The mainstream comics industry has been roundly (and justifiably) criticized for its problematic representation of women as well as its reluctance to acknowledge women as a fanbase with valid opinions.
Guest Post by Robin Brenner… This Summer’s Female Heroes: Fighting More Than One Battle (2)
By on August 29, 2012
Guest Post by Robin Brenner… This Summer’s Female Heroes: Fighting More Than One Battle (1)
By on August 27, 2012
Guest Post by Miguel Rodriguez: “Something is happening! Send your critical thinkers quick!”
By on August 23, 2012
Teaching Tips for Geek Gatherings
By on August 21, 2012
Scoop up as much swag as you can, no matter how junky or personally uninteresting you find a given property—in fact, I suggest bringing an extra bag just to cart this stuff back and give to students…
(Re)Connecting the Pop: The Hunger Games, Election 2012, Ray Bradbury, The Avengers
By on August 19, 2012
Lead With Your Feelings: A Counterintuitive Approach to Critical Thinking?
By on August 17, 2012
Critical thinking is not innately better suited to humorless grad students than, say, your typically expressive, bursting-with-emotions middle graders.
Guest Post by John Chase… Character Education: The Secret Benefit of Edtech and Media Literacy
By on August 15, 2012
College and career readiness is not simply about understanding a McGraw-Hill textbook or filling in the right bubble on a standardized test, but knowing how to behave and cooperate with people in the classroom and on the job.
Pop Culture Press Releases: Use These Real-World Models as Prompts to Writing and Critical Thinking
By on August 10, 2012
Want to support the persuasive writing skills of young pop culture geeks, and have them gain some media literate insights into entertainment marketing?
Quick Links: Free Online Movies That Connect to Literature
By on August 9, 2012
From Sendak to Shakespeare, and from cartoons to documentaries…
“Movie-Proofing”: An Engaging Way to Build Transliterate Connections Between Page and Screen
By on August 7, 2012
How to make sure that a ticket for a movie adaptation doesn’t simply translate to a decent score on a comprehension-based quiz on the source novel?
Seeing the Future Through the Lens of the Past: A Conversation with Brian Fies (Part 2)
By on August 3, 2012
“Every time I see a vehicle broken down on the side of the road, I reflect on what a truly terrible idea flying cars would be. That’s not a promise I seriously want kept.”
Seeing the Future Through the Lens of the Past: A Conversation with Brian Fies (Part 1)
By on August 1, 2012
Book Giveaway: The Stunning “The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy”
By on July 30, 2012
Mighty, Mighty Mythology: Everyday—and Olympian Level— Branding
By on July 27, 2012
The subject of branding is one way an educator can connect media literacy, the humanities (classical mythology), a fannish interest in sports, and the current events story that is the Olympics.
Superhero Fatigue… or, Does the Genre Even Benefit the Medium Where it Started?
By on July 26, 2012
Superheroes: Bigger Than Ever or Industry Obstacle—or Both?
Some Brief Thoughts on Media Violence and Critical Literacy
By on July 24, 2012
Set the tone for an authentic exchange about media violence, not simply one where young people mouth public niceties…
Guest Post by Caitlin Plovnick: The Universe Behind The Universe
By on July 20, 2012
When we provide graphic novels and comics, we should also be prepared to introduce curious readers to information about their history, how they are produced and who produces them.
How NOT To Teach Bestselling Books and Comics, or Hollywood Blockbusters
By on July 17, 2012
Years ago media literacy educators noticed something dismaying: kids were becoming downright cynical. Healthy skepticism had been replaced with a kind of universal suspicion. Today, some teachers might like to revive that approach…
Comic-Con Special: Buddy Scalera on How Young People Can Break Into the Biz
By on July 13, 2012
“You should look to publish your strips online or in some other way, so you can gain an appreciation for the process. Try to understand different aspects of how comics are created, so you know what other people in the process actually do. If you understand what other people do, you will improve your own craft.”
Guest Post by Maria Selke: Harnessing Fandom to Teach the Hero’s Journey
By on July 12, 2012
I’ve always been proud of my fandom, but I’m even more thrilled that it is a powerful tool for instruction in my classroom.
