By Brad
Ross
The new elementary curriculum highlights expectations
for students in Media Communication Skills. Viewing,
reading and listening to "media works to obtain
information" are goals set for Grades 1 and 2.
By the end of
Grade 8, students are expected to evaluate the
effectiveness of a particular medium in communicating
information.
The
medias impact on society and our
children especially is, of course, enormous.
There are many web sites dedicated to this issue
some good, some not so good. Some are aimed at
elementary school kids, others are designed for older
students, and still others talk directly to teachers.
Teachers
themselves have contributed in some way to each of
the web sites reviewed here. These sites each cover a
distinct aspect of media literacy. Check them
out
follow their links
adapt them to your
needs.
College
Web Update
This column and all other articles
in Professionally Speaking are now reproduced on the College web site.
Go to www.oct.ca/english/PS2/front.htm
. Back issues of Professionally Speaking are archived under
what else "back issues." There, youll find
the May
1997 edition.
The magazine
side of the web is designed differently from the rest
of the College site, giving it a unique look and
feel. The index of stories appears in the left
column, while selected articles fill the rest of the
screen. We recognize that not all browsers support
frames, so we dont use them on our site. Your
browsers BACK button will help you
navigate through Professionally Speaking.
Password-free
site
Ive
received some e-mail from visitors to the College
site inquiring about password-protected areas for use
by teachers only.
Public
accountability is an important part of the
Colleges mandate. So the web site should
be, and is, fully accessible to any and all. In other
words, theres nothing on the site that
teachers, students, parents and the general public
cant access.
There are, of
course, areas that are more relevant to teachers and
youre encouraged to visit those. The Professional
Affairs
Department, for example, continues to seek input from
teachers on accreditation and standards of practice.
But input from the whole community is important and
everyone is encouraged to explore the entire web
site.
Site-ings
Media Awareness Network
http://www.schoolnet.ca/medianet/
Great graphics. Its what a web site ought to
look like. And it has useful info, too ... not always
the case on the web where the chrome often outshines
the content.
Media Launchpad
http://www.oise.on.ca/~nandersen/pad.html
Links
links
and more links. Pick and
choose what works best. It really is a launch pad.
Media Literacy Online
Project
http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/HomePage
An amalgam of links to all aspects of media literacy,
including film, TV, news media, and on-line research.
Conferences related to media issues are also noted
here.
Information Literacy and
the Net
http://www.bham.wednet.edu/literacy.htm
Designed by teachers for teachers. Information
overload is a problem on the web. This site
recognizes that and tackles it thoughtfully.
Macleans In-Class
Program
http://www.mh-educational.com/macinclass/default.html
Newsmagazines are the least followed of the news
media, despite their in-depth reporting.
Macleans magazine has done an admirable job
helping teachers get their students to think
critically about current affairs.
Brad Ross is a Communications
Officer and Web Editor for the Ontario College of
Teachers. His e-mail address is bross@oct.ca