Emily Burgis
Digital Literacies Artifact #3: Critical Media Literacy
Course: Special Topics in Education
Date: Spring 2012 Instructor: Dr Lorayne Robertson
About the artifact:
This artifact is a literature review that focuses on the topic of critical media literacy (CML). In this review of the literature the concept of 21st century literacy and its contributing concepts is discussed. In addition, the preparedness of students, pre-service teaches and teachers in learning and teaching critical media literacy skills is explored. Lastly, this paper explores how schools can move towards a curriculum that involves critical media literacy. The purpose of this review was to explore how the changing concept of literacy impacts students and teachers in a 21st century classroom.
Reflection
This artifact was written for the same professor as artifact #2 in this theme, digital literacies, but for a different course. I think that in comparing these two literature reviews my growth and learning becomes very clear. This literature review is much more successful is creating a cohesive argument about critical media literacy (CML) in 21st century classroom. This is because I chose articles that we more focused and related to my theme. In addition, I structured the literature review in a much more organized way. I think my learning in other courses starts to appear because when you read this review you can see that there were specific questions I was asking myself that helped direct the paper. It reflects a synthesis of the articles rather than a summary, which is how my earlier literature review read. That being said, at some points, Dr. Roberston pointed out that my voice gets lost in the authors’ voices. This is something I worked hard on in future assignments. I was very proud of my personal growth on this assignment. Since it was a literature review for the same professor, just a few months apart, I really tried to apply the feedback I was given and demonstrate my course learning. I think it shows, which is why I have included it in my portfolio.
Thematic Connections
Digital Literacies Social and Cultural Contexts
This artifact straddles two themes: digital literacies and social and cultural contexts. I have chosen to include it here, under digital literacy, because the focus of this review is about moving CML into a multimodal space. One of the points I look at in the review is how teachers and students need to apply CML skills to new and emerging forms of media. This requires us all to be multiliterate, digital literacy being a component of that. Furthermore, this artifact directly impacts some of the choices I made in digital literacy artifact #4. The connection between my learning in this special topics course helped prepare me for the final project I created in my Master’s course work. As a result of my learning her on CML I chose to apply it to a social media tool before I allowed students to use the tool in our classroom. When you view artifact #4 you will see that I actually had initially not planned on doing a CML piece, however, one of the readings prompted me to revisit CML and reminded me of its integrative connection to digital literacies.
This artifact could also fit under social and cultural contexts. Yet again, this is evidence of the interconnectivity of my themes. In this literature review I point out the importance of challenging hegemony in our classrooms. It is through a CML approach that educators are given the tools to help students see, question and challenge hegemony. Again, it connects back to digital literacies because in this review of the literature it is asserted that alternative counter-hegemonic media needs to be included. This concept crosses the boundaries between the two topics. Hegemony is connected to culture, society and images of representation. Media is often intertwines with the culture and society. Consequently, CML requires a meeting of understanding digital literacies and culture, society, power and privilege. In this way teachers who are brave enough to take on this way of teaching and learning emerge as leaders. As I point of in the review of the literature, these topics are moving targets and teachers have very few resources available to them. They may even face push back from parents and administrators who value high stakes standardized testing. This the topic of leadership also comes into play.