President’s Message: Media Literacy: Truth or Consequences

I’m recently back from our annual summer vacation in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains.  Hiking, breathing fresh cool air, watching birds, deer and squirrels doing what they do, and taking in breathtaking views of numerous wildflowers in full bloom – sometimes swaying in the cool breeze– and with spectacular, unforgettable color and form.  I had my camera, but sometimes found myself saying,   “Forget the camera, just take it in.”  And, yes, the images are still very much with me, both in my memory and on the memory card.

This is also the  trip where I finish a book and enjoy a video or two.   Our good friend will be happy to know I finished Pulitzer Prize-winner  Chris Hedge’s“Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle,” a “must-read!”   And my husband is happy to know I finally did the marathon viewing of his gift to me:  the first season of AMC’s Mad Men.  I had only seen a few of  the first season’s episodes, before following the show into its next seasons, and I was particularly interested to see the energy that propelled the progam toward its subsequent success.  Don Draper, et al, did not disappoint.

So,  that’s what I did on my summer vacation!

Now, back here in St. Louis, refreshed to teach,  guest lecture and oversee GMLP business,  my mountain  immersion recollections and experiences have me thinking about how especially appropriate  this year’s GMLP media literacy week theme is:  “Media Literacy: Truth or Consequences.”

For instance, during  my mountain hikes I witnessed  folks  totally oblivious to  signs urging us to respect the terrain so as NOT to disturb  the vegetation!  I thought,  “What’s wrong with you?, even if you ignore the signs, don’t you  pay attention to the warnings in the media about our  precious environment?”   I had those same feelings for some of the mountain bikers taking short cuts, vigorously peddling  down the delicate mountainside.      Is it about instant gratification? Denial?   Could it be they’ve tuned out?  THAT’s a consequence to consider.  Just like me saying “no” to my camera!

I must say, too, Chris Hedge’s book  gave life and worth to our media literacy week theme AND to  some of my own UNscientific research of the last two months.  You see,  as both an attempt to curb my curiosity about what I believe REALLY interests people, day-to-day, in times of recession, atypical weather, home foreclosures, oil spills, bed-bug epidemics and protracted war, I decided to track subjects that were trending each day on Yahoo.    With that daily task behind me,  Chris Hedges’ following quote really hit a home run for me:   “The worse reality becomes, the less a beleagered population wants to hear about it and the more it distracts itself with squalid pseudo-events of celebrity breakdowns, gossip and trivia.”

Well, by golly, my informal content analysis certainly supports this, that’s for sure.   My tracking found mostly celebrity-watching making the top twenty, with just a hint of interest in healthcare reform,   the G2Summit, the economy and war 17th-20th-place!

Well, there’s a price to pay for hiding our heads in the sand… and some of that discussion that points to some of those consequences  of not being engaged or not having the critical thinking skills to deal with media’s numerous messages will be freatured during Gateway Media Literacy Partners’ fourth annual media literacy week, Oct. 3-10.

During this time, too, community citizens from various walks of life, here in Missouri and Illinois,  will be  guest web site contributors,  specifying why they believe media literacy plays an integral role in the work they are doing, and why they believe  our community must support media literacy education.  Thank you to all who have agreed to enliven community engagement in  media literacy during this special week.

May you enjoy the final days of summer!  And may I get the smell of smoke out of my hair from almost too much MAD MEN!

President’s Message: National Core Standards…..What Happened?

Early in June, the long-awaited national education core standards were released.  A lot of hard work, burning-of-midnight-oil and precious time  have been expended toward  this 21^st-century effort to jump-start education in America .   While we applaud the hard work, especially this recognition  in the common core English Language (EL) Standards of critical-thinking skills as they relate to clear writing, reading, speaking and listening, we have to ask: “What happened to ’ VIEWING?” This a serious omission. For those of us in media literacy education, this omission  is the elephant in the room.

