Learning objectives
The course aims to achieve the following objectives, aligned to the "Dublin descriptors":
1. To know the basic terminology and concepts of media pedagogy and media literacy education, as well as their historical development.
2.1. To critically analyze and elaborate the concepts studied, linking themes, authors and trends.
2.2. To connect the theories to typical cases of media-educational work, analyzed and understood with the conceptual tools of the discipline.
3. To critically analyze mainstream media texts, and the processes/products of media literacy education activities.
4. To communicate in oral and multimedia format their own thoughts on the studied issues.
Prerequisites
The course requires the prior knowledge of terms, concepts and theories of theory of education, social pedagogy, teaching methods and educational design.
Course unit content
The course aims to reconstruct the essential lines of the theoretical profile of media education, and then focus on its design and evaluation in different educational contexts. In particular, it will discuss and study on the issue of "best practices" and quality media education, looking for criteria and indicators applicable in schools and other services aimed at children, adolescents, adults.
Full programme
The course is divided into three parts:
- In the first, it will present media education, with its theories (inoculatory approach, media literacy and media competence in particular) and the most common practices;
- In the second, the focus will be on the steps and methods to desing, assess, evaluate, document and fund media literacy projects;
- In the third, we will explore the problems of quality MLE, searching for criteria and indicators to recognise the so called "good practices".
Bibliography
Mandatory texts:
1. D. Buckingham, Media education. Alfabetizzazione, apprendimento e cultura contemporanea, Trento, Erickson, 2006.
2. D. Felini, Crossing the Bridge: Literacy between School Education and Contemporary Cultures, in J. Flood, S. Brice Heath e D. Lapp (a cura di), Handbook of Research on Teaching Literacy Through the Communicative and Visual Arts, New York-London, Erlbaum, 2008, pp. 19-26 (disponibile nel corso online su Moodle).
3. D. Felini e R. Trinchero (a cura di), Progettare la media education, Milano, FrancoAngeli, in corso di pubblicazione: uscita prevista per fine marzo 2015.
4. A. Parola e M. Ranieri, The Practice of Media Education: International Research on Six European Countries, "Journal of Media Literacy Education", 2011, 2, pp. 90-100, online: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jmle/vol3/iss2/4/.
5. F. Coffield e S. Edward, Rolling out ‘good’, ‘best’ and ‘excellent’ practice. What next? Perfect practice?, “British Educational Research Journal”, 2009, 1, pp. 371-390 (disponibile nel corso online su Moodle).
6. D. Felini, Quality Media Literacy Education. A Tool for Teachers and Teacher Educators of Italian Elementary Schools, "Journal of Media Literacy Education", 2014, 1, pp. 28-43, online: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jmle/vol6/iss1/3.
7. materiali didattici caricati nel corso online di Pedagogia dei media su http://elly.alef.unipr.it/ (in particolare, tutti quelli presenti nelle sezioni 4, 5 e 6).
One book to be chosen among:
• D. Boyd, It's Complicated. La vita sociale degli adolescenti sul web, Roma, Castelvecchi, 2014.
• M. Gui, A dieta di media. Comunicazione e qualità della vita, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014.
• G. Riva, Nativi digitali. Crescere e apprendere nel mondo dei nuovi media, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014.
• S. Livingstone, Ragazzi online. Crescere con internet nella società digitale, Milano, Vita e Pensiero, 2010.
• A.B. Jordan e D. Romer (a cura di), Media and the Well-Being of Children and Adolescents, Oxford-New York, Oxford University Press, 2014.
• D. Felini (a cura di), Video game education, Milano, Unicopli, 2012.
• F. Colombo, Il paese leggero. Gli italiani e i media tra contestazione e riflusso, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2012.
• S. Goodman, Teaching Youth Media. A Critical Guide to Literacy, Video Production, and Social Change, New York, Teachers College Press, 2003.
• R. Hobbs e D. Cooper Moore, Discovering Media Literacy. Teaching Digital Media and Popular Culture in Elementary School, Thousand Oaks (California), Corwin Press, 2013.
Teaching methods
Oral lesson, role-playing, group discussion, project work, online collaborative work.
Assessment methods and criteria
The final evaluation will take place through an oral examination, which also considers the term papers carried out by the students.
The questions concern the concepts of media literacy education, the connection between terms, concepts, theories, and trends, and the link between theories and typical media literacy education experiences in different contexts and with different audiences.
The examination which shows, with proper language and terminology, the understanding of the basic concepts is considered sufficient. The appropriate reference to authors and trends, the connection or comparison between theories, and the application of theory to practice (and vice versa) are elements that concur to determine a grade above satisfactory.
