NAME: Dodie Ainslie
SCHOOL/ORGANIZATION: Broome Tioga BOCES
TITLE: Technology Integration Specialist
DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE: I support teachers in two districts, Union-Endicott and Binghamton, on integrating technology to enhance student learning. Currently, I’m focusing mostly on grades 6-12.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP INCLUDING MEDIA LITERACY?: I feel we need to start talking about citizenship, it isn’t just about digital citizenship, but being a good citizen throughout all your environments and communities. What we do to be productive and responsible citizens we should do in our physical and virtual communities. It’s when we put them in different boxes that we get in trouble because our students then see them as different and therefore can rationalize different behaviors.
My definition of citizenship is being a contributing positive citizen in your communities, both virtual and physical.
With media literacy, I believe it is about being critical consumers and creators of the media that permeates our life.
WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY AROUND THIS AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU?: In today’s society-- even more so-- it is critical that we embed citizenship and media literacy into all we do in schools. Our very society and communities depend on it! Whether lessons are intentionally embedded throughout the curriculum, or a class is designed for students to take in HS (or ideally both) our students need to learn how to ask questions about the media they see, hear and interact with. Media literacy allows us to be critical consumers of media so that we can act in our best interests, and be productive citizens.
WHAT ARE YOUR GO-TO RESOURCES?:
National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)
The Teacher’s Guide to Media Literacy by Scheibe and Rogow
Project Look Sharp
Be a Media Investigator
Common Sense Media
KQED Teach
WHY DID YOU APPLY TO WSKG’s PBS MEDIA LITERACY ACADEMY? WHAT IS A POSITIVE ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE SO FAR FOR YOU?: I’m always looking for opportunities to learn and grow, and as I feel this topic to be critical for our teachers to learn, I wanted to learn more myself. Whenever I am able to engage in these topics with my peers I learn more. I have enjoyed exploring the resources through micro-credentials. Also having teachers involved from the districts I work in will be beneficial for me as I move forward looking to bring these ideas to the region and my districts.
WHAT IS ONE SMALL STEP PEOPLE CAN TAKE TO BECOME MORE MEDIA LITERATE?: One small step to being media literate? Pause… If we all just paused for a brief moment when we saw media, we could start asking questions and be more of a critical consumer of the media that bombards us every minute of the day.
Email | dainslie@btboces.org
Twitter | @djainslie
Blog | https://www.mindfuledtech.com/
Learn more about WSKG’s PBS Media Literacy Academy here.