Media Literacy (Semester)
Get graded on knowledge of Netflix and Jay-Z.
- Course Length: 18 weeks
- Course Type: Elective
- Category:
- Life Skills
- Technology and Computer Science
- High School
- Middle School
Schools and Districts: We offer customized programs that won't break the bank. Get a quote.
Welcome to our foray into the world of media literacy—a.k.a. the study of stuff that's in our face all day, every day.
It's easy to overlook media as a platform of study, because…well, because it's everywhere. But in this course, we'll look in-depth into the different forms of the ubiquitous media at our fingertips, from books to music videos to animation. Aligned to National Association for Media Literacy Education (or NAMLE) standards, the course will teach you that rap is poetry, that remixes are a valid form of self expression, and that it's important to defend yourself from internet trolls.
The course will cover the following ground, across the span of five units:
- What Media Means In the 21st Century
- Media and Marketing: Then and Now
- Creating Media
- Privacy, Socialization, and Community in an Online Environment
- New Ways of Recreating Old Media
That means you'll be discovering and defining media in all its forms. You'll be dissecting the scheming, sometimes sleazy, ultimately brilliant methods the advertising world uses to get in our heads. You'll be making media of your own, from animated shorts to that six-minute autotuned song you've been dying to write about pugs. You'll socialize it up, internet-style, and create an internet presence that's both savvy and safe. And, finally, you'll take all the stuff you've learned throughout the course and mash it all together in an epic remix.
Like we said, we're totally saturated by media on a daily basis, and it can be pretty easy to drown if you don't get a decent swimming lesson in. Our mission in this course? To teach you how to tread the waters of the media like a pro—and have a great time doing it, too.
Because, come on. Who doesn't want to do a scholarly reading of a meme?
Unit Breakdown
1 Media Literacy (Semester) - Media to Infinity and Beyond
In our first unit—Media To Infinity And Beyond—we'll answer the almighty and all-encompassing question: What is media? That means we'll touch on the various forms of media and the ways they've influenced our 21st-century way of life. We'll hit everything from music to video to blogs—and the way they may (or may not) be killing the book industry.
2 Media Literacy (Semester) - More Than Mad Men
Our second unit is all about advertising—and journalism, and infographics, and reality TV. We're talking about mass media, here, and it's the massiest kind of media there is. The importance of mass media can't be understated. It's totally accessible, which makes it totally pervasive; admittedly, this also makes it totally annoying sometimes. And, once this unit is done, you'll be a mass media expert. That means you'll be able to annoy people yourself.
You're welcome.
3 Media Literacy (Semester) - Do it Yourself Digital
We're hitting hands-on mode in this unit, and diving in by creating media digitally. Yeah, that's right. We're going to create media. That means music (hello, GarageBand), fiction (remember your old pal, MS Word?), and photography (yes, your selfie is a work of art). You'll even learn how to animate things.
Yeah—we think you're gonna like this one.
4 Media Literacy (Semester) - The Internet's Private (and Not So Private) Parts
In Unit 4, we venture into the all-too-familiar waters of the internet. We're gonna pick apart what makes the internet its own community, complete with culture, citizenship—and, yeah, even public service. We'll cover everything from Google to Facebook, from trolls to avatars.
And by "avatar," we mean neither the blue alien nor the air-bending variety.
The best part in all of this? It's stuff you probably already know. You've got the content down pat. We're just here to give you the know-how to venture through the internet safely and securely.
5 Media Literacy (Semester) - Reee-mix!
Our final unit wraps things up in the most logical way possible—with remixes. At this point, you've already learned about, like, every kind of media there is. You've learned how to create media of your own. What better way to wrap things up than by blending different kinds of media together, to create a brand-new (and completely awesome) monster?
Sample Lesson - Introduction
Lesson 1.01: What is Media?
Wondering what all this "media" stuff is about? Yeah, join the club.
Even people who think they know about media don't really know about media. It's a sad but true fact and it's not even like there's a secret rule about it or anything. There's just soooooooooooo much out there that one person can't be a know-it-all media genius.
But that doesn't mean we can't know a little bit about a lot of stuff. In fact, we owe it to ourselves to become literate about media. We need to know what media is, how to recognize it, and how to "read" it. Because (like The Force) it surrounds us (almost drowning us at times) we need to be able to filter information provided to us through media, and make solid choices about what to do with it.
If we don't, media might get the upper hand—and that hand can lay a giant information smackdown on us if we're not careful.
Sample Lesson - Reading
Reading 1.1.01: Multiple Media
Remember when we said there's too much media out there for one person to be an expert on all of it?
Yeah, we weren't kidding.
Advertising media, broadcast media, digital media, electronic media, mass media, multimedia, print media, social media…think of a letter and there's probably a kind of media that starts with it. Still, Shmoop's gonna do our best to get you up to speed on most things media, or at least the things that will matter to you in the world of academics.
(Psst, that means stuff you'll use in your classes or will be tested on sometime. You knew you kept us around for a reason.)
The definition of media supplied by Merriam Webster is "a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression." Shmoop's digging this definition because it leaves the ballpark wide open for us to label the different kinds of media out there. Short of giving a giant thumbs up sign (that's gestures or body language, not media), practically any other kind of expression is "media." You can print it, draw pictures, act it out, record it, create it, and use technology to make it. It's actually pretty exciting when you think about it.
Media literacy is the way we make sense of all the media in our lives. It's how we "read" media. Since print media (books, magazines, newspapers, etc.) is one of the oldest and first kinds of media we're exposed to, it makes sense that we apply some of the same rules for reading actual words that we do to other forms of expression.
There are ways to read pictures, movies, television, art forms, and digital creations, and those methods of reading are called media literacy strategies. Throughout this course, Shmoop's gonna deliver on these strategies so you can become a media mogul—not in the advertising billionaire sense, but in the I-can-look-at-media-and-understand-it kind.
Chin up Shmoopers; this media party is just getting started.
Sample Lesson - Activity
Activity 1.01: Media, Media, All Around
Media is a lot like water—it's all around us, but it's hard to remember where it is and where it comes from. It's also hard to tell where the best media resides. Is better direct from the source, or does it taste better purified, bottled, and straight out of the fridge?
Okay. We might be taking metaphor this too far. Let's answer some questions on the subject before the metaphor flows away from us like a rushing river or-
...just answer the questions.
Participation Only Rubric - 10 Points
- Course Length: 18 weeks
- Course Type: Elective
- Category:
- Life Skills
- Technology and Computer Science
- High School
- Middle School
Schools and Districts: We offer customized programs that won't break the bank. Get a quote.