Media and Information Literacy

To read the article: Media and Information Literacy pages 120-127

http://www.shootingatbubbles.com/archives/the-newspaper-industry-is-the-wrong-to-crash-this-early/

Because of the increasing demand for faster data delivery new technologies led to the convergence of traditional and new media.  For many years, TV, radio and printed materials like newspaper, books and magazines brought all the necessary information into our homes. Domestic schedules and routine were mostly set around broadcast times. Traditional media served as an important part of daily life and primary source of information. But its roles, to inform, to educate, to present a point of view and to influence others opinions have been challenged by new media, which has greatly affected the audiences’ means of participation. New media as described in Wikipedia is “a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century which refers to on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community formation around the media content. Another important promise of new media is the "democratization" of the creation, publishing, distribution and consumption of media content. Another aspect of new media is the real-time generation of new, unregulated content.” It has therefore started a cyber culture covering all forms of communication in the digital world and all sorts of technological innovations like laptops, tablets and Smartphone.

This culture brought about information revolution and swept away the limitations of the analog world.  Younger generations are drawn to faster means of acquiring information with Internet based gadgets. They are not as patient as we used to be to wait around for broadcasting schedule. Blogs, online news, Facebook, You Tube, podcasts and instant messaging enabled anybody to be journalists with little to no investment and with a worldwide audience. The surfacing of blog stream is an indication of the audience desire for diverse information. Traditional journalist for example, writes about what the editor assigns to them. Bloggers on the other hand are led to write by passion, making blogs more popular and interesting to read. This is why we see a lot of traditional journalist blogging, which contributes to blogs gaining more credibility. The media environment depends highly on the needs of the audience.  The primary need is to have a “voice”. The Internet provides a round the clock medium for exposure. Anyone can be a journalist by producing news without relying on traditional media or the dictates of an editor.

As technologies advance, new media tools provide a lot of potential to help in teaching and learning. But how we learn with them can have both positive and negative effect on our ability to learn. Social networking sites allow students to explore and access information about their interests on a global scale. They can even discuss these interests with a wider range of people. Because resources are so accessible, students are drawn towards self-learning. However, for students that are not skilled at evaluating contents, it would be difficult for them to sort through and find accurate information. As dictionaries, encyclopedias newspaper and calculators find their way to the “Museum of Forgotten Tools”, comes the rise of Wikipedia, Google, YouTube and Smartphone. Students have become highly dependent on them. While Wikipedia is a great tool for gathering information, it is difficult to find information about more in-depth topics than just mere definition. It doesn’t include information that an expert or an experienced professor can provide. Therefore, it cannot replace traditional academics. You tube on the other provides a lot of potential for student learning. Learning using a video has become a preferred choice among students and teachers. It can be use to back up a lecture or to trigger discussions, which can improve students’ classroom experience. But in order to create a more meaningful learning environment there should be a balance between the use of video in the classroom and live instruction.  The use of Smartphone allows students to have access to many applications including dictionaries, calculators and language translators. It is therefore a challenge to give spelling tests or geography tests when students can easily look for the answers from their Smartphones. This leaves us with the question, is it still necessary to have such tests when students can easily access answers?

All these new media tools are one way or the other causing students to have a short attention span. And I must admit, they do the same thing to me, too. Now a days we expect to learn instantaneously which presents a big problem for subjects that require in-depth analysis. But whatever argument there may be over the use of new technology, they are here to stay. They have also created a culture where everyone is free and willing to participate. 

References: 

The Role of New Media Technology in Education

Wikipedia New Media

Innovation Through Technology

To read the article, click here: Innovation Through Technology

How to Use Web 2.0 to Teach Literacy Strategies to Struggling Readers

It is not surprising to read, “96 percent of nine- to seventeen-year-olds embrace the Web 2.0 culture of social networking, blogging, twitter- ing, GPS mapping, or interactive gaming at some level” (National School Board Association, 2007) and “according to the National School Board Association (2007), they typically spend about nine hours per week outside of school using social networking and ten hours watching television.” It is therefore the task of schools to embrace this “techy” culture and use it to its advantage. Students will be more engaged if we, allow them to live and learn in their world, at school.  The article also explained that according to administrators who responded to the CoSN survey, the top three reasons for using Web 2.0 in school are to (1) keep students interested and engaged in school, (2) meet the needs of different kinds of learners, and (3) develop the critical-thinking skills of students.  It is therefore inevitable to embrace the innovations of visualization, democratization of knowledge and participatory cultures of learning. There is no valid reason for schools to live in the past if the future of education will rely heavily on Web 2.0.  If we examine closely, we will come to realize that our students’ use of the Web usually is for the purpose of expressing themselves and sharing their stories to their circle of friends. They create profile pages and upload photos and videos. They react with each other and actively make comments on each other’s pages. If students are equipped with the ability to make critical judgments of what they post online then we as educators can use this skill to our advantage by looking at the Web as an exceptional learning environment. We could turn creation of profile as personal expression, uploading of photos and videos as a way to express creativity and interest, commenting as thoughtful discussion and critical thinking. The use of the Web also subjects our students to exposure to a massive amount of visual input. They need a lot of guidance to be able to turn these images to ideas and share them with others.  

