Teaching for the Future

Link to mov file.

If you want to help out or participate with Teaching for the Future you can leave a comment on the homepage or link to us on your blog or podcast. If you want to get in touch, feel free to email at teachingforthefuture@gmail.com.

Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, technology, education, podcast, teaching, media literacy, visual literacy, new media literacy, beyondbroadcast2007

Labels: dave lamorte, davidtames, education, media literacy, new media literacy, podcast, stevegarfield, teaching, technology, video

Stumble It!

Posted by Dave LaMorte at 2/28/2007 12:30:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Today's episode was originally going to be my way of prepping myself for Beyond Broadcast 2007. I could not get this show out before my conference, but a lot of my ideas still remain the same. The conference was a way for academics and the media to get together and discuss the changing nature of communication and the role of new media. A lot of the conference dealt with ideas of Participatory Culture and participatory democracy. How can we use new media and social networking as a tool for political activism and social change. I think these issues are really important and I have spent a lot of time talking about them on Teaching for the Future. But how do we harness our new participatory culture and turn that into pedagogy? Well that's what I want to talk about today.

This past week Patty Bode, from the MFA, came to run a workshop in one of my classes. Patty teaches at the MFA's art education department and she had been a classroom teacher for several years. Her presentation was about using important topics and events as a way of getting students to become more involved in the art curriculum. Patty talked about a project she did with a group of 7th graders about Hurricane Katrina. She talked about her motivations and how students used their artwork to explore their ideas. Students were able to discuss issues surrounding Katrina and as a way for raising awareness and advocating for victims of the devastation.

A lot of the student work centered around the images that were being used in the media. The students would critique photographs that they collected and ask important questions. A lot of the questions looked at who was being depicted and who was not, which related to who was effected most by the hurricane. They began to deal with issues of race and class in their work.

Patty's presentation showed how students can connect to curriculum, but really illustrated how education can be a tool for political activism and social change. Not only was she generating interest in current events in her classroom, she was empowering students to think critically and help others in need.

All of this got me thinking and reflecting on what I've been doing here on the Podcast. I would not categorize Teaching for the Future as a political podcast at first glance, but I think it is fair to say that all education is political. How we structure our schools and our curricula are decisive political acts that can be made to include or exclude certain individuals. The teachers we hire and the books that we choose all serve to frame the debate and influence. Even the way we teach can effect who will struggle to meet state standards and who is able to succeed. (If you want evidence of this you should listen to the LD Podcast)

Some of these ideas are also illustrated in two very interesting articles written by Patty Bode at RethinkingSchools.org: A Letter from Kaeli and The Puerto Rican Vejigante. These articles are really good illustrations of what you leave out is as important as what you leave in.

A Letter from Kaeli deals with how people of color and minorities are often excluded from books. Though this may seem innocent enough, but this can be damaging to a child's education. Under representing minorities implies that they are not important or not worth writing about.

The Puerto Rican Vejigante is an article that deals with issues of multicultural education and how schools will exoticise the other. Exoticising a culture means examining that culture only on it's obvious or basic features, without any real depth. This also deals with issues of equity that I think I should devote a who podcast episode.

Final Thought:
This brings me right back to the whole point of new media. New media is about giving anyone a voice. The goal is to bring equity back to public discourse so that we can better understand each other. If you were tuning in to Beyond Broadcast or PodCamp Toronto, don't forget that the whole point of these events is to get people to have a voice and to participate in the conversation.

Upcoming:
I'm going to talk a little bit about Steve Job's comments about education.

I know that among podcasters there is always a lot of shoptalk. I'm beginning to wonder if we're too geeky for our own good. On an upcoming episode I want to ask... Are we focusing too much on how to communicate to be able to communicate effectively?

If you want to help out or participate with Teaching for the Future you can leave a comment on the homepage or link to us on your blog or podcast. If you want to get in touch, feel free to email at teachingforthefuture@gmail.com.

Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, technology, education, podcast, teaching, media literacy, visual literacy, new media literacy, beyondbroadcast2007

Labels: dave lamorte, education, media literacy, mobile technology, new media literacy, podcast, teaching, technology

Stumble It!

