Orbit, 2005

2005·4.2 MB·English

by  Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

0IS£/UT’6 Magazine tor Schools VOL. 35, NO. 2, 2005
GuestEditor:
Kari Dehli on behalf of
AML CMCE
+
Association forMediaLiteracyand
CentreforMedia andCulturein
Education
OISEUT
www.orbitmagazine.ca
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OISE/UT’sMagazineforSchools
VOLUME35,NUMBER2,2005 Editorial SECTION3
MEDIAEDUCATION 1 KariDehli ENGAGINGSECONDARYSTUDENTS
GuestEditor:
KariDehli
SECTION1 21 ConsumingYouth
Orbitpublishesthemeissuesontopics STATEOFTHEARTINMEDIAEDUCATION TrevorNorris
ofconcernandrelevanceforteachers
aannddsacdhmoionilsstryasttoermss,wofrrkoimngjuinniosrchools 2 Media Literacy: 22 CultivatingSweetThings:An
kindergartentotheendofhighschool. EssentialSurvivalSkillsforthe Interviewwith CultureJammer
NewMillennium CarlyStasko
EDITOR BarryDuncan TrevorNorris
HeatherBerkeley
ACTINGASSISTANTEDITOR 5 What’s“New” in NewMedia? 27 CriticalMedia Literarcyand
DawnMartin NeilAndersen DemocracyinTimesofWar
EDITORIALBOARD MeganBoler
BDaarvbiadraBoBootdhk,inP,roCfoenstsionruiEnmgerEidutcuastiOoInS,EO/IUSTE/UT 6 TheStoryofMedia Education/
KimGordon,TheBishopStrachanSchool Media Literacyin Canada: 28 Degrassi:Two Decadesof
LindaGrant,UniversityofOntarioInstitute An Interviewwith BarryDuncan AdolescentExperiences
CloafyTLeacflhenuorl,oSgiymcoeCountyDistrict IanEsquivel MicheleByers
SchoolBoard
PKeirtkerMaLrikp,maTnorontoCatholicDistrict Media Education inAustralia: 31 TheApprentice:ACriticalApproach
SchoolBoard An Interviewwith BarryMcMahon toMedia Portrayal ofthe Business
TPaaittriLcuisateG,oldPbelealttD,isOtrnitcatriSochCooollleBgeoaorfdTeachers BarryDuncan World inthe Classroom
DouglasMcDougall,Curriculum,Teachingand LauraPinto
JoLhenarMnyienrgs,,OCIuSrEri/cUuTlum,Teachingand SECTION2
Learning,OISE/UT ROADBLOCKSINELEMENTARYEDUCATION SECTION4
PDaatvtiidPRaopkpears,,AMccaGdremaiwcHTilelchRnyoelrosgoyn,OISE/UT YOUTHMAKINGMEDIA
CarolRolheiser,AssociateDean,OISE/UT TeachingMedia Literacyinthe
PaBuloaVradnderhelm,HaltonDistrictSchool DEloenmeJnotneasryClassroom 34 GPlroobdaulctMiuolntiicnulSteucraolndVairdyeoSchools
ORBITEDITORIALOFFICE HowardLam
OISE/UT The Influence ofPopularCulture
252BloorStreetWest
Toronto,Ontario M5S1V6 on Children’sLiteraryPreferences 37 SocialJustice EducationThrough
Phone:[phone],ext.2533 DedeSinclair aSchool-CommunityPartnership
Fax:[phone]
E-mail:[email protected] in MediaArts
Website:www.orbitmagazine.ca —Videogamesand Digital Game Play AndreaFatona
layoutTracyChoy,BTTCommunications I / The NewField ofEducational
COVERPHOTO:HowardLam GameStudies 40 YouthVideomakingin Classroom
SuzannedeCastellandJennifer and CommunitySettings
PBRTITNTCEDomAmNuDnBiOcUaNtDioINnCsANADA Jenson IsabelleKim
—
OORIBSIET/SUATLESANDCIRCULATION NFB Mediatheque ACentrefor 42 ObservationsaboutCopyrightfor
252BloorSt.West Media Education Canadian Media Educators
TPohroonnet:o,4O1n6t-a9r2io3-6M654S1,1Vex6t.2077 PeggyFothergill MarkLipton
Fax:[phone]
E-mail:[email protected]
SpecialthankstoVtapeandTelestreetforallowingus PULLOUT
SecondClassMail tousetheirimagesthroughtoutthisissue,andto Media Education Resources
RIeSgNiNstr0a0ti3o0n-4N4u3m3ber4511 TorontoteacherlanEquivelandOrbitboardmember
CanadianPublicationsMailProduct PattiPappasforplayingtheroleofCriticalFriend.
AgreementNo.638528
GST#R108162
thasbecomeaclichetosaythatwelive amongothersinanEnglishorlanguagestudiescourse.Atthesame
Iinamedia-saturatedworld.Weare time,manyteachersdonothaveaccesstoprofessional
surroundedbyscreens,images,sounds, developmentandschoolboardsareunable(orunwilling?)to
cellphones,andelectronictechnology. directresourcestomediaeducationastheykeepabreastofmajor
Mediathatwererareandinaccessible curriculumchangesandorganizational“restructuring,”ofteninthe
onlyadecadeagoarebecomingordinary contextofmajorbudgetcuts.Thus,itisnotsurprisingthat
featuresofdailyliving,workingand resourcestosupportclassroomactivitiesinmediaeducationare
learning.Howshouldeducatorsrespond?Onthe scarce,particularlyinaclimatewherepublicaccountabilityseems
onehand,educationpoliciesacknowledgethatknowinghowto focusedontesting“thebasics.”
