Our journey begins.....

ECCO 08 Resources

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:04:12 -0500

The Educational Computing Organization of Ontario’s annual conference is here again..and with it more projects to share. This time I (Colin) presented with my uber-colleague Anthony Lu, a fellow TDSB ICT teacher, who, like myself, is integrating ICT into Media Literacy. Here for your viewing please is a number of resources/ideas that we discussed during our presentation.

Messages

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:23:13 -0500

Let’s cut to the chase. Here’s the finished project. Take a peek and come back..I’ll wait.

The moral of this story is be careful what you wish for....This year (08-09) I have requested and requested and received the assignment of teaching Media Literacy to the majority of Primary classes in our school. Suddenly I was faced with teaching difficult concepts to many English Language Learners...so Media Literacy Class became Message class.

The steps, briefly, for this project were:
the students found different messages posted in the classroom.
We went on a Message Hunt throughout the school looking for, you guessed it, messages, which we photographed.
We then sorted a subset of our photos into different categories on paper.
Finally we were ready..it was our chance to write our own messages. For homework, students wrote 5 messages centered around the 10 Character Traits.
We typed up our messages, selected one and then wrote them, with chalk, in a prominent spot on the pavement for all to read.
We reflected on our success.

My students truly felt that they had made an impact...that their small messages could actually change someone’s behaviour and make or corner of world a little nicer (at least until it rained anyway!)

25 Media Literacy Lessons!

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:48:49 -0500

I was alerted to this excellent resources from the Centre for Media Literacy by a post from a colleague, The American-based group has produced an amazing assortment of activities centered around 5 core Media Literacy concepts, similar to those found in our own Ontario Language curriculum. But they have gone a step further. They have taken the 5 core concepts and have turned them on their head by reworking them as questions. Thus, All media messages are constructions becomes Who created this message? which is arguably easier for educators and students to grasp.

Within the guide, each of the Core Concepts has 5 lessons written around it. Magic!

The Centre for Media Literacy’s website can be found here.

You can download the PDF from the Center's website here!

Enjoy

A Comic Life

Wed, 14 May 2008 17:59:54 -0400

When Voice magazine (from ETFO), arrives at my door I typically do a quick run through and skim the articles before I place it in the recycling bin. I read the reccent issue (April 2008) however, from cover to cover. The theme was Teaching with Technology and as a computer/media literacy teacher I lapped it up.

One of the articles I was most impressed with was written by TDSB’s own Cindy Mathews an Instructional Leader for Library. Cindy’s article centers on the computer program Comic Life which is now licensed for both Windows and Mac within the TDSB. Comic Life is an intuitive program that lets users insert pictures into a vast array of comic panels allowing them to create their own comic masterpieces in a variety of styles.

Cindy lays out some planning ideas and also highlights a number of comic book terms and conventions that will help during both deconstruction and construction of comic books and graphic novels in the classroom. I thought I knew comics..but Cindy’s article gives us the “meat” and resources needed to do justice to this topic.

Cindy’s article is graciously available for download in the sidebar with permission from ETFO.

Media Lit. Document from the Ministry of Ed.

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:49:58 -0400

The Ontario Ministry of Education has published a number of documents under the title Guides to Effective Instruction.

Released in 2008, Volume 7 of the Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction (Gr 4-6) covers media literacy.
It contains 8 detailed lessons for making and analysing a variety of media texts including PSA's, creating and reading a website, etc. You can download the whole document here. If you are a junior teacher, there is enough information in this document to fill your whole Media Literacy program for the year!

The document is broken down into three parts:
CHAPTER 1: AN OVERVIEW OF MEDIA LITERACY IN THE JUNIOR GRADES
CHAPTER 2: APPROACHES TO TEACHING MEDIA LITERACY
CHAPTER 3: SAMPLE LESSONS.

There is a lot of great information contained within the different sections. For teachers, and for the purpose of this blog, I’ve pulled out the 8 sample lessons. Some deal with media analysis and others deal with media creation.

