Ohio State University--English 883C -- Spring Quarter 2000
Catharine Braun, "Screen Literacy"
This screen literacy project contains research into media literacy and education, as well as an original teaching module designed to 1) Introduce students in JCom 140: Living in the Information Age to the concept of literacy as it relates to the Internet, and 2) Introduce students to methods of critical analysis that can be applied to web pages. Included are links to online resources for media literacy, as well as links to online articles about media, literacy and education. Also included is a review of some of the literature regarding media education and a rationale for teaching screen literacy.
J Chambley, "Minding Our Screens: Re-visioning Knowledge Through Constructive Hypertexts"
This pilot study investigates the ways in which writers approach the processes of interpreting a set of textual fragments within a hypertextual environment. The results of the pilot have suggested that future trials will provide valuable data for reflection on our current questions about the value of constructive hypertexts in the composition classroom.
Doug Dangler and Haivan Hoang, "Visual Literacy"
Interested in how people interpret visual images of public events? This site offers a chance not only to see how scholars in the humanities make meaning out of pictures taken during a labor dispute on their campus but also to try your hand at making sense out of the same images. Preliminary results of this pilot study are discussed, as are some theories about how people intrepret and are affected by images.
Katarina Gephardt, "Virtual Slovakia: Language, Identity, Community"
In a case study of the small Central European country of Slovakia, this pilot research project examines how the literacy practices of individuals and organizations on the World Wide Web shape national identity, language use and sense of community. This website presents a project rationale, an overview of background sources, a brief annotated bibliography, analyses of several representative Slovak websites, and results of a survey of Slovak World Wide Web users.
Cindy Lum, "Media Literacy Education Project"
This research project on media literacy addresses the overlapping concerns of educators, parents, and students.First, it surveys definitions of media literacy, providing educators, parents, and students a basis upon which to construct their own concepts of media literacy. Next, the study establishes connections between media literacy and the various other literacies: print, visual, electronic, digital, technological, etc. Educators will be particularly interested in the site's brief history of media literacy education, a discussion of Marshall McLuhan's famous catchphrase, "the medium is the message," reasons for teaching media literacy, overview of media literacy education in the United States, and links to some media literacy resources for primary, secondary, and university level education (lesson plans, curriculum, courses). Parents should find interesting the materials regarding the importance of media literacy for children, including a discussion of media regulation and media literacy and some ideas for beginning media literacy education at home. Student will find it easy to relate to discussions of media literacy that evoke familiar media and texts such as recent commercials. They will also find short exercises to promote mindful awareness of media and media use and a link to a discussion list targeted to secondary (grades 9-12) education students. On an online resource page, readers will find useful links to other definitions of media literacy, exceptional media literacy websites, and media literacy discussion webs, listservs, and forums.