use,navigate,interpret,andmanagethesemediaandtechnologies Yet,accesstoresourcesremainsaformidableobstacle,
isessentialtoindividualsuccessandtonationaleconomic particularlyintheimportantareaofmediaproduction,where
competitiveness.Medialiteracyisintegraltoliteracy,andcritical youngpeoplecanlearnhowtoquestiontheworldfromtheirown
mediaskillsarecrucialforworkandactivecitizenship.Onthe perspectivesandtotelltheirstories.Canadahasavibrantnetwork
otherhand,policymakers,educators,andparents,aswellasmany ofindependentandalternativemediawherevoicesandviews
mediaprofessionalsthemselves,warnthatchildrenandyouthare outsidetheso-calledmainstreamareheard,wheremorecomplex
watchingtoomuchTV,thattheinternetisfullofdangers,andthat analysesarepresented,andwhereawiderrangeofaestheticsand
“themedia”ingeneralhaveanegativeinfluenceonanythingfrom formsofexpressionareused.Accesstomedia-makingistherefore
children’sfitnessandliteracyratestoviolenceandmorality.With animportantaspectofmediaeducation,anditisamatterof
evermoreconcentratedcorporateownershipandglobalreachof equity.
media,childrenandyoutharetargetedasconsumers,notleastas WehopethatthearticlesinthisissueofOrbitwillstimulate
consumersofmediaproductssuchasCDs,iPods,andcellphones. policymakerstomatchtheintentionsofpolicyandcurriculum
WehopethatthisissueofOrbitwillhelpreadersnavigatesome documentswiththeresourcestorealizethem;thatfacultiesof
ofthehype,whilealsodemonstratingtheneedformoreandbetter educationwillbeencouragedtorecognizethecentralityofmedia
mediaeducationatalllevelsofeducation.Wearefortunatethat educationintheirprograms;thatschoolboardswillprovide
Canadaisaworldleaderinthisfield.Someofthecontributorsto classroomresourcesandprofessionaldevelopmentforteachers;
thisOrbitissuehavebeenatitformorethan25years.Peoplelike andthatteacherswillfindprovocativequestions,usefulideas,and
BarryDuncanandNeilAndersenareinvitedtospeakandwrite practicalsuggestions.
aboutmedialiteracyaroundtheworld.Theissuecametogether
throughtheworkofeducators,researchers,activistsandgraduate Acknowledgements:
students,membersoftheAssociationofMediaLiteracy(AML)and
theCentreforMediaandCultureinEducationatOISE/UT(CMCE). TotheWorkingGroupoftheAssociationforMediaLiteracyand
TheNationalFilmBoard(NFB)MediathequeinTorontowere theCentreforMediaandCultureinEducationwhoinitiatedthis
involvedfromtheoutset,providinginput,aswellas,important projectandsupporteditthroughout;toReneeSgroiandIan
staffsupportandmeetingspace.WebeganmeetinginNovember Esquivelwhohelpededitandcoordinate;toHowardLamwho
2003todiscussissuessuchastheplaceofmediaeducation/media tookthecoverphoto,toVtapewhichallowedustouseimages
literacyonthemarginsofelementaryandsecondarycurriculum, fromtheircollection,andtoKikaThorne,theissue’simage
theunevendistributionofresourcesandsupportformedia researcher.ThisOrbitissueisdedicatedtoBarryDuncan,who
education,andthevirtualabsenceofmediaeducationcoursesin pioneeredmediaeducationinOntarioschoolsmorethantwo
facultiesofeducationacrossthecountry.ThisissueofOrbit decadesago.
attemptsto“spreadtheword”aboutmediaeducationtoteachers,
students,andparents,aswellastopolicymakersand
administrators. We
WhileCanadaisintheforefrontofmediaeducation,the hope that this issue
distancebetweenpolicyintentionsandclassroomresourcesand
practiceisamajorconcern.Curriculumpoliciesacrossthecountry ofOrbitwillhelp readers
haverecognizedtheimportanceofmediaandmedialiteracy, navigate some ofthe hype,
particularlyasanintegralcomponentofEnglishandlanguagearts
programs.Indeed,thenotionthatliteracyincludestheabilityto while also demonstrating
read,interpret,understand,analyze,andproducearangeofmedia the need formore and
textshasgainedwideacceptance,andthereisalsorecognition
forthepotentialofintegratingmediastudiesinanumberof bettermedia educationat
curriculumareas.Yet,therearemajorobstaclesinimplementing alllevels ofeducation.”
thegoodintentionsofpolicy,letalonerealizingthefullpotential
ofcriticalmediaeducationforCanadianstudents.Thus,inthe -Kari Dehli, GuestEditor&AssociateProfessor,
areasofteachereducationandprofessionaldevelopment,onlya DepartmentofSociologyandEquityStudiesinEducation,
whhainldefusloomfefaocfufletrioesneo-fofefdumcoadtuiloenso—ffetrremaetdiingameedduicaataison“tceoxutsr”ses, OISE/UT,andFoundingDirectoroftheCCeunlttruerfeoirnMEedduicaatainodn
MEDIAEDUCATION
—
Media Literacy:
Essential Survival Sk Is for the
New
Millennium
Barry Duncan
W
Media Literacy Defined
e live inamediatedworld, a “global
village,” as MarshallMcLuhan famously In1989,theOntarioAssociationforMediaLiteracy(AML)offered
thisdefinitionfortheMinistryofEducation’sMediaLiteracy
describedit. Events such as 9/11, thewarin ResourceGuide:
Iraq, teenpop idol Britney Spears’ 24-hour “Medialiteracyisconcernedwithdevelopinganinformedand
marriage,JanetJackson’s “wardrobe criticalunderstandingofthenatureofthemassmedia,the
malfunction” at the 2004 Superbowl, and the itseecdhunciaqtuieosnutsheadtbayimtshetmo,inacnrdeatsheesitmupdeanctts’ofutnhdeesresttaencdhininqguaesn.dIt
latest “reality” television allblendinto a enjoymentofhowthemediawork,howtheyproducemeaning,
strange mediabrew. In this article, Barry hliotewratchyeaylasroeaoirmgsantoizperdo,viadnedshtoudwentthseywictonhstthreucatbirleiatlyittyo.cMreedaitea
Duncan outlines the place ofmedia education mediaproducts.”
andmedia literacyin the classroom. Theseproductsinclude:writingdetailedTVscripts,creatingsatiric
collages,oreditingcomplexvideomaterial.
