INDEX TO THIS EDITION:

• CENTERpieces: news from & about the CML
• CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS: AMLA's new student media festival
• RESOURCES: CML fall update flier now available
• DOWNLOAD THIS: studies and reports for your interest and professional development
• NEW ADDRESS

1. MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE TO SPONSOR FREE MEDIA LITERACY INSTITUTE

California public school teachers have a wonderful new media literacy training opportunity sponsored by the Museum of Tolerance and featuring workshops developed by the Center for Media Literacy. The two-day "Tools for Tolerance for Educators" program, "A Special Institute on Media Literacy: How to Empower Youth to Make Sense of Our Media World" is offered free of charge to K-12 educators in California. Institute sessions held on January 26 and 27 in Los Angeles will address the impact of the media's role in representing society and the challenges this presents for anti-bias education.

The institute will provide a framework to use in deconstructing and constructing media, tie together key ideas about diversity and representation, and present practical lessons and activities for classroom use. Participants will have the chance to view the museum's outstanding exhibitions and explore stereotyping with Carlos E. Cortes, author of Children are Watching -- How the Media Teach About Diversity. Registration requires a refundable $10 deposit -- and includes travel and hotel accommodations for one evening along with some meals (conditions and restrictions apply). Contact Tools for Tolerance for Educators at: (310)772-7625, or email mot@wiesenthal.net for additional details and to obtain a registration form for this exciting event on how to help children navigate our 21st century media culture!

2. A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO NORMAN FELTON

Thanks to the continued generosity of Norman Felton, CML is able to continue and even expand its teacher training plans for 2003. Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to Mr. Felton for his long-standing commitment to media literacy and support of the Center's work throughout the years.

3. ARTICLE LOOKS AT MEDIA LITERACY IN THE ESL CLASSROOM

CML founder Elizabeth Thoman contributed to an article in the April edition of Language Magazine on the cautions and benefits of using media and media literacy in the ESL classroom. Interestingly, international students often learn English from different forms of American media. However, Thoman articulates that the value systems of students from other cultures may be vastly different from our media-savvy society -- and therefore "foreign students need critical skills to see through the images of American culture."

4. CML PARTICIPATES IN MORAL IMAGINATION ROUND TABLE

In mid-October, religious communicators from across the country gathered In Los Angeles for "Imagination Convergence: Hollywood and the Moral Imagination," a day of reflection and exploration of creativity and the moral/ethical imagination in film and television. As the final event, CML participated in a lively "Hollywood Round Robin" along with other groups active in the Hollywood community. The convergence, sponsored by Cine&Media, featured participants such as Rev. Peter Malone and Rose Pacatte, FSP, authors of Lights, Camera...Faith! A Movie Lectionary, Cycles A and B -- and Manuel Valente, author of More Than a Movie: Ethics in Entertainment.

5. AEROSPACE INDUSTRY IDENTIFIES NEED FOR MEDIA LITERACY

CML president, Tessa Jolls contributed to another important round table discussion in October on the relationship between media and children's career goals. "AeroExpo 2002" explored ways that the aerospace industry can attract young people's attention and expose them to technology-oriented professions. Media and media literacy were isolated as key tools for depicting technical careers more realistically and challenging negative stereotypes often associated with the field of science. Significant issues to support in K-12 education were identified as teaching the media literacy framework, providing schools with technological infrastructures, and supporting professional development in media literacy for educators.

1. A.M.L.A. INVITES ENTRIES IN NEW STUDENT MEDIA FESTIVAL

Get your students started on creative media projects now for entry in a new student media festival announced recently by the Alliance for a Media Literate America (AMLA). Winners (and their teachers) will be showcased at the Festival to be held on opening night of AMLA's 2003 National Media Education Conference in Baltimore from June 28--July 1, 2003. Original, student-produced work may include posters, audio recordings, websites, PSA's in any media format, video/film or photography projects and cartoons. Entries will be judged in 5 age/grade levels from kindergarten to college! Project topics must involve the conference theme of "Literacy and Liberty: Rights, Roles and Responsibilities in a Media Age" and submissions must Be received by March 8. There is no entrance fee for the festival but the teacher must be an active member of AMLA to submit student work. (What? You're not a member yet? Join today!) For more information on AMLA membership and details on this excellent professional conference as well as judging criteria, guidelines and entry forms for the competition, log onto: www.AMLAinfo.org

CML's colorful fall "update flier" with over 40 new books, videos and classroom curriculum is now available! If you have not received a print copy, be sure to request one at: http://www.medialit.org/Catalog/catalogform.htm.

