Week 7 Double Entry Journal

"But there are other visions of media literacy, more narrow and more problematic. Unfortunately, some see media literacy as option for low-performing, underachieving students whose interest can be piqued by TV and nothing else." Hobbs, 1996

It is a shame that some view media literacy in this manner. Although this article was published in 2006, I think that many of these sentiments still ring true today for some educators. First and foremost, I think that all students can benefit from media literacy education. Media literacy promotes higher order thinking skills, which can be challenging to even the most highest performing students. Media literacy can help students at all academic levels think more critically about the issues that they are inundated with on a daily basis. These skills should also  be incorporated into the curriculum to help students think more critically about the subjects that they are learning about, which encourages engagement and higher order thinking regarding the subject.

I found an interesting article written by a teacher that provides a really good example of incorporating media literacy into the general curriculum. She created a food advertisement scavenger hunt and then asked her students to create their own "spoof" advertisement. This is an awesome lesson that students of all achievement levels would love to engage in and learn many important concepts regarding biology and media literacy.

References:
Hobbs, R. (2002). Center for media literacy. Retrieved from http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/teaching-media-literacy-yo-are-you-hip

Stern, M. (2012). Media Literacy with Teens – Spoof Ads. Retrieved from:  http://whatscookingwithkids.com/2012/06/05/media-literacy-with-teens-spoof-ads/