Weusemediaforavarietyofpurposesandcontextsinthe
W classroom.Itisimportanttodistinguishbetween“teachingabout”
ehavetoreckonwithnewandevolving communication and“teachingthrough”themedia.Manyteachersusemediaas
technologies:fromcellphonestodigitalcameras,from audio-visualaidstosupportsubjectcontent—teachingthrough
internetchatroomstothemind-bogglinginformationresources whileteachingaboutmediapresupposesacriticalapproach,
availableontheWorldWideWeb.Theexpandedcommunication wheremediatextsthemselvesareexploredintermsoftheirform,
territoryandtheblurringofboundariesbetweenentertainment, strategies,organization,referents,pointsofview,andsoon.
popularculture,consumption,andcommunicationsuggestthatwe However,thereisnoreasonwhybothapproachescan’tco-existto
includewithinourunderstandingofmediasuchsitesasshopping generateamorethoughtful,culturallyrelevantcurriculum.
malls,popiconslikeBarbiedollsandPokemon,andthebuzz Watchingamedialiteracyclassinwhichstudents,armedwith
aboutbrand-drivenfashions.AccordingtoCanadianculturecritic digitalcameras,telltheirstoriesisanexhilaratingeducational
NaomiKlein,“brandsaretoday’snewrockstars.”Massmediaand experience.Messyattimesandseeminglychaotic,creativemedia
popularculturerepresentmulti-billiondollaropportunitiesfor projectsdemonstratethattheoryandpracticemustsupporteach
globalmarketerspeddlingthelatestgoodiesforteensand’tweens, other.
andamajorconcernforparentsandcaregivers.Itshouldbeno
surprisethatmedialiteracyhasfinallyenteredourschools.While
itsreceptionhasbeengrudgingattimes,medialiteracyisno Without goingon acrusade ofmedia
longerseenasasuperficialfrill,butasanessentialcomponentof bashing fuelledbymoral panics, the media
thecurriculum.
classroom deserves openness, intellectual
rigor, loads ofenthusiasm, andawillingness
to take risks.
orbit,\lol 35, No 2, 2005 Call 416 923-6641, ext. 2077 to order Orbitor visit www.orbitmagazine.ca
SECTION STATEOFTHEARTIN MEDIAEDUCATION
MediaEducation theprocessandteaching soundandspecialeffects.Furtherinvestigationsincodesand
ofandlearningaboutmedia” conventionsmightaddresstheuseoftheTVnewsanchor’sdesk
asasymbolofauthorityortheimagesofdeathandsatanic
MediaLiteracy"...theoutcome,the destructioninCDcoversofheavymetalmusic.
knowledgeandskillslearnersacquire”
MediaStudies thecoursesteachersteach” VALUESANDIDEOLOGYINMEDIA
-D.Buckingham Weallhaveasetofbeliefsabouttheworldwhichshapesourfears
andaspirations,fromtherolesofschooling,attitudestosamesex
Origins marriagetotheroleofpolice.Typicalquestionswhenanalyzinga
Thefirstwaveofmediaeducationemergedinthe1960s,catalyzed mDeoedsiathteextteoxtreixmcalgue:deWahnoygisrionupaspoosfipteioonploefoprowtheeri?rbWehlioefiss?not?
bytheU.S.civilrightsmovement,influencedbyfeminismandthe
questioningofmediacoverageoftheVietnamWar.InCanada, MEDIAANDINDUSTRY
culturalnationalismsandtheemergenceofaCanadianfilmand Thecommercialorganizationandimplicationsofthemassmedia
televisionindustryshapedearlymediaeducationefforts.Alarming needtoberecognized;otherwise,weareculturallynaiveand
TVviewingstatisticsofyoungpeoplehelpedmotivateteachers sociallyirresponsibleaboutthebasisofoursystemsof
andparents.Untilrecently,whenInternetusagesurgedahead,the communication.Mostofourentertainmentandcommunication
averageteenhadlogged15,000hoursoftelevisionbytheendof technologiesareownedbyasmallnumberofglobalcorporations,
GraIndietia1l2l,yian“cmonotvreasmtenwitt”hosfpeenntdhiunsigas1t1i,c00c0lahsosurrosoimnttehaechcelrass,sritoowma.s eo.fg.o,wTniemreshWiaprnaenrd,cDoinstnreoyl,aalnsdoVaipapcloymt.oImsesruegsedarmoeudnidaccoonrcpeonrtartaitoinosn
notuntilthe1990s,largelyduetotheproliferationofdigitalmedia, inCanada,suchasBell/GlobeMediaandCanwest/Global.Does
thatCanadianmediaeducationbegantobetakenseriouslyby thislevelofcontrolinfluencewhatstoriesgettoldandhow,and
educationpolicymakers. howdifferentgroupsarerepresented?Lestthetopicseemtoo
In1986,OntariowasthefirstjurisdictioninNorthAmericato abstract,considerrecentdocumentariesonCocaCola,McDonald’s,
makemedialiteracyamandatorypartofthecurriculum,fromKto andNike.Helpstudentsinvestigatemonopolies,theextentof
Grade12.Followingthatdecision,thewidelyrecognizedMedia corporateresourcesforadvertising,andtheincrediblypowerful
LiteracyResourceGuidewaspublishedin1989bytheAssociation roleofpublicrelations’initiatives.Criticalmarketinghasbecome
ofMediaLiteracy.By1997,therestofCanadahadfollowedand
medialiteracywasembeddedinprovincialpolicyguidelinesfor
allEnglish/languageartsprograms.
