Teachers Teaching Teachers #238 - Renee Hobbs discusses her white paper, “Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action” - 3.9.11

Post-Show description: 
On this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers Renee Hobbs discusses her white paper, “Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action,” published in November 2010.  You will enjoy this podcast if, like Renee, you have had enough of “gee-wiz” gaping over new technology tools.” In her work, Renee seeks to identify and support projects and communities (perhaps like yours) where educators are shifting towards “a focus on critical thinking and communication skills” (xii Digital and Media Literacy). On this podcast you'll hear what Renee’s plan of action is all about. Let’s put ourselves on the map of existing resources as well following up on these other recommendations from the Executive Summary:

Support Community-Level Digital and Media Literacy Initiatives

1. Map existing community resources and offer small grants to promote community partnerships to integrate digital and media literacy competencies into existing programs.

2.
Support a national network of summer learning programs to integrate digital and media literacy into public charter schools.

3. Support a Digital and Media Literacy (DML) Youth Corps to bring digital and media literacy to under-served communities and special populations via public libraries, museums and other community centers.

Develop Partnerships for Teacher Education

4. Support interdisciplinary bridge building in higher education to integrate core principles of digital and media literacy education into teacher preparation programs.

5.
Create district-level initiatives that support digital and media literacy across K–12 via community and media partnerships.

6.
Partner with media and technology companies to bring local and national news media more fully into education programs in ways that promote civic engagement.

Research and Assessment

7. Develop online measures of media and digital literacy to assess learning progression and develop online video documentation of digital and media literacy instructional strategies to build expertise in teacher education.

Parent Outreach, National Visibility, and Stakeholder Engagement

8.Engage the entertainment industry’s creative community in an entertainment-education initiative to raise visibility and create shared social norms regarding ethical behaviors in using online social media.

9. Host a statewide youth-produced Public Service Announcement (PSA) competition to increase visibility for digital and media literacy education.

10.
Support an annual conference and educator showcase competition in Washington, D.C. to increase national leadership in digital and media literacy education.


Here are more resources to take a look at as well:
  • Read the white paper, published by the Knight Foundation, online.
  • Watch a video of a roundtable at the Aspen Institute in November (especially 12:10 - 34:45).
  • View a slide show that Renee put together.
There’s so much here! We hope that you will find ways to join this movement and add to the networks for digital and media literacy with Renee Hobbs, founder of the Media Education Lab:
Hobbs+2010.png
Renee Hobbs is one of the leading authorities on media literacy education in the United States. She is a Professor at the School of Communications and Theater at Temple University in Philadelphia and holds a joint appointment at the College of Education. She founded the Media Education Lab in the Department of Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media. She has written dozens of scholarly articles, created multimedia curriculum resources and offered professional development programs on four continents to advance the quality of media literacy education in the United States and around the world.

Please enjoy the conversation!

Click Read more to see a copy of the chat that was happening during the webcast.