Posted by Dave LaMorte at 2/26/2007 01:10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I made surprisingly good time on my way to the Beyond Broadcast 2007 conference. I'm not sure about how much podcasting I will be doing from MIT, but I hope to share some interesting conversations with you. If I have any energy left when I get home, I will record a podcast that I tried to record last night.

You should check out the overview page to have a better idea bout what will be going on here today.

Here is a photo of my program and a piece of chalk they gave me. I was just told to "go nuts."

Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, beyondbroadcast2007, technology, education, podcast, teaching, media literacy, visual literacy, new media literacy

Stumble It!

Posted by Dave LaMorte at 2/24/2007 08:15:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

News:

Does Public Relations Equal Propaganda? from Ed Lee:

Ed blogs over at Blogging Me Blogging You, where he talks about social media and marketing. He points out an interesting YouTube video from a group called PR Watch. It's interesting and really well done and asks a lot of interesting questions.

Americans Devoting More Time to Media from VOA News: from the article:

"This year, the average American will spend 3,518 hours (nearly five months) watching TV, surfing the Internet, listening to the radio and reading. That's a prediction from The Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007. This is the 126th edition of the Statistical Abstract, which is published annually by the U.S. Census Bureau."

• Americans Devoting more time consuming media
  
• More content
• More delivery systems.
• iPods, Podcasts, PVRs allow people to have more control.

Education As Portable As A Pop Song from The Unofficial Mac Blog: This post looks at how portable media is changing how we look at distance learning. As media players become cheaper, this will become more prevalent.

Follow Up:
Chris Penn from the financial aid podcast sent me this link. Thanks Chris!!!
http://www.iveyfiles.com/my_weblog/2007/02/moron_tries_to_.html

Upcoming:
I'm going to be going to the Beyond Broadcast Conference at MIT this weekend. I'm going to try to get some interesting audio and video that I will share with you on the podcast. I hope to see Steve Garfield and meet Henry Jenkins.

Other Links:

• Ads Made By You, In a Click from the NYTimes
• Iraqi-American Rapper Timz on YouTube
• Armed Forces Welcome Suicidal Teens? from Neatorama
• Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping
• Intellagirl's take on why Teachers Need to Understand Computers Or Risk Prison
• Bum Rush the Charts

Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, technology, education, podcast, teaching, financial aid podcast, media literacy, new media literacy, beyondbroadcast

Labels: dave lamorte, education, financial aid, financial aid pocast, gaming, lesley, media literacy, mobile technology, new media literacy, podcast, stevegarfield, teaching, texting, video

Stumble It!

Posted by Dave LaMorte at 2/21/2007 10:59:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Disclaimer: This podcast reflects my impressions and my opinions based on my own research. If you disagree I urge you to leave a comment and tell me what I missed. I don't want to edit anything out, but it's my name all over this website and anything offensive is subject to removal. Anything offensive can be emailed to me at teachingforthefuture@gmail.com.

We are all very aware that the media is an important part of our everyday lives. In our face or in our ears the media is everywhere. As the media becomes more invasive, it becomes a large part of how we interpret our world. Even for those of us whole pride themselves to think for themselves, are influence by the media constantly. The media is a powerful not only for its reach, but for how it sets the agenda for information and frames the discussion. The key to being a free and critical thinker is not tuning out the media, it's tuning in. We need to take the message head on and look at it carefully and critically.

There is a great deal of debate surrounding the Iraq War. Most recently this debate has dealt with the recent video of the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. What I want to do is take a step away from the debate over the execution, and look more closely at the video. There are many people talking about the brutality of the video, and the copycat effect that has claimed the life of dozens. We could try to ignore the video because of it's brutal depiction, but I think we are responsible to look at this issue carefully.

In an effort to be fair to all sides of this issue I want to take an analytical approach. I'm going to be looking at the video using the Five Key Questions that were developed by the Center for Media Literacy. The questions were developed as an easy way to break down media messages based on Five Key Concepts. These concepts are important assumptions that can be made about any message.

