“The function of education is to give children a desire
to learn and to teach them how to use their minds and where to go to acquire
facts when their curiosity is aroused” (The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project). Education
can provide children with the foundation they need to grow not only physically
but intellectually in this ever-changing society. As an educator, it is my role
to provide a strong foundation for my students, so that they will be able to
make a living in this world. I want to make a difference in my student’s lives,
I want to make an impact. I want to leave them with the knowledge that an
education is not something that is required but something that one should want
to acquire.
Not only is it my role to provide my students with a
solid education, but it is my role to embrace the new and ever-changing ways of
the world. I cannot prepare my students for the world, if I am not prepared
myself. This involves a deep understanding of new literacies that are not just
developing, but taking over our world. By this, I mean the new digital age. “
This requires an acknowledgement that successful participation in our digital
society includes the ability to understand, think critically about, reflect on,
and respond to the societal, cultural, and economic forces that shape our
interactions with and through technology, both in our professional lives as
educators, and in our everyday lives” (Avila & Pandya, 2013, p. 149). In
understanding the vital role that educators play, I must be able to communicate
critically in this digital age and interact with others through technology. In
doing this, I will be a model for my students and they will be exposed to the
media not just at home, but now in the classroom.
As in any classroom, the student also plays a very vital
role. In my classroom, I do not want my students to feel as if I am the
dictator and they are the passive listeners. I want the students to feel as if
they are a member of a community of learners. I want my students to feel as if
they are contributing to their education. One way that I can provide this
opportunity is through bridging the gap between school and society. As Avila
and Pandya (2013) state, “with participatory and mobile media tools, there is
more potential to bridge this gap than ever before (p. 123). As an educator I
must embrace this potential, allowing my students to combine their school life
with what is happening outside the door.
Put simply, I want to make a difference in young minds by
utilizing a critical media approach to education. As stated above, the gap
between school and society needs to be bridged. As educators, we often state
that we are preparing our students for the real world. I feel that this statement
is used too often. Are we truly preparing them for this digital age? Are we
allowing them to not only create digital media, but to participate and analyze
it? “Technology plays an important role, not alone but as a constantly changing
set of socially situated tools for literacy, for making sense of the world and
ourselves” (Avila & Pandya, 2013, p. 104). In my classroom, I do not plan
on using technology as a supplement to my curriculum, but as the central focus.
In order to truly make a difference, in order to truly prepare my students for
society, they have to play a vital role in it at a young age. We can’t expect
them to simply know how to survive once they graduate high school. We must
provide them with these skills in the classroom. In understanding this, if you
were to step into my classroom, you would see this hands-on and new-age curriculum
taking place.
Resources for Paper
Avila, J., &
Pandya, J. (2013). Critical digital
literacies as social praxis. (Vol. 54). New York: NY: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.
The Eleanor Roosevelt
Papers Project. (n.d.). Good citizenship: The purpose of education.
Retrieved from http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/documents/articles/goodcitizenship.cfm
Critical
Media Literacy Resources for Planning Curriculum
1.
Lesson Plan
Henry,
L. (2013). Critical media literacy: Commercial advertising.
Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/critical-media- literacy-commercial-97.html?tab=4
2.
Lesson Plan
Project
Look Sharp. (n.d.). “real bugs” identifying stereotypes. Retrieved
from http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/General
Media Literacy Lessons/Real Bugs/Real Bugs
Teachers Guide.pdf
3.
Lesson Plan
Project
Look Sharp. (n.d.). “white towel” media production activity .
Retrieved from http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/General
Media Literacy Lessons/White Towel/WT
Teacher Guide.pdf
4.
Video for the app BeSeen
Web
Wise Kids. (2012). Beseen app demo [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQF7Rxer1zE
5.
Introducing Media Literacy-lesson
SMARTArt. (n.d.). Introductory media literacy lessons
for elementary school students. Retrieved from
http://www.medialit.org/sites/default/files/LP_TeacherIntroLessons.pdf
6.
Photo
Essay Lesson
Brown,
A., Mahoney, K., Ojalvo, H. (2009, May).Critical lenses exploring the new
lens blog with a critical eye.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20090522friday.html
7.
First Grade Media Lesson
Bond, K. (2000). Cereal box investigation . Retrieved from http://www.ltl.appstate.edu/436/student/medialit/s00/bond/medialitplan.html
8.
Media
Violence Lesson Plan
MediaSmarts.
(2012). Facing tv violence: consequences and media violence.
Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/lesson- plan/Lesson_Facing_TV_Violence_Consequences_Media_Violence.pdf
9.
Video
TEDxTalks.
(2013, February). Creating critical thinkers through media literacy:
Andrea quijada at tedxabqed.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHAApvHZ6XE
10. Article (chapter from a book) that will
assist teachers in understanding critical literacy
Demystifying critical literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/scholasticprofessional/authors/pdfs/Sample_pa ges_Critical_literacy.pdf
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