Media & Information Literacy Curriculum for Teachers

Courtesy of www.secure.peta.org

Media and Information Literacy

All the information in the world is at the tip of our fingers. All we need to do is go online and we will be able to find everything- from the latest news, latest fashions, to the trendiest restaurants, or that ONE piece of information you were missing for your report. To be able to survive in a technological world, traditional media needs to incorporate new technology.

Radio stations, yellow pages, broadcasting companies, and newspapers... They all have a website, probably a social networking site, as well as a Twitter account. Why? Because this is the way we communicate and research nowadays. 

No longer do I, Tania, go in search of a service in the yellow pages. I Google it. Same happens with the news... I don't go out and buy a newspaper, but rather I log into the newspaper's webpage and read the news that way. New media offers immediate gratification- quick finds, quick answers. Traditional media takes time, you have to learn how to find information using keywords.

As for my students... I feel like having all the information at the tip of their fingers makes them lazy. While we were at the library working on their Country Research, I realized how they don't know how to look for information. They would type whole questions into the "database search" (something they would do with Google and get millions of websites)and then wondered why the answer would not magically appear. I feel like kids need to know how to use both kinds of media to access information, if only so that they understand that not everything will be handed to them that easily.

I remember one of the first emails I ever received. It was one of those emails where they talked about stuffing little kittens in bottles and selling them. As a cat lover, and an emotional teenager, I was outraged. I immediately sent it out to all my contact list (and I know that if I had had Facebook then, I would have posted an angry comment/picture/link with this information)and vowed to save every single one of those poor kittens.

I soon found out it was a hoax.

Teaching about new media is important. Having all this information available is amazing, but it can also be treacherous. We need to know how to identify real information and what isn't true. Had I known better, I would have realized that that email I received years ago was a fake, however just as I did before, a lot of people fall into these traps. So...with new media/communication comes great responsibility.

People are now constantly posting on their social networking sites what they think about different articles and situations. Social networking became a vessel for any sort or debate. During the elections, every post was about who they were voting for, and why. Because information is so easily accessible, and anyone can post anything on line, it is very important to decide if the information you are re-posting is real (or else you will be like 15 year old me, resending emails about bottled kitties).

As a teacher, I feel like new technology is a good way to communicate with students and families. It opens yet another space where they may feel more comfortable explaining problems, fears, etc. As for new media, I feel like it is important to use it, but there needs to be deep education on how to use it. A challenge, once again, would be the desperate need to educate the students on how to use media in a positive way.

Standards for Higher Education

Standards for Higher Education

"You first eat with your eyes, and then with your stomach"

I feel like one of my strengths is that i'm open-minded. I am willing to let them use different forms of expression to share their ideas. Last year for the opera reflection they were allowed to use any medium they wanted. Some made videos, others created a PowerPoint presentation, some others chose to just answer the questions. The students felt empowered because they could do their project anyway they wanted. Because they were allowed to do what they wanted- they did a great job.

One of the aspects I would like to work on more, is teaching them how to interpret and analyse the meaning of media.

When I was in culinary school, we were taught that the first sense we use when we talk about food is sight. Food needs to be aesthetically attractive. It should include different elements, such as height, colors and texture. An entree served in the old-fashioned way (meat at 6 o'clock, starch at 3 o'clock, veg at 9 o'clock) is no longer considered aesthetically pleasing. Food that is stacked up, color-coordinated, and include "crunch factors" attracts your eyes, and then your stomach. In a well served plate, every element has a role. Nothing gets put on a plate unless there is a special reason for it.

Courtesy of http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/

Courtesy of http://moroccanfood.about.com/

                                                                       VS

The same happens in a classroom. Visuals used to engage students need to be as attractive as a stacked up meal. They need to be interesting enough to hook the students and make them want to learn more. Visuals should be thoroughly analysed before being used- how is this video or picture related to what we are learning? What impact does it have on the rest of my presentation? Does this image enhance my project, or did I just choose it because I thought it was funny?

