Books

http://youtu.be/lHhSs2hHnuk

Classroom Case Study

I was intrigued by Buckingham's thoughts on case studies, and it got me thinking about having my students do case studies (individually or in small groups) on a single broad topic, with each case study dealing with a more specific aspect of that topic.  For example, the class project could be about Joss Whedon, but individuals/groups might choose subjects such as Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film/TV show/graphic novel), Dark Horse Comics, the dynamics of working with family in the industry, writing, directing, creating properties, musical composition and scoring, and so on.  I think it would be really interesting to see how the different topics feed into and inform one another.
I think a great way to begin such a project would be to have students brainstorm media topics, properties, and/or personalities in which/whom they're interested, then brainstorm different approaches they might take to studying the topic of interest.  (Hopefully, the class would latch onto one thing they're more interested in than the others through this process, but of course they can be steered that way if/when need be.)  Once a broad topic has been chosen, students could simply put their name down for the narrower topic they'd like to look into in their case study, and whether they'd like to do so on their own or as a group.
Once the case studies have been completed, the students should come up with a presentation for the class that includes some media (for example, if a student chose Dark Horse Comics, she might choose to produce her own comic, illustrating what she learned).  After all the case studies have been shared and discussed, discussion could then move to how the information and insights gathered inform the broader topic with which we began.
A fantastic final step would be to use the students' case studies and the media they've generated to create a single presentation, performance, or media event incorporating everything they've learned.

Examining Difference through Media

Here’s the deal, friends: Every. Last. One of us. Is DIFFERENT.  Exploring and examining difference doesn’t have to be a big deal; it just has to be acknowledged as an inherent and integral part of our existence.  If we can achieve that – if we can truly see and appropriately value that fact – and then pass that understanding and its significance on to our students – I honestly feel that the “battle” is almost won.  Once our students truly understand that no two of us (let alone faceless millions) are really alike, they can begin to place their own value on difference, to value the richness of culture, wisdom, and experience that comes with these differences, and to begin to negotiate the differences to which they have access – to tap into the differences all around them as a means of gaining (albeit at second-hand) insight into and knowledge and wisdom from those experiences that are foreign to them.  In the end, difference can and should benefit everyone, broadening our knowledge, understanding, and capacities far beyond anything any one person could ever hope to achieve or experience on their own.  Difference should be celebrated and sought out not simply for difference’s sake or even by way of celebrating diversity in terms of inclusion; it should be celebrated for its ability to expand each and every one of us individually.  If we (and our students) can learn to truly value and embrace difference in this way, we will find that our entire world is a very different place than we thought it.

Media (at least, I believe, popular media) have a tendency to exploit difference more than to explore it.  Things – and people – that/who are “different” from the “norm” are presented in popular media as scandalous or shocking; indeed, stories of “difference” are often picked up and disseminated by these media specifically for their “shock-value.”  As educators, we must take on the responsibility of shattering the shiny façade of pop-media spectacle; we must lead our students to the tools they need to deconstruct the messages, ideals, and metanarratives with which these media present them.  Without these tools, our students will never gain the skills they need make critical decisions in their chosen level of media and civic participation – they would be “blown about by every wind” of whatever pop-media happens to be current at any given time.  This is not to say that all media, or even all pop-media, is irresponsible, dirty, or underhanded; media creators simply have an agenda (whether it’s making money, selling something in order to make money, selling something in order to facilitate change in the world, informing citizens as honestly as they know how, or whatever else may drive them), and they use the tools available to them to reach their goals – some more or less ethically than others.  As we integrate all kinds of media into our classrooms, we will be uniquely placed to help young people acquire the critical skills that will enable them to make thoughtful decisions in all aspects of their experience – skills they will come to use consistently, capably, and constantly throughout their lives.

What does "access" REALLY mean?

