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Lindsey Module 1 recap

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The big idea presented by Karen Sternheimer is something I didn’t originally agree with. The idea that childhood has changed and it isn’t all at the hands of the media. It is suggested that our youth has changed from generation to generation due to outside influences such as the economy and the needs of the family at home. In the early twentieth century, children were used in the workforce as labor and helped support their families with the money they made. Today, children are not as useful in the workforce and are instead encouraged to receive higher education so they can take care of themselves in their future lives.

I recently gave a persuasive speech, asking parents to limit their child’s usage of electronics. However, after reading the first two chapters in this book, I can see that I was speaking out of fear. I am worried that childhood is changing for the worse but it may not have the option to stay the same when our world is changing. What do you think? Do our youth have the option to stay innocent in our media saturated world where sexual innuendo and violence are portrayed everywhere? Another question I have is related to the article from Gainer (2007). As a parent of educator, children will look to us to answer their questions honestly. Therefore, when they are being shown possibly inappropriate media, is it our responsibility to tell them it’s inappropriate or is it best to explain the innuendo honestly and leave the rest up to them, depending on the age?

I first of all felt challenged with the amount of reading for the semester but through my notes I will have an easier time in the next module. I’d like to ask you, group members, how you think we should organize our blog page to make it more user friendly for us. A question I have in regards to the reading is how will I be able to decipher between good media and bad media for children if I hadn’t had a class like this one?

This entire course has been a very new experience for me. Having to be online for so much time every day has shown me that I would rather work in an environment where a computer isn’t the most important tool in my box. However, the readings along with the video clips and the power points are helping me to learn more from this course than if it were only text. At this point in the class, not knowing how I’m doing, I can only say that I hope we all succeed, I’m excited to be learning new things and that my past experiences in online classes have been different.

Module 1 Readings

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In my opinion, most of these readings were dense and full of information I had not the slightest clue of! I thought Masterman’s idea that “Media does not reflect reality, it re-presents it” was the overarching message seen throughout all of the texts. Fox example, in my interdisciplinary class (section: Black Lives Matter) we talked a lot about how media, mostly the news, recreates events to show an innocent black man who got shot to somehow be a perpetrator of some sort.

In the “University of Michigan” article, we learned a lot of facts about the effects of TV in young children. What really stuck out to me was the fact that even children’s shows use violence to solve problems and use stereotypes causing children at a young age to worry about things like body image or gender. One of my younger female cousins, who’s 8, was adopted from Kazakhstan by my Aunt, who is single. My cousin always says things like, “All of the kids always have a mom and a dad. Why don’t I have a dad? Why do I look different than you” (generally after watching Nickelodeon or Disney shows) which shows how powerful children shows can be as well. I would challenge children’s shows in general about their diversity in race, gender, and age. This relates a lot to “Why Media Literacy” power point, which informed us about several serious issues such as drugs, alcohol and eating disorders. I found the bulimia number to be extremely high which shows how much event he actresses and actors are effected by media. I remember years ago when Demi Lavato did an interview and she admitted the TV and fame caused her eating disorder. I remember thinking to myself, “How could Disney channel (a children’s channel) care about their actor/ess body image? Shouldn’t they show more kids who may be heavier set, who are a different race than white?” I think recently a lot of these shows do have a lot more diversity with gender and race.

I really enjoyed the idea of the “3 Models of Literacy” as well because I liked the idea of the three “stages” if you will. I think the third model or “constructivist model” seemed most appropriate because it stated, “Advocate the development of analytical skills while allowing for the experience of enjoying media” claiming that the audience is not a passive viewer but rather an active negotiator of the media they are engaging with. I think the is ideal and fair to ask of teenagers while they watch TV because it can teach them not to listen to everything they hear on TV or media in general.  I would argue that most viewers of TV might still be a little young to try this model, but I think it would be worth a try. It is very similar to Jane Tallim’s idea that you can “sift through and analyze the messages that inform and entertain us” which uses critical thinking- a major part of media literacy. If more kids can watch TV and use the media literacy, than media may not have the ability to lie or manipulate.

Elizabeth Thoman claims this idea of the “Media Diet” which was is a very serous term. Allowing children, sometimes even babies, to watch hours of TV is unhealthy for them. She says there are 3 stages of this diet.

