Commission on Media

Function: The Commission on Media is a deliberative and advisory body which each year identifies and reports to the NCTE Executive Committee on key issues in the teaching of media; reviews what the Council has done concerning media during the year; and recommends new projects and persons who might undertake them. The Commission monitors current and projected NCTE publications (other than journals); suggests topics for future NCTE publications on media; and performs a similar role of review and recommendation for the NCTE Annual Convention program. Occasionally, the Commission undertakes further tasks and projects as approved by the Executive Committee.

What major actions or projects have been completed by your group since July 1, 2005?

Our commission’s largest activity has been launching the Media Literacy Award, the first of which will be given at the Nashville 2006 conference.  Submissions have been evaluated by the award committee, comprised of a sub-group comprised of Media Commission members. The award will be presented at the fall NCTE conference during the sharing session for the Assembly on Media Arts.

In addition, the commission planned proposed fall conference sessions where the focus will be on student multi-modal literacies. In particular, the proposed sessions will deal with literacies with which students are engaged after school, as well as providing teachers with potential classroom applications of these emergent technological literacies.

What projects, initiatives, or studies are “in progress” at this time?

This past year, the book Making Media Matter was submitted and approved for publication by NCTE press. Edited by Media Commission members Mary Christel and Scott Sullivan, this text is a compilation of exemplary media literacy lesson plans for K-16 classroom use. This publication is extremely important in addressing the literature gap on practical media applications (in both reading and composition) in the language arts classroom.

Another project underway is seeking to expand the Commission on Media’s web presence. One area in which this is being explored is the ongoing compilation of an annotated “best teacher resource” list. Rather than seeking to create a comprehensive database, we instead are seeking to identify key, proven resources for teacher use.

The commission has also been exploring the potential for partnerships with various professional organizations for media literacy sponsorships. One instance has been a concerted effort to bolster membership and visibility of the Assembly on Media Arts by partnering with the National Telemedia Council. Another is exploring commercial sponsorships to raise visibility of the Media Literacy award.

Finally, commission members have been actively researching and publishing in the areas of media literacy and adolescents, teacher education, and classroom instruction. A brief overview includes future representation in The Handbook of Teaching Literacy through the Visual and Communicative Arts, The Handbook of Adolescent Literacy, and Research in the Teaching of English.

David Bruce, Director