Why Media Literacy

The on-demand generation is here. We all live in a constantly connected world. Rapid changes in technology are offering new ways for people to interact, access information, and learn. As educators preparing students to navigate this complex world, we must ensure that schools keep pace and successfully deliver life skills necessary for full participation in our media saturated, information rich society. (Hobbs, 2010) The 2009 Knight Commission report, Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age, is very clear when it states, the time to bring digital and media literacy into the mainstream of American communities is now. (Knight, 2009) Steven Goodman lays out a powerful argument on the lasting effects of our new media saturated society in his book, Teaching You Media: A Critical Guide to Literacy, Video Production, and Social Change. Mr. Goodman believes that media is now competing with family and school as the master storyteller in childrens lives. This media relationship is influencing sense of identity, community, and world view Images are now transforming and overshadowing the written word. (Goodman, 2003 p. 1-4) This indeed is a major paradigm shift. The written word has been the master storyteller and cornerstone of traditional American education since its inception. We have now entered into a new uncharted age where networked, media rich, non-linear learning is the prefered way students of all ages choose to interact, access information, and learn. Most studies put youth screen time at about 6.75 hours per day. This is a full time occupation. It is also noted by Mr. Goodman that one hour of TV viewing can subject viewers to as many as 1,200 unique and complex images. In a recent TEDx talk childrens interactive book author Patrick Carmen, described from his research and travels how American childrens lives now revolve around the Hi-Five. (Digital music, Cell phone, Computer/social media, Video games, and TV)(Carmen, 2010) It is clear that education must confront this shift and equip students with the necessary tools to become successful contributing members of our on-demand connected, global community. To some degree, large national educational movements have responded with the inclusion of media literacy language. NCLB part D Section 2402 states, All school districts must ensure the technology literacy of their students by 8th grade. (NCLB 2001)

Even the new Common Core Standards sponsored by the National Governors Association has integrated media literacy standards. Just as media and technology are integrated in school and life in the twenty-first century, skills related to media use (both critical analysis and production of media) are integrated throughout the standards. (Common Core 2011) National technology professional organizations such as ISTE have done a great job creating the NETS standards and support teachers on how to best implement this new curriculum and standards. As Renee Hobbs states in her Plan of Action, effective media literacy education helps schools move beyond the idea that access to media and technology is synonymous with the skillful use of it. (Hobbs, 2010) Will Richardson, noted education technology author, continues to sound the alarm for comprehensive, meaningful, media literacy education in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. He writes, A growing majority of students are immersed in social networks and technologies outside of school, and most have no adults in their lives who are teaching them how to use those connections to learn. At a time when our access to information, people, and ideas is exploding online, that reality is simply unacceptable. (Richardson, 2010) Richardson further develops this call to action for educators through his examination of the modern read/write web. He continues to build on Douglass Rushkoffs notion that we are quickly evolving toward a society of authorship (Rushkoff, 2004) This concept correctly points out that in the read/write web every teacher and every student with access- will have the ability to contribute ideas and expertise to the larger body of knowledge that is the Internet Richardson believes that educators must view students not only as readers and writers but also as editors, and collaborators, and publishers as well. (Richardson, 2010) The rapid development, and evolution of this open, participatory society of authorship is astounding. Neal Pollack recently documented an aspect of this trend toward the popularity of user-generated media content in an eye-opening story on Machinima for Wired Magazine. Machinima, the number one independent channel on Youtube, (2012) is fundamentally populated with videos of people playing videogames. Why has this become an Internet juggernaut? Rob Jones, Machinimas VP of gamming programming has an answer. Rob states, This generation doesnt watch TV in the same way. They want to create. Were giving them something that television isnt. (Pollack,

2013) Simply stated, it is time educators give students something that traditional schooling isnt. Students need the tools to decipher and evaluate complex media messages and the freedom and opportunity to create, thus joining in the building this new landscape. Is our schools curriculum updated and aligned to meet this challenge and overnight paradigm shift? Do teachers have training and confidence to integrate visual, information, and media literacy into instruction? Will teachers allow students to demonstrate their understanding of material through media production projects? Will they have the tools to evaluate this new media?

Obstacles to Successful Media Literacy Integration

On paper, it all seems so easy. Teachers in all subject areas should integrate basic media literacy concepts into their curriculums. Students everywhere should be encouraged to harness the power of digital media production to demonstrate their knowledge. Media literacy is obviously a key to help students attain deeper understanding through media studies and media production. Not so fast! The issue for many media literacy scholars as well as NAMLE (National Association of Media Literacy Scholars) continues to be the lack of empirical studies that link implementation of media literacy curriculum to academic performance and/or measurable changes in student attitudes and behaviors. As we all know, accrediting bodies stress assessment to ensure stated goals and objectives are being obtained. (Arke and Primack 2009 p. 54) Educators currently working to integrate media literacy skills and lessons into their curriculum would do a geat service to the greater media literacy community by developing accurate preassessments, collecting quantitative and qualitative data, and sharing their findings. Media literacy integration is a fantastic way to increase the frequency of meaningful, authentic assessments in our classrooms. As a constructivist educator, I agree with Milton Chens view of assessment. Milton Chen is the executive director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation and assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He compares the basic idea of standardized testing assessments with the average state sanctioned driving exam. He points out that most states do not assume that a perfect score on the written test proves that you are a

safe and effective driver. Applicants must prove their skills though an actual driving test. This combination of cognitive understanding and real world conditions determine the level of driving proficiency. Chen in his book Education Nation states, the assessment activity looks very much like the activity itself. To apply a term used by some assessment experts, assessment becomes authentic. The difference between instruction and the assessment of instruction vanishes. (Chen, 2010 p. 79) Authentic assessment must be included as a vital part of all media literacy instruction and assessment strategies. When authentic assessment is utilized in media literacy education to enhance achievement, higher order thinking and deeper learning will occur. When looked at in context, media literacy education is in its infancy. This provides educators and scholars with a unique opportunity to construct a strong educational foundation, conduct fresh quantitative research on the impact of media literacy education, and to develop meaningful, 21st century authentic assessments to measure student achievement. There is no argument that information and media literacy skills are vital for students successes in the media generation. What is up for grabs however, on a state-bystate or even school-by-school basis, is the scope, placement, and value given to this new instruction. Highly developed, fully integrated, and measurable media literacy education with a renewed focus on inquiry based learning and authentic assessments will help our schools produce passionate, lifelong learners, who are motivated to the tackle the challenges of our complex, global, on-demand world. References Arke, E., Primack, b., (2009). Quantifying media literacy: development, reliability, and validity of a new measure. Educational Media Journal. 46(1), 53-65. Carman, P. (2011). Education Reform Lecture TEDxNYED. New York. March 5th.

Chen, M. (2010). Education Nation. San Francisco, CA: JosseyBass. Common Core Standards (20011) Key points in english language arts. Retrieved from: http://www.corestandards.org/aboutthe-standards/key-points-in-english-language-arts. Goodman, S. (2003). Teaching youth media: A critical guide to literacy, video production, and social change. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin. Hobbs, R. (2010). Digital and media literacy: A plan of action. Washington D. C.: Aspen Institute. Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy. (2009). Informing communities: Sustaining democracy in the digital age. Washington D.C.: The Aspen Institute Pollack, Neal. (2013, March). You are watching machinima. Wired, 110-115. Rushkoff, D. (2004, October, 10). Renaissance prospects. Retrieved September 25, 2005, from http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail243.html.Will Richardson. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (p. 164). Kindle Edition.

US Department of Education. (2001) No Child Left Behind Act