Integrating Media Studies in the ELA Classroom

Perhaps one of the most powerful ways to integrate media, particularly film into the classroom is to use it to study the rules and manifestations of genre. Many students struggle with being able to identify certain indications of a specific genre in a text. For example, a western can be recognized by a hero character, some sort of quest or journey, and conflicts between good and evil. In reading a text, students may struggle identifying some of these more abstract concepts. Film and other media studies can be a great way to scaffold students in understanding these concepts.

One particular lesson, continuing with the theme of a wester, may revolve around the reading of Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." This text would probably be taught to advanced, older high school students. The text describes a young boys journey across Mexico with a band of scalpers. It is not your typical western story, but exemplifies some of the constructions of a genre. Students may struggle understanding how it fits into the genre. Instead of simply showing a film adaptation of the novel, which I don't think even exists, film can be used in another way to augment student understanding. The teacher can show other film westerns, including stereotypical John Wayne westerns. In this way, students will be able to visually see qualities of westerns. They will then hopefully be able to apply this analysis to the novel in order to make more sense of the action as a western.

In this way, media can be an extremely useful supplement to student learning in the classroom. Learning theory tells us that students learn more effectively when they are able to dually code information. By presenting a text in both written and visual form, students will be able to code it into their schemata in a more meaningful way. This will not only help students that are struggling in class, but also all students. For these reasons, and myriad others, media should be an integral part of all ELA classes.

My Media World

During a typical week I use more media than I am probably even aware of. I am an avid DVR TV watcher. My schedule is such that I am never home to watch TV during the prime time hours. In a given week, when the show is in season, I watch Heroes, Gilmore Girls, Lost, Friday Night Lights, The Office, My Name is Earl, and Lost, probably among others. I don't really watch much cable TV, except for shows and documentaries on TLC. Overall, I watch NBC, ABC, CW, and TLC most. I was surprised to find what corporations own these stations. AOL Time Warner owns the CW, Disney owns ABC, and General Electric owns NBC. These

I am also on the internet every day. My internet service provider is Comcast. I am generally dissatisfied with the customer service provided by Comcast, but there frankly are no other service providers in my area in Saint Paul.

I don't frequently listen to the radio, but when I do I usually listen to the Current on 89.3 which is owned my by Minneapolis Public Radio. I occassionally listen to Cities 97.1. More often than not though, I listen to music that I own on my iPod or computer. When I go to concerts, I usually see shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis. These shows are somtimes sponsored by radio stations, such as Drive 105. Drive 105 is owned by Disney, which is very interesting. I definitely wouldn't connect Disney with some of the concerts that I've attended recently.

The more I research, the more surprised I am by who owns what in the media. I can absolutely no idea that General Electric owned media. This just exemplifies our society's obsession with capitalism and wanting to own sales in this country. We must critically analyze the role that these corporations play in the content provided through these media.