All three innovations are very important but I believe I should address visualization considering that 4^th graders are on the verge of becoming constant consumers of information. According to the article, it is important to acknowledge that people learn better combining visuals with text and sound than through using either process alone which is highly helpful to language learners. Visualization promotes critical and creative thinking if directed effectively, resulting to interesting discussions in the classroom and build vocabulary. As I have mentioned earlier, our students are already exposed to it, all we need to do is to bank on it and make the experience more worthwhile for them. Although, our division tries its best to promote the use of technology by providing students and teachers equipments and the library with the necessary resources, it is still necessary to take the time to build their critical thinking skills. We try our best as educators to teach them to be their own critiques, to expose themselves to useful information and visuals. But despite all these provisions, students come home and are left to use the Web without any guidance. They are then free to expose themselves to all forms of images that may not be helpful to enhance the skill learned in school. 

ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

To read the article, click here: 
http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/standards/visualliteracy.pdf

Gadget Anatomy

I believe that one of my strength is the ability to evaluate the aesthetic and technical characteristics of images. This is because I’m a painter and production designer. I have worked on several painting, illustrated a book and have done several designs for TV commercials, fashion shows, stage plays and product launches. In design school I learned how to combine aesthetic appeal with functional quality and communicate visual ideas. In art school I learned fundamental processes of visual perception and artistic expression. For both jobs, I had the opportunity to make judgments and decisions to make visual representations of thoughts and ideas. Through the years I’ve developed the critical eye to consider as strength in order to engage capably in a visually oriented society. I believe I am visually literate in a way that I can evaluate the aesthetic and technical characteristics of images and effectively fulfill the learning outcomes as stated in Standard Four of ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. 

On the other hand, I would consider my weakness as not taking the time to look into the ethical, legal, social and economic issues surrounding images and visual media as stated in Standard Seven. Because visual aids are readily available online, it is very easy to take for granted copyright issues. It is very important to emphasize the importance of this matter to students while in the process of collecting visuals to include and support a project or presentation. It would highly beneficial to young students to help build a culture of respect for intellectual properties thus protecting their own in the future.

To integrate visual literacy to my curriculum I would partner with the digital literacy coaches and the librarian to see to it that students are provided the necessary to tools to critically choose materials online and to derive meaning and function to what they see. The digital coaches are capable to provide the necessary skills for students to function effectively in the digital world. 

The Wrong Bet: Why Curriculum and Standards Won't Help

I think it makes a lot of sense for schools to change their orientation and look towards the future instead of the past. For several years the education system has adopted the traditional education paradigm as we enter into the 21^st century. This trend is similar to someone walking forward with a backward orientation. The focus is on where one left behind and not on where one is going. If schools around the world continue to follow common core standards, students who are under the category of creators and empathizers will have a difficult time to find their place in a world of factory and knowledge workers. It should be the goal of every educational institution to cater both the left-brain and right-brain thinkers as explained in Daniel Pink‘s “The Whole New Mind”. I believe schools should work towards tapping the full potential of every student into becoming creative, competitive, decisive and critical thinkers. Otherwise there will always be a competition of where labor is cheaper and not where it is more ingenious.

Coming from a country where labor is considered “cheap” I couldn’t agree completely with Zhao’s argument. As Zhao mentioned, people from countries who are willing to work for less will always have the “unfair” advantage of getting jobs. He also implies that developed countries need to work their way to compete with the less deserving developing countries. Such generalization is unacceptable and I believe that he needs to look into why people from developing countries get the job done and in a very satisfactory manner.

http://planetphilippines.com/current-affairs/english-proficiency-is-key-to-landing-a-job/

The traditional education paradigm has not affected my opportunities at all. I experience an educational system similar to the Asian countries that Zhao mentioned where a central government education authority prescribes and enforces what students need to learn. I must say that my education was sufficient enough to drive me in the direction of seeking a higher education geared towards the arts. The culture of empathy, resourcefulness and the need to excel taught me to be flexible despite having a rigid education. This has allowed me to have the same opportunities people from developed countries experience.

I am trying my best to instill the same characteristic to my students. I strive my best to give them venues to relate well with others, to be problem solvers and to have high standards. I believe that empathy results to competence, as it is very important to be aware of what the job entails as you work with other people. For one to be creative, one has to be resourceful. And to become an innovative global citizen it is a requirement to always strive for excellence as students try to break grounds, leading the way for others to follow.

World Class Learner: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students