Many times students don't consider these questions when selecting the images they present. This results in a great project that is lacking an aesthetic quality, or where the pictures just don't make sense.

Helping the students develop a better "eye" as to what visual they can/should use for their projects is a collaborative effort between teachers and the art teachers (teaching about aesthetics, and how not to "crowd" a piece of work, maybe?).

Innovation Through Technology- C. Lemke

Picture courtesy of: www.edudemic.com

Innovation Through Technology

Internet was once a luxury, but now it is something we can't live without.  We use technology to learn, to communicate, and to search for new information.  Kids today communicate differently than before.  While we grew up with telephones and (eventually) emails, kids today communicate via text messages, instant messaging, and passing media files (C. Lemke).   Because technology is now such an integral part of our lives (and our students!), we need to integrate it into our everyday teachings.  If we want to keep our student's attention, we need to make the information we are presenting as attractive as possible, and the way to do that today, is through technology.

democratization of knowledge
We are currently working on a "country" research project.  For this research the kids were asked to pick a country they knew nothing about and plan a trip to this place.  The information required from them needs to be updated and authentic.  The kids have been using technology to find the information for their countries.  Working together with the LS librarian, we discussed the authenticity of some websites, how almost anyone can create a website (one of the students said all you need is a computer and internet to be able to do so), how to use "Google Search" for your advantage (using advance search to select what "level" of information you are looking for), and how to determine if a site is authentic or not (two red flags: if there is no author, or a last updated sign).  The kids felt confident and empowered about their research and look forward to continue looking for more information on their countries.

One of the challenges I see is that "telling if a website is authentic" is somewhat subjective. Kids (10 year olds) may find a website and think it's legit just because of how it looks.  Like the article states, the students will need the school to "provide intensive work on informed searching, navigating the visible and invisible Web, critiquing websites to search for reliable sources, and persevering to ensure comprehensive, balanced searches. (C. Lemke, 261)

The Wrong Bet- Yong Zhao

Image courtsey of: www.ipeacemeal.com

The Wrong Bet- By Yong Zhao

After reading the article "The Wrong Bet" by Yong Zhao I find myself wondering where I would be now if I had lived in a time where they had globally homogenized education.

I remember when I was in high school and I was given the opportunity to go to the US to study Culinary Arts, a degree that was not developed in Mexico yet.  I was offered this opportunity by my father who believes in learning over anything, and who told me (repeatedly) that my education was his gift to me, because as long as I was able to succeed in something then I would be able to compete in the world.  He sent me to the US knowing that it was there where I would be in a competitive arena, where I would be able to grow, and learn and become a better version of myself.

My culinary education made me a better person in many ways.  I did become a better cook, but mostly I learned routines.  I became better at managing time.  I became more organized, responsible, and ready to take risks.  One of my biggest problems when I was working in the restaurant business was that while I had all of these new skills, I found that the people I worked with did not. This made me wildly mad and frustrated, and eventually it was the reason why I did not continue working in a restaurant.  While I no longer work in the field, I kept all of that learning with me.
I don't know if I would have been able to get the same kind of education in Mexico as I did in the US.  I always thought that it was a privilege and an honor to have been able to go somewhere else and study.   It gave me a different vision on the world and on life.

If education had been homogenized then, then careers such as culinary arts would not exist.  If schooling focuses more on the reading, writing, and math- and we keep preparing kids just on those topics- then the creative people, the artists, the scientists would not have a place to grow.  If we have a homogenized education, we are going back on everything we have learned as educators- no multiple intelligences, no different learning styles. We might as well go back to the same blue print worksheets they had years ago.

In my new life as an educator, I do teach math and I do teach language arts.  But I try to instill the PYP attitudes to my students.  Attitudes such as appreciation, cooperation, creativity are the pillars that every kid should be learning.The Wrong Bet- Yong Zhao