Typically,medialiteracyisestablishedasa“strand”assuming
25%oftheexpectationssetoutinprovincialguidelinesforthe
English/languageartscurriculum.Whilesometeachersmaypay
onlylipservicetotheserequirements,atleasttheyarecontainedin
mandatedguidelines.Asmoreteachersreceivein-servicetraining,
enrolinAdditionalQualificationcourses,orconducttheirown
research,theywelcomemediaeducationintheirclassroom,notas Almostevery—weektherearemediaeventswhichstudentswish
anadd-onbutasacreativeandculturallyrelevantopportunityfor totalkabout “teachablemediamoments.”Thedeathof
learning.Inseveralprovinces,mediastudiesisofferedasa Diana,PrincessofWales,thewarinIraq,theOscars,the
completestand-alonecredit,usuallyattheGrade11level. Superbowl,theimpactof9/11,arebutsomeexamples.
Key Concepts Asafollow-uptoSeptember11,forexample,teachershad
theirstudentsinvestigatesomeofthefollowing:
Medialiteracyisdrawnfrommanyfields,includingsociology, • “Timehasceased,spacehasvanished.Weliveinaglobal
psychology,politicaltheory,genderandracestudies,aswellas
culturalstudies,art,andaesthetics.TheworkofMarshallMcLuhan village,asimultaneoushappening.”DiscussMcLuhan’s
andothersincommunicationstudiesisalsoimportant.Thefieldis insightinlightofourexperiencesof9/11.
dynamic,withdifferentapproaches,yetthereisconsiderable • Usekeyconceptsfromdiscourseanalysistoexplorethe
internationalconsensusonimportantconceptsandareastobe representationsofpatriotism,grief,socialjustice,resistance,
coveredinmediaanalysis. andprotest.
• Whowasmarginalizedafter9/11andwhy?
CODESANDCONVENTIONS • Compareandassessnetworknewscoveragewithalternative
Considerhowdifferentmediacommunicatemessages.Inlearning newssourcesontheInternet.
aboutfilm,forexample,welookatthetechnicalcodesofclose-
ups,zooms,dissolves,pans,andtilts,andtheeffectscreatedby
MEDIAEDUCATION
3
themostimportantaspectofmodernmedia.(ConsultNaomi tobetaughthowtodiscriminateandresist.Therearestillteachers
Klein’sinvaluablebookNoLogo:TakingAimattheBrandBullies, whobelievethatsuchapproachesareappropriateandthat
RandomHouse,2000.) studentsneedtobeculturallyinoculated.Morerecentmodels
presumearicherandmorediversifiedvisionofsociety,where
MEDIAANDAUDIENCE popularcultureplaysakeyroleinoureverydaylives.Suchmodels
Audienceisusedintwodifferentways recognizethedynamicsofpower,theroleofpleasureandpolitics,
a Howweasconsumersbecome“targetaudiences.” andconsidermediaasasignificantinfluenceonidentity
a Howasactiveparticipantswemakesenseofthemedia. formation.Alongwiththeliberatingelementsimplicitinaudience
theory,aswellasstudent-directedmediaproduction,suchmodels
TargetAudiences: Ontelevisionandcommercialradio,themedia empowerstudentstomakeuptheirownmindsaboutchallenging
servetodeliveraudiencestosponsors.Inahighlywatched ideasandclassroomdebates,fosteringconditionsforcritical
spectaclesuchastheSuperbowl,a30-secondcommercialwillcost autonomy.Withoutgoingonacrusadeofmediabashingfuelledby
atleastamilliondollars. moralpanics,themediaclassroomdeservesopenness,intellectual
rigor,loadsofenthusiasm,andawillingnesstotakerisks.
ActiveAudiences: Audiencetheorysuggeststhataudiencesare Teacherscanbeginbyacknowledgingtheirownproblematicand
activeparticipants,andthatenjoyingormakingsenseofmediais contradictorypassionsandbybeingprepared,whenappropriate,
acomplexprocess;moreover,eachpersonnegotiatesdifferent tosharethem.Playing“spotthestereotype”islimitedinitself.Why
meanings,dependingonhis/hergender,race,class,andage. notencouragestudentstowritethoughtfulpapersontheirmedia
pleasuresandencouragethemtousemedialogsforopen-ended
Examples of Media Literacy in responses?Encouragemainstreamreadingsofpopulartelevision
the Curriculum textsandthenmodelsomeoppositionalreadings.Encourage
studentstotransferinsightsdevelopedinthemediaclassroominto
—
English adaptingashortstoryornovelintoafilm;creating otherareas:thepoliticsofschooling,theroleofauthorityinthe
multime—diathematicunits;scriptwriting family,andtheworldofwork.
m History detectingbiasinnewscoverageandso-called
historicaltruth;pointsofviewindocumentaries;representing References
a Chiisvtiocrsi—calinevveesnttisgaitninfgeaotpuproertfiulnmistiesfordemocraticaccessto Buckingham,D.(2003).Mediaeducation:Literacy,learningandcontemporary
culture.London:Polity.
socialandpoliticalpower,aswellasaccesstothepublicspace Masterman,L.(1989).Teachingthemedia.London:Routledge.
ofmediarepresentation
—
h Geography assessingtheformandimpactofimagesofthe
ThirdWorld
—
HealthEducation critiquinggenderrepresentation,especially
thepervasiveultra-slimmodelsandactorswhoglamourizeteen BARRYDUNCANisanaward-winningteacher,
anorexia author,consultant,andpastpresidentofthe
AssociationforMediaLiteracy(Ontario).Heis
Forelementaryschoolteacherswhoinevitablycrosssubject co-authorofMassMediaandPopularCulture
borders,medialiteracyapproachescanshapeandunifyseveral (HarcourtCanada,1996)andhaspresented
curriculumstrands.ArticleselsewhereinthisissueofOrbitwillbe workshopsandkeynoteaddressestoteachersinCanada,
ofgreathelp(seeespeciallySection2). theUnitedStates,Japan,Brazil,China,Spain,andEngland.