  1. Reduce the time they spend using media (TV, video games)
  2. Learn specific skills like critical thinking and use more group collaboration- socialization
  3. Learn whom produces/profits/ loses from the media.

I completely agree with her but I would ask, “Is this more for parents to regulate their child’s media diet? What if the parent doesn’t care?”

In Chris Worsnop’s “The Orthodoxy” he states, “The most recent manifestation of this orthodoxy is now called “the prevention approach” (2) which says media causes violence, teen pregnancy, drugs etc. I do agree to a certain level but I wouldn’t make such a claim as that. I would maybe challenge this idea and say it can cause these things but I don’t think it’s a direct result.   I related this to a meeting I once was forced to go to with my mom where a teacher of Sex Ed tried to tell us that every time you have sexual intercourse, we will become pregnant which to me seems like Worsnop (in this specific passage) is saying if you watch TV, you will commit a violent crime or do drugs.

Then I read Elissa Strauss “Debate Time”. This is my favorite one we read because it agreed with most of what she argued. One of the main things I agreed with is TV has a lot to do with class. If you’re rich and can afford a nanny who won’t plop a child in front of the TV than your child will watch less. I think “Why Media Lit is so Important” article shared a lot of ideas as Strauss’s. If children can learn media literacy, they won’t be as likely to commit violence or do drugs. After my cousin, who I previously mentioned, said the things she said, my aunt got the cable box that can switch to child mode…but as we have learned in the readings, the children’s shows still use violence and bad behavior as well. With the use of technology, as seen in “13 Best Media Literacy Resources” children growing up now are immediately drawn to media, which shows how important media literacy is. Is there a way to teach such young children media literacy?

I thought all of these articles, power points, and books were really fascinating and they all taught me something I had no idea about! I feel so enlightened now and I will be more cautious of using media literacy as I watch TV, use my laptop and cellphone etc. from now on.

 

Graduation!

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Thanks to an excellent team of professors in the ESRM department I graduated this May with my B.S. in Environmental Science and Resource Management.  I am thankful for their guidance and am excited for the next steps in my research as well as my graduate career!

Reflections on module 1 readings.

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As I was going through the links, there were a few things that stood out to me. When reading the first sections of readings under “Media Literacy Defined,” and specifically the “Masterman Principles of Media Education” powerpoint, I guess I should not have been surprised, but I found that a lot of the class seemed to reflect a lot of the suggestions about how to encourage media education. Everything from working together on the syllabus (relating it to how Dr. Tollefson asked for our expectations for her and the class) to fostering peer interaction without competition, and instead try to create an environment where we work together to broaden each others’ views.

Media literacy, and with it, media education is definitely shaping up to be very important concepts for not only the class, but also to be applied into my personal daily life as well. As a tech enthusiast, I’m often on my phone browsing the web, where I come into so many advertisements, very opinionated arguments, and easily mindless entertainment. For me, it’s imperative that I’m able to challenge what is presented to me, so that I can form my own opinions, to look past the “cover” and get into the deeper meanings and suggestions behind what is being projected at me, or what isn’t and is missing. (Chris Worsnop, 1994)

As a just-barely-making-the-cut youth, and as a sister to siblings who are even more youthful than I, media conglomerates often assume that we are easy targets, consumers of the mindless, and crude humor filled entertainment. That we will take blatant racist, sexist, and homophobic messages as little more than humor. While there’s no doubt that plenty of teens and children specifically are always seeking entertainment, as our textbook explains, reporters, parents, and politicians all seem to think that media is the problem, when its simply a medium for ideas to be presented, whether true or not. (Sternheimer, 2013) The real problem lies in the lack of media literacy, as children shift into a more technology consuming era, parents are at a loss on how to teach their children media literacy. As our textbook phrases it, “parents feel helpless to control what music their kids listen to….movies they see….or…. websites they visit.” (Sternheimer, 2013)

Module 1 Readings- Gianna White

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Prior to this media literacy class my knowledge about media literacy was very minimal. My brain has been filling up with tons of new information my mind has never known before. After reading over the articles I began to see a trend that reminded me of my earlier days as a child any why media was so strict in my household as I was growing up. Now I am beginning to understand more of why my parents made the conscientious decisions they did.

