Media Literacy Blog

Media Literacy Blog

3 Resources (I have found for teaching the strand)

1. Brock Sakai: Media and Digital Literacy Tutorial (MODULE 2: IN THE CLASSROOM)

2. Mediasmarts.ca: Media Literacy Fundamentals

3. Common Sense Media: Commonsense.org: 4 Ways to Integrate Media Literacy in the Classroom

Brief Summary of Resources’

Brock Sakai: Media and Digital Literacy Tutorial (MODULE 2: IN THE CLASSROOM)

- Talks about the depiction of media literacy in the curriculum

- Gives examples of how to implement media literacy in the classroom

- Reviews the importance of media literacy in education

Mediasmarts.ca: Media Literacy Fundamentals

- Defines media literacy

- Defines media education

- Explains why you would teach media literacy

- Key concepts of media literacy

- How to integrate it in the classroom

- Summary of media literacy in the classroom

- Assessment of media literacy work (with a rubric)

- Canada and its media education

Common Sense Media: Commonsense.org: 4 Ways to Integrate Media Literacy in the Classroom

- Media literacy in-terms of social media
- 4 steps to implement media literacy in the classroom
- Media literacy in the classroom at every grade level

My Ideas for Classroom Applications

The resources that I have analyzed provide many ideas for classroom applications. However, I will first give my take on media literacy. Most people who know me are quick to ask me if something they see on their electronic device is legitimate or not. I have an interesting take on media literacy because I have been analyzing it for the last ten years. Ever since I saw the infamous house-hippo commercial when I was a kid I took everything I saw with a grain of salt. I started my technology journey when I was just ten-years-old. I remember learning everything about Windows XP, 7, 8, and 10. Seeing email evolve, the invention of social media on a global scale, and many more technology feats. Some would say I was a very observant kid. After watching all of this technological growth, I realized that I had unconsciously discovered many ways to spot false information just by looking at it. The tips I would give students on how to implement media literacy are:

Email:

1. Show an example of a fake email on the projector, computers, paper, etc. to all the students

2. Highlight or circle the spots on the email that prove its fake.

3. The email of the sender should end with @(the companies website)

4. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes in the content of the email. Most fake emails are sent from people who cannot write good English, or are auto-generated from AI (Artificial Intelligence).

5. Check if they state your full name in the email, most of the time fake emails are mass generated and don’t include your name

6. Check if they attached something for you to download, real emails will usually not want you to download any files. Especially ones that end in .exe, .zip, and .rar.

7. Most fake emails will ask you to sign in to an account (so they can steal your info), ask for your credit info, and/or ask you to download something. Real emails may ask these things, but usually only if you personally request the email. Sometimes I like to click on the link they give just to put fake information in and call the hackers out. I don't recommend that though...

8. If you click on the link they give to sign in to your account then check the URL in the top bar of your browser, 99% of the time if it’s fake it will have some weird domain name. An example would be: instead of the correct domain - facebook.com, the link will bring you to focebook, 1faacebook, etc. Basically just a misspelled version of the original link.

Social Media:

1. Students have to be media literate of the articles they see and the information their friends and others post.

2. Google can be your friend, anything you see on social media you can fact check by searching it on google and looking at a variety of responses. 9/10 times if people say it is not true, it is not.

3. Stop the problem before it happens, only follow/befriend people you know you can trust and only spread facts online.

4. Many AI are posting fake articles & propaganda that are artificially generated to sway your opinion on a subject. This is especially true with politics. You can use a lot of the tips I gave in the email segment but the biggest ones are spelling, and of course, googling information to fact check it.

Websites:

1. Check if the website is secure, you can tell at the top right of your browser just before the URL. There should be a locked lock, and when you click on it, it should say secure.

2. Make sure to click on the website’s URL and it should have https:// in front of it, not just Http://. I won't get into the details but https has recently in the last 2-3 years become a standard for legitimate websites.

3. Check if there is bad spelling and grammar on the website.

4. Check if there are a crazy amount of ads, especially popup ads and 18+ ads.

5. Check if the website ends with a weird domain, standard domains are .ca, .com, .org, and .net. Very secure domains are .edu, and .gov. Anything else may raise some red flags.

6. If you have any doubts, google has an engine to check if a website is safe Https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search

Classroom Applications from the Resources

The classroom applications that the resources give are:

Brock Sakai: Media and Digital Literacy Tutorial (MODULE 2: IN THE CLASSROOM)

1. Use critical thinking to find trustworthy sites
2. Focuses on websites
3. Define basic media literacy vocabulary
4. Try to identify biases in media
5. Use factual websites to solve a common goal
6. Use a chart to identify factual websites
7. Use a timer to keep students on track

(Thiessen, 2014).

Mediasmarts.ca: Media Literacy Fundamentals

1. “Exploit “teachable moments”
2. Give students a chance to create media, not just analyze it.
3. Start and end with the key concepts
4. Recognize that kids – and adults – enjoy media
5. Teach about media, not just with media
6. Make media education about asking questions, not learning answers
7. Fight the perception that “It doesn’t matter”
8. Assess and evaluate media literacy work
9. Let students bring their own media to the table
10. Keep up-to-date with media trends and developments”

(Media Literacy Fundamentals, 2017).

Common Sense Media: Commonsense.org: 4 Ways to Integrate Media Literacy in the Classroom

1. Imagine the profile of a media-literate student.
2. Use media literacy to reinforce your existing teaching objectives.
3. Work backward from your most sophisticated media-infused teaching plans.
4. As pockets of media-literacy practices build in your school, look to align them vertically.

Connections to Curriculum

Four expectations of the media literacy strand and how my information and the resources correlate:

Students will:

1. demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts;

Me:
I incorporate the understanding of websites, social media, and email literacy. Relating them to understanding credibility.

Resources:
Incorporates critical thinking and a deep understanding of media literacy but less specific parts of it.

2. identify some media forms and explain how the conventions and techniques associated with them are used to create meaning;

3. create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques;

4. reflect on and identify their strengths, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in understanding and creating media texts.

(Ontario 2006)

Citations

Jennifer Thiessen. “Using Critical Thinking To Find Trustworthy Websites Rebrand 2014” Online video clip. YouTube. Jan 26, 2016. Web. Sept 28, 2019.

“Media Literacy Fundamentals.” MediaSmarts, 19 Jan. 2017, mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/media-literacy-fundamentals#tips.

Sakai. (2019). EDBE 8P24. Module 2: Media and Digital Literacy Tutorial. Retrieved from https://lms.brocku.ca/portal/site/Media_Info_Literacy_Modules/tool/635b13a4-0e72-4544-8fc2-534671782ed7?null

Ontario (2006). Language. The Ontario Curriculum: Grades 1-8. Ministry of Education. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/ language18currb.pdf