According to Renee Hobbs, media access in the public school entails “finding and sharing appropriate and relevant information and using media texts and technology tools well.”  (Digital and Media Literacy (DML), 12)  The problem with this definition is its ambiguity: “appropriate” according to what standard? who sets that standard? who is responsible for determining relevancy? how do we define or assess “using media texts and technology tools well” in the classroom – on a case-by-case basis? or is there a benchmark standard for each/all media text(s) or technology tool(s)?  Perhaps Hobbs has left her definition so threadbare quite intentionally – with the idea that appropriateness, relevance, and proficiency cannot be generally defined but must, instead, be determined by each community separately – but I feel that this is a grave mistake on her part.  Even supposing that the standards for these things will not apply to every community equally, I believe her advocacy of these responsibilities places her under an obligation to give some guidelines (or, at the very least, an example or two) of what she envisions and understands these things to mean.  Since Hobbs is ostensibly writing this book to persuade educators to learn, use, and teach media literacy, she has a responsibility to give her reader – presumably a media literacy novice – more guidance than she offers here. 

After all, Hobbs is certainly addressing persons like me when she says: “[D]on’t ever feel guilty or inadequate about the access skills you have or the skills you lack,” (DML 14) because “[f]eelings of guilt and inadequacy may contribute to the kind of avoidance that can discourage [teachers’ and students’] exploration and experimentation.” (DML 14)  But how can a technophobe like me “find, use, and understand [media] in [my] classroom setting” (457 class blog, Reading Response 4) without so much as a jumping-off point?  And if I can’t figure these things out for myself (which seems to me to be a pretty likely state of affairs), I certainly won’t be equipped to “help students become active, critical interpreters of contemporary culture, helping them grasp the multiple realities and diverse forms of knowledge and experience that are circulating in this dense and ever-changing stew [of media].” (DML 29)

My own best guess at how I can help my students to “find, use, and understand” media in my classroom is by finding out with which media texts and technologies my students are already familiar; if I have students who are skilled at using a certain type of media or media tool, I can create opportunities for them to share their expertise with their peers (and, at the same time, with me) – but the major problem I see with that approach is how, in my ignorance, to establish parameters and methods of assessment for such teaching opportunities.  How can I evaluate what I or my students learn if I lack even the basic information necessary to know that I don’t know what I don’t know?

Another complication: high school students will quickly recognize my obvious lack of knowledge and skill with the texts and technologies they use every day.  Given that recognition, how I can engender confidence in my ability to give credible and meaningful guidance in reading and critically assessing these texts?

Training students to read media texts

I think an effective way to get students started learning, understanding, and practicing the skills discussed in “On Reading Visual and Verbal Texts” would be to begin with advertisements.  The bottom line is that every text is advertising, selling, and/or trying to convince its audience of something in some way, so beginning with this concept in mind would be a good way to bring students’ minds alive to this fundamental principle of reading media.  A savvy selection could also be an excellent vehicle to engaging students’ interest in learning the skills being taught: their attention will be drawn by a hip, funny, or popular commercial; an ad for a product they like will naturally interest them; and what high school student wouldn’t relish poking a little fun at some of the older ads that seem cheesy or hokey now?    As students learn to engage critically with these texts, they’ll very likely find themselves pursuing their critical examination as they constantly encounter ads outside the classroom.

One point in “On Reading” that particularly struck me was how similar the approaches to reading various types of media are.  I’d like my students to learn to transfer their skills from one medium to another as they become more conversant with the vocabulary and symbolism of visual media, so I’d like to have them focus on one aspect of visual media across several examples.  For instance, a photograph, a painting, and a sculpture which each include a building could be connected to a real-world piece of architecture as students are asked to read each of the structures they encounter in those works.  This study of transferring skills from one medium to another could then be carried forward into verbal texts, such as a poem, short story, or political speech.  Once students have a solid understanding of how they can use the same vocabulary and conventions to inform their examinations across various media, they can be encouraged to continue to use those skills as they learn new techniques and deepen their critical analyses of the media they encounter.

Since we typically use the words “read” and “reading” to refer strictly to verbal texts, I feel many students would benefit from approaching these texts in a media literacy class (or unit) only after several interactions with visual texts.  Once students have developed solid skills and habits in reading visual media and have made the connection between visual and verbal media, they will be better prepared to read verbal media critically (as opposed to the skimming-the-surface say/think-the-words-and-then-forget-them approach students often take to the verbal texts they encounter in school).  An interesting and, I think, fruitful way to help students begin reading more critically would be to have them read a film (such as Harry Potter) and then read the book on which that film is based.  As students discuss and interpret the similarities and differences between the two versions of the chosen narrative, they should be able to engage more thoughtfully in their reading of each medium.