Getting deeper into the course readings I would like to begin my reflection by explaining the importance of the 3 stages of media literacy, defined by Elizabeth Thoman. The first stage of media literacy is “simply becoming aware of the importance of managing one’s media diet”, the second stage is “learning specific skills of critical viewing”, and the third stage “goes behind the frame to explore deeper issues of the media produced”. Beginning with the first stage we see how crucial it is becoming aware of how much media we are exposing ourselves with on a daily basis. This discussion begins with children who do not yet clearly see the importance of receiving media within reasonable dosages. For children limiting the time spent watching TV, playing video games, and using the internet can help create a barrier between the negative media influences children aren’t quite in tune with yet. The importance of stage two is seeing and identifying the importance or non-influential programs that children are being exposed to. Since young children are heavily under the guidance of the parents and teachers during their development years the type of media exposed should be beneficial and age appropriate. As children grow older making the conscientious decisions of exposure to media that is fruitful will be a goal they will hopefully obtain. The third stage I believe goes deeper into the age where children/teenagers will be able to learn to define the harmful issues media seems to create in this world, and how the media has been influencing their lives. I related these stages to the media literacy we hope children will develop through the guidance of their parents or other adults and teachers to help further educate them on the effects of the media.

Going through these reading I have become more aware of the ups and downs media has to offer to this world especially children, which is the main focus. An article I found to be extremely eye opening was from the University of Michigan Health System, Television and Children by Kyla Boyse, 2010. This source shared the dangers of watching too much Television can have on children and their health. In today’s day and age it seems to be convenient and satisfying to place children in front of the TV where they seem to be occupied for hours. But in reality there are several harms TV can have on young children with almost too many to count. Some downsides to media messages on TV are the chances of aggressive and violent behavior, violent movies can traumatize and scare children, gives a higher chance of becoming overweight due to inactivity, and may begin to promote the use of tobacco and alcohol. These are only a few of the impacts television can have on young children.  Touching upon a downside of TV was the higher probability of a child becoming overweight, “children who watch TV are more likely to be inactive and tend to snack while watching TV” (Boyse 2010). With that statement noted some children spend hours sitting by the TV snacking on various unhealthy snacks are not being active as young children hope to be can lead to poor health habits like weight gain. Limiting the time children spend watching TV and monitoring what children are watching regularly might not be ideal to the child’s liking but is important to their successful growth and development.

Another form of media that influences children is music. Most children seem to enjoy music dancing along to the beat, memorizing the lyrics to songs, even idolizing the hit pop stars. I can remember as a child being obsessed with Britney Spears. Everything about her I seemed to love her music, her outfits, and her dance moves. But my dad was not so keen about my obsession, he didn’t favor me listening to her music and watching her music videos as often as I did. Knowing what I know now he seemed to believe her music was a bit mature for my age and thought I should listen to other artists I could relate to easier. My dad was not sure if “hit me baby one more time” was the right music choice for a 6 year old girl. From the Jesse Gainer article, Social Critique and Pleasure 2007, this article exemplified a similar scenario to my personal experience. The article shares a story about a 9 year old girl named Clara and her father listening to one of their favorite songs on the radio “my humps”. There was a line in the song mentioning whatcha gonna do with all that junk inside your trunk and Clara was asking for the meaning of that particular line. Clara’s father knew “it was part of his job as a parent and a teacher to address the images and messages and help my daughter critically interpret them” (Gainer, 2007). Although Clara’s Father’s reaction was different than my own Father’s I thought the relation was important due to the decision of acting upon an appropriate media course of action. Parents will choose to handle media situations in various ways. Along with the explanation comes the realization of appropriate forms of media you wish your child to be surrounded by.

Comparing some philosophies implemented by Zaslow and Butler (2002) my father and Clara’s father from the article used different models of media literacy while approaching their children with a media concern. My father seemed to be coming from the protectionist point of view, where “youth are protected from powerful media”. His goal was to take Britney Spears out of my media allowance and replace it with another form of age appropriate media. This could lead to the child resisting the decision, which I did since I thought it to be unfair. I believe the article Social Critique and Pleasure to be coming from the Ideological point of view. This philosophy comes from the idea for “youth to be taught to question the media representations and identify the hidden messages in the piece of media”. Clara’s father decided to carefully explain what the song lyrics meant since Clara was using her curious instincts of a child to question what the song was really implying. Needless to say I do not believe one philosophy over rules the other but both have different agendas when it comes to using each technique.