A little background… Numerous individuals and organizations responded to  a call to comment,   to state organizations and the national core-standards leaders,  about a variety of subjects they had hoped to see in the final core standards.  But it was GMLP and numerous others media literacy-education experts–our friend, Frank Baker of the Media Literacy Clearinghouse, our national organization, the National Association for Media Literacy Education, proponents, Frank Gallagher of Cable in the Classroom, Richard Beach, the U. of Minnesota/National Council  of Teachers of English, the National Conference on Social Studies…..just to name a few– who responded to the call for comments, specifically trying to safeguard visual representation and media, also warning that omitting this important element would compromise k-12 education.

Indeed this omission is a failing,  especially on the heels of the Kaiser Family Foundation’s well-publicized and on-going research  exposing us  to so much  new information about our youths’ immersion in and constant consumption of a variety of media.    Further, as the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) noted in the final comment cycle relating to this landmark education initiative,  the standards’ unveiling “undermines decades of work, not only of our members  but also of states like Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Carolina whose standards already integrate this important facet of media literacy education.”

GMLP worked hard to move numerous bi-state institutions and individuals  to respond to this important effort,too,  and in the process  enumerated quite well why the teaching of non-print media–digital, graphics and video–is absolutely essential.  Yet, the final document  failed to include media.

Today’s “digital natives” consume and encounter myriad visual messages, 24/7, but the “exemplar texts” cited in  the core standards’ Appendix B, English Language k-12 instruction are truly disappointing  in light of the knowledge we now  have regarding visual and media  texts young people are exposed to…knowledge we can use rather than neglect in our classrooms across the nation.

Here in America , communication technologies are very much a part of the landscape  and they and electronic content greatly influence us….in our private and public lives, in business, in pleasure…but in education first and foremost.

And while we’d also like to applaud the standards’ recognition,  ”The need to research and to consume and produce media is embedded into every element of today’s curriculum” and  ‘non-print’ media are prevalent and important,” it is especially disappointing to realize there is this  ultimate omission: a strand for viewing/visual representation; THAT would allow for accountability in the classroom, especially  in a teaching-for-the-test environment.

While we also all-too-well understand the current paralyzing climate of cut budgets and diminished payrolls and poor morale,   GMLP will continue to offer  expertise in media literacy education as well as  compelling evidence to support its proliferation, including underscoring the importance of ALL texts/media.   Gateway Media Literacy Partners is not deterred.

GMLP will continue  to move media literacy education forward in the bi-state area….moved by the fact that media literacy should be an integral part of  all curricula…  language arts, communications, science, health , social studies and the arts.

To view the national core standards  http://www.corestandards.org/.

Exciting Projects from the Midwest Center for Media

Pentimento

Our Media Education Programs help children, teachers, and community members understand the ways in which the media shapes our beliefs and behaviors and teaches the skills needed to harness the power of the media in a positive way.

Our latest project “Pentimento” used digital storytelling to help urban youth collect  stories and personal histories through a series of site-oriented video narratives; the stories are shot and edited by young people who live in the community. Together, the stories beg attention to the everyday wonders that exist outside of time or place: a twisted oak tree, a faded mural, the smell of barbeque, the steady bounce of a basketball on a neighborhood street. As we embrace their larger meanings and messages, the stories provide connection and a common cultural identity, while ultimately, blurring lines and boundaries. http://www.pentimento.tv

Backtalk

Media Literacy is an effective intervention for many risky youth behaviors.  With funding from the State of Missouri, MWCML partnered with The American Lung Association and Smokebusters to work with teens in SE and NE on developing social marketing campaigns designed to achieve behavior and policy change around the issue of tobacco control.  http://www.mobacktalk.tv

The Midwest Center for Media is a 501(c)(3) agency that was founded in 2007 to provide 2 primary services. Media education programs to Missouri students, and an affordable option to other non-profits needing professional media services.Often the most important thing a non-profit has to do is tell their story. Video offers a way to capture the mission and success of these agencies so that the community can see, first hand, the valuable contributions they make to our society.

