Media and the Masses

Consider my analogy: Big Brother is to 1984 as Media is to 2009. 

There is a need for critical media literacy in elementary school curriculum and teacher education programs. This point is strongly presented in chapter 46 of "Media Literacy: A Reader". Media is primarily driven by "corporate interests" (economic and political). As a teacher I will help my students and their families develop media literacy. We will work together to support alternative forms of media (non-profit media). By controlling what society watches, listens and reads, media is actually dictating how society thinks, feels and behaves. This is amoral. In fact, it reminds me of George Orwell's novel Nineteen-Eighty-Four. The book portrayed a world regulated and watched by Big Brother. I remember the term "Newspeak". That language decreased each year, resulting in a decline in free thought. While media today is not causing a decline in our language, it is influencing our thoughts and behaviors. We cannot sit back and allow the next generation to feel pressured to conform to media's vision of what is good and virtuous (E.g. power relationships, beauty, sexuality etc.). It is important that students assess the underlying messages. Students should accept positive discourse and reject negative discourse. By this, I would encourage students to even strive for positive change!

I am now planning a comprehensive media literacy unit for a grade six class. My vision is to educate my students, empower my students, and encourage a rebellion against media's propaganda. Students will become aware of how media can potentially control the masses. Students will critically analyze one topic. Over ten lessons, students will construct their own knowledge of how media can manufacture myths. Student will identify positive and negative implications of this. Students will hopefully be left empowered and speak up in some way to encourage a media reform. 

It is unethical to put profit and corporate interests ahead of the health and well-being of society at large. As an educator, it will be my duty to facilitate a critical dissection of media content. Students should then speak up and voice their thoughts. 

I feel fortunate to have taken this course. The lab component allowed me to further develop my knowledge of new media forms. Photovoice, digital photo albums, digital autobiographies, and video blogs are suitable activities to introduce to students in the upper years of elementary school. The creation of videos and critical powerpoints will also be useful when teaching in this digital age. Culminating with an in depth unit plan is the ideal way to bring together the wealth of knowledge I attained in this course.