EDUC 6810 Final Project

Final Project: Storyboard

Link to Final Project Storyboard

Brainstorming My Media Literacy Autobiography

1  What are your earliest recollections of watching television, going to the movies or listening to the radio?


I remember watching Nick Jr. as a child. There was a character named Face (literally just two eyes, a nose, and a mouth on a colorful background) that would appear before and after each show, as a sort of segway into the next show.

2  What commercials or advertisements do still remember from your childhood?


Mostly advertisements for toys and food products.

3  Do you remember desperately wanting to buy something as a child based on an advertisement? What was it? Why did you want it?


Yes! My grandma tells the story of my sister and I, when we were very young, watching television and anytime a commercial for a toy would come on we would say in unison, "I'm gonna get that!"

4  What are your earliest recollections of using social media?


I had a LiveJournal account when I was in 8th grade, which was in 2004. I created a MySpace page when I was a junior in high school, in 2007.

5  Describe a negative experience with social media?


Having to go through and delete old pictures after breaking up with an ex boyfriend. No fun for anybody.

6  Describe a positive experience with social media?


Sharing pictures of my son with friends and family members who we don't see often.

7  Describe your current media viewing habits (binge watching Netflix shows on iPad).


Netflix, games, Facebook, Instagram, etc. On my MacBook, iPhone, and iPad.

8  Do you have a favorite commercial or advertisement?


I loved the AT&T commercials in which a man would sit at a table with a few young children and ask them an open-ended question to spark discussion. They always came up with the most adorable things to say.

9  Have you bought something recently because of an advertisement?


I purchased many things on Black Friday due to viewing ads and finding good deals.

10           What have you read or heard recently on the radio, TV or Internet that has caused you to have a strong reaction? Describe and explain.


Ignorant political propaganda always causes a strong negative reaction with me. I've seen and heard way too much of it lately.

11           When do you think you became media literate? Give an example.


I think I am still becoming media literate. This course has helped immensely.

12           Do you consider yourself digitally literate? Explain.


Same answer as above.

13           Find 3-5 quotes from the course reading that cause you to have a strong reaction. Reread your reaction. Do you still find these quotes powerful? Why? Why not?


Yes, they still evoke the same reaction when I reread them.

14           What course reading or video impacted your thinking the most about the importance of developing the digital and critical media in school?


Viewing the many personal, emotional digital stories over the course of the semester has taught me the importance of telling your own story, and that is something I want to instill in my students.

15           What approach to media literacy to you most closely align: 



This is the one that I relate to most-

•   A ''media literacy'' movement, in contrast, attempts to teach students to read, analyze, and decode media texts in a fashion parallel to the advancement of print literacy. Media arts education, in turn, teaches students to appreciate the aesthetic qualities of media and to use various media technologies as instruments of self-expression and creation.

After you answer the questions review your answers and then answer these questions:

1  What role has media played in your life?


It has gone from something that served merely as a form of entertainment to something that has the power to be life-changing.

2  Has your relationship with media changed over time?



Learning to decode messages hidden in media has changed the way I view and digest all media influences.

3  Has your understanding of what it means to be literate in the 21st century  changed or evolved because of this course? How?



Absolutely. I've learned that it's not enough to just know how to access the Internet. You have to know where and how to look, and what to look for.

4  What, if anything, do you notice about your own experiences with media that can help inform your future teaching practices?


I think that my ideas on how to use technology in the classroom were very narrow-minded, partly because I simply wasn't aware of all of the resources available to take advantage of. My ideas for putting technology to use as a teacher have greatly expanded this semester.

5  Why is it important to incorporate media literacy into your current or future teaching practices?



It is important because my job as an educator is to prepare my students for the future, and to ignore the importance of being media literate would be a failing on my part.

6  How will you incorporate media literacy into your future teaching practices?



I will use many of the ideas introduced to me in this course this semester, and build upon those with new ideas of my own.

My Digital Story

Per the instructor's suggestions, I chose not to make any changes to my digital story, even though it was longer than recommended. I believe that my story challenges stereotypes, because I believe many people expect that furthering one's education will come easily to students who have done well in high school, and that's not always the case. College is a very different environment than what most 18-year-olds have been accustomed to their entire lives. Also, I believe my story can provide support and guidance for those who may find themselves in a similar situation, yet aren't sure who they can go to for help.

"Everyone around you has a story the world needs to hear"

My reaction to the video-

StoryCorps is a phenomal idea, and I'm so glad it exists. Josh and Sara (mother and son duo) told a very real, touching, and heartwarming story simply by having a conversation with one another. And the love between Danny and Annie was palpable as their story was played, and it made my heart melt. I can only imagine all of the other meaningful stories that have come from this project.


"For example, a national homework assignment where every high school student studying U.S. History across the country records an interview with an elder over Thanksgiving, so that in one single weekend an entire generation of American lives and experiences are captured."

My first thought is that this would be incredibly difficult to organize (that's the realist in me coming out). But, even if this was nothing more than a project you assigned your U.S. History class(es) in your own school, think of all the incredible stories and experiences you could capture that may otherwise remain untold. I am definitely keeping this one in my arsenal.


I can't adequately express just how much I loved Dave Isay's closing remarks-

"Together we can create an archive of the wisdom of humanity. And maybe in doing so, we'll learn to listen a little more, and shout a little less. Maybe these conversations will remind us what's really important. And maybe, just maybe, it will help us recognize that simple truth, that every life, that every single life, matters equally and infinitely."

Chapter 9: Infusing Digital and Media Literacy Across the Curriculum

"Digital and media literacy education can explicitly address both the moments of transcendence that can occur when we are moved deeply by a film, a book, a video game, an ad, or a song, as well as those mediated experiences that disturb and trouble us, like YouTube fight videos, Holocaust denial sites, or political ads that exploit people's fears. The themes and issues found in popular culture represent both the abundant trivialities and the deeply meaningful aspects of our life experiences as human beings."

This quote was eye-opening for me. Thinking back on my educational career, there weren't many things that I have done in school that have impacted me in an emotional way, until I got to college. One thing that stands out to me though is reading the book "Night" by Elie Wiesel in my 10th grade English class. Every day we had a class discussion on the chapter we had read the night before. I looked forward to those discussions every day, and that book impacted me in a way that has stayed with me 10 years later.

"When students have opportunities to actively participate in dialogue in the classroom, their writing improves. That's because classroom discussion is a vital part of the brainstorming and prewriting process."

To me, everything is better in a student-centered classroom setting. Student-led discussions have the most meaningful outcomes.

"As I developed the plan, I was concerned about designing the debate so that high school students could be able to argue a variety of positions. Wouldn't every kid naturally want unfiltered Internet access at school? When I shared my concerns with my then 17-year-old daughter, Rachel, she said, 'Mom, I'm so glad our school doesn't allow us to use Facebook in school. I am totally in favor of Internet filtering in school. Without it, I would never be able to get any homework done.' I was so surprised, you could have knocked me over with a feather!"

This just goes to show that people, and especially kids, strive to learn. It's ingrained in them, even the ones who are susceptible to distractions. Minimizing distractions is beneficial to everyone.

My Digital Story