Ecomedia Literacy through Filmmaking: Ciena Challenge Grant
Just add the environment! This was my concept as I decided to take a deep dive into ecomedia literacy last fall with my videography classes. To each and every activity, project, and assignment I "added the environment". Since humans are the environment (not separate from as it can seems in language and other ways)--it was not difficult to find the means for students to adapt to this context. After-all, the environment is the issue of our times.
We are the environment, but if one is to believe everything in the media it soon becomes depressing and difficult to process with all the terrifying stories of natural disasters, climate catastrophe and the weakening of our natural world resources. This is especially rife for younger generations who have many fears and trepidation around this subject.
In the classroom we worked to bring new awareness to how media messages around the environment were produced and shared. This process included analyzing PSAs, recording student interviews, creating PSAs for the local Solid Waste Department, writing stories which became student productions and social media activities.
There were also collaborations with other institutions as well as data collection for use in future assessments and collaborations. All in all so much was learned by teachers, students, collaborators and community. I look forward to seeing my curriculum developed further to include this most important concepts of ecomedia literacy and that we have a way to extend their value to the youngest generations to help establish new norms for how we produce and share media around the environment.