Using Digital AnnotationTools to Deconsruct Media
An individual project
by Kate Grunow
by Kate Grunow
Rationale
Participation in a democratic society requires media and information literacy skills. As such, students need opportunities to develop the essential skills and competencies to practice active, critical consumption of media and integrate different types of media to create digital displays of information that communicate ideas worth sharing. Part one examines tools and strategies that help students make sense of the noise competing for their attention online. Part two discusses how to integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media to creatively communicate ideas digitally.
Participation in a democratic society requires media and information literacy skills. As such, students need opportunities to develop the essential skills and competencies to practice active, critical consumption of media and integrate different types of media to create digital displays of information that communicate ideas worth sharing. Part one examines tools and strategies that help students make sense of the noise competing for their attention online. Part two discusses how to integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media to creatively communicate ideas digitally.
Lesson 1 - Critical Consumption
1. A brief description of the #1 lesson plan
The purpose of this lesson is to encourage elementary and secondary educators to expand their definition of literacy to include all forms of media. Educators begin by reflecting on what they know about media literacy education and identifying what they hope to learn more about. To begin to define media and information literacy, educators explore the principles that define MIL education. To connect MIL to teaching and learning, educators explore curated collections that showcase digital tools and instructional strategies that support MIL education as well as ideas for implementing MIL across the content areas. The lesson concludes with time for reflection. Educators revisit their reflection document and consider natural places in the curriculum where they could integrate MIL education in their content area.
2. The technology and resources involved
To participate in this lesson educators will need--
3. What skills, knowledge, and pedagogy are required of teachers?
Educators need to understand the purpose of MIL education to understand why it's best integrated with content area curriculum and not taught as a separate course of study. The National Association or Media and Literacy education explains that the purpose of MIL is to help "develop the habits of inquiry and skills of expression that they need to be critical thinkers, effective communicators, and active citizens in today’s world" (NAMLE, 2018). Educators need to understand that the purpose of MIL is to develop skills and competencies that every content are targets-- habits of inquiry, criticval thinking, effective communication, and community engagement.
Educators should also familiarize themselves with the principles that guide media literacy education. The NAMLE Principles at a Glance is provided as a reference. The highlighted principles are foundational skills this lesson will build on.
NAMLE Principles at a Glance
Facilitators need to know the instructional strategies, resources, and digital tools that support teaching students how to critically evaluate media messages. Several checklists and evaluation tools have been developed to support educators guiding students to deconstruct various forms of media messages. Facilitators should choose one or develop one of their own based on their setting. Finally, facilitators should select one digital annotation tool from the list to learn for the purpose of demonstration. The educator will model how to use the annotation tool to deconstruct the components of a media message using the criteria of the evaluation tools they selected or developed.
4. What prior skills and knowledge are required of students (both general and specific, think of Bloom's taxonomy)
Educators will need basic technology skills to navigate the curated resources provided to define media and information literacy education.
The following skills are essential for active participation in this lesson:
5. What are students asked to do exactly (product or process)?
Educators will begin by reflecting on what they know about media and information literacy education and identify what they would like to know more about. The following resources are provided or educators to explore and develop a working definition of the principles that guide media and information literacy education.
A critical pedagogy of media and information literacy is analyzing and evaluating media message. Developing a criteria with guiding questions to prompt student thinking is an effective method to scaffold the process for students. Explore the evaluation tools provided.
The following resources may be helpful in developing a criteria for deconstructing media with digital annotation tools:
Digital annotation tools can slow down the process of consuming media. The annotation process chunks the media message for students. Highlighting and annotating different forms of media essentially chunks the media message. When students engage in practice deconstructing media they begin to see that all media messages are constructed to achieve a desired purpose. Consider the type of media you would like to start modeling the process of deconstructing for students. Explore the digital tools that support the desired media and meet the needs of your students:
6. What are the procedures of the project (steps to teach the technology skills)?
Diigo is the most versatile of the tools. For this reason, I created micro learning videos that focus on the skills and features teachers need to guide students through the process of deconstructing a media message. Access the Diigo tutorials here.
The purpose of this lesson is to encourage elementary and secondary educators to expand their definition of literacy to include all forms of media. Educators begin by reflecting on what they know about media literacy education and identifying what they hope to learn more about. To begin to define media and information literacy, educators explore the principles that define MIL education. To connect MIL to teaching and learning, educators explore curated collections that showcase digital tools and instructional strategies that support MIL education as well as ideas for implementing MIL across the content areas. The lesson concludes with time for reflection. Educators revisit their reflection document and consider natural places in the curriculum where they could integrate MIL education in their content area.
2. The technology and resources involved
To participate in this lesson educators will need--
- A device - mobile devices may limit participation in the lesson
- High speed internet
- The latest version of Microsoft Edge
- A word processing application (Google docs, Pages, Microsoft Word, etc.)
