Media Education by David Buckingham
Chapter 1 Why Teach the Media?
In chapter one, David Buckingham defines “media” and “media education”, explains why media education is important, and gives a brief history of media education in England. According to Buckingham, media “provide channels through which representations and images of the world can be communicated indirectly. The media intervene: they provide us with selective versions of the world, rather than direct access to it” (pg 3). This definition supports Key Concept #1 All media are constructions. Media is not reality but an interpretation of reality. He defines media education as “the process of teaching and learning about media”, it “aims to develop both critical understanding and active participation” (pg 4). Here he clarifies the idea of teaching through media versus teaching about media. Teaching through media is merely the use of media such as a DVD about Confederation for a history class; whereas, teaching about media uses the Five Key Concepts and the Media Triangle to deconstruct a media text and gain a deeper understanding of it. He goes on to explain the importance of media education and gives a brief history of media education in the UK. While I found the first chapter interesting and informative (especially the definitions), little of the information would be very helpful or applicable in my middle school media classroom. Chapter 11 Digital Literacies, on the other hand, had much more practical information and advice for someone like me who uses more digital technologies in my computer lab/classroom.
Chapter 11 Digital Literacies
Chapter eleven is much more relevant to me as a media literacy teacher in a computer lab. In this chapter Buckingham discusses the importance of these new digital technologies (for example, video games, web sites, simple animation, chat rooms, audio, digital image manipulation, and video editing) to motivate students in the classroom. While he is concerned with the “digital divide” and the fact that “middle-class children have significant advantages” (pg 181); he mostly focuses on the power of multimedia production. He says that if we do not start using digital technologies at school, the way students do at home, what will occur is “a widening gulf between the styles of learning that are cultivated by formal schooling and those that characterize children’s out-of-school experiences” (pg 176). At home children learn through exploration not explicit teaching, which is what is mostly used at school. I was encouraged by this argument because in my computer lab I often give students long periods of time to “explore” new software and simply “play” with it. Finally, and most importantly, Buckingham argues that “digital literacy must involve creative production in new media as well as critical consumption” (pg 177). Children will gain greater understanding by using digital technology to produce multimedia text. This occurs a great deal in my classroom where students learn about media by creating various digital productions (for example, a comic using Comic Life, a poster or an animation using Photoshop, and a video using Moviemaker). Once again in this chapter, Buckingham makes the distinction between education through media and education about media (pg 179). Finally, I found this chapter much more applicable to me as a computer teacher who teaches media literacy. It was encouraging to read that a great deal of what I am doing with my students is relevant and motivates my students.
Chapter 1 Why Teach the Media?
In chapter one, David Buckingham defines “media” and “media education”, explains why media education is important, and gives a brief history of media education in England. According to Buckingham, media “provide channels through which representations and images of the world can be communicated indirectly. The media intervene: they provide us with selective versions of the world, rather than direct access to it” (pg 3). This definition supports Key Concept #1 All media are constructions. Media is not reality but an interpretation of reality. He defines media education as “the process of teaching and learning about media”, it “aims to develop both critical understanding and active participation” (pg 4). Here he clarifies the idea of teaching through media versus teaching about media. Teaching through media is merely the use of media such as a DVD about Confederation for a history class; whereas, teaching about media uses the Five Key Concepts and the Media Triangle to deconstruct a media text and gain a deeper understanding of it. He goes on to explain the importance of media education and gives a brief history of media education in the UK. While I found the first chapter interesting and informative (especially the definitions), little of the information would be very helpful or applicable in my middle school media classroom. Chapter 11 Digital Literacies, on the other hand, had much more practical information and advice for someone like me who uses more digital technologies in my computer lab/classroom.
Chapter 11 Digital Literacies
Chapter eleven is much more relevant to me as a media literacy teacher in a computer lab. In this chapter Buckingham discusses the importance of these new digital technologies (for example, video games, web sites, simple animation, chat rooms, audio, digital image manipulation, and video editing) to motivate students in the classroom. While he is concerned with the “digital divide” and the fact that “middle-class children have significant advantages” (pg 181); he mostly focuses on the power of multimedia production. He says that if we do not start using digital technologies at school, the way students do at home, what will occur is “a widening gulf between the styles of learning that are cultivated by formal schooling and those that characterize children’s out-of-school experiences” (pg 176). At home children learn through exploration not explicit teaching, which is what is mostly used at school. I was encouraged by this argument because in my computer lab I often give students long periods of time to “explore” new software and simply “play” with it. Finally, and most importantly, Buckingham argues that “digital literacy must involve creative production in new media as well as critical consumption” (pg 177). Children will gain greater understanding by using digital technology to produce multimedia text. This occurs a great deal in my classroom where students learn about media by creating various digital productions (for example, a comic using Comic Life, a poster or an animation using Photoshop, and a video using Moviemaker). Once again in this chapter, Buckingham makes the distinction between education through media and education about media (pg 179). Finally, I found this chapter much more applicable to me as a computer teacher who teaches media literacy. It was encouraging to read that a great deal of what I am doing with my students is relevant and motivates my students.
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