Media Literacy

Media Literacy is having the knowledge or competence to access, analyze, evaluate and create media in a variety of forms – from print to video to the Internet. It builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy and a global society.

Media literacy is more than decoding information that has been experienced in the media; it is the ability to talk back and produce media. As Ernest L. Boyer said: "It is no longer enough simply to read and write. Students must also become literate in the understanding of visual images. Our children must learn how to spot a stereotype, isolate a social cliché, and distinguish facts from propaganda, analysis from banter and important news from coverage."

• Center of Media Literacy   
• Power of Digital Video Production in Developing Media Literacy Skills among K-12 Educators, Melda N. YILDIZ,Ed.D.
  

There are movie production programs for both the PC and the Macintosh. iMovie for the Macintosh is a beginning application with Final Cut Pro for more advanced use.  Movie Maker comes on all PC's. Another recommended program is Pinnacle Studio Plus. This is not the end of the list of possible software that can be used.

Research and Pedagogy

• Student Videos Spark Dramatic Increase in Student Achievement

  Profiles in Success: Escondido Union Elementary School District. In education, a two- to three-point improvement in students’ performance on standardized tests is considered statistically significant. So when students in the Escondido Union School District (EUSD) began boosting their exam scores by as much as 30 points, people took note. Now, educators throughout the district are clamoring to be a part of Project LIVE (Learning through Instructional Video in Education). And the award-winning program — which uses Apple digital media tools to foster critical and visual literacy skills — is truly helping the curriculum come alive for students … and their teachers.

• Are you a Digital Native or a Digital Immigrant?

• Virtues of Using Video in the Classroom

• It is HIGHLY MOTIVATIONAL because youths tend to love working in creative ways with new technologies.
• It induces TRANSPARENT LEARNING because the students enjoy themselves.
• It encourages COOPERATIVE LEARNING because the youths are part of a production crew.
• It helps develop LEADERSHIP SKILLS because each participant is responsible for overseeing his or her area of the production.
• It teaches STUDY SKILLS in that students research the content for their videos and subsequently digest the information through script writing and visualization.
• It creates an INTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL because students take the videos' story and camera into their own hands.
• It teaches MEDIA LITERACY because students learn about how camera techniques influence viewers.
• It WIDENS THE CIRCLES OF REFERENCE because students need to communicate and work with each other; they also connect and interact with their community because they often have to search beyond the classroom for resources.
• It tends to induce IMPROVED SELF-ESTEEM by providing youths with a recognized medium for broadcasting their views and ideas.
• It encourages PROCESS THINKING because video production requires extensive planning.

enGauge® 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age Digital-Age Literacy Basic, scientific, economic, and technological literacies Visual and information literacies Multicultural literacy and global awareness Inventive Thinking Adaptability and managing complexity Self-direction Curiosity, creativity, and risk taking Higher-order thinking and sound reasoning Effective Communication Teaming, collaboration, and interpersonal skills Personal, social, and civic responsibility Interactive communication High Productivity Prioritizing, planning, and managing for results Effective use of real-world tools Ability to produce relevant, high-quality products

Not only do Digital Moviemaking projects provide students opportunities to engage in activities that address 21st century skills, they can reinforce and/or extend content or process learning objectives. Digital Moviemaking projects do not employ technology to teach technology skills. Rather, the technology is a vehicle for students to present information/ideas in their own way - student voices.