QUESTION: Movie / TV Resources in a Media Lit Course

[Karl Steinkamp]

Hey ML Teachers,

With my current ML syllabus (semester course) I have just two weeks to look at movies and TV from a media literacy perspective. What are the big picture questions I should try to answer? If you only have two weeks what do you prioritize in regards to topics and objectives? With that in mind what websites, books, DVD's, or lesson plans could you share with me? Any and all ideas will be much appreciated.

 

Karl

[Frank W. Baker]

If you've  never introduced your students to the Core Concepts and Key Questions, both are excellent places to start.
Both can be found in detail at the www.namle.net site as well as the www.medialit.org site.

I maintain the Media Literacy Clearinghouse: www.frankwbaker.com which has hundreds of readings, lesson plans, activities and more. Of special interest might be the link to RESOURCES, which includes links to streaming media clips related to media literacy. 

Frank Baker, author/ webmaster

[Karl Steinkamp]

Frank,

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I am huge fan of your website and have been getting valuable resources from it for years. Thanks for all the work you put into it.

My first two weeks of the course is all focused on the Core Concepts and Key Questions and throughout the rest of the semester we use them and talk about them in relation to all the topics we cover (advertising, news media, etc). Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

Karl

[Anna J. Small Roseboro]

My students are most struck by commercials - the use of logical fallacies and what their use says about the way target audiences are perceived as consumers.  Second, students usually are amazed at the impact of color on decision making.  Third, they are intrigued by the use of camera angles.

So, if your goal is to raise awareness of media on decision making and also helping your students to become more critical viewers and more ethical users of persuasive strategies, I’d begin with this successful two week assignment.  “Advertisement Analysis". You'll probably need to adapt it for your purposes because I had my student look at both print and digital media. See It on my website TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS  at the Language Resources Tab. I also have begin drawing student attention to the cultural differences in the symbolism of color.  See this link for further information about cultural associations to color.

 And ditto on Frank Baker's  Center for Media Literacy website for a wealth of resources.