 

Reflection: Module 1 Readings

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In the article titled Social Critique and Pleasures: Critical Media Literacy with Popular Culture Texts written by Jesse Gainer explains how a father and daughter review song and the tensions that can be created from the message behind the lyrics. Music has the power to change our moods and affect our emotions. In every song the writer is creating a message and telling a story through their own experiences. Sometimes we listen to certain songs based on our relevance, similar experience, or a certain emotion that we feel in that moment. Sam is a ten year girl who tries to explain to her parents that her ignorance in trying to understand the message and tension written in the lyrics allows for her to enjoy the music she is listening to without the guilt to hamper the pleasure. In this case I can relate in that I have experienced situations where I could no longer listen to a song once I took the time to fully understand the message behind it. I was infatuated with the beat and the voice of the artist but once I realized why the song was written and the tension behind it, I felt a sense of guilt in enjoying the piece. The philosophy that Jesse Gainer embraces in this article is protectionist or discrimination models. “Youth must be protected from powerful media. To fend against these media, young people must be taught to discriminate between high- and low-quality media.” (Zaslow & Butler, 2002) As parents teaching your children right from wrong can help them to determine and allow for better decision making when coming across these songs that can later be destructive.
Eighteen basic principles of media education are discussed in an article titled, Media Awareness Education. The importance of being educated on the media and how it works or how to read messages is crucial, especially at a young age . Being educated on such can allow for awareness of what’s going on in the world and being able to differentiate between right and wrong decisions. Especially when teaching kids how to behave and act in public, listening to the wrong type of music as discussed above can be a factor. It is not necessarily about learning the right answers but being able to consume the message and understand the what, why, how, and so on..aspect of it and then being able to formulate your own opinions and thoughts for discussion and understanding. One of the eighteen basic principles states that “Media education is a lifelong process, therefore high student motivation must become a primary objective.” (Masterman, L.) I completely agree. Our society is constantly changing and growing and as it does our knowledge and the information we gain needs to as well. My thoughts and experiences of social media when I was younger were how magazines, music, and TV shows influenced me. In my teens it was paying attention to the media on keeping up to date on trends and fads. Today it’s being informed about what is going on in our world socially and politically. And I’m sure in five years from now it will be completely different, especially as we mature in age. To be motivated in wanting to keep updated on the media and changes can help us grow as individuals and provide new information and expand our knowledge.

Week/Module 1 Readings

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When I first started this class a few days ago, I had absolutely no clue what media literacy was and, therefore, why it is important; but within a few days, it is safe to say I have already learned some new ideas!  As defined by Jane Tallim in her exert What is Media Literacy?, “media literacy is the ability to sift through and analyze the messages that inform, entertain and sell to us every day. It’s the ability to bring critical thinking skills to bear on all media”.  Media literacy covers any and all forms of mass media from music videos and online social media to commercials and billboards; and with the media literally everywhere we look in our culture and generation, it is no wonder why the importance of media literacy requires an upper division course of its own!  Jennifer Ladner, co-founder of Screen Savvy Kids, described how media literacy allows children and families to become more aware of both intended and unintended media messages.  Through media literacy, children learn to create and think critically about these media messages and these skills allow them to take control of the media that surrounds their everyday lives instead of letting it control them (Ladner).

