Double Entry Journal # 9

Quote:

"Today's explosion in media technologies has brought new literacies into being, transforming the way these kindergartners read the word and read the world, even if our schools have been one of the last places to recognize this(Teaching youth media, 2003)."

 

Reflection:

Although I currently teach 8th grade math, eight weeks of my student teaching was in kindergarten.  This quote near the beginning of the introduction made me a remember a particular student I had in my kindergarten student teaching placement.  Students always had daily journal where they would write a sentence from a particular topic(sometimes with help) and draw a picture illustrating the sentence. 

 

The journal topic on a this particular day had to do with, "Where is your favorite place to go?" or "What is your favorite thing to do?"  A young boy who struggled with learning to read drew the best McDonald's arch I've ever seen from a kindergartner.  I remember walking to his paper and immediately recognize that he was trying to write about going to McDonalds.  Although he couldn't write a sentence by himself or read many words, he could read, recognize and write the McDonalds logo.

At the time, I did not recognize his McDonald's logo drawing as any from of literacy, but now I know that being critically literate, analyzing ads, media, logos, etc is just as important as traditional literacy

 

Other Resource:

LOGO QUIZ

This logo quiz shows several logos.  It is amazing how many I recognize.  As I was going through the logos, I was trying to think of my 4-yr-old niece.  I know that even she would recognize several of these logos.  I "skype" with both of my nieces (with the help of their mom) and they're only 4 and 6, but I know that if their mom wasn't by the computer, they could point to the skype logo and know what is was. 

Additional Questions:

1. According to the author, what is the main reason school have ignored engaging student with critical media literacy.

A disconnect occurs between the experiences that most students have during their time in school and those they have during their increased alienation of low-income urban youth from the dominant social, political, and economical mainstream.

 

2. Define critical media literacy.

The ability to analyze, evaluate, and produce print, aural, and visual forms of communication.

 

3. How can film making or digital story telling support the goals of critical media literacy?

Students are used to being consumers of digital productions.  Becoming producers will essentially help them become better consumers.  

 

4. Why does teaching media literacy become more complicated as student become consumers of news?

Students already begin forming their own ways of dissecting the media.  They may also be learning media deconstructing habits (whether wrong or right) at home.  Once students are already exposed, it may be harder to break these preconceived deconstruction habits.

 

5. What is the difference between learning through the media and learning about the media?

Teaching through the media is using media to instruct.  When teaching about the media, we are teaching the youth to become critically literate and analytical. 

 

Sources:

(2003). Teaching youth media. New York: Teachers College Press.