UNIT 1: What is Digital Media?
Return To: Alyssa Staino Mini-Course | Integrating Digital Media
Overview
Digital media is increasingly present in kids' formal and informal educational settings, becoming as common as pencils and notebooks were to their parents. Yet in many American classrooms and homes, these high-tech tools are severely limited or forbidden. Teachers and parents wonder: What are students doing with these technologies? In this unit, we explore the similarities and differences between traditional versus digital media, and we will brainstorm ideas surrounding which digital media outlets you can use in your classrooms.
Unit Objective: By the end of the unit, participants will be able to define media, and key terms related to media; and identify types of digital media.
Reminder
In order to complete this course, you are going to need to utilize a Google Doc that you can access here:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tkb5rEYE1lsXa_qlnGXh38F0fupy45PWMHZnX-BgKqs/edit?usp=sharing . Copy and paste the information into your own Document so that you have a running record of your thought process as this course moves forward. If you need assistance with creating your own document, please consider visiting the link below:
Google Docs - Learn the Basics
Key Terms
Media: form of communication through visuals, language, and/or sound where the producers are not in the same physical space as the receiver(s) of those messages.
Digital Media: audio, video, and photo content that has been encoded
Media Literacy: the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce communication in a variety of forms, and includes capabilities such as comprehension, collaboration, reflection, and social action.
The Nitty Gritty
When thinking about media, many things may come to mind because media can mean something different from generation to generation. Please open up your Google document, and access UNIT 1: What is Digital Media?
1. Set aside 3-5 minutes, and jot down what media means to you. What is your definition of media? What experiences have you had with media?
2. When your time is up, read over what you've gathered and reflect upon what your responses might say about you, your generation, and the impact it has on your teaching.
3. Watch the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY8afG0vlsU , and create a definition for what is media vs digital media?
4. Visit the following link: https://padlet.com/alyssa_staino/digitalmedia , and post your response to the following questions: what types of digital media can YOU use in your classrooms? Take a look at the other responses also!
Synthesis
Reflect upon the ideas in the video, and those of your classmates.
What might digital media look like in your classroom?
How has media changed from your generation to that of your students?
Can you envision yourself using digital media to further enhance your students’ abilities?