In the Media Classroom
Inthemediaclassroom,wewanttopursuethoughtfulmedia Vtapecredits
analysisinwhichitisunderstoodthatclassdiscussionsand
reflectionarethebasisforconstructingnewknowledge.Inthis
context,theclassroomisa“siteofstruggle”inwhichmeaningsare
negotiated.U.K.educatorLenMastermaninsiststhatmediastudies
sihmopuolsdebaesipencqiufiircy-sceetnotfrevda,luceos-)i,navensdtieggaatliivtear(iitando(etseacnhoetrsseaenkdto CShheeryDlonD'tunFyaede WUrristuilnagBDieesmiraenn CIasntvtasninK,anAtmoern,!Monty JRueddeBNuofrfrailsoSkydive
studentssharemediaexperiences,butmayhavedifferent 199123:00English 200025:00 BlackFlag 20003:30English
interpretations). B&W English/Spanish 19989:00English colour
Earlymodelsofmediaeducationdenigratedyoungpeople’s colour colour/B&W
popularculture.Themediawereseenasbadandstudentsneeded
orbit,\lol 35, No 2, 2005 Call 416 923-6641, ext. 2077 to order Orbitor visit www.orbitmagazine.ca
4
—
NeilAndersen
Defining New Media Differentmedia require
Theword“new”innewmediaisnotausefullabel.Newwhen? different readingstrategies
1990?2000?Now?Whosays?Historians?Scholars?Newmedia and readers need to
users?
Itiseasiertodescribenewmediaacrossacontinuumthanto understand form aswell as
drawalinearoundit. Ifweweretochoose“computer-dependent” content.”
asacriterion,whichmediumisNOTnewmedia?Itmightbeuseful
touse“screen-delivered”asacriterion,butagreatdealofscreen —NeilAndersen, Teacher,Author,Consultant
contentistheprintedword,consideredtobeoneoftheoldest
media.Itismosteffective,therefore,todescribenewmediausinga
combinationofcriteriasuchas“interactive,”“electronic,”and
“digital.”Itisalsousefultodefinenewmediaintermsofthe
“mentalenvironments”theyevoke.Agreatbenefitofnewmediais discoverandanticipatethenewmediaforms.Thismightmean
thattheirvarietyofformsandlanguageshavehelpedusrealize fast-scanningthroughvideoorrapidlyscrollingawebpage.Once
asMc—Luhandiddecadesagoaboutmediathatwere“new”inhis theformisinvestigated,readerscanidentifythemosteffective
time thatformisneitherinvisiblenorirrelevant,butasignificant info-capturingstrategies.
partofthemessage. During-readingstrategiesincludenotingomissions,making
Newmediaformsincludeemail,chat,websit—es,streaming predictions,andformulatingquestions.Readerscanpauseand
audio/video,textmessaging,iPods,andgaming oftenin reflect,andre-readforclarificationorelaboration.
combination.Theyinvolvemostcommunicationthatoccursvia After-readingstrategiesinvolveintegratingnewknowledge
screen,andaremostoftenmulti-media:combinationsbeyond withpriorknowledge,andincludereflecting,summarizing/
imageandword.Theirelectronicnaturemakesthemethereal: paraphrasing,andverifyingsources/information.Unansweredor
messagesareshort-lived,soourmemoryisoftenchallenged.The newquestionsmightbepursuedinanewreadingactivity,andthe
multi-mediaexperiencemayalsobeamulti-sourceexperience. processrepeats.
Thatis,wecanconsultthewebwhendiscussing,reading,or Becauseofthemulti-channelandetherealnatureofnewmedia
viewing. messages,readersmustbeactive,strategic,awareoftheirmental
environments,andprescient/forecasting.Theymustbeableto
Reading New Media captureandrememberkeyideaseffectivelyandefficiently.
Newmediacreatorsmustbeawareoftheenvironmental
Researchersofreadingknowthatitisanactive,strategicprocessof characteristicsofeachmediumsotheycanchooseandusethe
meaning-makingthatinvolvesaninteractionbetweenthetext mosteffectivemediaformsandmodes.Theymustalsoknowhow
beingread,thepriorknowledgeandskillsofthereader,andthe tocombineformandcontentintoeffectivemessages:messages
conditionsofreading.Thisisalsotruefornewmediareading. wheretheformcomplementsandre-enforcestheintended
However,theleveland/ornatureofinteractivityisanimportant meanings.
distinguishingcharacteristicofreadingnewmedia.Different
mediarequiredifferentreadingstrategiesandreadersneedto
understandformaswellascontent.Newmediamessagesare
polysemous(ambiguous),partlyasaresultoftheirmulti-channel
cssoocumennmdeutnriinaccaakt,sitcoornaysm,escreaaaryca,hngisulesi,tinbogercaaaduciosfmefbeoirfennattthieloaannc?gt)iu.nagg,eefdiotrimng(,iflwigehtfinign,da NEmIDieLsdtAriiNactDaESncRdhSocEoolNmmBiousanaridCc.uartHrieiocinusslaultmseocChaonnosslpuoelgatyka.enrtHiwasinmtdhosctothnerseuTcloetrnaotnntwtooinrks
NeRweamdeedrisamruesatdecrosnsciadnerefafnecdtirveealdynuseewmmoeddiifaiesdtrparteignitc-arlleya.ding giuncilduedfeosrtthheeCaownasrudm-weirnAndivnegrtSicsainngniWnogrTkebloevoiks,iotnh,eatnedacshteurdsy’
strategies. guidesforSpace,Bravo!andMuchMusic’sCableinthe
Before-readingstrategiesincludeactivatingpriorknowledgeof Classroombroadcastsoforiginalmedialiteracy
formandcontent.Knowingthenatureofthemediumpreparesa programming.