As an Early Childhood Studies major, I have always been concerned about the impact the media has on our youth.  There are so many messages being sent both directly and subtly from our numerous media sources that our culture is becoming confused as to what is realistic and what is expected of us on a daily basis.  I was shocked to discover in Ladner’s article Why Media Literacy is so Important for Children Today that the American Academy of Pediatrics has noted that children spend more time with various media than they do in any other daily activity other than sleeping, an average of 7 hours per day, to be exact; and among the many health concerns, various studies suggest a strong relationship between high exposure to violence in the media and aggressive behavior.  The American Academy of Pediatrics has also found a strong correlation between heavy television viewing and obesity, substance use, and increased sexual activity at younger ages.  Additionally,  studies have shown that children with a television in their bedroom are 31 percent more likely to smoke and many children have a television in their bedroom by the age of three. (Ladner)

With all the children I have worked with over the years, and there have been many due to all the student teaching I’ve had to complete, I have noticed that the saying “Monkey see, monkey do” is beyond accurate with the younger generations.  Even as a child myself, I saw certain people on popular shows like MTV’s TRL that I wanted to be exactly like.  I wanted to dress like them, I wanted to talk like them, I wanted to be these people that were so popular and famous… so I did.  If it wasn’t for my fascination with Blink 182 and other punk/rock musicians, there’s a chance I could have been a pretty girly-girl; but instead I felt the need to own nothing but black band shirts, dark jeans and Converse or Vans shoes.  Now, I’m 25 years old, and even if I buy a green or pink shirt that I like, I will probably only wear it once and then allow my closet’s dust bunnies to create a forever-home.  Why? Because once upon a time in elementary school, I was given a personal “message” about what it took to be cool; but, hey, it brought me to who I am today!

There are so many ways to view and therefore teach media literacy, and in our technologically advanced culture, mass media and advertising messages are literally everywhere.  After reading Zaslow and Butler’s 3 Models of Media Literacy, the model that appealed to me the most was the Ideological Analysis Model, where youth are taught to question the naturalness of media representations and to identify hidden messages in the media.  Analysis in this model focuses on how media support and reproduce dominant ideologies about difference and culture (Zaslow & Butler, 2002).  This model sticks out to me the most because rather than shelter or hide or children from the media surrounding their worlds, we need to accept what’s taking place and talk to them about what they are seeing or hearing.  On the other hand, we don’t want to over expose the children without any discussions whatsoever because that could allow the wrong messages to enter into our youth’s minds for the worst.  By teaching children to question what is going on around them, they can then question what can be done as a result.  I have always loved working with children because they ultimately are the future of not only our country, but our entire world; so if we want to see any positive changes, we need to educate the people that will be making the decisions during those times: our children and youth.

The importance of media literacy has finally made sense to me, thanks to our first model.  Now I feel like I can actually understand what this class is all about and why we are taking the time to understand the value of media literacy and its impact on our culture and youth!

Reflection on module 1 readings (GROUP 5)

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Currently, society as a whole has involved itself with media literacy in such a way that it is inescapable. Yet, how is society using this social tool to its advantages in influencing the development of individual growth within humans? Survey says: Jersey shore. No, it is theory of combining both media literacy and education that will further allow people to be more self-aware. Such a notion is powerful because of the possibility to negate current thought processes in to new progressive thoughts. Therefore, media literacy allows individuals to critically challenge structural norms (Bowen, 1996). Although, sadly to say our current culture does not seek to establish change, but rather insight non progressive thoughts. Such thoughts can be seen in our daily news that include the demand to report on violence, sex, and nonsense that build heuristics thoughts within individuals. Yet, if one were to be educated within media literacy, visual cues seen would than be questioned on the purpose of presented stimuli. Thus, media literacy is necessary towards allowing individuals to focus on ideologies that lead enlightenment.  – Sebas

  • We are born to learn, only to unlearn so we can be born again.  – ivr

 

Reflection on Module 1 reading

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When talking about media literacy one must first know the definition, “the expected outcome from work in either media education or media study. The more you learn about or through the media, the more media literacy you have. Media literacy is the skill of experiencing, interpreting/analyzing and making media products (Wally Bowen, 1996). Being media literate in 2016 is important for many reasons one being job placement. Almost every job now requires some sort of media literacy. After living in Las Vegas for eight years I am used to this being a job requirement. Using social media to send out party invite blasts, guest list invites, opening night reminders to the public and many other social media posts it is almost a prerequisite I am expecting when starting a job. Since most jobs are now expecting candidates to be media literate shouldn’t media study be taught in grade school? Yes under supervision and guidance but still taught at a younger age where people can absorb the information in their youth making the skill almost like breathing, effortless. There is a lot of controversy about appropriateness when it comes to youth and what they view through media, popular culture. “American children face, problems like lack of a quality education, violence victimization, early pregnancies, single parenthood, and obesity, poverty plays a starring role; popular culture is a bit player at best” (Karen Sternheimer, 2013). I agree that there are bigger problems in the United States then popular culture. The list Karen Sternheimer gave in this one particular quote is enough to write an entire paper on in itself. The lack of concern and funding for education there is in the United States is sad to say the least. Then when you look outwards it becomes an even bigger sadness. The way we could get the issue know is through media awareness, however possible. Instead TV channels and other media outlets are more concerned with making money on advertisements, politics and numerous other things.

