MEDIA LITERACY
THROUGHOUT
THE
CURRICULUM
AN INTRODUCTION
PRESENTER:
Belinha De Abreu, Ph.D.
Media Literacy Educator
Why Teach Media Literacy?
What is Media Literacy?
Media Literacy is a 21st century approach
to education. It provides a framework to
access, analyze, evaluate and create
messages in a variety of forms — from
print to video to the Internet. Media
literacy 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.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Television
viewing is the #1 after-school activity
for 6-17 year olds.
(Kaiser Family Foundation)
-The time spent watching television has increased by
10% from 1997 to 2002 and is expected to increase
through 2010. (Rubin, 7-2004)
In
the average American home with children,
the TV is on nearly 60 hours a week.
(The Family and Community Critical Viewing Project)
The
average child sees 20,000 TV commercials
every year.
(TV-Free America)
FACTS & FIGURES:
85%
of teens ages 12-17 engage at least occasionally in
some form of electronic personal communication, which
includes text messaging, sending email or instant messages,
or posting comments on social networking sites;
55%
of online teens ages 12-17 have created a profile on a
social networking site such as Facebook or MySpace;
47%
of online teens have uploaded photos where others
can see them, though many restrict access to the photos in
some way;
14% of online teens have posted videos online.
Pew Internet and American Life Project - 2007
GENERATIONS
Generations
GI Generation
Silent Generation
Baby Boomers
Generation X
Millennials
Google
Birth Years
1901 - 1924
1925 - 1945
1946 - 1964
1965 - 1978*
1979*- 1994
1995 - Present
Ages in
2008
81 61 - 80
42 – 60
28 - 42
14 - 27
A SNAPSHOT
A SNAPSHOT
Text
messaging…
…Has become
the most
popular form of
communication
for young adults.
Do we use it in the classroom?
A SNAPSHOT
Advertisers are
beginning to
use the social
networking/text
language to
communicate
with teens and
young adults.
ASSESSMENT
•What does all of this mean
in our classrooms today?
•Are students that much
different from previous ages?
•How are we meeting their
needs?
st
21
Century Students
“There is remarkable
consensus among
educators and
business and policy
leaders on one key
conclusion: we need
to bring what we
teach and how we
teach into the 21st
Century.”
TIME Magazine,
December 18, 2006
st
21
Century Skills
Graph by:
Partnership for 21st
Century Skills
21st Century Skills
Based on the Partnership for 21st Century Skills…
Every student in this country must be:
A critical thinker
A problem solver
An innovator
An effective communicator
An effective collaborator
A self-directed learner
Information and media literate
Globally aware
Civically engaged
Financially and economically literate
WHAT DO YOU
KNOW ABOUT
THE MEDIA
AND
POP CULTURE?
ADVETISING
They
know all
of these
products.
Do you?
TRUTH OR FICTION?
Photograph of
Michael Jackson's
face taken during
a court trial.
TRUTH OR FICTION?
Canadian man
raises
enormous 89
lb., 69-inch cat.
TRUTH OR FICTION?
Only five companies own all the
major media conglomerates in
the United States.
POPULAR CULTURE
In a 30 minute broadcast in the United
States, how much time is devoted to
commercials?
a. 10 min
c. 15 min
b. 5 min.
d. 20 min.
POPULAR CULTURE
The fastest growing soft drink in
the hip-hop community is:
a. Pepsi
c. Fanta
b. Sprite
d. Ginger Ale
POPULAR CULTURE
Who was voted the most popular
‘tween’ in 2007?
A. Jamie Lynn Spears
B. Lindsay Lohan
C. Miley Cyrus
D. Dakota Fanning
POLITICAL SATIRE
THE LITERACY MOVEMENT

Traditional Literacies
 Reading & Writing

Visual Literacy
 Symbols, Signs, etc.