Lesson #1 (Media Analysis): Deconstructing Movie Ads

Lesson #2 (Media Analysis): Detecting Bias in a Television Newscast

Lesson #3 (Media Creation): Creating a Storyboard for a Public
Service Announcement

Lesson #4 (Media Creation): Creating a Brochure

Lesson #5 (Media Analysis): Reading a Website

Lesson #6 (Media Analysis): Analysing Music Lyrics

Lesson #7 (Media Creation): Creating a Website

Lesson #8 (Media Creation): Designing a Movie Poster

Online resources
The appendix lists a large number of online resources. There are some old favourites in the list as well as some that were new to me. Here they are:

Association for Media Literacy
AML introduces visitors to the importance of media education. You will find
information on resources and upcoming events as well as critical perspectives on
media trends and issues.
http://www.aml.ca
Brand Hype
Brand Hype is a web-based resource focusing on product placement in the movies.
The site is intended as an educational resource and information exchange for students,
media literacy advocates, media researchers, moviemakers, and moviegoers. It includes
articles, videos, and an annotated bibliography.
http://www.brandhype.org/MovieMapper/index.jsp
British Film Institute
BFI offers opportunities to experience, enjoy, and discover more about film and moving
image culture.
www.bfi.org.uk
Cartoons in the Classroom
Follow this link to the teachers’ guide for using the Professional Cartoonists’ Index
website in your classes. The site’s lesson plans show how you can use editorial cartoons
as a teaching tool at all levels.
http://cagle.msnbc.com/teacher/
CBC
The site offers streaming audio and video as well as transcripts of programs, interviews,
and historical archives.
www.cbc.ca
Centre for Media Literacy
The site helps visitors to access, understand, analyse, and evaluate the powerful images,
words, and sounds that make up our contemporary mass media culture.
http://www.medialit.org
Concerned Children’s Advertisers
CCA campaigns include nationally televised Public Service Announcements and
curricula for children from K-8, as well as tips and tools for parents and community
workers. It also includes videos and lesson plans.
http://cca-kids.ca
English Language Arts Network
ELAN is a professional organization of Ontario educators, providing curriculum
leadership in English, language arts, and media education.
www.elan.on.ca
Internet Archive
This site provides a digital archive of video, audio, music, games, and texts.
http://www.archive.org/
Kids’ Take on the Media
This site describes the impact of media in Canadian children’s lives and what our
young people have to say about the topic.
http://www.ctf-fce.ca/bilingual/PUBS/ctfreport/kidsenglish.pdf
Library and Archives Canada-Learning Centre
This centre is a resource for students and teachers; it contains a collection of primary source
documents.
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/education/008-120-e.html
Media Awareness Network
The network offers practical support for media education in the home, school, and
community and provides food for thought on our rapidly evolving media culture. It
also explores ways to make media a more positive force in children’s lives.
http://www.media-awareness.ca
Media Ed
This site is designed for teachers, students, and anyone interested in media and moving-
image education at all levels.
www.mediaed.org.uk
National Film Board for Kids
NFBKids offers entertaining and educational activities for junior students, from
science adventures to online animation.
http://www.nfbKids.ca
Newseum
This site provides a collection of front pages of newspapers from around the globe,
updated daily.
www.newseum.org
Newspapers in Education
This site provides lessons based on the Ontario curriculum and is designed to be used at
any time of the year.
http://www.newspapersineducation.ca/
PBS Teacher Source: Media Literacy
This site provides ideas and resources for media literacy education, with U.S. content,
including video and movie clips.
http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/media_lit/media_lit.shtm
Read Write Think
This is a source for lessons and resources in reading and language arts instruction.
http://www.readwritethink.org
Report Card on Canadian News Media
This report represents the first independent national survey of Canadian attitudes
toward the news media and media credibility.
http://www.cmrcccrm.ca/english/reportcard2004/01.html
News Sources for Junior Students
Scholastic News Online
This is a source for news and information on current events, designed especially for
students in Grades 3-6.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/
BBC Newsround
Newsround provides news of interest to students from the U.K. and around the world.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/
Time for Kids
Time magazine presents news for kids.
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/

Media Literacy Ideas from ECOO 2007

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:35:04 -0400

Earlier in the year (in November) Chris Higgins (media teacher extraordinaire..and all round great guy) and myself made a Media Literacy Presentation at the annual ECCO conference. ECOO stands for Educational Computing Organization of Ontario. The annual meeting highlights all aspects of educational computing. Chris and I presented a number of different media ideas. Our premise was to present one media Literacy idea for each grade from Kindergarten to Grade 8. I've included the PDF of the handout we distributed which sketched out the basics of each of the activities.