We are a small company that leverages a dynamic team through the use of a creative boutique approach.  We have a team of creative professionals that we contract with to insure that we get the right person for the right job. From motion graphics, to web design, writing, and video production, our team can make your story come alive.

The J.U.I.C.E. Project Visits D.C., Is Honored By First Lady Michelle Obama

GMLP’s friend and member, angie colette beatty of the J.U.I.C.E. Project, and shawn mckie are back after a recent trip to the White House.  They met with First Lady Michelle Obama as part of a celebration for a new initiative called the Social Innovation Fund.  The two founded the Juice Box, Inc., located at 3003 Arsenal St. in St. Louis.

What angie and shawn found most rewarding about their trip was the First Lady’s acknowledgement of their work during her speech about the Social Innovation Fund Matching Grants.  You can watch Michelle Obama’s speech here.

Local media in St. Louis reported on their trip to the White House, including KSDK and Deb Peterson in her blog at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  For more information about The Juice Box and angie and shawn’s trip, here is a link to the organization’s press release.

A big congrats to angie and shawn from all of us at GMLP!

NAMLE/GMLP Relationship: Good for both of us!

As an organizational member of the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE), GMLP continues its strong ties with the leading national media literacy education organization.

GMLP believes its membership in NAMLE has some strong benefits.  One of them, in particular, is knowing NAMLE will be responsive and timely when it comes to important education and other policy initiatives facing our nation.   Below, are recent examples of just what I’m talking about, including the comments to the FCC which we cited on our web site were  due May 1.  During that comment cycle, NAMLE spoke on behalf of all its members,  and all those who care deeply about the state of media literacy in our nation.    I urge you to link to these so you may be better  informed  about media literacy’s importance in our society.

• NAMLE submits feedback on the Common Core Standards
• NAMLE comments on FCC Notice of Inquiry: Net Neutrality
• NAMLE comments on FCC Notice of Inquiry: Empowering Children

These thoughtfully-written comments give you important information that includes input from media literacy education professionals, nationwide, including  from GMLP.  We all would like to see sustained media literacy efforts in our formal and informal education environments, and, as you’ll see, the responses include sound rationales for such.

Further, in light of the on-going debates about just what is the “right education” in a digital society, supporting media literacy as a major 21^st-century learning skill  that can be effectively integrated into all curricula,  is a major talking point of both the feedback on the Common Core Standards and the comments to the FCC.

In addition to responding to such public comment requests, NAMLE has stayed abreast of media literacy education research findings having offered the first media literacy education research summit in 2007 and now offering us the online Journal of Media Literacy Education.   Since that summit, I have, myself, felt even more confident being able to point to research that supports the work we do.

Moreover, the timeliness with which NAMLE and NAMLE members have come to bat for GMLP regarding our own stellar efforts to grow media literacy education in Missouri and Illinois will forever be appreciated.   By having GMLP’s  education committee, gathering intelligence on the latest news and research, including much  from  NAMLE professionals, some of them right here in the bi-state area, we have been able to make an imprint on the minds of state education leaders and public-policy makers.   A perfect example of that call to action/response effort came late last year when, as many of you know, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) specifically requested media literacy education expertise from GMLP regarding the upgrading of Missouri’s state education standards. As you’ll note from the responses we have in our archives, the response and timeliness of the passionate and expert commentary have been invaluable in our media literacy education awareness campaigns.  We feel our mobilization efforts here,  can only strengthen the work of  NAMLE  and its members

Finally, as a now former NAMLE board member- at-large, having served a little more than two terms, I can tell you,  our relationship with NAMLE  is extremely important,  worthwhile and strong, especially because GMLP board member, Cindy Pulley, was just recently elected by the national membership to serve on the NAMLE executive board.  She can depend on our support as she represents us and media literacy education.   Such a unified front, such as the NAMLE/GMLP relationship can only increase the possibilities for realizing a more media literate nation.