Infants using different types of media for “babysitting” purposes is damaging. Using electronics such a leap frogs, nintendo, TV, etc becomes addicting for children. Another report by the American Academy of Pediatrics notes that “children spend more time with various media (an average of 7 hours per day) than they do in any other daily activity other than sleeping”. Children’s creativity become stunted when they spend all day on electronics. Have you ever noticed how hours an pass you by when you playing with an electronic device? You go into a trance like state, vegetating. When children play with puzzles, build forts, interact with each other they are building vital skills they will use in adult hood.

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Reflections on Module 1 Readings

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At first glance, just by reading the three different philosophies about why media education is necessary constructivist appealed to me the most. I agree in the way this philosophy perceives why media education is necessary because, meaningful learning happens when we for ourselves try to make sense of the world by analyzing new information through our own knowledge, concepts, rules and hypothesis from our own personal experiences. After reading the article by Zaslow & Butler where they dive on their explanation on these competing philosophies I agreed with the constructivist model even more.  In the article by Zaslow & Butler it states, “Protectionism places the teacher in an authoritative role in which she or he judges and determines the social, cultural, moral value of a text.” This really irks me, first of all just because some of us have trouble resisting falsely media doesn’t mean we as a whole are duped to being able to determine between good media vs bad media and need the bias authority of a teacher to “guide” us in differentiating such media. Second of all, I am not a fan of authority, so having a teacher tell me what “bad” media is doesn’t mean I will stray away from it. I really enjoyed reading the article by Zaslow & Butler, how it focuses on the interpretation of Videocultures from different adolescents. I agreed with Delpit’s argument, “If we do not have the knowledge of children’s lives outside of the realms of paper- and-pencil work and even outside of their classroom, then we cannot know their strengths”. So how can we allow a teacher take authority of how we should interpret media with out the teacher acknowledging our strengths?

Media literacy is key in order to be able to succeed now and in the future. It is interesting to learn about the different competing philosophies there is towards the learning of media education, and although I may not completely I agree with all of them, I do enjoy how all models are looking out for the student in some way. The reading of, Television and Children the author seems to embrace the protectionist model, where it seems to talk about the negative impact television has on children, and it comes out to be discriminating media. After reading this I learned to see the protective model in a different way, I do agree how the child should have a discipline diet on how much tv he or she should consume in a day. I do believe that television can influence the child’s attitude towards themselves and others especially if they do not come from a family who sets a strong foundation teaching them right from wrong in life.

I could not stop laughing at the article about Social Critique and Pleasure to the point I couldn’t help myself sharing it to my friends. I was gullible to the song Ciara, to the point where I took my parents video camera and recorded the video. I also had no idea what the lyrics were saying at that time, I just simply enjoyed the music and dancing silly to it. I did share my passion for music differently than my siblings, I didn’t always analyze every lyric from every song I enjoyed, to me that was taking the fun of it sometimes it is fun to just enjoy the music beat and let your brain have some downtime it most definitely does not define that you are dupe of vulgar consumerism. I agree in the way the article by Jesse Gainer concludes that we must learn together as a whole, parents, teachers, and students. By not acknowledging the interest of the child and how they perceive that pleasure we are just being biased judges on what we think is right and wrong controlling what the child should like and why they shouldn’t like a certain thing. In a way that is taking away the innocence of a child, by feeding them why its wrong to like something when they at first didn’t see it that way they just simply enjoyed it. This is an example of Chris Wornsop of ways not to teach media literacy. The teacher or parent starts from their ideology on a subject and ends up controlling the child in seeing the whole world from their perspective.