3. What skills, knowledge, and pedagogy are required of teachers?
Educators need to understand the purpose of MIL education to understand why it's best integrated with content area curriculum and not taught as a separate course of study. The National Association or Media and Literacy education explains that the purpose of MIL is to help "develop the habits of inquiry and skills of expression that they need to be critical thinkers, effective communicators, and active citizens in today’s world" (NAMLE, 2018). Educators need to understand that the purpose of MIL is to develop skills and competencies that every content are targets-- habits of inquiry, criticval thinking, effective communication, and community engagement.
Educators should also familiarize themselves with the principles that guide media literacy education. The NAMLE Principles at a Glance is provided as a reference. The highlighted principles are foundational skills this lesson will build on.
NAMLE Principles at a Glance
- Media Literacy Education
- requires active inquiry and critical thinking about the messages we receive and create
- expands the concept of literacy to include all forms of media (i.e., reading and writing)
- builds and reinforces skills for learners of all ages through regular practice
- develops informed, reflective and engaged participants essential for a democratic society
- recognizes that media are a part of culture and function as agents of socialization
- affirms that people use their individual skills, beliefs and experiences to construct their own meanings from media messages.
Facilitators need to know the instructional strategies, resources, and digital tools that support teaching students how to critically evaluate media messages. Several checklists and evaluation tools have been developed to support educators guiding students to deconstruct various forms of media messages. Facilitators should choose one or develop one of their own based on their setting. Finally, facilitators should select one digital annotation tool from the list to learn for the purpose of demonstration. The educator will model how to use the annotation tool to deconstruct the components of a media message using the criteria of the evaluation tools they selected or developed.
4. What prior skills and knowledge are required of students (both general and specific, think of Bloom's taxonomy)
Educators will need basic technology skills to navigate the curated resources provided to define media and information literacy education.
The following skills are essential for active participation in this lesson:
- Using an internet browser to navigate the internet
- How to download and/or make a copy of Google document
- Create an account for an online service
- Author text in a word processing application
5. What are students asked to do exactly (product or process)?
Educators will begin by reflecting on what they know about media and information literacy education and identify what they would like to know more about. The following resources are provided or educators to explore and develop a working definition of the principles that guide media and information literacy education.
- Critical Media Project. (2017). Critical Media Project: Glossary
- Critical Media Project. (2017). Critical Media Project: Media Literacies
A critical pedagogy of media and information literacy is analyzing and evaluating media message. Developing a criteria with guiding questions to prompt student thinking is an effective method to scaffold the process for students. Explore the evaluation tools provided.
- What ideas are repeated throughout the resources?
- How might you adapt the resources based on the needs of your students the subject matter you teach?
The following resources may be helpful in developing a criteria for deconstructing media with digital annotation tools:
- Center for Media Literacy's Five Key Questions Form Foundation for Media Inquiry
- National Association for Media Literacy Education's (NAMLE) "Core Principles of Media Literacy Education"
- Hobbs, R. (2017). Create to Learn, Chapter 4 (pp. 45-68): "Accessing and Analyzing Ideas"
- https://createtolearn.online/
Digital annotation tools can slow down the process of consuming media. The annotation process chunks the media message for students. Highlighting and annotating different forms of media essentially chunks the media message. When students engage in practice deconstructing media they begin to see that all media messages are constructed to achieve a desired purpose. Consider the type of media you would like to start modeling the process of deconstructing for students. Explore the digital tools that support the desired media and meet the needs of your students:
- Diigo
- EdPuzzle
- Playposit
- Mel.org - Gale Tools
6. What are the procedures of the project (steps to teach the technology skills)?
Diigo is the most versatile of the tools. For this reason, I created micro learning videos that focus on the skills and features teachers need to guide students through the process of deconstructing a media message. Access the Diigo tutorials here.
Resources to get started with Diigo
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7. What are the advantages of the project
When students have been taught how to use digital tools to be active, critical consumers they are better equipped to navigate their digital lives. They approach media with a healthy dose of skepticism. This leads to better decision making. In a democratic society, everyone benefits from better decision making. Digital annotation tools also engage students in close and critical reading skills which scaffold reading informational text and improve comprehension overall. Students who are taught a substitution for traditional annotation methods are at an advantage having a means to replicate the experience in a digital space.
8. What are the disadvantages of the project
The features of Diigo enable students to have rich conversations about the way media messages are constructed. In the middle grades students have not mastered note taking skills. Highlighting too much or not enough and leaving vague comments are highly probable note taking behaviors for middle school students. The success of using digital tools to deconstruct media requires students to make strong connections and think deeply about media messages. Absent students also may have difficulty getting started with an assignment like this from home. In situations where students are absent and do not know what they need to do it's all too common for the work to show up missing. Students without a reliable internet connection or device at home to keep up with their responsibilities are at risk for falling further behind if the lesson takes more than one day.
