All About Mentoring Spring 2011 - SUNY Empire State College

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their learning activities. In the case of digital
media studies receiving significant revision,
the largest problem we face is not in helping
students master new tools and incorporate
them into their learning; it is, rather, the
necessity of helping instructors prepare to
teach courses that include new and social
media. More often than not, the issues
that arise are related to the assessment of
learning within this new media environment.
Student transgressions with regard to the
use of the media are rarely technical. They
often occur due to the blurred lines between
ethical uses of media, intellectual property
rights, and the tension between “common
practices” and “academic expectations.”
One challenge we face is in analyzing,
evaluating, recognizing and implementing
the appropriate digital media tools and
technologies for teaching and learning
in higher education without succumbing
to the appeal of the shiniest new trend
of the moment. Another is assessing the
effectiveness of these degrees of literacy,
ensuring that they are not taught to the
detriment of deep learning in meaningful
topics, and providing learning experiences
that are rich in opportunities for research
and the development of critical thinking. A
key strategy for encouraging digital media
literacy is to place a strong emphasis on
acquiring the skill of learning to learn,
which is congruent with our commitment
to serving lifelong learners. Hobbs offers
the following chart (below) as a guide for
instructional practices for digital and media
literacy education (p. 23):
How might this translate into working
with a student in face-to-face, blended or
fully online studies The following studies
include most, if not all, of the practices
that may be applied using both individual
and group activities. Note that rather than
keeping a diary, students are presenting their
reflections in blog format or using other
digital and social media environments.
Digital Storytelling
Students in Digital Storytelling master at
least one new tool every two to three weeks.
In a distance learning environment, they do
not receive one-to-one tutorial assistance as
is common in the laboratory setting. Rather,
they are directed to seek tutorial assistance
in social media spaces such as YouTube,
how-to.com and other World Wide Web
Instructional Practices of Digital and Media Literacy Education
Keeping a Media-Use Diary
Using Information Search and Evaluation Strategies
Reading, Viewing, Listening and Discussing
Close Analysis
Cross-Media Comparison
Gaming, Simulation and Role-Playing
Multimedia Composition
Record-keeping activities help people keep track of media choices and
reflect on decisions about sharing and participation, deepening awareness
of personal habits.
Finding, evaluating and sharing content from a variety of sources helps
people explore diverse sources of information. Using search strategies
appropriate to one’s needs helps people make discriminating choices
about quality and relevance.
Active interpretation of texts helps people acquire new ideas, perspectives
and knowledge and make sense of it in relation to lived experience.
Dialogue and sharing help deepen understanding and appreciation.
Careful examination of the constructed nature of particular texts
encourages people to use critical questioning to examine the author’s
intent and issues of representation.
Comparing and contrasting two texts that address the same topic help
people develop critical thinking skills. By examining genre, purpose,
form and content, and point of view, people recognize how media shape
message content.
Playful activities promote imagination, creativity and decision-making
skills, supporting people’s reflective thinking about choices and
consequences.
Message composition using a combination of language, images, sound,
music, special effects and interactivity provides real-world experience
addressing a particular audience in a specific context to accomplish a
stated goal. Teamwork, collaboration and knowledge sharing enhance
creativity and deepen respect for the diverse talents of individuals.
suny empire state college • all about mentoring • issue 39 • spring 2011