Five Core Concepts

1. All media messages are ‘constructed.’
Media messages are not plucked from the ether. They are ideas and concepts that come from people who formulate or construct them. Even a message that contains nothing but facts was put together by someone before you received it.

2. Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.
Like any language the media has it's own vocabulary and syntax. This language allows the media to communicate ideas. Just as with English, the language of the media can carry multiple layers of meaning that is not always evident at first listen. The more we pay attention, the better we can understand the media and all of the layers of meaning.

3. Different people experience the same media message differently.
The same message can be understood in dozens of ways because everyone has a different perspective. Their perspective can create a completely separate context for these messages. Context is an important part of how people interpret the media. Any message is always interpreted twice, by the author and by the audience. A person's life experience, background, and ideals are in important part of context.

4. Media have embedded values and points of view.
Media messages are like any idea and have to be formulated by people. These ideas are created by people and are a product of their biases and experience. This is not to say that all messages from the media are deliberately misleading, but many are slanted by the people who create or interpret them. Even the most impartial observation will be peppered with a person's experience and personal knowledge.

5. Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power.
There are laws, ethical guidelines, and policies in place that weigh in on how a news outlet reports. However, the end of the day the media is a business like any other business and need to produce a profit to survive. The media is in the business of delivering information and a lot of this information is paid for. Even if a media entity does not profit directly from their message, information can be used to gain and leverage power.

Five Key Questions

1. Who created this message?
There is little information on who the person was who took this video. What we do know is that they were present at the execution and were probably some sort of government official or state employee. There does not seem to be an explicit point of view, but I think there are a few possibilities of which group this person may be from.

Depending on who this person is can greatly effect the intended meaning of the video. Some people speculate that this was taken by a Shiite who wanted to document Saddam's execution for posterity or as evidence.

Because Saddam was a Sunni himself, this could make sense. Groups in Iraq will often tap executions and attacks for propaganda. This video maybe a way to sent a message or a warning to their enemy groups. There is still a possibility that the person behind the camera is a Sunni. If that is the case this video might be used to give Saddam a final platform. The video includes Saddam's last words and a person who was more hostile to Saddam may have edited this out. This may have also been taken to memorialize the former Iraqi dictator. Just as suicide bombers will record videos of themselves before dying, this may be a way to create a similar video on Sadam's behalf. This is probably an effort to cast Hussein as a martyr.

2. What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

There does not seem like a lot of work production wise was done to this video. Despite that there are many elements that were used to commmunicate a message. The quality of the video is grainy, probably due to the lack of light and the low quality of the camera. (More in the Podcast)

3. How might different people understand this message differently than me?
This question is posed to push people to look for bias in the media. It asks you to step out from your point of view and try to see how this message would effect someone of a different race, ethnicity, nationality, or perspective than your own. (More in the Podcast)

4. What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
This question is also used to searching for bias in the media. This question is posed to allow the audience to try to to figure out what the message is trying to sell them. In main stream American media this could be products, lifestyles, or political perspectives. (More in the Podcast)

5. Why is this message being sent?
Well I think this may be the 64 million dollar question. With out know who sent this video it is really hard to understand their motives.

I hoped this may have helped you to better understand how to breakdown the media piece by piece. More information can be found at the Center for Media Literacy's website. There you can find a treasure trove of information and ideas on teaching and learning more about Media Literacy.

"If you have an emotional reaction, you need to question the information."
-David Warlick (Connect Learning Episode 79)

Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, technology, education, podcast, teaching, media literacy, visual literacy, new media literacy, warlick

Labels: dave lamorte, david warlick, education, iraq, media literacy, mobile technology, new media literacy, podcast, teaching

Stumble It!

Posted by Dave LaMorte at 2/17/2007 06:29:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

We've had an interesting week or so and there are some things that I have not had a chance to mention on the podcast.

To kick off Black History Month we were all able to see the first Black football coach to win a Super Bowl. Though it is strange that we've only devoted a month to celebrate the history of African Americans, I think the best way to celebrate is to break as much ground as possible. I'd also want to mention the first female president of Harvard was chosen this week as well.

School Shortcut: This website is a place for UK students to share papers and purchase material for their A-Levels and their MCSEs. These are similar to the SATs in the US, as they are one of the factors used in determining where students go to University. This is not the first social network for plagiarism and I'm sure it won't be the last. What makes this site so interesting is the level of social networking involved. This site has a point system which will be familiar to the XBox users in the audience. You can earn points by writing answers for someone else and you can trade in your points for your own course work. This turns the act of cheating into a kind of game, even though it seems that it would be less work to write your paper than earn all those points.

But these are the websites that we all fear. This is real plagiarism with the intent to deceive, and pass off the work as your own. Though I would argue that the students who use these sites are students who need to be better motivated, and probably need to take some time off from their WOW campaign. Maybe the stress of constant testing is becoming too much for some students.

Though I do not have any answers right now, I feel we need to assess how we assess our students....
(I'm tired of typing so you'll have to listen to the podcast to find out more. -Dave)

News:
New Spending for No Child Left Behind from The Washington Post: There are good parts and bad part of the NCLB legislation. This article talks about changes to funding, and funding is one of the worst parts. From the article:

"Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said cuts in inefficient programs are necessary to achieve a balanced budget. Officials also said that the plan, if approved, would mean that funding for No Child Left Behind has risen 41 percent since the law was enacted five years ago."

Which means cuts in technology education, cuts in gifted and talented programs, and cuts to special education. Instead the Bush administration will be devoting $300,ooo for school vouchers. I'm not sure if giving money to private schools is really going to bring change to our public schools.

The Pursuit of Knowledge from the Wooster Collective: Artist Darius Jones is know for his subtle, but powerful street art. This post talks about a art project that Darius did with students at School 52 in New York City. This is a real departure from the artwork we think of when we think to our own middle school art projects. I just wish there was more contemporary artwork in schools. The project was sponsored by Creative Arts Workshops for Kids (C.A.W.) and The School Based Health Clinic.

Follow Up:
More Saddam Copycats: Turkey & Yemen from The Copycat Effect: Loren Coleman follows up on the copycat suicides that have followed the Saddam execution. Coleman thinks that many of the incidents are not being linked to the video, but that there are many copycats incidents are still coming up. You can also find Loren Coleman at Cryptomundo.com

Upcoming: I have a busy week coming up, but I'm hoping to reschedule my interview with Frank W. Baker and record a podcast that looks at the Saddam hanging video through a media literacy perspective.

Thanks to those of you who have been leaving positive review for me in the iTunes Music Store. And thanks to Christopher Penn for answering my Google Bombing question on the latest episode of the Financial Aid Podcast.

If you want to help out or participate with Teaching for the Future Podcast you can leave a comment on the homepage or link to us on your blog or podcast. If you want to get in touch, feel free to email at teachingforthefuture@gmail.com.

Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, technology, education, podcast, teaching, financial aid podcast, media literacy, visual literacy

Stumble It!

Posted by Dave LaMorte at 2/12/2007 02:17:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

My interview with Frank W. Baker did not go as planned because we decided to reschedule the interview to be an hour or so later than we originally planned. This did not cause a problem until about thirty minutes before we were going to talk, I managed to lock myself out of my apartment.

Despite this semi-disaster it turns out that Teaching for the Future is on the currently ranked #7 in Educational Technology in the iTunes Music Store. They have a very blurry picture of the album art I created for the podcast at the bottom of the Ed/Tech podcast page. I took some screen shots so that I had some proof for later on.

I'd like to thank everyone who helped me get to this point and who have continued to support the show. I would especially like to thank you the listener for all your comments, links, and support.

Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, technology, education, podcast, teaching, media literacy, visual literacy, itunes

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Posted by Dave LaMorte at 2/09/2007 07:29:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

This episode is an interview I did with Brian Connelly of Alive in Baghdad. We talked about the impact of the Saddam execution video, iraqslogger.com, and what's in store for the future for Alive in Baghdad and Small World News.

