MEDIA SKILLS

Mealen Espinosa
BEED-3A

Hobbs and Frost (1994) present the skills that students are able to posses with the media they use in
class. To Wit:
(1)Reflect on and analyze their own media consumption habits;
(2) identify the author, purpose and point of view in films, commercials, television and radio
programs, magazine and newspaper editorials and advertising;
(3) identify the range of production techniques that are used to communicate opinions and shape
audience’s response;
(4) identify and evaluate the quality of media’s representation of the world by examining patterns,
stereotyping, emphasis and omission in print and television news and other media;
(5) appreciate the economic underpinnings of mass media industries to make distinctions between
those media which sell audiences to advertisers and those which do not:
(6) understand how media economics shapes message content;
(7) gain familiarity and experience in using mass media tools for personal expression and
communication and for purposes of social and political advocacy.
Approaches to Teaching Media Literacy
Kellner and Share (2007) mentioned three approaches to teaching media literacy that would utilize
media in pedagogical practice.
1.Media Arts Education Approach. It intends to teach students to value the aesthetic qualities of media
and the arts while using their creativity for self-expression through creating art and media.
2. Media Literacy Movement Approach. It attempts to expand the notion of literacy to include popular
culture and multiple forms of media (music, video, Internet, advertising, etc.) while still working
within a print literacy tradition.
3. Critical Media Literacy Approach. It focuses on ideology critiquing and analyzing the politics of
representation of crucial dimensions of gender, race, class, and sexuality; incorporating alternative
media production; and expanding the textual analysis to include issues of social context, control,
resistance, and pleasure.
(4) identify and evaluate the quality of media’s representation of the world by examining patterns,
stereotyping, emphasis and omission in print and television news and other media;
(5) appreciate the economic underpinnings of mass media industries to make distinctions between
those media which sell audiences to advertisers and those which do not:
(6) understand how media economics shapes message content;
(7) gain familiarity and experience in using mass media tools for personal expression and
communication and for purposes of social and political advocacy.
 Utilizing Media across Disciplines
Media education can be
integrated in every course
discipline. The following are
examples using media in
different subject areas using
PPPP (Purpose, Process,
Performance, Product).

Assessing and Evaluating Media

Literacy Work
Just like any student outputs, media-oriented works should also be evaluated
t assess quality based on standards. Students need regular feedback to be
able to reflect on their progress and develop mastery and that to would
remind them that it is an important part of the course.
Canada's Center for Digital and Media Literacy prescribed two important
steps in creating objectives, comprehensive and meaningful assessment and
evaluation tools for media literacy work, namely:
(1)by using a rubric to assess the work of students; and
(2) by framing the expectations within the rubric in terms of key concepts of
media literacy.
 In general, media literacy work can be
evaluated in three ways:
1.Based on how well the student understands the key concepts of media literacy and the
specific concepts and ideas being explored in the lesson.
2. Based on the depth and quality of the student's inquiry and analysis of the questions raised
in the lesson, as well as his/her thoughtfulness in identifying issues and questions to
examine.
3.Based on how well the student applies specific technical skills associated with either the
medium being studied (movies, TV, video games, etc.), the medium used in the evaluation
tool, or both (http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media- literacy).

Media educators base their teaching on key concepts for media literacy, which provide an
effective foundation for examining mass media and popular culture.
These key concepts act as filters that any media text has to go through in order to critically
respond.
1.Media are Constructions. Media products are created by individuals who make
conscious and unconscious choices about what to include and how to present it.
It can assess students' understanding of how media product was created and the
analysis of creators' beliefs or assumptions reflected in the content.
2.The audience negotiates meaning. The meaning of any media product is a
collaboration between the producers and the audience. It can assess students'
understanding of concepts and the elements in a relevant medium or product
3.Media have commercial implications. Since most media production is a business, it
makes profits and it belongs to a powerful network of corporations that exert influence
on content and distribution. It can assess students' knowledge and understanding of
the commercial factors influencing the creation of media product and analysis of how
media product is influenced by commercial factors or the owner.
4. Media have social and political implications. Media convey ideological messages
about values, power and authority and they can have a significant influence on what
people think and believe. It can assess students' knowledge and understanding of how
this medium communicates ideas and values.
5. Each medium has a unique aesthetic form. The content of media depends in part on
the nature of the medium that includes technical, commercial and storytelling
demands. It can assess students' knowledge and understanding of the technical
elements of the medium and the tropes, clichés, codes and conventions of the medium
and genre (http:// mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy).