Pervasive Culture
"The more I grasp the pervasive influence of media on our children, the more I worry
about the media literacy gap in our nation’s educational curriculum. We need a sustained K-12 media literacy program—something to teach kids not only how to use the media but how the media uses them. Kids need to know how particular messages get crafted and why, what devices are used to hold their attention and what ideas are left out. In a culture where media is pervasive and invasive, kids need to think critically about what they see, hear and read. No child’s education can be complete without this." Former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, 2006
In the above quote, Copps touches on the aspect that students are not learning to use the digital mediums that are effective and enveloping in their own culture. As we live in 2012 there are many forms of media that educate us in our lives that did not exist as early as 10 years ago. Students are as able to learn at their own fingertips at the computer as they are in a classroom. A large number of literary pieces exist on the Internet; the internet also has the inclusion of critical reviews, discussion boards, summaries, and analyses. The students can read all of these digital media at their own leisure and can absorb opinions of the media in the above sentence. Students should be encouraged to find these resources outside of the classroom by teachers.
I feel that I have written a lot for this class on the topic of students being encouraged to seek for sources outside of the classroom, but I really do believe that the classroom does not offer all of the opportunities for critical thinking that the digital world offers. As Copps notes in the quote I listed at the top paragraph, we live in a culture where avoiding media in our everyday lives is not entirely feasibly. Students need to discover through critical thinking what media is valuable, what is not valuable, and one thing that teachers can help students with is to direct them toward valuable media.
Crafting a Digital Piece
In Chapter 4 of The Digital Writing Workshop, Hicks produces discussion that narrows down points that I have felt are necessary for both literary and digital literacy. He does a fantastic job of bundling points down to "mode, audience, purpose, and situation" (MAPS) and examines how the craft of a digital piece of media can be as effective as literary media, though different rules apply to make the two media effective; MAPS for digital pieces are not crafted the way MAPS are crafted, but MAPS as a concept is important for both.
In our first discussion post threads, I made a short discussion about how digital media has rules. Anyone who has ever presented or watched a Powerpoint presentation knows that an effective presentation is clear and concise. A presentation that meanders around its message and fails to show its importance to the audience will lose the attention of the audience. An effective presentation attracts the viewer's attention. Powerpoint presentations also require a certain degree of simplicity. If a reader does not understand a piece of information in a book, the reader can take the time to research and understand the information. In a live presentation, if the viewer does not understand a premise in the presentation, then the viewer will not gain much insight from the rest of the presentation.
Understanding key concepts of making digital media engaging is as much a talent as understanding the key concepts of making literary media engaging.
"The more I grasp the pervasive influence of media on our children, the more I worry
about the media literacy gap in our nation’s educational curriculum. We need a sustained K-12 media literacy program—something to teach kids not only how to use the media but how the media uses them. Kids need to know how particular messages get crafted and why, what devices are used to hold their attention and what ideas are left out. In a culture where media is pervasive and invasive, kids need to think critically about what they see, hear and read. No child’s education can be complete without this." Former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, 2006
In the above quote, Copps touches on the aspect that students are not learning to use the digital mediums that are effective and enveloping in their own culture. As we live in 2012 there are many forms of media that educate us in our lives that did not exist as early as 10 years ago. Students are as able to learn at their own fingertips at the computer as they are in a classroom. A large number of literary pieces exist on the Internet; the internet also has the inclusion of critical reviews, discussion boards, summaries, and analyses. The students can read all of these digital media at their own leisure and can absorb opinions of the media in the above sentence. Students should be encouraged to find these resources outside of the classroom by teachers.
I feel that I have written a lot for this class on the topic of students being encouraged to seek for sources outside of the classroom, but I really do believe that the classroom does not offer all of the opportunities for critical thinking that the digital world offers. As Copps notes in the quote I listed at the top paragraph, we live in a culture where avoiding media in our everyday lives is not entirely feasibly. Students need to discover through critical thinking what media is valuable, what is not valuable, and one thing that teachers can help students with is to direct them toward valuable media.
Crafting a Digital Piece
In Chapter 4 of The Digital Writing Workshop, Hicks produces discussion that narrows down points that I have felt are necessary for both literary and digital literacy. He does a fantastic job of bundling points down to "mode, audience, purpose, and situation" (MAPS) and examines how the craft of a digital piece of media can be as effective as literary media, though different rules apply to make the two media effective; MAPS for digital pieces are not crafted the way MAPS are crafted, but MAPS as a concept is important for both.
In our first discussion post threads, I made a short discussion about how digital media has rules. Anyone who has ever presented or watched a Powerpoint presentation knows that an effective presentation is clear and concise. A presentation that meanders around its message and fails to show its importance to the audience will lose the attention of the audience. An effective presentation attracts the viewer's attention. Powerpoint presentations also require a certain degree of simplicity. If a reader does not understand a piece of information in a book, the reader can take the time to research and understand the information. In a live presentation, if the viewer does not understand a premise in the presentation, then the viewer will not gain much insight from the rest of the presentation.
Understanding key concepts of making digital media engaging is as much a talent as understanding the key concepts of making literary media engaging.
Hello Brian,
ReplyDeleteGood point about the importance for students to know what messages they receive through the blogosphere, and understand how to use digital tools effectively. In my post this week I talked about the fact there are still teachers who are not at ease using digital tools for class assignments. In order for them to help the students, teachers have to master these tools first. As you mentioned in your post, Hicks “MAPS” can play a great role in helping teachers as well as students plan their writings and choose the appropriate digital tool to convey their message. And teachers can have an easier task evaluating their students assignments.
Zola
"As Copps notes in the quote I listed at the top paragraph, we live in a culture where avoiding media in our everyday lives is not entirely feasibly. Students need to discover through critical thinking what media is valuable, what is not valuable, and one thing that teachers can help students with is to direct them toward valuable media."
ReplyDeleteWell said! Given the role that reading, writing, and critical thinking play in writing courses, attention to media literacy (along with information literacy and a whole slew of multi-literacies) makes sense.