David. (2006). Media Literacy. Retrieved November 26, 2006 from Considine, David. (1999). Visual Messages: Integrating Imagery into Instruction. Colorado, U.S.: Libraries Unlimited. CSCYM. The Center for the Study of Children, Youth, and Media. Retrieved November 26, 2006 from &RowID=9&PeopleID=1 Hobbs, Renee. (Hobbs, 2006). Renee Hobbs. Retrieved November 26, 2006 from bbs.htm. Hobbs, Renee (Hobbs, 2004). A Review of School-Based Initiatives in Media Literacy Education. (2004). American Behavioral Scientist, v48 i1, pg47. 16

18 Masterman, Len. (1995). 18 Principles of Media Education. Mediacy, v17 i3. Masterman, Len. (1985). Teaching the Media. London: Routledge. MNet. Media Awareness Network. Retrieved November 25, 2006 from National Conference. The Alliance for a Media Literate America. Retrieved November 20, 2006 from Paul, Karin. EL takes you to the movies. (1997). Emergency Librarian, v25 i2, pg6. Pungente. Bravo! Canada. Retrieved November 25, 2006 from Tilson, April. Barry Duncan. Retrieved November 25, 2006 from 17