President’s Message: More Media Stories on Media Prompt a More Media Literate Citizenry

Hello, Media Literacy Proponents and Enthusiasts,

You have to have noticed.   More and more  stories in the media  are actually about the media.   As a media literacy educator, I used to, not too long ago,  have to  stay on the lookout for  headlines/stories on the media to share with students and other audiences.   Now, just take a look. Daily, stories about the media are in sports, news, fashion, the arts, business, science, etc.,  From a “keeping- the -material- fresh”  point of view, it’s certainly a gift to offer up new  media stories  to students each time we meet.

For this column, I decided to jot down the headlines, just to make my point, here.  Below, are just a few of the close to 200 headlines I gathered over a two-week period from various mass-communications channels:

• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continues to tackle Internet Regulation.
• Worldwide Press freedom is shrinking.
• Independent journalism expansion is threatened.
• Facebook has more than 400 million members
• Public officials are urging Facebook to offer easier methods for users to protect their privacy.
• Twitter might be the new CNN?
• More time spent in front of the TV before reaching kindergarten age appears to be associated with adverse effects on health, lifestyle, and academic performance later on.
• New study finds no evidence regarding supposed negative link between a child’s hours of tv viewing and performance on cognitive tests.
• Real patients might be misled by television doctors.
• Imagine YouTube for Traders

Of course I edited my list, above, to show off the variety and wide range of topics.  It was especially heartwarming for me to do this exercise because  I simultaneously affirmed that GMLP’s  Fourth Annual Media Literacy Week, “Media Literacy: Truth or Consequences,”  Oct. 3-10, will be ”right on,”  as far as dealing with the myriad sides of media.    Co-chaired by Eric Meyer of St. Louis Community College-Meramec and Art Silverblatt of Webster University, the committee has taken our vibrant and ever-changing  media landscape into consideration  and will offer programs throughout the community that deal with democratization, digital media, media ethics and health literacy.  More details to come.  However,  I can assure you, as in the past, GMLP will stay true to its mission, and with  thanks to our institutional members and other participants, who will be sponsoring programs for our communities’ benefit,  we hope more and more citizens of all ages  will   better understand and negotiate that complex media literacy landscape, and more easily and effectively  use media literacy– a citizenship skill–at home, at school, in the workplace.

While we await word on GMLP Media Literacy Week program offerings, let’s continue to  salute all the teachers who are  integrating media literacy into their curricula, teaching our children and the rest of our community  to be media literate.    One way GMLP honors and celebrates them is by having GMLP’s  Academic Symposium during our special week.  This year’s symposium is being held Oct. 9.  It also serves as an incentive for other teachers to  jump start or begin to use  their own media literacy programs in the classroom.    The call for submissions is now under way.

Meanwhile, Media Literacy Week, at the very least, prompts  talking about the subject.  But, don’t wait until October.  With summer just around the corner, maybe there’s a timeslot you’ll put asside for that conversation about any of those aforementioned headlines.  That’s a start!    And, ssk yourself about your own media habits.    Discuss these and their impacts,  with your families, friends, co-workers, at your schools, picnics, meetings, doctors’ offices and  houses of faith.  See what comes of those.  And then let us hear from you.   With our web site that much more interactive, now, we can continue those media literacy conversations, together, regardless of such a week called GMLP Media Literacy Week.

Petition Regarding National Core Standards

It’s up to us….and NOW. Please, if you are in any way interested in sustained media literacy education in our schools, you’ll take the time to review and comment on this petition, written by our media literacy educator friends, Frank Baker, the Media Literacy Clearinghouse, and Richard Beach of the U. of Minnesota.  Together, they have filled in some voids in the recently-distributed national core standards draft, specifically relating to media literacy education.  We thank them for their hard work and diligence regarding  this important education reform effort.