20:59:44 Gail Desler: Hi Chris.
20:59:49 Chris Sloan: Hello.
20:59:57 PeggyG: Hi everyone
21:00:00 Gail Desler: No audio yet, right?
21:00:06 PeggyG: audio is coming in great on ETT-A
21:00:06 Gail Desler: Hi Peggy!
21:00:29 PeggyG: Hi Gail
21:00:42 susanettenheim: hi all!
21:00:42 Chris Sloan: Susan, Andrea Zellner thought she might be able to make it.  Is she on Skype now?
21:00:47 susanettenheim: how's the sound?
21:00:54 PeggyG: Hi Susan and Chris
21:00:56 susanettenheim: oh let me look!
21:00:57 PeggyG: sound is great
21:01:03 susanettenheim: thanks peggy
21:01:30 Gail Desler: Which audio link, Peggy?
21:01:33 PeggyG: we're getting a behind the scenes look at webcasting experts in action :-)
21:01:38 susanettenheim: edtechtalk A
21:01:40 PeggyG: ETT-A in itunes for me
21:02:21 susanettenheim: welcome back gail!
21:02:35 Gail Desler: Hi Susan
21:02:45 PeggyG: can you hear now Gail?
21:02:51 susanettenheim: can you hear ok gail?
21:03:09 Gail Desler: No. I'm still looking for audio link
21:03:21 PeggyG: http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/3716644859/renee-hobbs-will-discuss-d...
21:03:30 susanettenheim: click on the participate link at edtechtalk.com
21:03:37 susanettenheim: then you should see the little volume icon
21:03:38 PeggyG: the first icon under EdTechTalk A
21:03:45 susanettenheim: thanks peggy!
21:04:34 PeggyG: http://www.knightcomm.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Digital_and_Media_L... This is the white paper PDF
21:04:44 Gail Desler: I'm in:D
21:04:59 susanettenheim: great do you have sound gail?
21:05:00 PeggyG: Hi Alice
21:05:02 susanettenheim: hi alice!
21:05:11 Gail Desler: Yes!
21:05:13 PeggyG: hooray Gail!!
21:05:14 susanettenheim: working fine - good luck for you for tomorrow!
21:05:22 susanettenheim: great gail
21:05:32 alicebarr: Hi peggy and susan
21:05:42 susanettenheim: peggy could you throw that link up again please?
21:05:57 PeggyG: should we try to follow along with the slideshare or is it just a supplemental resource for tonight?
21:06:08 PeggyG: http://www.knightcomm.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Digital_and_Media_L...
21:06:09 susanettenheim: just extra :)
21:06:19 PeggyG: http://www.slideshare.net/reneehobbs/digital-and-media-literacy-a-plan-o...
21:06:24 susanettenheim: thank you!
21:06:42 Paul Allison: http://mediaeducationlab.com/
21:07:35 susanettenheim: hi christopher welcome!
21:07:46 susanettenheim: where and what do you teach?
21:08:02 christopher: well, I'm a M.Ed. student at Temple in philadelphia
21:08:08 susanettenheim: HIIII Hickstro welcome!
21:08:15 hickstro: Hello!
21:08:15 susanettenheim: welcome christopher!
21:08:32 susanettenheim: please feel free to join in with questions/comments - are you hearing ok?
21:08:45 christopher: no, I'm not hearing
21:08:53 christopher: working on it . . .
21:08:56 susanettenheim: ah dear - click on edtechtalk A
21:09:04 susanettenheim: do you see the volume icon?
21:09:50 susanettenheim: hi cstanley! welcome
21:10:02 PeggyG: Hi cstanley!
21:10:11 susanettenheim: you're back christopher - are you hearing now?
21:10:15 christopher: yes
21:10:16 christopher: thanks
21:10:23 susanettenheim: great!
21:10:39 cstanley: Hey, Peggy and Susan - thanks to Peggy's tweet, I tuned in.
21:10:39 PeggyG: http://mediaeducationlab.com/
21:10:50 susanettenheim: great! thanks peggy!
21:10:53 PeggyG: hooray!! so glad you're here cstanley :-)
21:11:09 susanettenheim: oh dear I was finishing dinner instead of tweeting... ;)
21:11:20 susanettenheim: how's life in ct?
21:11:32 susanettenheim: Are you familiar with Renee's work?
21:11:43 susanettenheim: mediaeducationlab.com
21:11:46 PeggyG: wow! so many awesome things going on with the Media Education Lab!
21:11:47 cstanley: I heard Renee speak with you guys last January, I believe, and I loved the show. I listened to it at least 3 times - interesting listening to Renee and others figuring out fair use -work in progress, it seemed -
21:12:15 susanettenheim: and Sam is a middle school teacher
21:12:22 susanettenheim: ...talking now
21:13:05 PeggyG: http://mediaeducationlab.com/powerful-voices-kids-program
