Elle loves to play Just Dance on the Wii and Chris is so awesome to dance right along with her! This is one of Elle's favorites and apparently she has her own lyrics.
media literacy plug: How often do you really listen to or analyze the music you're listening to? How comfortable are you singing those lyrics or having other people hear you listening to that song?
Showing posts with label media literacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media literacy. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
curiosity day
We had planned a curiosity day with little friends on Sept. 16th (H. A. Rey's birthday, the author of the Curious George books). But, thanks to a wonderful power outage at OSSM we had to cancel. I didn't get to reschedule, but thought I would share some of the stuff I had planned. Maybe next year!
*Curious George books
*making Curious George masks
*Curious George matching game
*Barrel of monkeys (if you have the yellow barrel with the red monkeys it goes great with this theme!)
*Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread
-I did end up making this once the power came back on. It got good reviews, but they could have just been being nice. Next time I think I'd like to add more pepperoni and cheese.
*Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
-Probably my favorite cookie now. I put in 2 cups of chocolate chips though.
*Jack Johnson tunes
*Plus red and yellow paper goods, monkey food, like bananas and oranges, and some Curious George toys
media literacy note: Please talk to your children about the fact that monkeys have tails. If your curious why George doesn't have one apparently it was a sign of the times (check out this article for more info). Most importantly, don't be those people at the zoo who embarrass themselves by calling the chimps or other apes monkeys. Here's a song I used in my classroom to teach students the difference so if you get confused just sing it to yourself:
Ape or monkey?
Ape or monkey?
Which is which?
Which is which?
Monkeys have a tail, monkeys have a tail,
Apes do not! Apes do not!
(sing to the tune of Frere Jacques)
Monday, August 22, 2011
mlm: family movie night
We've recently had a couple of Friday nights to have a family movie night. Elle's attention span has lengthened and I thought this would be something fun to go ahead and start. I wasn't hoping to get her to watch the whole thing, but at least to get familiar with it and have something fun to look forward to.
Sunday nights at church we've been doing a "family night at the movies", which means we watch clips from a movie and then discuss how it relates to being a Christian or the Bible. One of the movies was the new Charlotte's Web. Not the old cartoon that we've all watched in elementary school, but the one with live animals. Chris was gone when we did this one at church and it seemed pretty cute so we started with it. Elle loved watching the animals and made it through about half the movie Friday night and wanted to watch the rest Saturday. It's clean and has some humor adults will like. One of my favorite things about this movie is the setting and clothing, which is inspired by the 50's or early 60's.
Some of Elle's big girl panties have some of the Disney princesses on them, one of which is Tiana from this movie. Elle didn't know who she was and Chris hadn't seen the movie either so this was our second choice. Elle wasn't as into it as Cinderella, but Chris said he liked it because it was "finally a movie where she listened to her dad." It also has a good theme that being rich won't get you the most important things. Some other pluses are the music, scenery, and it has some cute humor. The only thing I would give a caution about is the scenes about the voodoo. I thought they could be a little scary for kids and should definitely be discussed before, during, or after the movie so they know what it is and where you stand on it. Thankfully, this time Elle wasn't too interested and had started playing when these scenes were on.
I don't think we'll definitely be doing this every Friday night because other things come up, but maybe we can do it from time to time. I have fun memories of pizza and blockbuster nights with my mom and dad and I'm hoping Elle will too. Any suggestions of what to watch next?
Sunday nights at church we've been doing a "family night at the movies", which means we watch clips from a movie and then discuss how it relates to being a Christian or the Bible. One of the movies was the new Charlotte's Web. Not the old cartoon that we've all watched in elementary school, but the one with live animals. Chris was gone when we did this one at church and it seemed pretty cute so we started with it. Elle loved watching the animals and made it through about half the movie Friday night and wanted to watch the rest Saturday. It's clean and has some humor adults will like. One of my favorite things about this movie is the setting and clothing, which is inspired by the 50's or early 60's.
