Media Education

Hi ACMEites,

I recently led eight ACME events in the Denver/Golden/Boulder area. If you live in Colorado, this email is for you.

One of the main purposes of my trip was to start a Colorado chapter of the Action Coalition for Media Education (ACME), and almost a hundred Coloradans have signed up as recognizing the need for independent media education in CO.

“Billions of dollars are made in shredding the Constitution.
Not a single penny is made in restoring the Constitution.”

Naomi Wolf - January 17, 2009
Big Picture Theater - Mad River Valley, Vermont

On Nov 12, 2008, at 10:15 AM, Valerie Baul wrote:
Wow...that was an amazing article, although very pessimistic about the future. I understand the problem, now what's the solution? Too many of our critiques these days simply line out the problem after problem after problem, but I see very few that actually offer viable and helpful solutions...I want solutions...not more focus on the problems...

On Nov 13, 2008, at 10:32 AM, Bob McCannon wrote:

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AN INVITATION . . . to affirm the role of news in the classroom
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The Media Giraffe Project at UMass Amherst, the Media Education Laboratory at Temple University and other collaborators invite you to to Philadelphia for some or all of Oct. 23-25 for a short, strategic convening of journalists, teachers, educational administrators, public policy researchers and engaged citizens. The topic: News literacy.

A former Los Angeles Times reporter has launched what he calls "an innovative program to help secondary-school students sort fact from fiction in the digital age." Alan C. Miller plans pilot projects in 2009. The "News Literacy Project" is backed by funding from the Ford Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The idea for the project arose from Alan Miller.s experience talking about his work and why journalism matters to 175 sixth graders at his daughter's middle school in Bethesda, Md. The first pilots will be in schools in New York City and Montgomery County, Md.

Hi ACME friends.

I trust everyone has had a fine summer.

Here's a suggested opening few weeks media/communications class activity.

Download and print out Barack Obama's presidential acceptance speech.

After teaching students to identify the language of persuasion, assign each of them a 1-2 paragraphs of the speech, and make a list of Obama's use of persuasive language - we have a list of more than 24 techniques at the web site available in a free downloadable two page format.

Discuss your findings together.

I've got one word for you.

Wow.

It is so good to be amongst old friends and colleagues here at the 4th National Conference on Media Reform.

Where to start?

"Nation" journalist John Nichols puts on his "What the FCC Is Going On" button with a giant white polar bear. Really!