Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Answering "The Seven Great Debates in the Media Literacy Movement"
Read "The Seven Great Debates in the Media Literacy Movement," by Renee Hobbs. Answer "yes" or "no" to the seven questions. Provide one or two sentence reasoning for your answer. *replace "K-12" with "higher education" We will compare and contrast answers among group participants and institute leaders.
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I have a hard time with this, because in most cases I can see both sides of the issue, but here goes:
ReplyDelete1. This should be worded "should" rather than "does," in which case I'd say yes in so far as critical thinking skills protect people from purely emotional responses and uninformed decisions. If we stick with "does" I'd say too soon to tell.
2. No. Not feasible in all contexts, and critical thinking skills can be learned without being on the producing end, although it does help and more and more people are doing it.
3. Dr. Hobbs is so stridently in the yes column here that I want to vote no just to spite her, but I think I'm a qualified yes. Popular culture is most of culture for most people, and not applying critical thinking skills to pop culture is a significant cultural problem.
4. No. For me ML is mostly about critical thinking and I don't think critical thinking can be learned effectively if the instructor brings her/his ideologies into the classroom. ML should encourage students to create informed ideologies of their own.
5. Yes. I don't see why not. And if it's incorporated successfully it won't mean less time for other subjects, it will become part of the other subjects.
6. Oh I don't know. It's a capitalist society and ML initiatives WILL be financed by media organizations, which means that there will be a need for Media Literacy Literacy.
7. This is kind of a dumb question. In my mind if you embrace Hobb's Vote No reasoning it will also do all the society-changing things she lists under Yes. A vote for No is a vote for both, so I'll vote No.
I think this was a bit difficult because I did not see how the author made certain conclusions and I saw points to both sides.
ReplyDelete1. Yes- The point that stuck with me was the idea that information has replaced knowledge. I don't think we are there yet, but it's possible.
2. Yes- I think that the process itself can be a powerful learning experience.
3. Tie- I really think that there is room for both. We should not exclude pop culture or the Western Canon. Both have valuable insights and can be used for the same or different purposes.
4. No- But again very difficult. I almost wanted to say yes, but it really depends on who is sending out the message and why. I would say yes for an audience with strong critical thinking skills.
5. Yes- If media literacy and education are made a bigger priority. It doesn't have to mean that less time is spent on other subjects, it can be part of other subjects.
6. No- In a perfect world the money would come from a non-profit source, but I am not sure if that is possible at this point on a large scale.
7. No- Asking questions about what you watch is an invaluable skill in a democracy that needs to be exercised.
It would be interesting to revisit these questions after our three days together. But, here are my responses based on my current knowledge and experience:
ReplyDelete1. Maybe. I can see both sides of the issue and think it is just too soon to make a clear decision.
2. Yes. The hands-on experience is necessary to gain full advantage of these assignments.
3. Hum. Not sure I can commit to this one yet. I do believe popular culture plays a role in media literacy, but a bias towards pop culture? Probably not.
4. No way. This is no place for the instructor’s ideology; it is for the students to develop their own.
5. Yes, it is inevitable. Students use technology everyday in every way, and their education should not ignore this fact.
6. Ideally, no. Funding would come from grants, foundations, and college budgets. This would avoid pressure to use any specific technology or media outlets.
7. No. Media literacy is a valuable skill in and of itself and will benefit students in our classroom and well beyond…
Answers to the 7 great debates:
ReplyDelete1. Protect children? Yes and No. It should be a tool to engage kids, but what is out there is not always appropriate and can be harmful if not addressed. Children are viewing and engaging in media literacy at very young ages and should be included in talking about and critically thinking about what we absorb. My 10 year old niece makes YouTube videos for fun. She uses her creativity and imagination to create the most interesting things. Many of her ideas come from other media outlets (some not really age-appropriate) and this is where I think there needs to be more education at the lower grade levels and by parents about the media.
2. Require student production activity? No. I would recommend that students produce something, but not require it in all courses/classrooms.
3. Pop culture bias? Eh. Not really sure about this one.
4. Stronger ideological agenda? I think we ought to present MANY strong ideologies so that they can be critically analyzed in a broader social context.
5. Reach large numbers of students in k-12? The more affluent schools may have a chance, but I doubt the schools with fewer resources will have the opportunity to study media literacy. This is unfortunate as it is most important to the poor students to learn how to be critical of the media as they are the ones who are often misrepresented in it.
6. Supported financially by media organizations? No, but I doubt we can keep this public-funded/non-profit when it comes to the power and influence of those who have money.
7. Means to an end? No, because it is not the only tool out there that enables us to engage and critically think.
As with most great debates, the truth likely lies somwhere between the "extreme" positions taken for primarily dramatic effect. I will do my part and chose either/or. Here goes:
ReplyDelete1.Children are inherently smart and can tell when conflicting messages are being sent. We don't need to protect them from this phenomenom, but encourage them to question each source critically.
2. I don't think it is required to be a capable creator of work to be an effective critic of it. Being able to make media gives you greater insight into the process and broadens ones view from solely focusing on the end product. Valuable as learning the creation process is, ultimately, it is the end product we are discussing interested in here.
3. I think we have to embrace popular culture in all forms of education to make material relevant, interesting and engaging. This should not replace traditional media, but flesh it out.
4.The abuse of media is a true threat to free speech and thought and children need to be taught to evaluate media critically.
5. I think it is very important that we start educating children at a young age to be media literate. It is always just a question of funding and prioritization.
6. I say take the financially supported initiatives with a "grain of salt" to keep the discussion alive. However, these potentially biased viewpoints need to be critically assessed and countered in the same way all media should.
7.Media Literacy is a better means to a better end.
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ReplyDelete7 grt debates
ReplyDelete1. Yes, with guidance as to the media lit of the specific age group.
2. Yes, use multiple class time periods to give students experience with this, just as you do normal reading and writing classes.
Sounds like schools need a media specialist for kids and also to teach faculty to use it.
3. No, should be a mix of the classics and pop culture. The key is to give students the tools to develop critical thinking tools without regard to how they receive the info.
4. Maybe?! That answer is based on reading what a yes answer or no answer means, see 3 above.
5. Yes, for all the reasons mentioned. Future citizens must be able to think critically about whatever form the message takes.
6. Yes, it is to the benefit of everyone, including businesses, to have a well educated work force.
7. No, see above. Critical thinking skills!!
1. as others have said, the truth is probably somewhere between yes and no for most of these debates. and sincce the article is 15 years old, the context is somewhat different now, too. But here's my responses:
ReplyDelete1. yes. Buckingham's argument is bullshit when he claims "we ignore children's emotional engagement with the media by focusing on its problematic features. caveat: the thumbnail summary of Buckingham may be inaccurate.
2.no. at least not necessarily. production can be helpful, but to claim students who don't have access to the production tools connot be media literate is simplistic.
3. yes, but i see media literacy as "just" another form of critical analysis and meaning-making. and yes, this must be connected to the texts students are most often encountering.
4. yes because all forms of education/literacy are tools for change; and no because it can be used to serve competing ideological positions.
5. yes because it's already happening.
6. yes because regraless of where the funds and materials come from, it's the instructor who shapes the conversation once the classroom doors close.
7. the question is framed in such a qualitative way ("best understood") that my responses is firmly on the fence. the potential for change IS a valuable prospect, but the skill itself is useful.