PBS Teachers

Quiz Yourself: 

Getting 8 out of 12 answers correct on the first quiz, I was surprised where I’d gotten answers wrong. I was surprised by how long youths interact with printed media, using 38 minutes, as I would have expected it to be much lower, as well as radio usage. I am also surprised by the demographics of most and least exposed to media in a typical day, thinking Whites would encounter the most, not Hispanics, as population and wealth distribution would have a greater influence.

I have encountered 6 of the tools/examples in a classroom, after taking Skip Via’s Teaching with Technology class, qualifying as a Digital Tool Expert Educator, however that seems over simplifying. I understand the purpose of using media, and some of what media is available, but fully integration is something that is growing as I make plans, like using iPads for math lessons.

The Digital Media Landscape: 

In the “What is it?” Section, I explored the Center for Media Literacy ( http://www.medialit.org/ ). Their goal of educating the young by developing critical thinking through their Five Key Questions of Media Deconstruction, and their Five Core Concepts, found in their kits, was part of their basic framework, which permeates their many resources to educators.

Exploring the “How to use it?” Section, I looked at “Poducate Me” (
http://www.poducateme.com/guide/ ). The website explains to podcast users how to subscribe to them, create them, and share them within classrooms,

Exploring “Digital Directions Online” ( http://www.edweek.org/dd/ ) in the “Learn More Section,” I found a website that keeps educators up to date on newly emerging educational technology and their usage.

Exploring “TeacherTube” ( http://www.teachertube.com/ ) in the “Examples” section was a valuable resource of instructional videos accumulated by teachers and others, for education. A particularly interesting one was of Benjamin Franklin, with a man dressed as the United States Founder.

PBS Resources: 

Reviewing “NewsHour EXTRA: Media,” ( http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/students/media/ ) I found the program of Student Reporting Labs, to be a worthy option to offer High school students as they can learn media locally through their own nearby PBS station. The hands on experience in media creation informing themselves and others in the process, is an investment in learning by teaching. Learning media creation that is valuable to people to learning, as writing is to a person learning to read, and will help them be more selective consumers of media themselves.

Integrating Digital Content and Tools:

Having used Skype as part of my Cross-Cultural Communications class to interact with students from New Zealand, I think the suggestion of using it to have guest speakers is a great idea. A hindrance to having guest speakers has at times, been travel costs weighed against speaking for a short period, and this solves this well by being a free video service. Crossing greater distances with less costs opens an increasingly expansive level diversity of guest speakers with different perspectives to enrich student thinking. I would like to try this is my own classroom, perhaps with a sister-city classroom from another country.

In my Volcanoes, Glaciers and Earthquakes class, my classmates and I used remote devices to participate in poll assessments within the PowerPoint lecture. This was not only helpful to the teacher, but also fun for us as students. That through Poll Everywhere, I could use my cell phone for a remote polling device, would be a wonderful option, as technology is becoming ever more pervasive within classrooms. I can remember when not everyone had a cellular phone, and now elementary students as young as first grade do.