Abstract
This chapter analyzes a summer workshop that invited middle and high school students to create digital public service announcements (PSAs) about a social justice topic of their choice. In this chapter, the author investigates the concepts of media literacy, critical literacy, and critical media literacy, then describes in detail the two-week workshop, ending with examples of student work as well as student reflections and instructor recommendations for future workshops. Detailed lesson plans are included to encourage teachers to replicate this workshop in their own classrooms as part of a unit on critical media literacy.
TopBackground
An Expanded Definition of Literacy
Recently, NCTE offered a definition of literacy in the digital age (2019), stating that “Active, successful participants in a global society must be able to participate effectively and critically in a networked world.” Additionally, students at all levels must learn to consume, curate and create media across a wide variety of platforms and genres, for various audiences (NCTE, 2019). The ability to recognize bias in media messages, as well as the ability to create counter-narratives to mainstream, corporate narratives and political propaganda is essential in order to be considered literate in today’s media saturated world. In addition to rethinking the definition of literacy in the 21st century, NCTE (2019) encourages students to become digital content creators who “...advocate for and actively contribute to a better world” (Resolution on English Education).
One of the goals of the Seeking Justice in Your Own Backyard workshop was to provide students the necessary skills to more intentionally consume the media they interacted with each day, with the expectation that by being more savvy media consumers, they could transition to becoming more effective media producers. By understanding that media are constructed by humans, with inherent bias baked in, students quickly began to ask critical questions of what they saw, read and heard, and learned to ask those same critical questions of what they ultimately ended up producing.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Media Literacy: Learning how to closely read a variety of media texts.
Synchronous Instruction: Instruction where participants are gathered at the same time. This can be in-person or virtual.
Critical Literacy: Reading a text carefully and asking questions such as who does this text include and exclude, and how is power and privilege evident.
Asynchronous Instruction: Instruction that takes place in different times and locations, not relying on everyone to be in the same place at the same time.
Digital Pedagogy: The art and craft of teaching online in digital spaces.
Public Service Announcement: A short graphic or video presenting facts on a topic and including a call to action.
Genre: Understanding the requirements of a particular type of text.
Video Production: The art of creating a compelling visual story using techniques such as pre-production, production, and post-production.
Critical Media Literacy: Learning how to read a variety of print and visual media to look for patterns of privilege, asking whose perspective is privileged and whose is not.
Infographics: Using graphic images and text to illustrate complex information.