21:13:17 PeggyG: that link is for Powerful voices for Kids Program
21:13:55 susanettenheim: thanks Peggy!
21:15:17 hickstro: To what extent do we feel/find that our new, young teachers are actually engaged in critical media literacy? My experience is, sadly, not as engaged as I would have thought...
21:16:10 christopher: as a student in a M.Ed/certification program, I have to say that I don't find the program preparing me very well.
21:16:44 christopher: which is ironic because younger teacher have more digital literacy than older teachers (if I may say so)
21:17:18 christopher: (i was born in 1978, so I'd call myself "digital dual-citizen")
21:17:18 hickstro: I agree that we need to connect with students, and that media literacy can foster engagement... yet I fear that most of our youth and the young teachers with whom I work are not critically engaged (with emphasis on the "critical").
21:17:25 susanettenheim: true christopher - do you know of Renee Hobbs' work?
21:17:46 susanettenheim: hickstro -SOOOOO true! I agree
21:17:49 christopher: some of it. I heard her speak at Digital Is . . . conference two years ago
21:18:37 susanettenheim: dual citizen... funny...
21:19:11 christopher: the conversation about media seems to be important in an even larger conversation about education technology . . . when to use power point vs. crayons . . . if you know what I mean.
21:20:09 susanettenheim: hickstro - do you have skype on? may I call you in?
21:20:28 hickstro: The convergence of stakeholders is intersting in light of the idea of a "convergence culture" ala Jenkins...
21:20:49 hickstro: Susan -- I will log in to Skype now!
21:20:54 susanettenheim: great
21:21:05 susanettenheim: and christopher- do you have skype?
21:21:25 christopher: oh. um. I do.
21:21:49 susanettenheim: do you have headsets?
21:21:59 christopher: y
21:22:13 susanettenheim: I can call you in and you can make your comment yourself but you just need headsets so we don't get feedback
21:23:35 cstanley: William Ferriter's book with Adam Garry - Teaching the iGeneration - has lots of great modeling resources for helping teachers teach media literacy to their students - resources free for downloading at his publisher's site -
21:23:39 Chris Sloan: http://spot.us/pitches/545-learning-about-flash-mobs-helps-children-deve...
21:23:41 PeggyG: that is such a powerful statement! just because we have the tools doesn't mean they are being used effectively
21:24:45 PeggyG: thanks for sharing that link @cstanley-Bill Ferriter's book is a fantastic resource and lots of his resources are available as a free download on his site
21:25:01 susanettenheim: I find his work a great inspiration
21:25:43 Chris Sloan: Link to an AP story about the event.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4WOYMWp29g
21:25:52 susanettenheim: thanks Chris!
21:26:05 susanettenheim: redlasso.com
21:28:05 cstanley: Wow -that looks like a really great site - can't wait to find time to look at it in detail.
21:28:38 Gail Desler: Just observed 6th grade teacher using Scratch to teach Greek mythology, constellations > game enviroment.  Very cool.
21:28:43 cstanley: @Susan - how wonderful for you -that must have been such a great experience.
21:28:59 hickstro: Right, current events aren't such hot topics now.
21:29:21 susanettenheim: It was GREAT
21:29:29 cstanley: That's because the curriculum is so packed.
21:29:45 hickstro: When my son, a high school junior, wanted to talk about Egypt a few weeks back, one of his classmates said something to the effect of "we studied Egypt in junior high, so who cares?" :-/
21:29:45 susanettenheim: the conference happens every other year and I'm already looking forward to the next one in 2012!
21:30:10 Chris Sloan: a link  to one of my students writing about social media/Egypt... http://youthvoices.net/node/51350
21:30:49 hickstro: Can we invite students to engage in current media as a part of their regular reading (DEAR/SSR time)?
21:31:04 PeggyG: that's amazing @hickstro and so true! if you've studied it once why would you need to study it again??
21:31:40 Chris Sloan: And one of Paul's students, and mine again discussing the issue  http://youthvoices.net/node/52020
21:32:03 hickstro: @PeggyG And why, oh why, would we need a source like Wikipedia to read about this stuff?
21:32:13 PeggyG: exactly!!!
21:32:25 Gail Desler: @hickstro - Just spent time with another 6th grade teacher who is doing just that, Troy. He draws from Time for Kids - has students summerize, blog & audiocast about the event.
21:32:36 cstanley: @Paul - I agree with you 100%
21:32:56 PeggyG: thanks for those links Chris! I'm always so impressed with the student blog posts on Youth Voices because of the way to draw in their own research to respond to comments
21:33:09 alicebarr: Could we have the link to the white paper please?
21:33:14 cstanley: One of our 7th grade ss teachers does use CNN new for students as an intro to his class every day
21:33:21 cstanley: news
21:33:27 christopher: @alicebarr: ditto
21:33:28 PeggyG: http://www.knightcomm.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Digital_and_Media_L...
21:33:35 alicebarr: Thank you Peggy
21:34:07 alicebarr: World History teacher at my school starts each class with RSS feed from Cnn and NYTimes and Why is this important?
21:34:17 susanettenheim: hahahaha revolution in schools takes a while...
21:34:29 alicebarr: http://www.knightcomm.or ¬?¬?¬? tion.pdf
21:35:09 alicebarr: Whoops, missed my browser. Sorry
21:35:31 PeggyG: such an interesting concept (and delightful) to think that kids can read during SSR on mobile devices :-)
21:36:18 susanettenheim: we're planning to get a few kindles to be checked out from the library for use during reading times
21:36:21 cstanley: However, our 8th grade ss curriculum tries to span from ancient China, Japan through medieval times, Rennaissance, all the way to colonization and the American Revolution - just too much! In addition, with common core curriculum, teachers are being asked to stay paced with each other - so many of those moments-we once called "teachable moments" get pushed to the background.
21:36:42 hickstro: @PeggyG - yes, indeed! I think that I got the seed of that idea (SSR with RSS) that I mention in my book from listening to Paul, Susan, and Chris talking about that with their work in Youth Voices.
21:37:11 susanettenheim: christopher - you turned off your audio stream, right?
21:37:18 susanettenheim: and you can hear on skype now?
21:37:26 christopher: yeah, I just figured that out. hearing loud and clear on skype
21:37:45 susanettenheim: thanks
21:38:42 hickstro: So, a follow up question... is the balance b/w fiction and non-fiction in the CCSS a good thing? And, if so, how do we convince our colleagues that teaching non-fiction in our English class is essential, and not just because it is standardized? I know you are talking about this now, but I wonder how we really confront the cultural heritage/conveyance model that is so entrenched...
21:38:45 PeggyG: stories are such a powerful way to deliver these messages!
21:38:47 cstanley: We need to prepare out students for the world outside the classroom, say Renee. And I agree. However, all I hear is - yes, well, maybe we can do that once we've gotten through the CT mastery tests -
21:39:07 susanettenheim: that's great carolyn!
21:39:08 hickstro: This also leads to a question about writing -- how do we teach the craft of non-fiction?
21:39:08 cstanley: We are in the midst of CT mastery testing right now.
21:39:58 susanettenheim: Troy and how do we help students find each other too once they are writing non-fiction about a passion
21:40:05 hickstro: @Paul - yes, that seems wrong -- transferring call and response pedagogy from the classroom to the blog is NOT good teaching with technology.
21:40:21 cstanley: I heard on NPR, I think, the other day that kids are really not blogging - using Facebook pretty exclusively.
21:40:33 susanettenheim: I've been having fun trying to do some of this in my online class...haha it's easier said than done like many things!'
21:40:40 hickstro: @Susan - great question! And, of course, I send people to Youth Voices as THE model for how this works in action!
21:40:51 susanettenheim: I actually have a number of students who are getting into Tumblr
21:41:07 Chris Sloan: I've got a few Tumblrs too.
21:41:13 hickstro: @cstanley -- and, isn't that scary... the way that the majority of our youth are interfacing with the internet is through their own FB-themed echo chamber...
21:41:13 PeggyG: Are there national technology standards other than those from ISTE?
21:41:16 susanettenheim: it's pretty messy though right? hehe
21:41:23 Chris Sloan: yup
21:41:26 cstanley: @Susan - Tumblr?
21:42:08 Gail Desler: "grassrootsy"- new adjective for me:)
21:42:18 susanettenheim: that's great gail!
21:42:30 susanettenheim: yes check out tumblr.com
21:42:58 susanettenheim: I actually am starting to have students who are rebelling by deleting facebook ... isn't that funny
21:43:02 Gail Desler: @Susan - I always add to my vocab during TTT sessions
21:43:05 PeggyG: what's the solution to that problem? the widening tech gap
21:43:07 susanettenheim: they are saying they
21:43:09 susanettenheim: they
21:43:15 susanettenheim: they're just tired of it
21:43:16 hickstro: @Peggy -- there are documents about 21st century literacies and technologies. See, for instance: www.p21.org
21:44:01 PeggyG: I'm familiar with p21.org but are those considered "National Technology Standards"?
21:44:34 susanettenheim: ahhh time... that makes me think of Sherry Turkle's new book
21:44:38 hickstro: @Susan - glad to hear that some of them are. Yet, most of our youth are seeing the world through FB themed glasses. If that is the way that they are experiencing the networked world (and, perhaps, the top hit on a Google search), then are they really doing any of the things that we hope they would do as 21st century learners?
21:44:43 PeggyG: I'm asking because I am hearing teachers on various listservs talking about waiting to modify state/district standards until they know what the national standards are.
21:44:46 cstanley: Our teachers are giving kids much more choice in choosing the technology they want to use to get the project content presented - and teachers are leaning the new tools from the kids.
21:45:12 Gail Desler: Renee also reference US dept of ed's 2010 tech plan, @PeggyG
21:45:24 cstanley: Initiatives get piled one on top of another, and they don't take anything away. Teachers get buried.
21:45:25 PeggyG: thanks Gail
21:45:37 alicebarr: Reflection takes time and it's HARD! Great point Renee!
21:46:11 PeggyG: the Tech Plan isn't standards though...
21:46:13 susanettenheim: Alice.. we were talking books before but I forgot about Sherry Turkle's new book - heard her speak but haven't read it..
21:46:33 Gail Desler: @Peggy, oh that's true
21:46:34 alicebarr: OFten kids hate refelcting at first, but then turn around and love that they did it all semester
21:46:35 hickstro: Well, there are national tech standards, embedded in the Common Core. For instance, "use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others"
21:46:48 hickstro: de facto tech standards, at the very least
21:46:49 PeggyG: these comments about the technology gap are really helpful!
21:46:51 alicebarr: @Susan. Thanks! Great suggestion
21:47:06 hickstro: Not sure that I really agree with those de facto standards, but they are there.
21:47:56 PeggyG: I think both students and teachers need to be taught how to reflect and then be given time to reflect. It's not easy
21:48:14 alicebarr: [u]@Peggy you
21:48:28 PeggyG: tools for the sake of using the tools is definitely a big problem
21:48:29 alicebarr: [u]are right.
21:48:48 cstanley: It's not the tool; it's the learning.
21:48:57 alicebarr: [u]Tools must fit purpose
21:49:37 cstanley: We have our own domain from Google Apps for Education, and it's starting to catch on with the teachers because the students really appreciate using it.
21:50:56 cstanley: That sounds like a great project.
21:51:29 hickstro: Sadly, however, the ISTE standards are not the ones that are going to be assessed on these new national CCSS assessments.
21:51:39 PeggyG: I like that ISTE has tech standards for students, teachers and administrators!
21:52:25 PeggyG: that's interesting @hickstro! what are they using for the CCSS assessments?
21:53:15 Gail Desler: Lots of districts, including mine, have adopted ISTE standards as part of state-required tech plans.
21:53:22 hickstro: @Peggy -- there are some "consortia" that are forming, getting Race to the Top funding, to build the new assessments, most of which will be delivered online.
21:53:42 PeggyG: aha!
21:54:23 hickstro: ETS is in on it: http://www.ets.org/k12/commonassessments
21:55:14 hickstro: And, I know that Michigan is a part of this consortium: http://www.k12.wa.us/smarter/
21:56:08 PeggyG: thanks for those links @hickstro! Looking forward to exploring them
21:56:38 PeggyG: "Two key action items are proposed here that reflect the need for both top- down and bottom-up assessment strat- egies: (a) online measures of students’ learning progression and (b) video documentation of instructional prac- tices to support best practices research that will enhance teacher education."
21:56:57 PeggyG: love those recommendations!
21:57:35 hickstro: I think that there is one other consortium, but I can't recall and Google isn't helping me find it right now... :-/
21:57:54 susanettenheim: umm students have the flip cameras...
21:58:05 PeggyG: yes Susan!
21:58:09 hickstro: Crowd sourced website for student work, teacher lesson plans, and open commentary -- great idea, Renee!
21:58:27 susanettenheim: oh I love it... student run!
21:58:52 cstanley: I know that for Adult Education training programs, especially TESOL classes, there were lots of videos available for training of real teachers in real teaching situations - not rehearsed.
21:59:55 PeggyG: we tried to do the videos with our undergrad teacher ed students but they quickly became the "self-selected, polished" videos aligned to standards and missed the whole point  of capturing learning environment
22:00:04 hickstro: @Paul -- good question. I have two TCs that went to Renee's PVK workshop last summer and they are integrating media literacy into our site's work.
22:00:27 Chris Sloan: @cstanley. "not rehearsed" is one way to say it.  I think of my own class as "controlled chaos"
22:00:34 PeggyG: :-)
22:00:49 Chris Sloan: with chaos sometimes winning
22:01:46 PeggyG: this has been an incredibly stimulating conversation!! lots of food for thought!
22:01:54 cstanley: @Chris - indeed!
22:02:25 cstanley: Sometimes the best learning goes on in the envioronment of "controlled chaos."
22:02:27 Gail Desler: Agreeing with Peggy!
22:02:35 cstanley: environment
22:02:52 alicebarr: [u]Have to run Thank you ALl Good night!
22:02:55 PeggyG: that url doesn't seem to be working yet. Was it http://www.namely.net ?
22:03:34 PeggyG: what a great question!! :-)
22:03:41 christopher: namle.net
22:03:48 PeggyG: aha! thanks
22:03:59 Gail Desler: Would love to see this conversation extend into how to assess multimedia writing and projects.
22:03:59 susanettenheim: thanks christopher
22:04:00 cstanley: @Renee - Has much changed in your take on understanding "fair use" from your discussion at TTT last January? Anything new?
22:04:08 hickstro: Thanks all -- great conversation! I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it.
22:04:31 PeggyG: I would love to see this conversation continued/extended!
22:05:04 PeggyG: what a great story!!!
22:05:16 PeggyG: capture that story and share it!
22:06:21 hickstro: @Peggy - check out the conversations around Renee's work that are happening on NWP's Digital Is website: http://digitalis.nwp.org/resource/1253
22:06:25 PeggyG: what a key point! fundamentally value student voice! create space and honor it!
22:06:47 PeggyG: thanks @hickstro! I will!
22:07:00 PeggyG: thank you all!!
22:07:07 PeggyG: please do!!
22:07:09 cstanley: @hickstro - thanks for that link -it should answer my question
22:07:11 hickstro: Thank you!
22:07:27 PeggyG: so glad the audio stream worked well tonight!!! :-)
22:07:32 cstanley: I'm so glad I saw your tweet, Peggy.
22:07:35 christopher: thanks all
22:07:42 Gail Desler: Night all
22:07:42 Chris Sloan: Thanks all.  Let's continue this talk
22:07:43 PeggyG: thrilled to see the Voicethread show posted :-) thanks!
22:22:02 christopher: is there a way to get a copy of tonight's chatroom?