reader’smentalenvironment.Readerscanskimandscanto
MEDIAEDUCATION
5
0
SECTION
STATEOFTHEART
INMEDIA
EDUCATION
The Story of Media Education/Media Literacy in Canada:
An Interview with Barry Duncan
On
the occasion ofthe
ORBIT Whenyoufirstbecameinuoluedinmediaeducation,what 25thAnniversary ofthe
weretheissuesyouwantedtodealwith? Association forMedia
DUNCAN Iguesswe’retalkingabout1978,sooneofthefirstthings Literacy (Ontario), Toronto
youhavetorealizeiswhatthetechnologywaslikeandwhat teacher Ian Esquivel
peoplewerefocusingonintheirclassrooms.Mostmedia
educationwasfilmoriented...wedidn’tevenhaveVCRs...so interviewed Barry Duncan, BarryDuncan
filmtendedtobethebigthing.Ifyoushowedreallygoodfilms,like foundingmemberand
FelliniandTruffaultandEisenstein,you’dbeableto“save”kidsfor
“highculture.”Whateverstuffyoucouldn’tstandwassortofput untiringpromoterofmedia education
outthedoor....AndtheNationalFilmBoardfilmsplayedabig in Canadian schools.
role.Theyweretheonesyouusedfordiscussionpurposes.In
manycasesyouwereteachingthroughandnotaboutthemedia,
althoughyoudidalittlebitofeach.
ORBIT Whatu?asthereactionofstudents?Didtheybuyintoitor
ORBITAtwhatpointdidyoufeeltherewasaneedtogobeyond justthinkitwasweirdnottobereadingbooksoressays?
teachingfilmaestheticsandtheory?
DUNCAN Ithinktherewasapositivereaction.Mindyou,yourarely
DUNCAN Weknewthekidswerewatchingtelevision,alotof hadapuremedialiteracystrain,ifthereissuchathing.Media
tteeexllaeemvviiissniieoondn.tiBonucttohInedsocinld’aetsrstrihtoiaonsmk.aenAnnoidnutgethghreaorlfeupwasarwtseoprfoewphwuaaltatcrshmhiuonsugilced.nboYeouughhad ttisaelgnkodaoebddoutfootrhidta.ivAsecnuadsstiiifeoy-nio,nu”wsciootuhFlradidndaoiyvsecaluf.stsOerrh,nooywoonuitymwoiuag’shdtmstahhdioenwk,,at“hfWeiellumls,aetnohdfis
allthosebeautifullyricsfrompeoplelikeSimonandGarfunkel.... sound,ofcameraangles,thenyoucouldgivethestudentssome
Thehostsubject,English,wasidealforincorporatingsuchmedia insightsintotheconstructionoffilm.
textsintowhatweusedtocallmulti-mediaunits.You’dtakea
tnohveemle,slhiokertcostuorraigese,oarnpdreajfuidlimceo,ramnadyyboeu’sdonegxpllyroirces.itthrougha cOoRnBcIepTtsT.o"dHaoywmeddiidatheadtucaraitsieo?nuseswhatistermedthe“key
ORBIT Whowaseagertodomedialiteracy?Wasthereany DUNCAN ThatcamewhenweweredoingtheMediaLiteracy
resistance? ResourceGuidebackin1986.Itwasclearth—atifweweregoingto
addressallthedifferentmediaandge—nres film,newspapers,
tDhUeNGCrAadNeI1t3weaxstearnyaolunegxearmstemaecahenrtptohpatultahteioEnn.glTihsheperliomgirnaamtiaotnloeafst cpreirtiiocadlictaolosl,s.mAusnidc,thtaetl’esviwshioenn,cmoemdiicas—litwereachyabdectoadmeevaelcoopmbsionmaetion
wenacsonuortagderidvaenwiblylitnhgonseessextoamesx.peItrigmaevnety.oTuheaylowtemroerreeafllleyxigbioloitdyand oefndMecdLuuhpanw,itfhilkmegyrcaomnmcaerp,tsidaebooluotgyhowallmetdhaitakcionndstorfutchteorreyal.itSyoawned
times.Therewasalsomoney.Sobetweenmoney,youth,and havesocialandpoliticalimplications,andsoon.
cwuhroridciudlnu’mt,wiatnwtastoagveetriynpvooslivteidvejuasttmwoesnpthetroet.heAnsiddetlhienetse.acBhuetrmsy ORBIT Underpinningshif—tsinmediaeducationthroughtheeighties
senseisthatthemajoritywereopen. wasthevideorevolution MuchMusic,MTV,allthose.Thatmust
havehadagreatimpact.
orbit,)lol 35, No 2, 2005 Call 416 923-6641, ext. 2077 to order Orbitor visit www.orbitmagazine.ca
—
&
SECTION STATEOFTHEARTIN MEDIAEDUCATION
DUNCAN Oh,absolutely.That’swheretheexplorationofpopular we shouldneverneglect Marshall
culturestartedtotakeholdand,inmyowncase,evengoingto McLuhan. He became aninspiration for
shoppingmallsandhavingwalk-aboutsdowntownbecame
significantbecauseyouwereabletolookatthecultureof a lot ofpeople.”
everydaylife.Youwereabletoseethatit’snotjustfilmand
television,it’severythingthatsurroundsus.FromBarbiedollstoGl
Jdoees,earllvetdhaatsstmuuffcbhedciasmcuessrieocnogansizaeqduaalsitpyopshcourlttfuirlem,icleotnsalaonndetahey mediaeducationhasincreased.Sowhatwasfine15yearsagois
featurefilm.Sowhenyoustartedtohaveabroaderdefinitionof notfine—now.Informationliteracy,visualliteracy,computer
wuhpaatlmotedofiadoloirtserafcoyrwtahse,maenddiaoftewahcahterc.uAltnudreIwtahsin,ktthheant’istwohpaetned sltituedriaecsy,haavlleocfotnhtorsiebuttheidngtsotthhaetccroedmiebitloittyhoeffmoerdeigaroluintderaicny.media
facilitatedamajorparadigmshift. ORBIT Howisamedialiteracycoursedifferentfroman
ORBIT Atsomepoint,youmusthaverealizedthatperhapsyou informationtechnologycourse?
