21st Century Skills: do you know what those are?
Yes? No? Need help?......  Keep reading....

                                 21st Century Literacy Skills Include Media Literacy
"Most educators agree: we have moved from a print-centric to a visual culture. Our students come to school already media savvy--but not media literate. Are your teachers prepared to use the culture of young  people in the classroom? Do they know how to teach meaningful and relevant visual and media literacy? Teachers must be comfortable with new media, technology, and youth culture and how each fits  into 21st century classrooms.  If teachers aren't comfortable, or unfamiliar, they will not connect with their students.........If our students are going to be prepared for 21st century jobs in a global economy, they must have 21st century knowledge and skills, including the ability to think critically about the world around them, to critically question and view with an eye toward skepticism. Media literacy skills are what I teach." 
Frank W. Baker, media educator 

                                                      Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards*
                             The 2007 Media Literacy Winner...read more here

Read a review of my March presentation at the 2006 Florida Ed Tech Conference in Orlando, Florida


An open letter to educators from consultant Frank Baker:

Everywhere I go, teachers tell me that their students believe everything they see, read and hear.
Students today aren't applying the critical thinking skills we know they need in order to become
active, intelligent citizens and consumers of information.  Today's students only know what they
see on the screens (TV, computer, motion picture, video game) and they don't have a clue how
it got to the screen: the process. Media literacy, among other things, is about helping them
appreciate how media are constructed. When we "pull back the curtain,"  (on advertising, TV,
film, propaganda ) we help them better understand how media work to influence and persuade:
critical skills in a 21st century world.

Thanks for visiting my website, devoted to helping teachers (and students) 
better understand media, media literacy and its place in the classroom.

In 1999, I conducted a large study in which elements of  media literacy were identified
in almost every state's teaching standards. But teachers aren't necessarily receiving 
the training on how to implement media education.

I am honored to have been invited by the SC State Department of Education
to assist in rewriting English/Language Arts teaching standards. In support of those
standards, I conducted "Best Practices" workshops for teachers (in 2005, 2006 and 2008).
To read specifics on where media literacy fits in SC's standards, click here.

A number of large, national organizations now recognize, endorse and recommend media literacy. 
Among them:

American Association of School Librarians
American Academy of Pediatrics
Annenberg Public Policy Center
Cable In The Classroom
Carnegie Commission on Adolescent Development
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention 
College Board: Standards for College Success
International Reading Association 
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McRel)
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
National Council of Teachers of English 
National Council for the Social Studies 
National Middle School Association 
National PTA
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NcREL)
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
State Ed Tech Directors Assn (SETDA)
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

Yet, many educators still don't know what media literacy is nor do they know how 
to incorporate it into instruction.  That's why I created the Media Literacy Clearinghouse
website, and conduct workshops for educators across the U.S.

I am pleased that both the website and the workshops have received excellent reviews.

My work involves helping educators feel more comfortable with media literacy and 
demonstrating simple ways of integrating it into instruction.  I have personally designed
a number of hands-on interactive exercises that meet most state's teaching standards.

As part of my effort to get MORE media literacy into schools, I authored two books:
one for elementary (Coming Distractions: Questioning Movies) and one for secondary
(Political Campaigns and Political Advertising: A Media Literacy Guide). It is my hope
that more school libraries will consider the kinds of texts they should include in their
collections.

I invite you to contact me to discuss how I might help your teachers become better prepared
to help students learn 21st century literacies for 21st century jobs.

Please contact me, Frank Baker, for specifics:  fbaker1346@aol.com  or (803) 254-8987.
 


Learn how to bring Frank Baker, an award-winning*,
nationally recognized expert to your school or conference.....


In the film "The Wizard of Oz," Toto wisely pulls
back the curtain to reveal that the Wizard was in
fact a projected image, controlled by the man behind
the curtain.  Like Toto, I too help "pull back the curtain"
to reveal how the media works. I like to call it--
critical thinking about media messages.