Media Literacy Blog

What is Media Literacy & Why Is It Important?

Media Literacy is the ability to read a picture and "consist of a series of communication competencies, including the ability to ACCESS, ANALYZE, EVALUATE, and COMMUNICATE information in a variety of forms, including print and non-print messages." (Definition Source)

It's important to understand the many different ways pictures communicate to us. According to this article, angle, framing, light, focus and composition are just a few ways pictures communicate to us. The Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning Corporation (McRel)  has created standards by which our students from grades K-12 should exceed. For example, middle school students (grades 6-8) should "understand how symbols, images, sound, and other conventions are used in visual media". (McRel Standard 9) For example, students should comprehend the concept of the sound of brakes from a car and a loud bang insinuates that there was a car accident.


A good way to get students to access, analyze, evaluate & communicate photos would be to assign groups to a different photo. That way each student is putting forth their observations and are building on the standard that is required of them. Another activity would be to have students use a camera's viewfinder to understand "framing". This will help them build on how a certain view means something different. Students should be able to ask themselves questions such as "what am I looking at?", "what does this mean to me?", & "how does the image and the text/ sound relate to each other?". (Riesland, 2005, para. 10)





As educators, it's important that our students understand how to interpret and analyze photos, videos, etc. Our world is continually changing and our students have to adjust to these changes in order to be successful, literate adults.

My Expierence with Second Life

My experience using Second Life for the first time was unusual. At first, it was very confusing just because I never used it in my life. So navigating through the different islands and learning the basics of the program was difficult at first. It reminded a lot of the The Sims games I loved to play on my computer. After becoming more familiar with the software & content, I was able to learn how to add friends to my Friend list and chat with other avatars near me.

I found it pretty fascinating how this program could be used for educational purposes. It really gives meaning to the concept of TPACK. This is a great example of integrating technology in the classroom
for a lesson. I'm pretty sure a lot of students in schools today are familiar with video or computer games that have these "avatars" you can create and play online with others in real time and it won't be long until your students catch on to using Second Life!

It is quite a unique program to use in your curriculum because you can create a space and invite your entire class to view a PowerPoint you created, a video, or to discuss a topic without either of you having to leave your home. It's a virtual classroom! This is an excellent resource because not only is it being for educational purposes, but your students are engaging in the lesson and having fun at the same time. With technology becoming more apart of our everyday lives, our classrooms and schools should keep up with the technology that our students are exposed to everyday.

This video on the SL (Second Life) website gives an overview of what this program offers and what it's all about.

The Affordances of Second Life for Education

If we take a look at the Chicago Public Schools in our communities today, we will see that there are some that are just not meeting the standards in terms of academic progress. Is this because there is a lack of funding to provide better institutions, or hire the "best" teachers, or because the community itself consists of low-income families? Suburban schools, which consist of middle- high class families, tend to have higher test scores and an advantage in their education because of the funding that is available to them. Should we only focus on the students that come from "rich" families and can afford to make their education more enhanced or should we try and focus on those communities with less advantages and try to equally enhance each classroom with the tools necessary for student success? Standardized tests have "handicapped" many lower- income schools because their students aren't scoring in the range that these tests are designed for. The wealthier schools seem to be given more flexibility with how teachers are educating in the classroom.

Technology integration in classrooms have a profound and meaningful impact on students across the globe. There are many other factors that contribute to the success of each student. A typical classroom here in the US would be set up with desk and chairs and a black or white board.  Many schools have now been integrating projectors or elmo's to help engage their students in a different way. Changing the "learning environment" may cost more in terms of purchasing different technologies and courses to educate/ train teachers on how to use these new technologies. It may take more time but down the road we could possibly see the changes that our school system needs to desperately.


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NOVA Blog: Classroom Design-- Important Role in Learning

Article: No Rich Child Left Behind

Flipped Classrooms

What is a "Flipped Classroom"?

A Flipped Classroom is a pedagogical model that switches traditional in-class lecture with homework for class time. Adopting the "Flipped Classroom" method allows room for students to become more involved during the class time and encourages active learning. Here is an excellent article that talks about "7 Things You Should Know About Flipped Classrooms". It gives great insight as to how this particular teaching method creates a whole new learning experience for students and instructors.  According to Knewton Inc., The Flipped Classroom allows students to watch a lecture form home on a computer, tablet, smartphone, etc. at their own pace. The lectures would be followed by an online quiz testing their knowledge on the content and receiving immediate feedback on how well they understood the content given in the lecture. What is unique about a flipped classroom is that students can pace themselves during the lecture instead of trying to write down every word the professor is saying and taking in the important concepts.

 The way I would use the concept of a flipped classroom would be for example, on the subject of Photosynthesis in Science. I am a huge believer that any hands-on interaction is especially crucial to any student in retaining information. I would use this short video or this video to introduce the concept of photosynthesis prior to any teaching in the classroom. I would require students to watch this video beforehand and be prepared to discuss in class. I would plan a hands-on activity like having students nurture their own plant and record its progress as time goes by. During class we could have group discussions on what we learned from the assigned video lectures and how we can apply that to the plants we are growing in the classroom.


 The chart on the right is called "The Learning Pyramid". It shows how incorporating all of our senses when learning something new, will have a greater retention rate than just using our ears to listen to a lecture vs. listening, practicing and applying would. I think the concept of a flipped classroom will become more popular as technology is being integrated much more today than yesterday.