ynoeuedaedddrteoslsotohkata?tthetheoreticalaspectsofthesepursuits.Hou)did DUNCAN Informationtechnologytendstobetaughtorfa—cilitated
bythosetrainedaslibrariansorlibraryresourceteachers how
HDeUNbCecAaNmeFiarsntionfsaplil,rawteionshfoourladlnotevoefrpenoepgllee.ctHMearwsahsalilntMhceLunheawns. dinooyroduercltaossliofcyatteheormaptlearciealasbyoooukhianvteh,ewchoaltleactrieont,hehsokwilldsoyoyuouneuseed
continually;hewasalwaysgivinghispronouncementsonthelatest thisCDorfilmorwebsiteasaresource?Itdoeslookathowatext
thing,liketheBeatlesorTwiggyorwhatever.Andthatwasgood isproducedbut,unlikemedialiteracy,ittendstobeapoliticaland
becausepeoplestartedtosay,“Lookatthewaykidsarewatching itdoesn’treallylookattheindustryorideologicalimplications.
television,thewaywe’rebeingaffectedbyit.”...Whathappened Whatitleavesoutcanbe,attimes,moreimportant,inmyview,
wasyougotamoredetachedviewofwhatwashappening.And thanwhatitincludes.
tBheact’asuswehewre’erIetthailnkkintghaeobroyutcathmeentaotuplraey.ofAtnhdeMmceLduihuamniwtsaeslf,ideal. ORBIT Itsoundstomelikemedialiteracyalmostbelongsin
whetheritwasfilm,television,ornewspapers,anditsimpacton sociologyandyetit’sintheEnglishcurriculumforhighschools,and
oursenses,theparticulargrammarofthemedium,whatthingsit inlanguageartsforelementary.Howdoyoufeelaboutthat?
foregroundedandwhatitdidn’t.Thatgaveitanairofexcitement.
TheriskwasthatifyoujustsimplytaughtMcLuhanandmedia,it DUNCAN It’sablessingandacurse.Ablessingtotheextentthe
becametoonarrow.SoIthink,atleastaboutthemid-80s,Chomsky peoplewhoaremostaccommodatingtendtobetheEnglishor
camein,andJohnFiske,andofcourse,LenMasterman’sTeaching languageartsteachers.So,it’sunderstandable.Andit’sthesamein
theMediacam—eoutin1985.Hewasabletoputinalotofthe theU.K.andbyandlargeinAustralia,althoughinsomeoftheU.S.
politicalstuff he—wasverywellversedinPaoloFreire’sPedagogy it’swithinthearts.Andinoneortwoplaces,it’swithinthesocial
oftheOppressed thatyouneedtohave:reflection,analysis,and sciences.Inessence,itdoesn’tnecessarilybelonginEnglishbutthe
thenaction.Mastermanpoliticizedmediamuchmorethanwehad. fitisthemostcomfortable.Thecurseisthatmediacanbecomejust
Beforewewereveryapolitical.AndIthinkthepoliticaldimension anothertextthatyouteachthrough,likeanovel,whichhasmajor
madeadifference. limitations,pedagogically.Youneedtoteachaboutthemediaas
— — wellasthrough,andthere’snoreasontherecan’tbeaco-existence
ORBIT Now,despitethefactthatwe mediaeducators seemto betweenthetwo...[or]betweenEnglishorlanguageartsand
hauearrivedonsomelevel,therehasbeenpressuretoeliminate media.There’snoreasonforhostilitybetweenthem...Onecan
thestand-alonecreditinmediastudies.And,infact,itdidvanishin usemanyofthesametoolsforanalysis,andthenonecanadd
thefirstdraftofthelatestOntariocurriculumreform,onlytobe othertoolsthatarespecificallyusedinmediastudies—.Whatyou
reinstatedbecauseofgrassrootspressure.Whatdoesthatsuggest getisanenlargedconceptofwhatEnglishconsistsof andpeople
aboutmediaeducation? mightsay,well,thenyou’returningitintoculturalstudies.Inmany
ways,Ithinkthat’strue.Englishisalreadyaformofculturalstudies,
DUNCAN Thefactthatthecredittoteachacompletecoursewasin largelybecauseofthewiderangeandtypeoftextsused,andmore
jeopardyshowshowfragilethemovementis.Eventhoughwe’ve sowiththeuseofmediaastexts.Andwhenmediaareinserted
hadcurriculumguidelines,createdresources,beeninthenews effectively,theycanraisecrucialculturalquestions.
eventhoughwehavehadcriticalrecognitionofthevalueofmedia
literacy,allittakesisaconservativegovernmenttosay,“Weneed ORBIT—It’sinterestingthatint—herecentpushtoincreasebasic
togetbacktothebasics.”SothatisaconcernthatIthinkweall literacy readingandwriting theapproachhasbeentonot
have.Thegoodthingisthateverydecadetherationaleorneedfor locateitinEnglishorlanguagestudyspecifically,buttospreadit
medialiteracyhasescalated.Withthearrivalofthehome acrossthevarioussubjectdisciplines.Shouldthatbehappening
computerandthelaptop,anddigitalmedia,therealneedfor withmedialiteracy?
MEDIAEDUCATION
DUNCAN Ideally,IseenoreasonwhyEnglishteachersshouldhave issuesofsex,violence—allthatfearmongering—butallowsno
amonopolyonit,an—dinfact,thereisplentyofopportunityinthe otherinterpretation.Itassumesthattheirmindsarecorrupted,
othersubjectareas history,geog—raphy,health,physicaleducation, theirinnocencebreached,etc.There’sanabsurditygoingonthere,
music,science,socialstudies,etc. allthosecoursesprovideentry andthere’sverylittlesolidevidencethatthesemediahavethat
pointsforreallysolidmedialiteracy.Andifyoutakethekey destructiveimpact.Medialiteracyisn’taboutnarrowingthebeam
concepts,andyoutakeanyofthosesubjects,wecanfindwaysin somuchthatyoucan’tseethewholepicture,butaboutshedding
whichthemediahaveconstructedakindofreality.Soforexample, morelight.Ourperspective,andittendstobeaveryCanadianone,
inabiologycourse,anatureprogramintheveinofAnimalPlanetor istotakeapositioninthemiddlewherewedon’tignorethe
anyanimaldocumentarycouldbelookedatwithacriticaleyeas possiblenegativeinfluencebutwedon’ttakeitasthemotorthat
muchasonemightlookatafilminanEnglishclassroom,usingbasic runsthewholecar.
