Archive for date: May 31st, 2016

Initially, when going through all the readings in an attempt to better understand media literacy, I found that Zaslow and Butler’s (2002) three models were easiest for me to understand. They separated media literacy into three models of protectionist or discrimination models, ideological analysis models, and constructivist models. The protectionist or discrimination models, as defined by Zaslow and Butler (2002), is that youth must be protected from powerful media. In order for youth the fend against these media, young people must be taught how to discriminate between high-quality and low-quality media. Secondly, Zaslow and Butler (2002) explained the ideological analysis models as, youth being taught to question the naturalness of media representations and to identify hidden messages in the media. Further, the analysis focuses on how media support and reproduce dominant ideologies about difference and culture. Lastly, Zaslow and Butler (2002) defined the constructivist models, which is to advocate the development of analytical skills while allowing for the experience of enjoying media. Students are not passive receivers of media but active negotiators of the media with which they engage. I believe that all of the models presented by Zaslow and Butler (2002) are necessary for youth to be able to put into use when needed. Personally, I found that I was able to agree with the constructivist models the most because although it requires children to analyze media, it still allows them to enjoy the media.

When further going through the readings and asking the question, why is media literacy so important, I found Jennifer Ladner’s article, “Why media literacy is so important for children today,” to be the most informative. She discusses the concern for not only how much time children spend in front of a screen, but also the concern for the content that they absorb. With media literacy, children and families are allowed to become more aware of media messages, both intended and unintended. She also explains that the messages within media allow children to learn to create and think critically; further, allowing children to take control of the media that is around them, rather than the media controlling them. Due to technology now being mainly wireless, many of us walk around with it at constant availability in the palm of our hands. Because it is so easy to access media, it is crucial to have media literacy on our radar. Ladner suggests reasons why it is important for it to be on our radar. For example, studies suggest a strong relationship between high exposure to violence in the media and aggressive behavior, as well as, a strong correlation between heavy television viewing and obesity, substance use, and increased sexual activity at younger ages. Overall, Ladner thoroughly discussed the importance of media literacy due the negative effects it can have.

Throughout the several readings I learned an extensive amount of information in regards to media literacy. Most importantly, I learned about the effects that media has on children and why is it necessary to implement media literacy. Specifically, as presented above, the the protectionist or discrimination models, ideological analysis models, and constructivist models, by Zaslow and Butler (2002) are all necessary for children to learn to employ when viewing media. Ultimately, due to technology being easily available in the palm of our hands, it is becoming crucial for media literacy to put to use.

 

What is media literacy?  It is a question that seems to warrant a simple answer however, the concept as I am quickly discovering in this course, goes far beyond basic interpretation skills.   For one to be considered truly media literate, they must have the ability to examine and decipher messages that seek to entertain and inform us on a day to day basis.  According to Elizabeth Thoman, there are 3 stages of media literacy.  They include: awareness of one’s “media diet”, learning  critical viewing skills, and asking, who produces the media we experience?  I believe that last point is essential and something I do not exercise often enough.  If one frequently asks questions about the various media mediums and the messages, I feel it will open the conversation up to others to do the same.

Media literacy is an asset one can acquire and goes hand in hand with media education.  Media education is the “ongoing process of learning” which can “develop and evolve” (Andersen, Neil).  Media education is fostered through “media study”; which occurs when teachers and educational institutions  “organize specific courses..to study the media” (Worsnop, Chris).

I found the opening chapters of our textbook Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture: Why Media is not the Answer to be a compelling introduction to our media culture and it’s relationship with society’s members.  Sternheimer believes that the media culture is not our society’s central issue.  While people like to vilify media influence, the social issues currently plaguing us go far deeper than media intake.  Racism, sexism, homophobia and poverty are just a few of the major problems at hand that did not spawn from media integration.  In fact, “the most pressing crisis American children face today” is not the media, but poverty (Sternheimer, 2).

Our media does not rest, there is no snooze button.  While some can argue that with that comes an abundance of knowledge constantly at our fingertips, others believe that it’s leading to a society suffering from media overload.  People, particularly parents, are increasingly concerned that constant, uncontrolled information at one’s disposal will lead to problems within the lives of children.

The media has a long history of igniting fear in our society.  Comics featuring depictions of violence sparked fear during the McCarthy era.  During Elvis’ rise to stardom, concerns arose when he brought “traditionally African American music to white middle America” (Sternheimer, 6).  Sternheimer does agree that the media culture is not without its faults.  However, she encourages us to explore the root of social problems and realize it does not stop with media.

In the articles, “Why Media Literacy Is So Important for Children Today” and “That It Was Made By People Our Age Is Better”, an appreciation for the effects of media on today’s adolescence is explored.  Studies show that “children with media literacy skills will be better prepared for a successful future” (Ladner, J.)  Zaslow and Butler suggest that media offers adolescence a sense of control in an otherwise frenzied world.  And “many adolescent [children] turn to media” to construct their “own identity” (Zaslow, Butler).

After better acquainting myself with the principles of media literacy, I have an even stronger belief that there can be no price placed on the value of media literacy;  it plays a key role in the social awareness of the generation and generations to follow.  And while there are fears of overexposure to children, albeit sometimes justified, I agree with Karen Sternheimer who says “if childhood has changed, it is because the world has changed”.  Media awareness is a fundamental skill every young person must possess to flourish is this ever advancing world.

 

 

As this class began and I completed the first activities on my own, I have to honest, I still was unclear on what media literacy was. I did do some research on my own but I was still confused, but after proceeding with the assignments and getting to the assigned readings I began to understand more on what media literacy is. According to Jane Tallim, media literacy is the ability to analyze the media’s messages to the public by critical thinking, asking pertinent questions, understanding the goals of the media production, and to be aware of media factors influencing people. I also learned that there is a difference between media literacy and media education. Tallim explains that media education is examination of the media world, by asking who is the message for, why is there a message, whose voices are heard and whose are absent.  Now that I have read and understood the main concepts let me explain some articles that I found interesting.