Dear friends and colleagues: Time is running out. If you agree with our petition below, you need to go to the SUBMIT FEEDBACK section of the COMMON CORE STANDARDS documents (online) at http://www.corestandards.org/Standards/K12/ this week.

Please share this with your colleagues today. (DEADLINE IS APRIL 2, 2010)

——————-

From: Frank Baker (Media Literacy Clearinghouse), Richard Beach (University of Minnesota)

Whereas in 1996, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) passed a resolution urging language arts teachers to consider the importance of bringing visual texts into the classroom. The resolution said: “Viewing and visually representing (defined in the NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts) are a part of our growing consciousness of how people gather and share information. Teachers and students need to expand their appreciation of the power of print and nonprint texts. Teachers should guide students in constructing meaning through creating and viewing nonprint texts.”

Whereas in 2000, the National Association of Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) defined media literacy as: (empowering) “people to be both critical thinkers and creative producers of an increasingly wide range of messages using image, language, and sound. It is the skillful application of literacy skills to media and technology messages. As communication technologies transform society, they impact our understanding of ourselves, our communities, and our diverse cultures, making media literacy an essential life skill for the 21st century.”

Whereas in 2003, the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (Adolescent and Young Adult, English Language Arts standards) recognized the importance of media and visual literacy when it declared: ” Accomplished teachers know that students must become critical and reflective consumers and producers of visual communication because media literacy has become an integral part of being literate in contemporary society. Teachers understand how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in ways that are both subtle and profound. They understand that students need to learn the power of visual communication, from the uses typefaces and white space on a written report to the uses of graphics and video in multimedia productions.”

Whereas in 2006, the College Board’s Standards for College Success (in English Language Arts/Media Literacy standards) say:
“To be successful in college and in the workplace and to participate effectively in a global society, students are expected to understand the nature of media; to interpret, analyze, and evaluate the media messages they encounter daily; and to create media that express a point of view and influence others. These skills are relevant to all subject areas, where students may be asked to evaluate media coverage of research, trends, and issues.”

Whereas the 2009 K-12 Horizon Report (http://www.nmc.org/horizon), declared the number one critical challenge for schools in the 21st century is: “a growing need for formal instruction in key new skills, including information literacy, visual literacy, and technological literacy.”

Whereas the 2010 K-12 Horizon Report continues to include this critical challenge when it says:
“Digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession.;

Whereas media/digital literacy has become central to life and work in society;

Whereas, today’s educators recognize that the words “text” and “literacy” are not confined to the words on page;

Whereas the Common Core Standards only refer in general terms to media as “nonprint texts in media forms old and new. The need to research and to consume and produce media is embedded into every element of today’s curriculum;”

Whereas media/digital literacy are now well articulated in much more detail in most state standards, often under the category of “viewing” or “visually representing,” resulting in a strong media literacy curriculum focus;

Whereas if media/digital literacy is not explicitly articulated “in the standards,” many teachers many not focus on media/digital instruction;

We, the undersigned urge that more specific media/digital literacy standards related to critical analysis of media/digital consumption/use, production, representations, social/cultural analysis, ownership, and influence on society be explicitly stated in the Common Core Standards.

FCC Extends Comment Period for Media Literacy Efforts

Gateway Media Literacy Partners, Inc., has notified its members and the greater bi-state region of  the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s)  Notice of Inquiry (NOI) regarding MB Docket NO. 09-194 on ‘In the Matter of Empowering Parents and Protecting Children in an Evolving Media Landscape’, whose comment period is now extended to May 1.

GMLP, a member of the National Associaton for Media Literacy Education,(NAMLE) will be following NAMLE’s lead on this effort.  In addition to comments specifically related to GMLP’s bi-state region, a separate response to the FCC will be posted by March 26.

