Introduction and Chapter 1 Response

When reading Chapter 1, “Goals for Media Literacy Instruction,” of Richard Beach’s book the central question that kept my attention was the statement by the teacher at Eden Prairie High School regarding film in school and its supposed “low skill level.” This brought back my memories of high school where I had watched a number of movies. I agree with Beach in that media is amazingly popular among students today and “that will engage students to the extent that they will actually want to learn (4). I believe that film can be a very useful component to any class, however I think it’s important to use it correctly. I didn’t realize how crucial this was until I got to college. Up until then I thought of most of the times my class watched a movie in school as a “free days.” However, when there was discussion afterwards about what was just viewed I believe it becomes even more interesting and therefore more informative. In my opinion, the movie shown in class must be discussed otherwise its relevance is lost to most students and is rarely reflected upon.

Learning becomes fun once a student (such as myself) understands why films and other media create what they do. For example, through my education I am able to understand that films are inherently different than novels. I used to be so upset when I read a great book and the movie was incredibly different. It didn’t make sense to me! Why would the director of this movie not follow the script that is practically written for him already inside the novel? Well now I understand. I have been taught many things about media portrayal including that a film must consist of certain aspects in order to be popular and therefore if those aspects are not in the novel they must be added. The makers of the film are striving for movie popularity, not following the guidelines of the novel.

This being said, if a teacher does not facilitate discussion about the film the classroom has just viewed then maybe that Eden Prairie teacher was correct and there isn’t much learning going on. I believe it is important to get students to view the film while thinking about deeper aspects than simply being entertained. In looking at my views it is clear to me that I enjoy analyzing the “why” of a problem. Here it is “why” would someone write a book instead of create a film? (Or vice versa). This also relates to the other point I would like to address about Beach’s chapter.

Beach writes regarding video games, “far from focusing on the violence in the games, adolescents themselves describe how they are using certain games to develop certain literacies, learn about other cultures, and work online with others” (8). I still don’t understand how a violent video game can lead to developing literacies and learning about other cultures. I have played many video games including some violent ones (007 being my favorite) and although I do not consider myself a violent person nor do I focus on the violent aspects of the game, I’m not quite sure I believe these games have helped me in any relevant way directly related to my education.