To begin with, in this week’s readings for Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture by Karen Sternheimer, I learned about media phobia and the relationships of media and childhood. The first chapter focused on media phobia and it also gave me an insight on how the media was back in 1980’s. Did you know that in 1982 the channel networks would shut down at night!? Also, I learned that many have a media phobia and automatically link the media to all the society problems. This chapter explained that although the media is a critical problem, there are bigger problems such as poverty in the world, so one should not have all focus and blame on media.  It also explained how media phobia was created by media itself. There is media propaganda trying to blame social problems on media For example, the media has sent messages accusing itself for the increase of violence in adolescents.. Sternheimer also explains that in order to deconstruct media phobia one needs to focus on popular culture. I think that because popular culture shapes what we think and talk about, having media education, will help deconstruct media phobia. Additionally, in chapter 2 Sternheimer explains that many disagree on the age of a childhood as well as what childhood is. A childhood is lived by differently by experience of each individual. That I can relate because as an older child my childhood was strict and different than my younger sister who had more “freedom”. As well as the experience we had where I was introduced to a computer at age 9 and boy were they big.  On the other hand, she would watch cartoons on a tablet since she was five. I understand Sternheimer on varieties of definitions and understandings of childhood that make it more difficult to stop blaming social problems on pop culture.

Also, I found the power point  “Why Media literacy” interesting because it helped shape my understanding on the importance of teaching and having and ideology of media literacy. In the power point one can see how over time the consumption of media is greater than the hours of learning in school. It also compares violent acts between children shows and prime TV.  Where children shows have 5 times more violence than prime TV.  Last semester I took an adolescent development class where I learned that many adolescents are affected by the media because the media portrays a females as skinny yet with curves, and many adolescents do not know that these models are usually intensively photoshoped. This power point also explains how self esteem is targeted in the media.  Also, it shows other common problems such as drug use and drug death affected by media coverage.

Prior to this class, I’ve never put much deep thought into the media at all.. Let alone connecting it to education and children. I was confused when I saw this this course was on the list of classes I had to take in order to receive my degree in Liberal Studies(elementary education). The first realization of the importance of this class as a future education was when I watched the Barnyard movie trailer. I realized how much hidden meaning was put into the Barnyard movie, and even though I am an adult I could connect to the main ideas that were being portrayed in the movie. As I got further into the module, and the required readings and assignments I began to understand the connections being made, and the important of Media literacy in educational settings.

The first, and in my opinion most important article in this module was “What is Media Literacy?” by Jane Tallim. I found this article to be the most crucial to my learning because prior to this class, and these assignments I had no idea there was even a term “Media Literacy” let alone a difference between “Media Education”. For starters the first part of the article that stood out to me to help me understand what “Media Literacy” was, was Tallim’s three stages of Media Literacy. I thought this was a great way of being the term to life. The three stages were, 1) “becoming aware of managing/making choices of time spent using media forms”. 2)”Learning specific skills of critical viewing” and 3)”go behind frame to explore deeper issues, such as who produces? what purpose? who profits?”

By providing these three stages, it helped me understand what Media Literacy is on a deeper level. I also was able to identify the difference between Media Literacy and Media Education. These two parts of Module 1 stood out to me, and allowed me to see the importance of this class, and was a stepping stone in learning more about my own Media Literacy.

According to Zastrow and Butler (2002), there are three models for media literacy. The protectionist/discrimination model acknowledges that some types of media are more harmful for children than they are beneficial. However, this model is unique because it assumes that with proper education, young children, while impressionable, can be responsible enough to determine what is best for them. The ideological model encourages children to dissect messages in the media, and consider the extent of validity and truth in them. Lastly, the constructivist model permits children to be entertained by the media presented to them, but encourages children to engage and interpret, rather than just mindlessly observe.

I think all of the above models are useful, and children should be able to employ all of the above techniques when necessary. However, the constructivist model is the only one that allows for the child to be entertained while still engaging with the material in an analytical way. For instance, older children who are introduced to reality television programs can still enjoy these shows while examining what the hidden messages are, and what the content creators want to teach their viewers, whereas the protectionist would argue that children should recognize the potentially harmful messages and select another program.  Gainer (2007) gives an example of constructivism in music using his young daughter, Clara. Clara listens to music that is contains strong messages about war and sex. When she does not understand the lyrics of the songs, she discusses them with her dad. She is still able to enjoy the music, while being aware of the content.

Overall, entertainment should not be a negative thing. Children should be able to enjoy certain content without feeling compelled to despise it, as Chris Worsnop explained in his article, “Orthodoxy is the Enemy: Four Ways NOT to Teach Media Literacy”. He also explains that some content is meant to be enjoyed, and not analysed piece by piece. That being said, children should exercise caution in their choices of media, and select content that will best inform and entertain them. According to a study from the University of Michigan, children who view violent content before they are mature enough to understand what is real and what is not real can become traumatized by what they see. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the parent and the child to explore media literacy together, and communicate with one another about the content and messages.

I learned that being media literate does not mean being angry or hateful about the media. Instead of focusing on negative messages, I should also focus on positive ones too. I also learned that it is important to ask questions regarding who wants me to learn the message being presented and how it benefits them. I would like to learn more about using media to spread positive messages that benefit society, rather than messages that benefit individuals or corporations. I would also like to learn more about where to draw the line in terms of mature content for children. For instance, at which point does being aware of a negative message become harmful to a child rather than helpful?