Upcoming:
I'll be talking with media literacy educator and author Frank W. Baker. Frank runs the Media Literacy Clearing House, which is one of the best online media literacy resources for K-12 educators.

If you want to help out or participate with Teaching for the Future you can leave a comment on the homepage or link to us on your blog or podcast. If you want to get in touch, feel free to email at teachingforthefuture@gmail.com or send me an audio message through Odeo

Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, technology, education, podcast, teaching, Alive in Baghdad, media literacy, visual literacy

Labels: alive in baghdad, dave lamorte, education, interview, media literacy, podcast, teaching, video

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Posted by Dave LaMorte at 2/07/2007 02:35:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

This YouTube video was create by Michael Wesch and has become a favorite of education bloggers and new media people alike. This video is a great explanation for why the internet is so engaging and so versatile for exchanging information. I hope you have already seen this, but if you had not I did not want you to miss out. Michael Wesch is an Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University.



If you want to help out or participate with Teaching for the Future you can leave a comment on the homepage or link to us on your blog or podcast. If you want to get in touch, feel free to email at teachingforthefuture@gmail.com or send me an audio message through Odeo

Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, technology, education, podcast, teaching, media literacy, visual literacy

Stumble It!

Posted by Dave LaMorte at 2/06/2007 08:01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

What is Media Literacy?
Media literacy is the process of thinking critically about the media and looking for clues to putting the information into a wider context. This means giving students the tools they need to spot ambiguity and misleading information to allow them to better understand their world. The goal is to allow students to be more aware of the messages they are given so that they can produce their own content.

Media literacy is a skill that we need to develop in young people. As they become more media savvy they can become more information savvy and can make better decisions. These skills will also allow students to become better communicators (like Dylan).

What is Old Media?
When I refer to the old media, I'm referring to the mass media organizations that make up the major media outlets. The mass media industry is in the business of delivering information. These companies are the major cable news channels, radio stations, and TV networks.

These companies influence the way we see the world. This can be very dangerous and can influence how we understand what is going on. This is because these organizations have become our eyes and our ears in the wider world. This allows these organizations to edit what we see and frame the debate.

What is New Media?
The fundamental difference between new media and old media is how the information is exchanged. In his book We the Media, Dan Gilmor explains that the old media pushed information and advertising out to the consumer where new media everyone involved is exchanging information.

New media's exchange of information allows everyone to become part of the conversation. This allows individuals with separate viewpoints to expose and be exposed to new ideas. Blogs, podcasts, video podcasts, and other social networking services lower the barrier of entry and allow anyone to join the wider conversation.

What is New Media Literacy?
New Media Literacy is applying the skills and techniques of media literacy to new media sources. We need to go beyond the tools and find ways to use these new forms of communication to expand the conversation. We also need to challenge our practices. (What are Blogs Used for in the Classroom?)

Why is this so important?
As the same few media companies expand their coverage they are slowly producing a mono-culture. By becoming involved in the media we can add more voices and more points of view and make the media more nuanced.

But in the words of Stan Lee "with great power comes great responsibility."

Upcoming:
I'll be putting out the audio of the interview I did with Brian Connelly who runs the Alive in Baghdad video podcast.

Don't forget to Digg me on Digg.com's new Podcast section! It is a great way to get the word out about the show.

Thanks to Dan Flannery for the great music, Skareski for the great photo, as well as C.C. Chapman, Chris Brogan, Brian Connelly and Chris Penn for all of the inspiration.

If you want to help out or participate with Teaching for the Future you can leave a comment on the homepage or link to us on your blog or podcast. If you want to get in touch, feel free to email at teachingforthefuture (at) gmail (dot) com or send me an audio message through Odeo.

Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, technology, education, podcast, teaching, Alive in Baghdad, Julien Smith, financial aid podcast, media literacy, visual literacy, new media literacy

Labels: alive in baghdad, education, financial aid pocast, media literacy, new media literacy, podcast, teaching, wikis, wikiversity

Stumble It!

Posted by Dave LaMorte at 2/02/2007 01:38:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post