Our diverse line-up of classroom-friendly resources and references includes new divisions in: Photography:

I Wanna Take Me a Picture: Teaching Photography and Writing to Children
Rainbow of Dreams: Memories in Black and White -- an engaging, cross-curricular multimedia-photography project
Picturing the Century -- 157 images from the National Archives depicting momentous events of 20th Century America

Talking Radio: An Oral History of American Radio in the Television Age
Making Waves: The 50 Greatest Women in Radio and Television
The Battle Over Citizen Kane -- William Randolph Hearst and Orson Welles' power struggle over the classic film
Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year -- 2002 Edition
Television: Window to the World

Out of Thin Air

The Merchants of Cool -- an exploration of marketing to teens
The Monster That Ate Hollywood -- a look at movie industry economics
Dot Con -- a timely examination of how and why the Internet bubble burst

1. CABLE IN THE CLASSROOM RELEASES MEDIA LITERACY REPORT

With contributions from Robert Kubey, David Considine, Linda Bergsma, Milton Chen, Neil Anderson and Folami Prescott-Adams, Cable in the Classroom's October report "Thinking Critically About Media" is Essential reading for anyone looking to understand the importance of media Literacy in the U.S. The authors, all leading media literacy scholars and experts, conduct thoughtful discussion on why media literacy is lacking in this country (particularly as compared to Canada, Australia, England and Scotland) -- and explore practical suggestions for addressing the problem.

2. MEDIA SYLLABUS INSTITUTED IN AUSTRALIA

Taking a progressive stance toward media literacy implementation, Queensland, Australia now interweaves media education into the arts curriculum of children in school years one through seven. Part of their new Arts Syllabus is a well developed media strand including "big idea" learning objectives, guidelines for students to engage in and respond to media -- and clearly articulated media experiences that children can participate in at each "Media Level" (or year). Particularly helpful for U.S. teachers, is their document of "elaborations" on the media goals associated with each year. This can be found at: http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/yrs1_10/kla/arts/pdf/elab_me.pdf

3. KFF GATHERS KEY FACTS ON CHILDREN AND VIDEO GAMES

As the first in their series of fact sheets on topics related to children, media and health, the Kaiser Family Foundation has released key data on "Children and Video Games." Both informative and easy-to-read, the document presents information on how much time children spend playing video games, their video game preferences, game content, effects of playing video games -- and how games are rated. http://www.kff.org/content/2002/3271/Video_Game_Key_Facts.pdf

4. SUBSTANCE USE IN POPULAR MUSIC VIDEOS EXPLORED

Health and media educators have a strong new reference in the study, "Substance Use in Popular Music Videos," sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy with researchers from Stanford University, Lewis and Clark College and Mediascope. This third in a series of examinations of media's substance portrayals produced many interesting findings including that substances were depicted less in music videos than in movies or television -- and that alcohol was the substance seen most (followed by tobacco). Review the full report at: http://www.mediacampaign.org/pdf/mediascope.pdf A study on substance abuse in popular movies and music can be found at: http://www.mediacampaign.org/publications/movies/movie_toc.html

5. THE MINORITY REPORT -- A LOOK AT WOMEN COMMUNICATIONS EXECS

Although there are women executives in the fields of communications and e-commerce, according to analysis conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, "men account for more than three in four of the top executive positions across four different communication company sectors." Key findings include that women are most prevalent in publishing organizations -- but interestingly, some communications companies seemingly have no female board members, at all! http://www.appcpenn.org/reports/2002/glass-ceiling-v2.pdf

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The CENTER FOR MEDIA LITERACY is a non-profit organization established to promote critical thinking about the media and to provide leadership, training and resources for media education in schools, religious and community organizations.

In the global media culture of the 21st century, we believe in empowerment through education for children, young people and adults.

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PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS:

WORKING TOGETHER TO SERVE YOU BETTER

CML will continue to select, evaluate and recommend quality media literacy teaching resources. GPN will provide order fulfillment, e-commerce and customer service from their centralized location at Nebraska Educational Telecommunications & University of Nebraska in Lincoln. This new arrangement will make it easier for CML to focus on and nurture the development and production of new materials.

For catalog orders and customer service, contact GPN. You will receive your shipment and invoice from GPN.

GPN Educational Media A Service agency of University of Nebraska-Lincoln
P.O. Box 80669
Lincoln, NE 68501-0669
Tel: 800-228-4630 Fax: 800-306-2330
E-mail: gpn@unl.edu Web: http://gpn.unl.edu