We are urging all members of the community who care about  sustaining media literacy in our communities, to visit the FCC web site, read and comment on the comments already submitted, and possibly file separate comments.  Every comment counts!

President’s Message: Reclaiming Civility via Media Literacy

Hello, Media literacy proponents and enthusiasts,

As you’ll note from our home page, we are sending our congratulations to Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP  Director, Pauline Center for Media Studies in Culver City, CA., for a a recent and well-deserved honor.  If you know or know of Sister Rose, you’re not alone. She’s well-connected and known in both religious and secular circles, and in formal and informal education settings, locally, nationally and abroad.  She constantly reminds us we have much to learn from media’s messages, and we have much to enjoy from them.    Here in St. Louis, Lynne Lang,  Curriculum Development Manager of  BJC’s School Outreach and Youth  Development and GMLP board member,  is closely connected with Sr. Rose; it’s a relationship that started three years ago at the 2007 National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)GMLP served as local host conference for which .   Since then, Sr. Rose and Lynne have been  working closely, with shared excitement, to form a Catholic writers colony, Second Spring. “Our goal is to ignite energy among those yearning for a place to step away from the pace of life and begin sifting through those ideas for articles, manuscripts, books, poems, and stories.”  Lynne told me. We’ll look forward to her report on their inaugural gathering next January, at the Pauline Retreat center in Massachusetts.  I, especially, look forward to it because my connection with Sr. Rose, over the last five years or so, centers on numerous online and a few in-person conversations specifically focused on how media literacy education might be THE force that leads to a greater respect for and actual demonstrations of civility.  I think that topic would be a great one at the inaugural  gathering.

I’m sure Sr. Rose wouldn’t mind if I gave an “elevator speech” summarizing those many interactions between us,  relating to media literacy and civility.  Here goes: Civility has a common ideal with media literacy, and AUDIENCE is at the center of that. I suppose I’ll hear from Sr. Rose if I got that wrong.

Going along those lines, think about it…we’re able to share feelings, beliefs and knowledge about our worlds, via our audiences.   So, wouldn’t it be better if we, as audiences and communicators,  refined our skills?   And, while  I submit to you civility does begin with politeness,  as many simply assert, the whole discussion about  civility is actually much more complicated or deeper than “Please,” Thank you,” and Excuse me;”  we must travel beyond Civility 101 and consider other remedies that will slow the erosion of of these conditions called discourtesy  and incivility, and I strongly believe media literacy education is a great path to take to help bring back civility.

No question, the critical-thinking skills media literacy education teaches are life-long skills that can help us negotiate civic and home-life…for a lifetime,  if you choose to use them.   And they offer up a possible antidote to the ignorance some blame the information age for perpetuating.  Now, that’s civility, in my mind.

Further, I believe self-reflexivity might be offered up as a great pairing with media literacy education…looking inward to our own reserves in order to tackle complex and diverse worlds; more easily moving inside and outside our societies, having made ourselves that much more aware of them; and  taking into consideration our worlds from many viewpoints.   Ultimately tackling our  worlds this way, we are  simultaneously  growing and sustaining ourselves. That might be Civility 301, yes?

I’m confident Gateway Media Literacy Partners and other media literacy education-focused organizations and individuals can move this conversation forward,  at least with the media literacy education side of things, prompting a better world at home, in the neighborhood, in our schools, in our region; and around the globe.  And ultimately, with civility on the rise, help build the human family…and maybe, once again, celebrate civility.

I will be preparing a more detailed piece on this, so, PLEASE stay tuned.

Meanwhile, THANK YOU for reading, and continue to enjoy our web-site offerings.

Jessica Z. Brown

Don Corrigan,The Webster-Kirkwood Times Editor, Featured in NPR Piece

GMLP member Don Corrigan recounts for NPR’s On The Media, what it was like to cover the Kirkwood courthouse shooting–a story that hit so close to home.

Here’s a link to the story, and you can listen below.

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