Media Literacy in the K—12 Classroom

This title on media literacy is brimming with useful instructional material about self-assessments, web-based tools, sample lesson plans, and more. The volume could provide fodder for anything from a single instructional activity to an entire elective course, and it contains useful material for any educator teaching media literacy. This second edition has been updated and expanded, including material on the most recent presidential election. Baker's curricular outline includes a wealth of links to online resources, and the material aligns with professional standards from the International Society for Technology in Education and the National Council of Teachers of English. Teaching students to be critical when viewing films, TV, the Internet, and more is a challenging proposition in today's shifting landscape, and some of the book's visuals (for instance, a cigarette advertisement) may date quickly. The author provides an intellectual framework and vocabulary that is flexible enough to extend to user-generated content, but this warrants its own treatment in the next edition. Baker's clear approach will give educators the tools they need to help students examine what they see in the media, an especially important prospect as children and young adults consume fewer "big media" products and the power of gatekeepers wanes.