Draft
Entering The Matrix: Critical Media Literacy[wikitext]
By Ada, Colin, Jacee, Phaidra, Raj
Morpheus: Introduction[wikitext]
Critical Media Literacy is not unlike the title concept of the 1999 film, "the Matrix". Beginning to study the subject formally is a bit like meeting Morpheus for the first time. Do you know what I'm talking about? Welcome, Neo.
Can you see a parallel from the concept of "the Matrix" and what you already may know about Critical Media Literacy? Our readings remind us that "individuals are often not aware that they are being educated and positioned by media culture, as its pedagogy is frequently invisible and is absorbed unconsciously." [1]
The Red Pill: Theory[wikitext]
You have taken the Red Pill, but are not the One yet, Neo. It may help to understand your future role as a Critical Media Literacy educator as similar to Morpheus, who freezes a picture of "the system" for a student to examine and interrogate.
Love, Hate and Propaganda (CBC documentary)
IRP Critiques[wikitext]
Workshop #8 Critical Media Literacy[wikitext]
Readings:[wikitext]
Kelner, D., & Share, J. (2007). Critical media literacy, democracy and the reconstruction of education. In D. Macedo & S. R. Steinbergy (Eds.), Media literacy: A reader (pp. 3-23). New York: Peter Lang. Available at http://gseis.ucla.edu/sudikoff/archive/pdfs/philosophy/Summary_Kellner_CritLitDemocracy.pdf
Orlowski, P. (2006). Educating in the era of Orwellian spin: Media literacy in the classroom. Canadian Journal of Education, 29(1), 176-198. Available at http://www.csse-scee.ca/CJE/Articles/FullText/CJE29-1/CJE29-1-orlowski.pdf
Orlowski, P. (2007). Bob Dylan was right — it is a political world: The case for critical media literacy. Our Schools Ourselves, 17(1), 33-49. Available at http://www.sfu.ca/cmns/courses/2008/428/Readings/CMNS%20428%20(2008),%20Required%20Readings/Orlowski%20(2007).pdf S
Stack, M., & Kelly, D. M. (2006). Popular media, education, and resistance. Canadian Journal of Education, 29(1), 5-26. Available at http://www.csse-scee.ca/CJE/Articles/FullText/CJE29-1/CJE29-1-stackkelly.pdf
Summary[wikitext]
The article discusses how central the media is to all of our lives, especially young people who spend hours watching television, listening to the radio and spending time on the internet. Stack and Kelly argue that "children are inundated with advertising through TV shows that are full-length commercials and through marketing at schools (page 7). The authors also discuss how computer and video game sales are extremely high in the United States and how many young people are exposed to that medium. What Stack and Kelly want to show is that media can be interpreted in different way and therefore is not monolithic. The fact that media can be interpreted in many ways is a main reason that Stack and Kelly believe that students must have critical media literacy. This critical media literacy in terms of the informal popular is so important in order for people to understand when and how we form citizens (page 9). The authors claim that "young people need opportunities to inquire into, and debate, who controls the media system and whether a predominately corporate commercial media system is compatible with democracy" (all part of what critical media literacy should be) (page 9-10). The authors claim that resistance to popular media happen every day and tend to go unnoticed in the media. Youth produce their own media in and outside of school, and some of those discourses tend to be resistant. There are so many forms in which resistance to the media occur. The authors explore the issue of studying media education in schools and the importance of that topic within the curriculum. Ontario, according to the authors, was the first province to make Media education compulsory. "Cultural judo" (Kline, Stewart and Murphy" = media education can encourage youth to tune out of media and engage in more physically active forms of play, as well as providing the skills to critique media (page 14). Stack and Kelly suggest moving past newspaper articles (which they say are accepted at face value) and looking at other forms of media which might form critiques about society or ideas about the world. They give the example of "The Simpsons" as a show that encourages everything from foul language and disrespect to nihilism. Stack and Kelly claim that "Pop culture exists today as a "kind of bizarre alternative curriculum" and educators who refuse to consider it as a resources in their official or established curriculum miss opportunities to connect with young people's lives and enhance critical literacy" (page 16). "In addition to challenging the mainstream, therefore, we need to look at alternative media outlets, which can provide counter-narratives and (with a substantial enough audience base) can put pressure on mainstream corporate media to diversify their content" (page 19). By Ada Melnik
How to make a tin foil hat[wikitext]
Links[wikitext]
http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/media-literacy-fundamentals
- ↑ Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2007). Critical media literacy, democracy, and the reconstruction of education. In D. Macedo & S.R. Steinberg (Eds.), Media literacy: A reader (pp. 3-23). New York: Peter Lang Publishing, p 4.