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.