The activities are as follows:
Kindergarten: Creating a toy flyer.
Our toy flyer-(kinder).pdf
Example

Grade 1: Creating classroom signs similar to street signs
Sign Me Up (Gr.1).pdf

Grade 2: Creating a menu featuring food from cultural celebrations
Celebration Menu (Gr.2).pdf
Example #1 and Example #2

Grade 3: Exploring identity through “The Best Part of Me”
Best Part of Me(gr3).pdf

Grade 4: Medieval Podcast
medieval Podcast (gr4).pdf
Listen to an example in the sidebar

Grade 5: Comic Life and Science
My Comic Life (Gr5).pdf
Example #1 and Example #2

Grade 6, 7 & 8: Radio Plays
Radio plays (Gr 6,7 & 8).pdf

Grade 7 &8: PSA’s
Grade 7 & 8 - PSA.pdf

Grade 7: Media Collage
Media collage (Gr 7).pdf

Grade 8 : Picture Slideshows
Picture Slideshow (Gr 8).pdf

House Hippo and the Spaghetti Harvest

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:45:31 -0400

Here are two activities/worksheets submitted by Ramona Matthews (Teacher-Librarian, etc. from Bloorlea M.S. in the TDSB) that revolve around the two infamous “mockumentaries” the House Hippo, created in 1999 by the Concerned Children’s Advertisers and the Legendary Spaghetti Harvest produced in 1957 by the BBC. The BBC website sates, “Hundreds of people called the corporation after the broadcast asking where they could get hold of a spaghetti bush so they could grow their own crop. Both of these videos use their strict adherences to documentary form (e.g., voiceover narration, “fact”-based content, etc).

House Hippo
HOUSE HIPPO.doc or HOUSE HIPPO.pdf

Spaghetti Harvest

Spaghettiharvest.doc or Spaghettiharvest.pdf

Websites, Commercials and Posters (3 units)

Sun, 11 May 2008 22:28:24 -0400

Here are 3 units that were originally posted in the Teacher/Librarian conference on TEL (the Toronto Board's Communication system). They cover three topics and can be modified to work with different grades. They were created by Karen Jostiak a Teacher/Librarian (Specialist) of The Waterfront School. Below, I have taken excerpts from her original posts....

“Here are the Media Literacy units I promised. There are 3: Websites, Posters, and Commercials, which I will post individually... I began with websites, then moved on to posters and commercials, but feel free to change the order or leave out any units that don't suit your needs.

Websites.zip
This is the first unit, and the shortest. Attached are the Definitions, tests, Lessons and notes, Materials list and final assignment. All the documents are in Word.

Posters.zip
Here is the second unit. If you are tying it to music, there is a list for the pieces for Fantasia 2000. There is also a Materials List, the Lessons and notes, the assignments (by split grade), the rubrics and the 2 BLM's. Feel free to make changes as needed.

Commercials.zip
This is the 3rd unit and it took the longest but the results were worth it. Some students got so into it, they actually invented the products they were selling. (One group made organic dark chocolate and honey candies, as well as the packaging and sticker premium they advertised, another group made a 'Moo car' to use for filming, and several Grade 4's and 5's got into costume for their ads.) Again, everything is in Word and I have included lessons and notes, materials list, assignments and rubrics. The PSA note is some websites the staff asked for to discuss PSA's on their own. Really enjoyed this unit. (PS the classes didn't mind doing their homework!)

How Did I Get Here? A Grade 2 Social Studies/Media Unit

Sun, 4 May 2008 10:36:57 -0400

Here is a grade 2 Unit I co-wrote with two old friends Sonia Orofino and Dina Ashburner, who I took Media Literacy Part 1 with last year (06-07).

This Unit is centred around Robert Munsch’s Book From Far Away. The cornerstone of the unit is that students get to see the same story told through three different forms. First the teacher reads the book. Next they listen to the author read the book. Finally they watch a video of the story. By looking closely at the three different versions of the same story the students begin to talk about the conventions of each form and there strengths and weaknesses. For example, listening to the author read the story gives you a good idea of the intended emotions and flow of the story. The book adds a visual element that the audio version lacks. Finally, the video version, which departs slightly from the original text, is unique in its own way. The video version of the story, produced through the NFB, is available through the Toronto Board’s Media collection

The culminating task is for students to write about their own journey to Canada or interview someone who has come to Canada. These can be recorded if time permits.

