Shaping Youth BETA BLOG

“Neither left, nor right, but forward” is my ‘mama-media’ mantra in trying to impart the critical thinking skills necessary to make sense of historic election hoopla on all sides of the campaign circus.

As media trots out all the historic ‘firsts’ (first black, first female, first youth civic engagement en masse) the filters and niche-marketed spins make many eyes roll skyward, especially among those of us in the non-partisan realm.

How can we help kids to question assumptions and ‘stage-crafting’ when fun digital magic of Web 2.0 allows us to add our OWN name candidacy in believable bumper-sticker mode? What is ‘real?’ Or is it EVER?

With virtual petitioning ‘in-world’, mock-classroom elections, using mobile to mobilize, Scholastic Kid Reporters blogging, Nickelodeon kids voting, GovTweets twittering, and Facebook “widgets, and buttons and apps, oh, my!” it’s useful for folding into our “collective knowledge depository” as dear digital genius and pal Doug Engelbart might say. But sorting out the dynamics is another task!

Thankfully, colleague Frank Baker is helping educators and kids alike do just that, with his jam-packed link list of helpful resources compiled on his site, Media Literacy Clearinghouse. Frank Baker also has a fabulous article in this month’s Cable In The Classroom magazine called, “Lights, Camera, Debate: How to Watch the Presidential Debates from a Media Literacy Perspective.”

Who PAYS for the conventions and what influence might they have?

(The priceless cartoon at left is by Bruce Beatie of the Daytona Beach News-Journal) as seen on Frank Baker’s “Teaching the Conventions” site.

How should kids watch these extravaganzas with an ear and an eye toward who and what gets shown, heard, covered, amped, and spun into the web of social media? And moreover, how can we best teach kids to be aware of what doesn’t snare the spotlight? How can we begin to impart the concept of ‘what sells’ and propaganda?

There’s even a companion worksheet you can print out labeled Web Extra right below Frank’s article which looks like a ‘scorecard’ for kids to write-in favorite phrases and techniques of persuasion, glittering generalities, observations of rehearsed responses, camera cutaways, nonverbal language and expression, setting, pundit challenges and more.

Frank and I wrote the Common Sense Media tipsheet about Talking to your kids about Junk food advertising compiled from our articles and vast work in the commercial realm. So DO know that his links are solid, his tips are gold, and his spirit of “helping make sense of it all” is sublime. He also has an entire guide on deconstructing Political Campaigns & Advertising to “spot the spin” coming soon in pre-order mode…

Hmnn…I’ve got a virtual world project that might bring together a confluence of these election/civic ideas to test in a beta opportunity, seeding tween media literacy in the governmental process…so heads up, media literacy folks, I’ll be making some phone calls soon. Frank, you’re one of ‘em.

Another?

Dr. Renee Hobbs, Sherri Hope-Culver, Kelly Mendoza, and the gang at Media Education Lab at Temple University (of My Pop Studio acclaim) have joined with PBS Teachers online in a project called: “Access, Analyze, Act: A Blueprint for 21st Century Media Engagement”

It’s a very cool Web 2.0 way to make the elections relevant to teens tapping into their everyday life and social media skills. They’ve developed a free, online curriculum for middle to high schoolers (grade 7-12) to leverage the internet for engaging in political blogs, interactive quizzes, podcasts and web-based widgets…

“You can learn about issues and candidates with Ballotvox, Budget Hero, Campaign Audio, the Idea Generators, and You Decide. Track the candidates’ progress with the Interactive Map. Find out how your views align with those of the candidates using Select a Candidate and the Vote by Issue Quiz. Share your point of view using Ask Your Lawmaker, Get My Vote, the Idea Generators and You Decide.”

Love it. Excellent. In fact, any students that want to cross-post your findings on Shaping Youth, drop a comment on the blog and I’ll get back to you.

This could be a fun, effective manner to take the pulse of youth ongoing, as we begin to form our fall school year teen teams and special correspondents. Put your name in the hat! We’re “open for youth applications!”

We’re also looking for anyone currently on the floor at the GOP convention to cover your experiences there for the aftermath. (parent/child duo would be ideal, so any of you Scholastic kids or blogger teens, ping me!)

We have a father/son team reporting on impressions from the Democratic National Convention in Denver, offering a ‘green scene’ report card along with a gonzo journalism approach to scripted and choreographed moments, juxtaposed with free-flowing emotion, ideas and ideals. Heady stuff. Some hilarious. Some poignant. Very ‘Hunter S. Thompson’ in observational style…Fun!

Now we’d like to get the same take on the GOP, to stay balanced, so reader Charlie on the PA Turnpike, perhaps you and your son would like to take on the convention analysis in a guest post for us too? If not, anyone else? We have tons of readers in Minneapolis according to our analytics, so SOMEone must be there ready and willing to offer an ‘up close and personal’ point of view? Or just on the tube coverage itself? Do let me know…

Related Resources from Amy Jussel and Frank Baker

How Stuff Works: Political Conventions

Shaping Youth: Project Vote Smart: Youth Hub for Critical Thinking Skills

TechPresident: How the candidates are using the web and the web is using them

Personal Democracy Forum: Technology is changing politics

Weekly Readers’ Convention Page

Republican & Democratic Convention History 1856-2008

A History of Political Conventions (NYT)

1892 – 2008: The Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul Then and Now

PBS Teacher page for election resources/Frontline/World’s THE WORLD IS WATCHING

School Library Journal: Election 2008 book/video recommendations

Shaping Youth: Will Kids Pick the President?

Shaping Youth: GovTweets: A Snapshot of Election Dialogue

Shaping Youth: Did Jott the Vote Decide to Move On?

Shaping Youth: Using Mobile to Mobilize: Tapping Into Youth Info Needs

Teacher Tube

10 Questions for Candidates Project

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