Some of Elle's big girl panties have some of the Disney princesses on them, one of which is Tiana from this movie. Elle didn't know who she was and Chris hadn't seen the movie either so this was our second choice. Elle wasn't as into it as Cinderella, but Chris said he liked it because it was "finally a movie where she listened to her dad." It also has a good theme that being rich won't get you the most important things. Some other pluses are the music, scenery, and it has some cute humor. The only thing I would give a caution about is the scenes about the voodoo. I thought they could be a little scary for kids and should definitely be discussed before, during, or after the movie so they know what it is and where you stand on it. Thankfully, this time Elle wasn't too interested and had started playing when these scenes were on.
I don't think we'll definitely be doing this every Friday night because other things come up, but maybe we can do it from time to time. I have fun memories of pizza and blockbuster nights with my mom and dad and I'm hoping Elle will too. Any suggestions of what to watch next?
Monday, June 20, 2011
mlm: disney
I'm trying to get back in the swing of things so I'm starting with a new Media Literacy Monday post. In keeping up the spirit of our vacation that we just returned from (Disneyland--more about this later) I thought I'd do two book reviews.
1) The Mouse That Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence by Henry Giroux
I actually read this book over a year ago for my media literacy class. I was drawn to it because I'm a Disney fan and I was curious. Henry Giroux is a professor and major figure of the media literacy movement and he's definitely in the critical media literacy camp. Basically people who are in this group focus more on the negative aspects of media. In this book Giroux calls out Disney as a corporation whose motives are to sell Disney products, rather than innocent entertainment. If you haven't figured out that Disney is trying to sell a product than you must not live on earth. I do think he points out some interesting contradictions in their message of innocence, but you have to consider the time period of the examples he gives. And it is a business! To me Giroux spent a good portion of the book talking as if Disney were the same thing as the public schools. He also left me with many unanswered questions. I'd also like to know how he feels about the recent Disney movies and movements (e.g., The Princess and the Frog, the Disney Princesses). If you're interested in Disney at all you might want to read this book. It does have some thought provoking information and facts.
2)Polite as a Princess by Melissa Arps
While looking for a new book for Elle to take on our trip I found this one. Chris and I are trying to be careful about Elle and the princess stuff, but I thought this was a good example of my previous thoughts on what the princesses should teach girls. It has all the regular princess characters and uses them to teach behaviors that are good manners. It's cute and if you know a little girl who's interested in the Disney Princesses she'd probably like this book.
1) The Mouse That Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence by Henry Giroux
I actually read this book over a year ago for my media literacy class. I was drawn to it because I'm a Disney fan and I was curious. Henry Giroux is a professor and major figure of the media literacy movement and he's definitely in the critical media literacy camp. Basically people who are in this group focus more on the negative aspects of media. In this book Giroux calls out Disney as a corporation whose motives are to sell Disney products, rather than innocent entertainment. If you haven't figured out that Disney is trying to sell a product than you must not live on earth. I do think he points out some interesting contradictions in their message of innocence, but you have to consider the time period of the examples he gives. And it is a business! To me Giroux spent a good portion of the book talking as if Disney were the same thing as the public schools. He also left me with many unanswered questions. I'd also like to know how he feels about the recent Disney movies and movements (e.g., The Princess and the Frog, the Disney Princesses). If you're interested in Disney at all you might want to read this book. It does have some thought provoking information and facts.
2)Polite as a Princess by Melissa Arps
While looking for a new book for Elle to take on our trip I found this one. Chris and I are trying to be careful about Elle and the princess stuff, but I thought this was a good example of my previous thoughts on what the princesses should teach girls. It has all the regular princess characters and uses them to teach behaviors that are good manners. It's cute and if you know a little girl who's interested in the Disney Princesses she'd probably like this book.
Monday, May 2, 2011
mlm: book review
I recently finished reading "Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture" by Peggy Orenstein. Overall, I was glad I read the book. I don't agree with some of the things she says, but she has some interesting points and information about toys, websites, etc that are targeted for girls. I checked out the book from the library, but I will probably buy the book to have as a media literacy resource and because it has some good suggestions for when Elle is older. Here are some of my thoughts:
*I am going to be more conscious of the toys, movies, etc. that Elle plays with, especially considering the background and age they are meant for. For example, Barbies are out for a long time. Not that she's interested in them now, and I have fond memories of my time with Barbie, but they are being pushed toward a younger audience and she has less ambition that she used to so I'd rather wait.
