Media literacy – Ed Methods

November 19, 2021November 22, 2021

Class 13: Ideas for Civic Education

Overview

This class will showcase some resources in Civic Education – they’re grouped in three broad categories – law-related ed, civics / government, and information literacy.

Law-Related Education

I’m a big fan of using mock trials – they embody critical thinking in the classroom. The need to develop and deliver a theory of the case, reminds me of constructing a coherent historical narrative. And the use of rules of evidence parallels the mastery of historical thinking skills like sourcing, contextualizing and corroboration.

Over the years I wrote a number of cases which proved to be effective tools for improving student analytic skills. Here’s a few posts from my personal blog on using them in the classroom and a link to two mock trials and an appeals case that I developed. Teachers can also use the mock trial format to teach historical people and events. The format fosters a critical examination of historical content. For ideas, see Using Classroom Mock Trials to Encourage Critical Thinking in Social Studies.

Here in Oregon, we have a state-wide organization that supports law-related education: the Classroom Law Project. It provides resources for law-related education.

As an in class activity, students will take part in brief mock trial. See resources

Vickers v Hearst (443kb pdf)
Mock Trial Quick Guide (47kb pdf)

Civics and Government

History instruction intersects with civics and government in many ways. Great free resources and teaching ideas can be found here:

Zinn Education Project: promotes and supports the teaching of people’s history in middle and high school classrooms across the country.
iCivics: free lesson plans and games for learning civics
Center for Civic Education: high-quality civic and constitutional education for all

Information Literacy

With the rise of social media and the decline of legacy news sources, students must be learn to critically evaluate news sources to be functioning citizens. Great resources are available at:

Civics Online Reasoning (Stanford History Education Group): free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world.
News Literacy Project: programs and resources for educators and the public to teach, learn and share the abilities needed to be smart, active consumers of news and information and equal and engaged participants in a democracy.
National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE): aims to make media literacy highly valued and widely practiced as an essential life skill.

Assignment: Final Project Due Nov 28th: More info

March 20, 2015

Effective Tech in the Connected Classroom

I recently was a guest on the UP Tech Talk Podcast produced by University of Portland’s Academic Technology Services and hosted by Maria Erb (Instructional Designer) and Sam Williams (Dir of Academic Tech Services). Kudos for the great ATS podcast studio!

What’s the least amount of technology you could use to get the job done.

We had a lively 18 minute discussion about my UP social studies methods class and technology’s role in instructional design – it opened like this …

Maria: Peter, so glad to have you on the podcast. We just had a great conversation … you managed to rattle off probably half a dozen Web 2.0 tools that you’re using just like you were a fish swimming in water; it just seems so easy and natural for you. I’m just wondering, how do you go about choosing which tools you’re going to use for these great projects that you’re working on? What piques your interest?

Peter: I think it really begins with seeing yourself as a designer of a learning experience. You work with the tools you have and with the setting you have. You’ve got X number of students; you’re meeting once a week; you’ve got three hours with them. You think about the instructional goals that you want to achieve, and then from there, you say, okay, so what kind of tools are out there. For example, there was a situation where I wanted them to collaborate and design some lessons. I wanted them to be able to share their work with one another and be able to comment on it. I also think it’s important that there always be a public product, because I think we find our students producing content for their instructor as opposed to … which is kind of a ritualized thing as opposed to real-world content.

And ended with this exchange …

Sam: Are there any words of wisdom around it’s not about the technology that you could leave us at the end of this podcast?

Peter: I would say the big question is what’s the least amount of technology you could use to get the job done. Taking something and making it prettier by putting it on a white board when you could have written it up on the chalk board really doesn’t get you anywhere. I think that the transformative part of technology is getting it in the hands of the students so that they can research and create and produce in ways you couldn’t do without it. For me, those are the essential elements that I’m looking at, not simply just something that’s a bright shiny object.

Text transcript (word file) | Show notes and links | Podcast at iTunes: #12

The University of Portland uses the SmartEval system to gather student feedback on courses and faculty. Here’s a few comments from my UP students that are relevant to this podcast:

Peter challenged us to think and be designers of curriculum, instead of just lecturers. We learned how to get students working and thinking critically in the classroom.
I liked that the focus of the class was on making a product.
He also showed us how to move from the lecture mode to engaging students as architects in their own learning process.
Very well connected with other educators on Twitter. He has promoted every student in the class using his connections to help us build professional connections and build a professional online presence.

Originally posted at Copy / Paste Jan 21, 2015

November 30, 2013

Reflecting on the DBQ Assignment

The goal of my DBQ project was for students to gain an appreciation for how one’s perceptions of an event can be manipulated through media. The idea was for students to examine a variety of items, identify the techniques employed in conveying the message, and evaluate whether or not the techniques were effective. After investigating the media content within the lesson, students would apply what they learned by curating a series of media items that depict a certain perspective in a contemporary conflict.

Reading my original proposal for the project, I feel the final product achieves the goals I initially set forth. The lesson contains a variety of media types (print, posters, photos) and each example is accompanied by a set of questions that challenge students to do more than just identify what they see. I’m pleased with what I created because it approaches the study of history through a different lens. I can see this being more enjoyable than reading a history text or listening to lecture on a more traditional topic.

Though I am pleased with what I created, reservations do exist. This product has yet to be used. I don’t know how students or educators will react. Will they learn or appreciate the material I put forth? Will they find it engaging? It’s hard to say; especially since this was the first DBQ project I created. Teachers must always reflect and adapt. The project I created feels like a solid first step, but I want it to be used so I know how to make it better.

Once I decided upon a topic, the process was straightforward. However, I did run into one hurdle: curating the media. Selecting relevant pieces was challenging and time consuming. There is so much iconic media from the Vietnam era, but not all it was applicable to my objective. Using the wrong piece could lead to confusion and undermine what students are supposed to take away from the lesson.

A link to the final product on Learnist: Media & War

Image Credit: Louisiana State University Library

LSU student Luana Henderson participated in a peaceful protest against the Vietnam War held in 1970 on the LSU campus. The poster behind her refers to the killing of four students by National Guardsmen during a protest that turned violent at Kent State University in Ohio. University Archives, LSU Public Relations.

This DBQ is part of our class-produced, multi-touch iBook. Available free at iTunes