9. What types of effective instructional strategies are included
The case notes that in successful applications of digital annotation projects educators clearly define the roles and responsibilities for each student. Making roles and responsibilities transparent minimizes the stress of adopting new workflows and collaborating with peers. Educators should use modeling and visible thinking strategies to teach students how to annotate the text for key concepts of MIL. It is also recommended that educators develop their own criteria for deconstructing media that meets the needs of their students and their focus area.
10. What are the possibilities that innovation can be transferred to other teachers, subject content, and different school settings
Students will quickly make connections between traditional annotation tools (e.g. paper, pencil, highlighter, etc.) and digital annotation tools. The instructional support resources provide a way for the educator to scaffold the process of deconstructing media. The user interface for each of the recommended tools adds to the probability with intuitive designs that will seem familiar to new users. Ease of use also allows students to focus on the learning objectives. Equitable access could also pose a barrier to transferring the innovation to other teachers, subject areas and different schools. Educators would need to be strategic with blocking time to allot for absenteeism and learner variability. It should also be noted that without instructional resources that connect to existing curriculum teachers will revert to materials and resources they already have developed.
List of References
Ferriter, William M., and Adam. Garry. Teaching the igeneration: 5 Easy Ways to Introduce Essential Skills with Web 2.0 Tools . Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press, 2010. Print.
Hobbs, R. (2017). Create to Learn, Chapter 4 (pp. 45-68): "Accessing and Analyzing Ideas"
Hwang, Wu-Yuin & Wang, Chin-Yu & Sharples, Mike. (2007). A study of multimedia annotation of Web-based material. Computers &
Education. 48. 680-699. 10.1016/j.compedu.2005.04.020.
National Association for Media Literacy Education's (NAMLE) "Core Principles of Media Literacy Education"
When students have been taught how to use digital tools to be active, critical consumers they are better equipped to navigate their digital lives. They approach media with a healthy dose of skepticism. This leads to better decision making. In a democratic society, everyone benefits from better decision making. Digital annotation tools also engage students in close and critical reading skills which scaffold reading informational text and improve comprehension overall. Students who are taught a substitution for traditional annotation methods are at an advantage having a means to replicate the experience in a digital space.
8. What are the disadvantages of the project
The features of Diigo enable students to have rich conversations about the way media messages are constructed. In the middle grades students have not mastered note taking skills. Highlighting too much or not enough and leaving vague comments are highly probable note taking behaviors for middle school students. The success of using digital tools to deconstruct media requires students to make strong connections and think deeply about media messages. Absent students also may have difficulty getting started with an assignment like this from home. In situations where students are absent and do not know what they need to do it's all too common for the work to show up missing. Students without a reliable internet connection or device at home to keep up with their responsibilities are at risk for falling further behind if the lesson takes more than one day.
9. What types of effective instructional strategies are included
The case notes that in successful applications of digital annotation projects educators clearly define the roles and responsibilities for each student. Making roles and responsibilities transparent minimizes the stress of adopting new workflows and collaborating with peers. Educators should use modeling and visible thinking strategies to teach students how to annotate the text for key concepts of MIL. It is also recommended that educators develop their own criteria for deconstructing media that meets the needs of their students and their focus area.
10. What are the possibilities that innovation can be transferred to other teachers, subject content, and different school settings
Students will quickly make connections between traditional annotation tools (e.g. paper, pencil, highlighter, etc.) and digital annotation tools. The instructional support resources provide a way for the educator to scaffold the process of deconstructing media. The user interface for each of the recommended tools adds to the probability with intuitive designs that will seem familiar to new users. Ease of use also allows students to focus on the learning objectives. Equitable access could also pose a barrier to transferring the innovation to other teachers, subject areas and different schools. Educators would need to be strategic with blocking time to allot for absenteeism and learner variability. It should also be noted that without instructional resources that connect to existing curriculum teachers will revert to materials and resources they already have developed.
List of References
Ferriter, William M., and Adam. Garry. Teaching the igeneration: 5 Easy Ways to Introduce Essential Skills with Web 2.0 Tools . Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press, 2010. Print.
Hobbs, R. (2017). Create to Learn, Chapter 4 (pp. 45-68): "Accessing and Analyzing Ideas"
Hwang, Wu-Yuin & Wang, Chin-Yu & Sharples, Mike. (2007). A study of multimedia annotation of Web-based material. Computers &
Education. 48. 680-699. 10.1016/j.compedu.2005.04.020.
National Association for Media Literacy Education's (NAMLE) "Core Principles of Media Literacy Education"