Here's to Who I Am

My name is Katie Barker and I was born and raised in the wonderful small town of Pine Grove, WV. I currently live here and hold a 2nd grade teaching position at a very small, local school. Of course, the school year is just beginning so I am a little overwhelmed, but things are going great! I am very excited that I have such a wonderful job opportunity right after graduation! 

I expect to learn a lot from this class. For myself, I want to become more aware of how to analyze media literacy. Then, I want to discover ways in which I can pass this useful knowledge along to others. More specific ideas for what I would like to take with me from this course can be found in my answers below. 

Here is the link to an Animoto video that will help you to understand a little more about me!

Dream Chaser

Why is teaching media literacy important?

When asked why teaching media literacy is important, I was drawn to one individual’s powerful statement in the video on the home page. She stated that, “media literacy opens up some opportunity to reflect on our complex love hate relationship with media and technology in our lives.” I completely agree with her statement. It is very important to teach media literacy because awareness is of key importance. If more people can analyze and understand these media messages, then In turn less people will be manipulated by them.

What do you want to learn about teaching media literacy?

I am very interested in learning all about teaching media literacy. I want to be able to inform my students of ways in which they can dissect media in order to better understand the messages and meanings. Not only do I want to learn this, but I want to learn engaging ways to teach these strategies. I am sure that in this course I will create many examples that I will be able to utilize when teaching about media literacy!

What concerns do you have about teaching media literacy?

My main concern is about the grade level in which media literacy should be introduced. I am sure that it should start at a younger age than I would guess! This leads me to my next concern, which is; if we start teaching media literacy at a young age, and are trying to teach our students how to use media intelligently, how would we display “bad examples?” With younger students, we have to be careful as to what the children see online therefore, I am concerned with how to approach this aspect of teaching media literacy.