There are opportunities within this unit to take a look at similar published stories about a child’s journey to a new country. At different times throughout this unit there are opportunities for assessment and reflection. As well, there is a culminating rubric and we map how the different activities match up to the key concepts.

YeeHa! Pioneer Podcasting...A Grade 3 Social Studies/Media Unit

Sun, 4 May 2008 07:59:34 -0400

Hey there homesteaders. Here is a Grade 3 Social Studies/Media unit I co-wrote with two good friends, Adam Caplan and Gordon Shadrach, who are elementary teachers who integrate media into their teaching.

The culminating task in this unit is to do a recording/podcast of an interview of a pioneer inhabitant. I’ve included an example of what the recording might sound like in the sidebar. You can also download the unit in the sidebar as well.

The roadmap for this unit is as follows

Unit Roadmap
Lesson #1 Sound Collage
-Students create a sound collage using a variety of
sound sources
Lesson #2 Stereotypes and Media Images of Early
Settlers Native Peoples
-Students will explore preconceived ideas about
Early Settlers to Upper Canada in the 1800s and
the Native Peoples already established there
Lesson 3-Using a Video Game to Research the
Settlers’ Journey from Europe
-Students will conduct research about the
emigrant Europeans’ journey to Upper Canada
using an on-line video game.
Lesson #4 Interviewing
-Students develop, review interview skills
Lesson #5 Looking at the News
-Students deconstruct the genre of
Newscast
Activity #6 Culminating Activity
-Students write and produce an audio
newscast set in Pioneer times

Students begin by creating a sound collage using recorded voice, loops and environmental sounds. This gives then the technical skills needed to later make their pioneer recording. Next students delve into some areas that address content, including an on-line game. Students then move to deconstructing the news using an animated news site and also practise interview skills. In the culminating task they put it all together by recording a pioneer interview.

We’ve included three reflection opportunities within this Unit to address the fourth overall Media expectation and a rubric/checklist to help assess the culminating project.

We hope you find this Unit helpful!

A Potpourri of Links (mostly photography)

Thu, 1 May 2008 00:19:39 -0400

Here is a short list of some of the links I’ve posted in the Media Literacy Conference on the TDSB’s First Class TEL system. TEL is the a hotbed of teacher communication but is often maligned by the corporate types who have to support it. The Media Literacy conference is a place to post a variety of links, videos, articles, etc. Here are a list of some of the posts I made this year. I noticed there is a list high proportion of links about photography, a subject I frequently mulled over in preparation for a slideshow assignment I gave my Grade 5 students

Subject: The history of photo-manipulation

Here is a website that gives a historical list of examples of photo-manipulation..most photos are clickable to give before and afters...

WARNING..the site contains the word shi* and a somewhat scantily clad photo...so it may or not be for direct student consumption..definitely gives you some examples/starting points towards, "All media texts are constructions"

Subject: movie posters Vs. DVD cover art......and the movie font

Here's are some interesting blog posts comparing different movie posters with their (later released) DVD covers. Interesting movie posters, designed to pique your interest are often changed to display the actors by the time the DVD arrives. Some of the best examples are halfway down the post.

As an added bonus...here's a humerous video blog post discussing the (over)use of Trajan (the movie font).

Subject: Environmental Posters from the WWF

Here are some interesting images from the WWF (the environmental group..not the wrestlers) about paint pollution.

In the classroom they would be useful when teaching about using the the ubiquitous poster as a Public Service Announcement. They're excellent examples of letting the image speak for themselves. Also very useful as an example of constructing an image using Photoshop.
Larger images can be found here.

Subject: The rules of photographic composition

Here's a video giving an overview of 5 rules of photographic composition (the rule of thirds, etc.)

Subject: the secret strategies behind viral videos

Here is a post from a marketing company that specializes in taking videos and making them viral.. Highlights include paying bloggers and posting/commenting in forums under assumed names..

Link

Subject: digital photography tips for beginners

Here is an excellent list of articles on digital photography for beginners. There are some good tips for teachers working with students within many of the articles.

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/digital-photography-tips-for-beginners/

Subject: LIFE'S 100 most important photographs

LIFE has published a book with what they call the 100 most important photos of all time..

