As I was reading chapter 9 in Hobb's last night, I really started thinking about the entire purpose of our class and everything really came full circle for me. I realized that our students need to use media as an outlet for their learning.
I was reading Figure 9.1 on page 169, and determining my motivations for digital and media literacy. I found that mostly, I wanted to modernize my classroom and use media as a way to engage students. I think that using different medias in the classroom is a great way to connect with students and keep them interested, but I also think that it is a great creative outlet for them. If a student can create a PSA or a podcast, instead of writing a research paper, why not? It not only would allow students to use their minds in a different and more interesting way, but it is is also more interesting for us as teachers. I don't know about you, but I think grading 30 papers that are essentially the same sounds boring and awful. If I could watch or listen to videos or look at a Facebook page created for a character, that would be much more fun for me as a teacher. It may be more difficult to grade, but I think that in the end, it allows your students to do better because they can play to their strengths on projects.
On page 171, Hobbs asks the question, "Should digital and media literacy be offered as a separate stand-alone course or should it be integrated into the curriculum's existing subjects?" This is such a tough question. On one hand, I want to say that it would be so easy and fantastic to integrate it into my existing curriculum, but on the other hand, what if my students don't know how to use the different medias? Then, I'm "required" to teach them how to use it or have someone to teach them how to use it, which eats up more class time. In that case, I would say a stand-alone approach might be best
Maybe the best thing overall would be to have a stand-alone class sometime in an earlier grade...like eighth grade, then teachers could integrate the media into their curriculum with no worries from that point on. Students would come prepared knowing how to make a podcast, knowing how to use twitter, knowing how to decode a newspaper article, etc. You could still have interesting conversations on that specific media and the students' lives in class, but you wouldn't have to "teach" the media; you could just use it to your advantage.
Side Note:
I was on the MCPop Ning, and found this book, which I think I am going to purchase because it sounds like exactly what I might need to help me come up with some ideas for my classroom:
Using Social Media Effectively in the Classroom
It looks like it has a section on how to assess students' use of social media in the classroom. Hopefully this will help me to figure out how to grade students' work fairly between and across different medias.
"Should digital and media literacy be offered as a separate stand-alone course or should it be integrated into the curriculum's existing subjects?"
ReplyDeleteI think media literacy would be most effective as an integrated subject within the curricula of existing subjects. Of course it would work as a stand alone course, but as schools continue cutting costs to stay within tight budgets, I don't foresee any schools actually creating new elective classes any time soon. Also, I think media literacy is so broad that it complements all subject matter.
I understand your concerns about teachers having to learn new technologies, but that's the nature of being a teacher--they must constantly stay up on the latest trends to remain relevant with their students. I know one of the many reasons I've chosen to pursue a career as a teacher is my love of learning. It might take some time outside of the classroom for me to learn the newest digital tools, but I know that time will be worth it if it helps my students become interested in the subject matter.