Teachers & Web 2.0 Tools

From Edutopia online: How to Use New Media Tools In Your Classroom (brief videos) and
Technology Tools to Get Teachers Started.

New Screen Education Resources

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) has launched a fantastic new resource:. Generator is a Web 2.0 enabled site that provides students and teachers with a wealth of resources to support the teaching of screen based content. Featured are: Video Gallery; Educational Themes; Learn From the Makers; Free Media Library; Explore Production Resources. In addition, there is a Storyboard Generator. and a Teachers Lounge. Other features are on Approaches to Alice in Wonderland and other works of director Tim Burton: The Fantastical Imaginings of Tim Burton. Other ed resources from ACMI can be found here.

Global Action Project's new Media In Action Curriculum Available as Free Download

from GAP: Global Action Project is proud to announce the online publication of the Media in Action Curriculum. Download it now for free, then use it, share it, and adapt it!

Super-powered literacy: The benefits of comics in the classroom

The Canadian Council on Learning elaborates on its latest findings: "More than just funny books: Comics and prose literacy for boys ," which provides an overview of current research about the reading habits of young boys and the literacy-boosting potential of comics.

Commentary: Creating radio commentaries can get students talking

Engaging students in stimulating public discourse by creating, producing and editing content for a larger audience can be a transformative experience, writes Elisabeth Soep, who is research director and senior producer at the "youth-driven production company" Youth Radio. In this blog post, Soep offers tips on teaching students to write a radio commentary on subjects that are meaningful to them but may also resonate with others by touching on broader social themes.

Call For Presenters: Media Literacy Conference

The Association for Media Literacy (Canada) is sponsoring a one-day media literacy conference in the Fall. The Call for Presenters, and other details, are available here.

Online & Interactive Websites for Teaching Media Literacy

In 1998, I created the Media Literacy Clearinghouse website because I wanted to offer K-12 educators (and others) an online venue for locating appropriate resources that would help in the teaching of media literacy. Thousands of teachers have discovered the resources offered there. Over time, the site has grown and includes more original content since its inception.

Since that time, the web has not only become larger, but also more interactive. A large number of interactive, online websites now offer teachers more opportunities to engage students. What follows is a brief overview of some of these sites

The computer doesn't make kids smart

In this op-ed, media educator Renee Hobbs says using a computer does not make one media or technologically literate, and she cites some recent research as evidence.

New P21 Arts Curriculum Map includes Media Literacy

Working with national arts organizations, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) has developed a first-of-its-kind Arts skills map that clearly defines how arts education promotes key 21st-century skills. Details from eSchool News. Here is a link to the Arts document--media literacy is on page 9.

"To Kill A Mockingbird," "Images from the Civil Rights," "Copyright" and more to be featured at the NCTE 2010 Film Festival

The NCTE Commission On Media is proud to announce the titles of the films selected for the 2010 NCTE Annual Conference Film Festival. The films are shown between 9am and 5pm on Saturday November 20. The exact location of the screenings will be announced soon. Here is a link to the films and their descriptions.

Coming Attractions: Book Trailers

This is not a new resource, but nonetheless a valuable site from a blog recommended by the "Reading Rockets" newsletter. If you don't know what a "book trailer" looks like, this site will provide all of the answers, with plenty of examples.

New Pew Report: Social Benefits of Internet Use Outweigh Negatives During Next Decade

From the report's Overview:
"The social benefits of internet use will far outweigh the negatives over the next decade, according to experts who responded to a survey about the future of the internet. They say this is because email, social networks, and other online tools offer ‘low-friction’ opportunities to create, enhance, and rediscover social ties that make a difference in people’s lives. The internet lowers traditional communications constraints of cost, geography, and time; and it supports the type of open information sharing that brings people together."

New NCTE text reviews history of media in ELA Classrooms

Teacher Mary Christel has contributed a chapter (Teaching Multimodal/Multimedia Literacy) that examines media literacy, visual literacy, the annual NCTE film festival, and film literacy in the new NCTE book: Reading the Past, Writing The Future-- A Century of American Literacy Education and the National Council of Teachers of English.

How The iPad Can Be Used In Education

The "Media In Education" newsletter contains a brief article on how the iPad might be used in K-12 education.

Evaluating Media Literacy Education: Concepts, Theories and Future Directions

This article synthesizes a large subset of the academic literature on media literacy education. It first argues that media literacy is mostly defined in terms of the knowledge and skills individuals need to analyze, evaluate, or produce media messages. These knowledge and skills mainly relate to four key facets of the mass media phenomenon, i.e. media industries, media messages, media audiences, and media effects. Subsequently, it evaluates what is empirically known about the effectiveness of media literacy practices. Suggestions are made for future research.

New Media Literacy Book Series for Kids

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and the New York Public Library announce that author Jon Scieszka has launched his brand new series, SPACHEADZ . Children are bombarded with an estimated 500 separate commercial impressions per day. Media Literacy education provides tools to help people critically analyze messages, offers opportunities for learners to broaden their experience of media, and helps them develop creative skills in making their own media messages. Guys’ Read founder and the first National Ambassador for Children’s Literature, Jon Scieszka has decided to make media literacy fun and interactive with his new series SPACEHEADZ. (continue to PR here) Preview the book here.

Campaign launches to educate youth about First Amendment

A nationwide campaign, 1 for ALL, has been launched to promote the First Amendment to young Americans through education and advertising. The initiative is aimed at people ages 8 to 22 as well as those who teach them. It is designed to apply First Amendment freedoms to modern technologies and concepts. The first-of-its-kind campaign relies on supporters to provide free advertising space, and features interactive ways for people to get involved, such as a video contest. People are also encouraged to submit photos, songs and stories.The campaign also provides lesson plans and promotes First Amendment events on college campuses. Link to news story.

What Teachers Know (and Don’t Know) About Technology

This column in the latest issue of MULTIMEDIA & INTERNET@ SCHOOLS MAGAZINE (What Teachers Know (and Don’t Know) About Technology—And Does Anybody Know They Don’t Know? ) is a follow-up to the author's February essay: What Kids Know (and Don’t Know) About Technology

Trend: “Movie Making” Featured In TV Commercials

I have noticed a recent trend: commercials that incorporate the making of movies into them. Here are three examples

Sprite: director Rik Cordero gets his inspiration after drinking the soft drink
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF-DnbQP4AM

Sprint: What if film crews ran the world?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJvh13Ofewk

American Express Card: featuring director Wes Anderson and actor Jason Schwartzman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh-4jxn7oSc