The Association for Media Literacy

Workshops

Workshops and seminars are an important part of the AML's work. Since 1978, we have organized over 200 presentations to educators, parents and students, ranging from forums on media ownership and control to workshops exploring the impact of media on children and youth. Members of the AML Executive have been invited to speak at conferences around the world, and for locally organized summer institutes, conferences, PD Days and university courses. Executive members have also been involved as consultants for school boards and for Ministries of Education, focusing on curriculum development, implementation and assessment.

The AML is happy to offer special media workshops for teachers and school boards, as well as parent and community groups. We can also tailor or develop workshops to meet your specific needs. Contact us at aml@interlog.com to learn about what the AML has to offer. Some of our recommended workshops are listed below.

Media Literacy: Getting Started in the Elementary and Secondary Classroom
From analyzing the appeal of Britney Spears to surfing hot new websites, media literacy is now an essential skill for coping with the information and knowledge-based society of the new millennium. Today educators must be both media literate and print literate. In this interactive workshop, the presenters will highlight successful classroom approaches for fulfilling the new Ministry of Education media expectations in language arts, both at the elementary and secondary levels. The workshop will introduce strategies for incorporating media analysis and production into the classroom. The workshop will also address the role of cross-disciplinary studies with an emphasis on integrating media literacy into English. In the last part of the workshop, participants, according to their orientation, will divide into either an elementary or secondary group.

Introduction to Media Education: Survival Skills for the New Millennium
Consider this an opportunity to experience an overview of media education. Content would include: formulating a rationale for media education; background and application of the key concepts of media in the classroom; making the case for the importance of media production; and working with teachable media moments to enhance exemplary practices and to develop an appropriate critical pedagogy. Finally, the workshop will address essential support resources, varieties of course organization and dealing with concerns of copyright.

Introduction to Media Literacy: Reaching the Tween Audience
In this overview workshop, we will learn about viable ways of implementing media literacy in the classroom. The session will cover key concepts of media, the role of production, working with recent teachable media moments, and using appropriate resources. Special consideration will be given to the current marketing practices used to attract the "tween audience" through successful media phenomena such as Pokemon, video games, Harry Potter and Britney Spears.

Solutions to Teaching the Media Strand in English: How to make it both practical and challenging
While it is easy to do some predictable fill-in-the-time media activities to address the media strand, we believe it is of paramount importance to find innovative ways of working with today’s teachable media moments. This workshop is designed to show teachers how to develop a variety of short, practical media units following curriculum expectations and to use the key concepts of media analysis. Throughout this workshop we will make the important case for a) demonstrating that the media strand will effectively address the expectations for all strands in the English curriculum and b) that media studies will facilitate the integration of key elements within English courses such as film-literature comparisons, varieties of narration and the structural principles of myth.

Teen Identity and Marketing: The Construction of Cool
This workshop will look at the world of logos and branding and the role of cool hunters, public relations agencies and spin doctors in influencing public opinion and, more specifically, teen consumption. Finally, we will offer some empowering opportunities for student resistance to the global trends associated with corporatization. Both global and yet personal in outlook, this is a compelling, socially relevant topic for investigation.

Coping with Media Controversies: Sex, Violence and New Technologies
The mass media and popular culture are often blamed for sending negative messages to young people about irresponsible sexuality, racism and oppressive violence. While these may be mass mediated dangers, the presenter will try to take a balanced view on these issues and argue that central to dealing with these challenges is the need for media and digital literacy in the classroom These critical and cultural tools will enable us to cut through the clutter of hype, misinformation and moral panics.

Education for a Digital world: Developing New Critical Literacies and New Curriculum
Educators acknowledge that we are living in an information and knowledge society in which new and converging technologies are impacting on schools, library resource centres, the work place and our homes. What is currently lacking is the critical thinking and combined media and information literacies which will allow us to understand the social, political and commercial implications. Case studies range from the discourses associated with marketing of computers to the media implications of living in the world in the wake of Sept. 11th. This presentation will make the case for implementing a spectrum of skills and cross - disciplinary insights that will enable our students to cope with our mediated world.

Media Literacy in the Classroom: From Harry Potter to the latest Teen Flick
Media literacy is now considered an essential program in education today for coping with the information and knowledge society of the new millennium. Students are totally immersed in the mass media and popular culture and educators must be both media literate and print literate. This interactive workshop will stress the art of the film through introducing the key concepts of media, including codes and conventions, special cinematic techniques, audience response and film marketing. Most of the examples will be drawn from both feature and short films. Some time will be spent in exploring how to introduce media literacy in the classroom and how to use currently available resources for media teachers.

Media literacy, Global Issues and Social Justice: Bringing the World into the Classroom
Since 9/11, many educators around the world have altered their courses of study to embrace a global perspective in education. It seems that more than ever, we need the resources of global education and the insights of media literacy to help our young people gain the knowledge and develop the values, attitudes and skills to be effective participants in a world rapidly becoming more interdependent and interconnected. What does this mean for educators today? Using relevant print resources and film and video clips, the workshop will explore the implications of a “global consciousness” for educators and for students. Teachers will be introduced to a number of strategies and resources for engaging students in media literacy, global citizenship and social justice.