Chapter One of teachingmedialiteracy.com presented me with a new perspective on using media in the classroom. I always believed that various forms of media could be incorporated in a manner that inspired critical thinking and active participation. As educators, we attempt to do this every day. However, the emphasis on the value of promoting/encouraging students to critique the role of media in constructing or mediating reality (Beach, 4) was new to me...and exciting!

The fact that children and adolescents are spending huge chunks of time with some form of media (Beach, 2) points all arrows in a direction that would encourage increased focus on and active use of different types of media, in the classroom. As a strong believer and supporter of Culturally Relevant Teaching, I would second what Beach says regarding building on students' out-of-schoolmultimediating experiences (Beach, 3). Students have much to offer in general, and specifically, with respect to the culture capital they bring to the table in reference to media use.

Often times, so many things that we experience on a daily basis that shape our views (or the views of others about us), go unaddressed, though not unnoticed.

Many images and feelings came to mind as I read the chapter. I thought about the "flesh-colored" band-aids I grew up hearing about and seeing in advertisements. But not my flesh, not my reality. Other memories came to mind. While traveling in Europe, I was repeatedly asked where I was really from...I couldn't have been American, as I didn't fit the "Baywatch" image assumed to represent all Americans (at least to some of those with whom I came into contact). Recently, I've noticed more ads featuring people of color (during regular broadcasting, and on the big three networks!). For a moment, I wondered if this newly observed (to me anyhow) trend was a result of our national election results...and perhaps a desire on "someone's" part to normalize "others." Not sure about that, but I definitely have noticed that increased presence. Vamos a ver...

I am a firm believer in questioning the way things are and why things happen or don't, in a particular way. Beach's chapter clearly explains that it is a responsibility of educators to bring to the attention of their students the ways in which the media creates/influences social and cultural constructions in order to create a common, shared culture (Beach, 4). In one of the courses I teach, I find that the majority of the students (of white, rural, middle-class origin) typically believe themselves to be "the norm." And why not? This is what they see all the time on prime-time, in ads, in the movies. One student in my class referenced identity at the beginning of the semester as "just like everybody else, white bread."

If this is what our white students are getting from so many images in the media, I can imagine (ok, so I live it anyway) what students of color--AND for that matter, anyone who does not fall into the straight, white, middle class, able-bodied individual category.

I am in complete agreement with the point Beach illuminates regarding the fact that students must "reflect on how media representations position them to adopt certain ideological stances" (Ellsworth, 1997 in Beach). A large part of one of my courses is spent on having students examine who they are...how they identify...what shaped/shapes their beliefs, and how that impacts who they will be as teachers.

Another thing came to mind as I read the section on the Eden Prairie school board member. I agree with what Beach states about people fearing the increased use of media in the classroom, as it may disrupt notions established with the status quo. I would add that a disinterest may also stem from an unwillingness to "learn new tricks," expand one's horizons, or fear of knowing less about the media/technology than one's students. When teaching in one school district, we (teachers) were given the opportunity to create and regularly update our own web pages. The technology was all new to me, but I was game. Teachers within my own department asked me not to go ahead with my interactive webpage, because then they would have to, or look bad...And these were teachers who really cared about the students, wanted the best for them, but didn’t seem to realize the degree to which they could further empower their students by utilizing new channels of communication and forms of technology.

As I continued to read the chapter, I thought about a school I taught in New York City. Each student had his/her own website. Wow! Some students came to life on these! It was their world—audio, visuals, graphics—they were in control, making decisions, entertaining and informing. Now that was powerful. I didn’t know how to do many of the things I saw created on these websites, but I knew that the sites were venues and vehicles for the students. The time, thought, and effort that went into creating these masterpieces required students to think critically about their choices, their image, the messages they were sending. This was a prime example of the “centrality of media/digital literacies in students’ lives” in action (Beach, 8). Not a separate or stand alone course, but included as part of their English, social studies, etc. courses.

The more I think about it, the more I become aware that in constructing their own realities (deciding what to include/exclude, what effects to use, etc.) on these websites, the students would be better adept at reflecting upon and critiquing films/movies/articles/ads, and their impact on what we see and how that in turn affects what we think.