*I think Elle has to be who she is, and if that's more girlie that's fine, but I want her to be smart about the choices she makes.
*I am scared to death of Elle having anything to do with the internet, especially social networking.
*I want her to know that her mom's favorite colors are pink and navy and that she can like any color, even brown like her daddy.
*I want her to develop healthy relationships with boys.
*I want to encourage Elle to do whatever she wants, but to also embrace her femininity (And I don't mean be a feminist.)
I'm sure there were other thoughts, but I don't have the book in front of me now. If you have a girl I would recommend at least looking at the book.
*I am going to be more conscious of the toys, movies, etc. that Elle plays with, especially considering the background and age they are meant for. For example, Barbies are out for a long time. Not that she's interested in them now, and I have fond memories of my time with Barbie, but they are being pushed toward a younger audience and she has less ambition that she used to so I'd rather wait.
*I think Elle has to be who she is, and if that's more girlie that's fine, but I want her to be smart about the choices she makes.
*I am scared to death of Elle having anything to do with the internet, especially social networking.
*I want her to know that her mom's favorite colors are pink and navy and that she can like any color, even brown like her daddy.
*I want her to develop healthy relationships with boys.
*I want to encourage Elle to do whatever she wants, but to also embrace her femininity (And I don't mean be a feminist.)
I'm sure there were other thoughts, but I don't have the book in front of me now. If you have a girl I would recommend at least looking at the book.
Monday, April 4, 2011
media literacy monday: environmental print and ml
Since media literacy is a newer topic for schools there aren't a lot of scope and sequences available, which makes it difficult to incorporate in younger grades because the it is still relatively unclear what skills preschoolers should master. For example, one popular lesson with students is to discuss toy commercials and point out what is real or not. However, this is difficult for some preschoolers because to them Elmo is real. They may not understand that Elmo can't come to class or to their house because he's real on TV. One easy way to address ML with younger students is to think about what you already do. In preschool and Kindergarten pre-reading activities include environmental print. This is showing students logos from popular places and household items and having them practice identifying them. Logos are meant to be instantly recognized and were developed when most of the population was illiterate as a way for people to recognize brands they could trust.
You can make easy flashcards by using gift cards.
Here's a few logos to practice with:
The Hobby Lobby logo is for my nephew who always pretends that's where he's going shopping. (Can you guess where his mom shops?) Elle recognized "Mickey Mouse", she said "french fries" for McDonalds, she got "cheers" for Cheerios, and said "Elmo" for Sesame Street.
You can make easy flashcards by using gift cards.
Here's a few logos to practice with:
The Hobby Lobby logo is for my nephew who always pretends that's where he's going shopping. (Can you guess where his mom shops?) Elle recognized "Mickey Mouse", she said "french fries" for McDonalds, she got "cheers" for Cheerios, and said "Elmo" for Sesame Street.
Monday, March 21, 2011
media literacy monday: so what?
Why do I care about media litearcy?
*We're bombarded by media images everyday from all kinds of sources TV, movies, magazines, billboards, score boards, radio, t-shirts, etc.
*I don't want my children, or anyone else, getting wrong information from one of these sources.
*It's important to be able to think critically about messages that you hear and see. You should be able to read between the lines.
*I don't want someone else telling me what's pretty, cool, good, healthy, right, Christian, etc.
*I want to have skills to succeed in the 21st century.
*I want students and my children to have the skills to succeed in the 21st century.
*I want people to quit sending me email forwards because they believe everything they say.
Here's a quiz to find out how media literate you are:
http://clpmag.org/quiz.php
I got a 70%, which I think is because I don't follow any news source most of the time. I hear the major stuff, but don't follow the rest of the story and do my own research enough sometimes to make an educated opinion. Need to work on that. Would love to hear how you do!
*We're bombarded by media images everyday from all kinds of sources TV, movies, magazines, billboards, score boards, radio, t-shirts, etc.
*I don't want my children, or anyone else, getting wrong information from one of these sources.
*It's important to be able to think critically about messages that you hear and see. You should be able to read between the lines.
