Apps and Online Resources for Teaching
Media Literacy
by Frank W. Baker
In 1998, I created
the
Media Literacy Clearinghouse website because I wanted to offer K-12
educators (and others) an online venue for locating appropriate resources that
would help in the teaching of media literacy. Thousands of teachers have
discovered the resources offered there. Over time, the site has grown and
includes more original content since its inception.
Since that time, the web has not only become larger, but also more interactive.
A large number of interactive, online websites and mobile device apps now offer teachers more
opportunities to engage students. What follows is a brief overview of some of
these:
PixStop (National Filmboard of Canada)
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The NFB’s recently launched PixStop app, designed for the iPad 2, allows your students to create their own short stop-motion films with ease and fluidity, and helps you integrate the films into classroom curriculum. PixStop is an intuitive learning tool with kid-friendly interfaces, and it’s easy-to-use for ages 10 and up—but even better: you can download PixStop from your iPad 2 for free! |
Action Movie FX for iPhone (Bad Robot
Interactive)
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This free app comes with two effects--a missile strike and a car crash. Simply hit record and film a scene, then use a slider to mark the point where you want the fx to start. Reviewed here. |
Gendered Advertising Remixer
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In a nutshell the app lets you re-combine video from ads directed at boys with audio from ads directed at girls (and vice versa) to create hilarious and insightful fair use mash-ups. It allows you to drag and drop clips from a library of 40 different gendered toy commercials into 800 possible remix combinations. Though it’s still in the early stages, the 1st beta version of the tool is ready for public testing. |
Webonauts Internet Academy (PBS Kids Go!)
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A new interactive, FREE online game for tweens called Webonauts Internet Academy has been launched. According to their website: “WIA is a web original game for PBS KIDS GO! that gives kids 8- to 10-year-old an opportunity to have some fun while exploring what it means to be a citizen in a web-infused‚ information-rich world. It is an engaging experience on its own but becomes all the more powerful when parents and teachers use game play as a springboard for conversations about media literacy and citizenship in the 21st Century.” |
Gamestar Mechanic (E-Line
Media and the Institute of Play)
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Gamestar Mechanic features three fully integrated components: Quests, with exciting adventure games that provide critical scaffolding for the core principles of game design; a Player Workshop, featuring easy-to-use drag-and-drop game creation tools; and Game Alley, a community where players can publish their games, discover, play and review the games of their peers and enter great game design competitions. |
Storyboard Generator
(Australian Centre for The Moving Image)
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This site, connected to the screen education curriculum in Australia, is produced by the Australian Centre for The Moving Image. The site says: "You can choose a script and create a storyboard. Try building your own storyboard using background location photographs. Once done, you can save and share your storyboard video with friends" |
Creating Your Own Animated
Movie (UK)
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At the heart of the Tate Movie Project is the website www.tatemovie.co.uk. Children will be able to be involved in the whole movie making process online, from the hand-drawn characters and plot twists, down to costumes and sound effects. When children enter the website they are welcomed by Ronnie, the animated “Movie Director”, alongside a host of other cartoon characters who will guide them through the process. The website has been designed to appeal to children aged 5-13 and will enable them to explore animation, scripting, editing and sound effects. Their creations and contributions to the movie are uploaded directly onto the website where they can interact with all the activities and resources it provides. (NOTE: related UK websites include Me & My Movie, http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/mymovie/ and FilmStreet http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/default.aspa ) |
Advertising Literacy for Tweens: Admongo (FTC)
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This online video game, located at http://admongo.gov, (with additional resources for parents and teachers) is designed for the tweenager. The online initiative is designed around three questions: who is responsible for the ad; what is the ad actually saying, and; what does the ad want me to do? According to the website: “Admongo.gov teaches kids to apply critical thinking skills through a series of fun and challenging interactive games.” Admongo was developed by the Federal Trade Commission in a partnership with Scholastic. |
MediaSmart A UK Website About Advertising
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MediaSmart is a curriculum initiative in the United Kingdom. It is aimed at students from 6 to 11 years old. The project was coproduced by an advertising organization. The games on the site can be found here: http://www.mediasmart.org.uk/kids-games.php Information for parents and teachers can also be found on the site. |
MyPopStudio: Media Literacy + Edutainment
(Media Education Lab)
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MyPop Studio (http://www.mediaeducationlab.org/my-pop-studio) is an online creative play experience for girls ages 9 - 14 that promotes media literacy with edutainment gaming. According to the site, girls can go "behind the scenes" to think critically about how media is created and to question the messages we see. Lesson plans and activities accompany the website and are available as free downloads to enhance the digital learning experience. |
Girl Power (Understanding Magazine Cover Image
Manipulation)
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The Girl Power website, from Sweden, http://demo.fb.se/e/girlpower/retouch/,starts with a photo of a teenaged girl dressed in a shirt and blue jeans. By clicking on a lengthy list, students can see what has been altered. The site uses digital manipulation to create a magazine cover of the girl. |
Cover Girl
Producer: Channel 4 Education (UK)
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Cover Girl: This media literacy game explores image manipulation by asking the player to take the role of a Photoshopper on a women's magazine. Players have to 'uglify or prettify' the celebrity according to be agenda. According to girlgamersuk.com: "teenagers can use the tools of the glossy magazines to airbrush wrinkles, add or remove cellulite, shade ribs, abs, pecs, noses and otherwise prettify or uglify the model to fit the magazine’s story of the week. The game is designed to show teenagers how these “perfect looks” are achieved and hopefully make them see glossy magazine pictures in a new light." |
Don’t Buy It!
Get Media Smart (PBS)
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PBS describes this site http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/ as “a media literacy Web site for young people that encourages users to think critically about media and become smart consumers. Activities on the site are designed to provide users with some of the skills and knowledge needed to question, analyze, interpret and evaluate media messages.” There are activities related to advertising, consumerism, and entertainment. Also included are resources for parents and teachers. |
You Are Here:
Where Kids Learn To Be Smarter Consumers
(FTC)
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According to the site, http://www.ftc.gov/youarehere/ “In our virtual mall, you can play games, design ads, chat with customers and store owners, and much more. You’ll learn key consumer concepts, such as how advertising affects you, how you benefit when businesses compete, how (and why) to protect your information, and how to spot scams. What better place to do it than at the mall!” The site is intended for students in 5th through 8th grade. The website also includes material for parents and teachers. |
Create Your Own
Comics
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The developer of
the website (www.MakeBelieveComix.com)
says: “I envisioned MakeBeliefsComix.com as a place
for you to come to and have fun by creating your own world of comic strips. My
hope is that by giving you a choice of characters with different moods and the
chance to write words and thoughts for them, you will tap into your creativity
and explore new possibilities.” Related site: http://www.scholastic.com/amulet/makeyourown/ |
Media Awareness Network produced games
A number of other
games have been created by the Canada based Media Awareness Network. A complete
list of these games can be found at:
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/index.cfm
