Abstract:

We find ourselves immersed in a culture of spoken media, written media and – like it or not – motion media. Just as we know that writing and speaking skills are keys to functioning in society, we must consider that the future demands proficiency in “mediating” as well. To do anything less leaves this powerful medium in the hands of a few.

By offering instruction in what basic cinematic language is, what it looks like and how it informs everyday teaching and learning, The Rosebud Institute seeks to make motion media literacy more broadly accessible, allowing us all to communicate and thrive in an increasingly media-saturated world.

Focusing on the results of a June 2010 pilot program – an intensive, week-long course for teachers and graduate students in education titled Media & The Moving Image – presentation topics will center around the efficacy of demystifying and deemphasizing the technical interface, in favor of a more basic exploration of reading and writing in a cinematic language.

Assessment of pilot program results will also include investigation of participants’ responses to two curriculum modules: one designed to intrinsically weave basic filmmaking into current curricula and another designed to instruct students on the how and why of managing their digital presence through the related use of ePortfolios.

Looking forward, program outcomes will be extrapolated across a vision for program modification, integration and expansion in order to effectively meet the needs of educators as well as the mediated learning abilities of their student communities.

Keywords:

media literacy, motion media, film, cinema, cinematic language, eportfolio, filmmaking, mediating, motion media literacy.