*I don't want someone else telling me what's pretty, cool, good, healthy, right, Christian, etc.
*I want to have skills to succeed in the 21st century.
*I want students and my children to have the skills to succeed in the 21st century.
*I want people to quit sending me email forwards because they believe everything they say.
Here's a quiz to find out how media literate you are:
http://clpmag.org/quiz.php
I got a 70%, which I think is because I don't follow any news source most of the time. I hear the major stuff, but don't follow the rest of the story and do my own research enough sometimes to make an educated opinion. Need to work on that. Would love to hear how you do!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
media literacy mondays
This is a day late, but I wanted to go ahead a post it.
A little over a year ago I had the opportunity to take a class on media literacy at Baylor. It was a life changing experience for me and since then I've felt a calling to promote awareness about this topic. When I started the class I had no idea what "media literacy" was or what it had to do with education. Since then I constantly find areas where media literacy could be helpful (even in Christianity) and ideas of how to incorporate it into the classroom. It's one of those things I wish someone had told me about when I was in a K-12 classroom. So I've decided that on Mondays I'm going to share something about media literacy. Today I want to give a brief description of what media literacy is, hopefully giving you the general idea, but will expand on it each Monday.
Henry Giroux claims the term "literate" can no longer mean to teach and learn the culture of a book. When was the last time you went to a newspaper or book for information about a topic? Most likely you went to the the television or internet. Increasingly we are getting information from sources other than print, but we're not learning how to critically "read" the messages those sources, or media, are putting out. Therefore, in order to be considered literate you should not only be able to read and write print, but also be able to "read" and "write" media messages.
What is media? Here's a short list, but is not exhaustive:
media = TV, movies, radio, Internet, print ads, commercials, t-shirts, bumper stickers, magazines, video games, newspapers, bill boards, graphic novels…even my blog!
What's a definition of media literacy?
media literacy = the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce media; critically consume and create media (New Mexico Media Literacy Project)
What's up with media? Media concepts:
• All media messages are constructed.
• Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.
• Different people experience the same media message differently.
• Media have embedded values and points of view.
• Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power.
What does it look like to be media literate? First, you can deconstruct media with these questions:
1. Who created this message?
2. What techniques are used to attract my attention?
3. How might different people understand this message differently from me?
4. What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in or omitted from this message?
5. Why was this message sent?
*Then you can create your own media.
Here's some media literacy resources:
• Media Awareness Network
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/index.cfm
• New Mexico Media Literacy Project
http://www.nmmlp.org/index.html
• National Association for Media Literacy Education
http://www.namle.net/
• The Merchants of Cool video
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/view/
• PBS kids
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/media_lit/
This is a brief introduction, but, hopefully, it gave you a good idea of what this topic is about.
A little over a year ago I had the opportunity to take a class on media literacy at Baylor. It was a life changing experience for me and since then I've felt a calling to promote awareness about this topic. When I started the class I had no idea what "media literacy" was or what it had to do with education. Since then I constantly find areas where media literacy could be helpful (even in Christianity) and ideas of how to incorporate it into the classroom. It's one of those things I wish someone had told me about when I was in a K-12 classroom. So I've decided that on Mondays I'm going to share something about media literacy. Today I want to give a brief description of what media literacy is, hopefully giving you the general idea, but will expand on it each Monday.
Henry Giroux claims the term "literate" can no longer mean to teach and learn the culture of a book. When was the last time you went to a newspaper or book for information about a topic? Most likely you went to the the television or internet. Increasingly we are getting information from sources other than print, but we're not learning how to critically "read" the messages those sources, or media, are putting out. Therefore, in order to be considered literate you should not only be able to read and write print, but also be able to "read" and "write" media messages.
What is media? Here's a short list, but is not exhaustive:
media = TV, movies, radio, Internet, print ads, commercials, t-shirts, bumper stickers, magazines, video games, newspapers, bill boards, graphic novels…even my blog!
What's a definition of media literacy?
media literacy = the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce media; critically consume and create media (New Mexico Media Literacy Project)
What's up with media? Media concepts:
• All media messages are constructed.
• Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.
• Different people experience the same media message differently.