Information Literacy
 Computers, Internet--Technology
AND
MEDIA LITERACY
MEDIA LITERACY
MEDIA LITERACY
-MARY MEGEE
Director of the Media Education Laboratory of Rutgers UniversityNewark College of Arts and Sciences,
•All media messages are "constructed."
•Media messages are constructed using a
creative language with its own rules.
•Different people experience the same media
message differently.
•Media are primarily businesses driven by a
profit motive.
•Media have embedded values and points of
26
view.
STUDENT LEARNINGS:
Who
created this message and why are they
sending it?
What
techniques are being used to attract my
attention?
What
lifestyles, values and points of view are
represented in the message?
How
might different people understand this
message differently from me?
What
or Who is omitted from this message?
Center for Media Literacy
CRITICAL THINKING
ANALYSIS
ORGANIZATION
BRAINSTORMING
COOPERATION
RESEARCH
 WHO ARE THEY?
 11,000 print outlets (1,500 dailies and
weeklies)
 10,225 radio stations
 1,600 TV stations
 1,300 cable systems
 Targeted Magazines
 The Internet
BUT, 5 CORPORATIONS OWN
ALL THE MEDIA!!
29
 What is television news really
about?
 What are the major differences
between TV, Newspapers, and
Radio?
 Who decides what we see and
hear?
30
 Are the images we see real?
 What stereotypes are created by
the pictures we see daily?
31
 What is happening in our current election?
 How does the media affect our political
views?
 Has the media changed politics?
32
 Smoking
-Who is Phillip Morris?
-Why anti-smoking ads?
 Body Image
-Who is affected by Anorexia and
Bulimia?
-What is bigorexia?
33
 What affect does it have on children and
adults?
 Who is targeting our
kids?
 Can advertising be fun?
34
CONNECTIONS TO
CONTENT AREAS
Social Studies
Language Arts
Math
Science
Foreign Language
Technology
LESSON IDEAS
SOCIAL STUDIES:
-Milestones of History
-Pulitzer Prize Photos
-Historical Fiction vs. The Documentary
LANGUAGE ARTS
-Analysis of Media Messages
Ex. Television Shows, Newspaper
Articles, etc.
-Production Elements
Ex. Scriptwriting & Storyboarding
LESSON IDEAS
MATH:
-Advertising Cost Analysis
-Ratings
Television and Film
-Media Ownership
SCIENCE
-Pharmaceutical Advertisements
The face of the drug industry.
-PhTesting
Products: Their claims & Truth.
LESSON IDEAS
FOREIGN LANGUGE:
-Global Issues - World Perceptions
-Fast Food Around the World
TECHNOLOGY
-Television Production
-Instant Messaging
-Web Design
-Flickr
-YouTube
Podcasting
Blogging
Wikis
iGoogle
TeacherTube
LESSON IDEAS:
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/index.cfm
LESSON IDEAS: http://www.aml.ca/home/
LESSON IDEAS:
http://interact.uoregon.edu/medialit/JCP/index.html
LESSON IDEAS
Arthur’s Guide to Media Literacy
www.pbskids.org/arthur
LESSON IDEAS:
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/vote2008/blueprint/index.html
LESSON IDEAS:
http://www.pointsmartclicksafe.org/
LESSON IDEAS:
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/?campaign=noflash_itsmylife
LESSON IDEAS:
http://www.ciconline.org/home
LESSON IDEAS:
http://www.frankwbaker.com/
LESSON IDEAS:
http://www.adflip.com/
LESSON IDEAS:
http://www.mediasmart.org.uk/
LESSON IDEAS: http://secondlife.com/
Did You Know?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U
WHAT IT ALL MEANS?

Literacy Comes in All Forms in the 21st Century.
Educators Have an Important Role in Helping the
Growth of Media Literate Citizens.

Pop. Culture and the Media are a Strong Force
Within our Society Which Cultivates Students Likes and
Dislikes.

Our Students Need You! – Educators- to Provide
Training in Real Thinking Skills.

Our Concepts of Teaching Must Change In Order to
Get Below the Surface and Reach Our Students.

A PARTING THOUGHT:
“They may be ‘digital natives,’ but
their knowledge is surface level,
and they desperately need training
in real thinking skills.”
Hargadon, S. April 2008. “Teaching Digital Natives.”
Technology & Learning, 28(9), 52.
MORE LESSON IDEAS
NCTE: ISBN: 0814130488
ISBN-13: 9780814130483
Neal Schuman Publishers
ISBN: 1-55570-596-0
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Belinha De Abreu, Ph.D.
Media Literacy Educator
860-339-5151 – home office
203-668-7392 - cell
Belinha.deabreu@ischool.drexel.edu
or
deabreu1@juno.com