They've put (only) 30 on line here:
http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0309/lm_index.html

Knuffle Bunny

Thu, 1 May 2008 00:13:55 -0400

Mo Williems the author of Knuffle Bunny is now a two-time Caldecott Honor recipient and 6 time Emmy award winning TV writer (for his work on Sesame Street).

Knuffle Bunny is another excellent example of using black and white photography in children’s literature.

The story centers on little Trixie and her dad who go on an outing to the local laundromat where Trixie's favourite stuffed animal, Knuffle Bunny gets left behind. Trixie is not yet able to convey clearly what has happened so she decides to just wail. Later, at home, an ever-perceptive mother spots the oversight in time for bunny and child to be happily reunited.

The juxtaposition of the black and white photographs from Williems’ Brooklyn neighbourhood combined with his cartoon-like drawings make for an interesting visual experience.

The use of the photographs again brings up a list of questions such as: Why were photographs instead of drawings used for the backgrounds? What angles were used when taking the photos? Why an urban setting?

In classroom, the most natural extension would be to model the form used in the book with pictures from the local neighbourhood, the school or some other important setting. In the primary grades, the teacher could take a series of photos and the students could then add their characters. At higher grades the students themselves could take the photos if time, and equipment, permits

This type of project does not require the teacher to possess an overwhelming amount of technical expertise. It provides one more way for teachers to creativity integrate media literacy into other subjects.

Knuffle Bunny, besides winning a Caldecott honor also won the Cargnegie Medal for best children’s book of 2007.

Penguins and Polar Bears!

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:41:03 -0400

Recently, while at a movie with my seven year old son, we saw a Coke commercial with a typically cute and cuddly polar bear. What was particularly interesting was the reaction of my animal-loving son who immediately realized the error found throughout this video. Most notable, he realized that polar bears and penguins don’t live together, let alone drink coke.

This video clearly illustrates one of the key media literacy concepts, and that is, “The media creates it’s own version of reality.”

Similar to the media triangle, the key concepts help us and, by extension, our students to begin to “read” media texts and make sense of the messages contained within. Look for more information about both frameworks in coming posts.

In the meantime you can find more about the media triangle here and the key concepts here and, of course, within the TDSB’s own purple Media Literacy document.

The whole commercial can be seen on Youtube here.
As well as below:

Production...What Should I Have My Kids Make?

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:44:16 -0400

After you’ve taken one media form or another apart it’s time to put it all back together..but which media text is appropriate for the students in my class. Inside the current Ontario Language Curriculum (Grades 1-8) there is a list of suggested media products for each grade. Of course these are merely suggestions. I’ve simple compiled the list in the attached pdf.

Typically for any one grade you can look one (or occasionally two) grades above and below for ideas.

I like showing this list to teachers new to media literacy because usually the reply is, “Hey, I can do this...and I’m already doing that one..”

I hope you find it useful in charting out your media activities.

A great source of media texts

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:12:26 -0400

I found an excellent source of media texts. The lobby of any attraction or Hotel in the spectacle that is Niagara Falls typically contains a kiosk with a variety of pamphlets about the wide-ranging types of attractions. Each establishment tries to grab the potential customer with a flashy pamphlet.

The advantage to obtaining pamphlets, etc. in this way is that you can snag a class set on one pamphlet so that everyone is working on the same item, or you can get enough different items that everyone can have a different one.

You don’t have to travel to Niagara Falls either. Any tourist destination in our fair city, from the Eaton Centre to Casa Loma will have a large selection of pamphlets.

Welcome to a "Big Idea"

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:59:24 -0400

Welcome to www.media-literacy.ca!

The idea for this collection of Media Literacy resources comes from a rare inspirational moment I had when I had yet another looming deadline hanging over my head. Always the the keen procrastinator, I was in the middle of a Media Literacy AQ and, instead of typing out an assignment, I collected my thoughts, sat down in front of a computer and just talked. Within five minutes I had my first post, and it was a video post at that. The ease of publishing information to the web made those lightbulbs go off.

This website is meant to be a holding tank for a range of practical ideas for the teaching of media literacy. Hopefully, the resourcefulness of teachers is what will make this project successful.

Got an idea..send me(Colin McAuley) an email either on TEL or at medialitideas @ gmail.com.