• Media have embedded values and points of view.
• Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power.
What does it look like to be media literate? First, you can deconstruct media with these questions:
1. Who created this message?
2. What techniques are used to attract my attention?
3. How might different people understand this message differently from me?
4. What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in or omitted from this message?
5. Why was this message sent?
*Then you can create your own media.
Here's some media literacy resources:
• Media Awareness Network
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/index.cfm
• New Mexico Media Literacy Project
http://www.nmmlp.org/index.html
• National Association for Media Literacy Education
http://www.namle.net/
• The Merchants of Cool video
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/view/
• PBS kids
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/media_lit/
This is a brief introduction, but, hopefully, it gave you a good idea of what this topic is about.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
the P word
It seems like lately everywhere you look the concept of a princess is being thrown at girls. Maybe this is more apparent to Chris and I because we have a girl, but it just seems like it's the thing that little girls are supposed to be into. On a recent trip into the Disney store I noticed half of it is devoted to selling the various princess movie merchandise. Parents magazine recently had two interesting articles devoted to the princess phenomenon. The first is titled the princess diaries and the latest article is an interview with the author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the New Girly-Girl Culture. I haven't read this book, but have it on reserve at the library. Both articles caution parents that the princess obsession may be pushing girls to grow up too fast and teaches them to value being spoiled, the bling, and narcissism.
I'm not saying Elle can't be into princess stuff (although the thought of it makes Chris' hernia hurt), but I want to make sure she understands what that means. I want her to focus on the good messages of the movies or stories, to learn the virtues that are imbedded in the fairy tale. Most of the stories have the underlying message that good triumphs over evil (and kindness to animals : ) ) and each of the characters hold certain virtues. Here's a short list based on the "Disney Princesses":
Belle- wisdom, philomathy, acceptance
Cinderella-hopefulness, kindness, perseverance
Snow White- optimism, cleanliness
Sleeping Beauty/Aurora- obedience, respectfulness
Ariel- curiosity, courage
Jasmine- self-respect
Pocahontas- courage, truthfulness
Mulan- honor, strength, courage
Tiana- determination
Rapunzel- loyalty, creativity (I haven't seen this movie, just going on what I've read)
I think many of the virtues can overlap princesses, but you get my point. I also think it's a good idea to talk about what a real-life princess does. It's not just about tea and pretty things. What good things have real life princesses done with their title? I'm not going to say they're perfect, but most princesses are involved in some charity work and are highly educated. (Did you know Princess Caroline has a degree in philosophy and can speak 5 languages?) The meaning of royal duties might also be a good topic to discuss. I've also seen that there is a christian children's book series called gigi: God's Little Princess, but I don't know anything else about it. This has just been on my mind lately and especially as Elle gets older.
I'm not saying Elle can't be into princess stuff (although the thought of it makes Chris' hernia hurt), but I want to make sure she understands what that means. I want her to focus on the good messages of the movies or stories, to learn the virtues that are imbedded in the fairy tale. Most of the stories have the underlying message that good triumphs over evil (and kindness to animals : ) ) and each of the characters hold certain virtues. Here's a short list based on the "Disney Princesses":
Belle- wisdom, philomathy, acceptance
Cinderella-hopefulness, kindness, perseverance
Snow White- optimism, cleanliness
Sleeping Beauty/Aurora- obedience, respectfulness
Ariel- curiosity, courage
Jasmine- self-respect
Pocahontas- courage, truthfulness
Mulan- honor, strength, courage
Tiana- determination
Rapunzel- loyalty, creativity (I haven't seen this movie, just going on what I've read)
I think many of the virtues can overlap princesses, but you get my point. I also think it's a good idea to talk about what a real-life princess does. It's not just about tea and pretty things. What good things have real life princesses done with their title? I'm not going to say they're perfect, but most princesses are involved in some charity work and are highly educated. (Did you know Princess Caroline has a degree in philosophy and can speak 5 languages?) The meaning of royal duties might also be a good topic to discuss. I've also seen that there is a christian children's book series called gigi: God's Little Princess, but I don't know anything else about it. This has just been on my mind lately and especially as Elle gets older.
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