medialiteracyconcepts.Thatis,onewouldteachthroughitby
ex—aminingtheinformationorcontentitprovides,butalsoabout ORBIT Ratherthannothavesomethingseen,you’dratheritu?as
it howthefilmorshowconstructsaparticularrealitythroughthe viewedthroughamedialiteracyframe?It’sstillaframe,butit's
useofcertaincodesandconventions,cameraangles,music,andso evidentanduseful,andafairlybroadframe?
on,andwhatvaluesitcontains.Teacher—sarealreadyusingmediaas
teachingaidsindifferentsubjectareas butthat’sthroughnot DUNCAN It’sawayofseeing,yes.Medialiteracycanbean
aebnohuatnctehethmeedsitau.deVnitsd’eounisdebresitnagnudsiendgoinf,lsaayn,dausgee,obgurtapnhoyocnleasissto alternativetocensorship.Ithinkthat’sagoodpartofitsmessage.
askingwhomadethevideo,forwhatpurpose,usingwhat ORBIT Sometimesmediaeducatorsarelabelledas“anti-
tofecthhnaotliosgwya,iattinwghafotrctohste,tienatcehnedrinwghiotfcoarnwghoomb,eyaonnddsjousotnt.h.e..bAalslics cthoartpodroatqeu,e”setsipoencioaulrlycownhseunmethrecyuhletaurrteilaynedmtbhrearcoeleceorftcaionrpwoorraktsions
opfrotvheiidressutbhjeecctriatincdalltooooklsattothheelbp.roaderissues.Medialiteracy withinit.Whatdoyousaytothatcharge?
DUNCAN There’sagoodnewsstoryandabadnewsstoryhere.
ORBIT Ciuenthatelementaryteachersdon’t,asarule,justteach Somecorporationsaregoodcorporatecitizens,foranumberof
oofneadsauyb,jeicttseliekmesEntgolmisehtthoatthaeicrrsotsusd-ceunrtrsicbuultarsetuooelr,alorovseetrotfhetocolosu,rse trheeasmoensd.iaAnbdustihneeyssgegnleobraaltley,gboeocdaubusseitnheesrsefarroemrbeaelilnygotnhlaytfwiavye.In
likemedialiteracy,isalogicalfit.Eventheterm“languagearts” mediaconglomeratesthatprovide90%oftheinformationandown
suggestsamoreencompassingapproach. themajorityofthemediaoutletsthatpeoplehaveaccessto,the
ownershipandcontrolissuesbecomeproblematicandcrucial.Even
DUNCAN Yes,andIthinktheinterdisciplinaryopportunitiesare thoughtherearemorechoices,therearefewervoices.AndCanada
immense.Andwhatwillbethebondingagentforthosedifferent isnodifferentinthatsensefromtheU.S.Wearethemostcabled
subjectswillbetheuseofthekeyconceptsthatcanbeappliedto nationintheworld;andwe’vegotownershipofnewspapersand
variousmediaconstructions.Theconceptsprovideanexcellent televisionstationsthatisalmostasconcentratedastheAmerican
meanstosharpenourinterpretiveskillsacrossallboundaries situation,whichishorrendous.Ifwe’reanti-corporate,we’reonly
anddisciplinesinschools,butalsotoheightenourcritical anti-corporatebecausethisconsolidationmeansthatdecisions
understandingoftheworldaroundusingeneral. madepushoutindependentmedia,knockthesmallertelevision
producersorfilmmakersout,usethebottomlinetoundermine
ORBIT Therehasbeensomecriticismthateducatorsaresomehow diversepointsofview,andstifledebateanddiscussion.
readingintothemedia,thattheyarebeingalarmist.Howdoyou Agoodcorporatecitizensupportsandispartofthecommunity;
respondtothatcriticism? theydon’tsetitbackortrytodictatethewayitthinksby
controllingitsaccessthroughandtomedia.Icouldnameone
DUNCAN Well,to“readin”canbepositiveornegative.Itcanbe stationinTorontothatisveryresponsibleandsupportiveofthe
positivetotheextentthatifyoudon’ttake—anangleonwhateveris community,andinparticularofmediaeducators,andasksnothing
happeningandhowit’sbeingrepresente—d itcouldbeamusic fromus,likeendorsements,butstillprovidesresources,andworks
video,afilm,anewsstory,acomicbook ifyoudon’ttryto withustohelpustobetterunderstandtheindustry.Thestation
conceptualizeitandinterpretit,thenwhatistheroleofeducation? hasprovidedmoneytofundworkshopsandsummerinstitutes,
It’sridiculoustonotreadintosomething;it’showweprocessour helpedwiththetrainingofteachers,providedvenuesforevents,
understandingofthings,notjustofmedia.Whereitbecomesbadis madeanumberofitsprogramsavailablefreetoeducators,and
wherewetakethe“readinginto”asbeingthefinaltruth,which participatedinthewritingofcurriculummaterials.Wesensealso
leadstotheprotectionistpositionthatassumesthatsomething,like thatthecompanywantstounderstandeducatorsandstudents,
avideogame,isinherentlyharmful,thatwehavenowayto andnotjustasamarketoraudiencebutasacommunityaswell.
overcometheharm,andthattheuseofthese“harmful”media So,anymedialiteracyaroundcorporationshastobegivena
becomesanaddiction,thattheuserisconsumedbyit.Thattypeof context.Whoisinthedriver’sseat,Iguess,istheissue,the
reading,especiallyasitisappliedtoyoungpeople,oftenbringsin corporationorusascitizens?
orbit,\lol 35, No 2, 2005 Call 416 923-6641, ext. 2077 to order Orbitor visit www.orbitmagazine.ca