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| Module 1 | | What Students Report About What They Learn from Media Education |
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One approach to considering the value of media education is to
ask students what they learn from media literacy activities. Reporting
on the media-l@nmsu.edu
listserve, Mike Gange of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, asked
his high school students at the end of his media literacy course
to address the following questions in their journals: “How
have you become more media literate? How have you changed since
the beginning of this course?” He quoted some of his students’
journal comments: |
“What I learned in media studies is that the media portrays something that everyone wishes they were. Now I find when I watch TV, I scan what happens and what they do to make things or effects better. I can’t watch TV without critiquing to some extent. A PSA we watched of VIAGRA was hot. They called it the little blue pill and you constantly saw blue in the video. You saw sexually suggestive features in the video that all had some kind of symbolism to it. I can’t just zone out now for a few hours like I used to.”
“Since the beginning of the school year, I have changed the way I watch television. I now notice all the little things like camera shots, commercials, and just little things I wouldn’t have thought of or noticed. I am now bombarded with things when I am watching TV.”
“After taking this media studies class, I still watch the same things I used to watch, but now I watch them differently. I now watch things more critically, and deconstruct things more. I do not particularly enjoy this as I can no longer mindlessly watch a program, I find I am constantly analysing what I see. I blame you for this Mr. Gange!”
“Thinking back I can’t believe how much stuff I’ve learned in [Mr. Gange’s] class. I’ve learned that we are completely immersed in advertising and there is no way of escaping it. I was shocked to learn that we, the audience, are sold to advertisers but it kind of makes sense when I think about it. It’s amazing to think how much money companies will pay for just one thirty second ad. I know I’ve learned many other things in the class. Even stuff about classic television, that I thought I’d never remember. We were having supper with one of my dad’s friends and he asked a trivia question about MASH. I was the only one who knew the answer.”
“I think we have learned a lot of valuable things in this class, like how to express our opinions and that is ok to do it. I’m glad you encouraged freedom of speech and accept opinions of everyone. I like that we have the chance to have class discussions and discuss issues in the world as well as the things we learn. You usually gave us a reason for why we are learning what we are learning. The atmosphere is relaxed and inviting and I think that’s really great.”
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