Renee Hobbs spoke about "Critical Distancing and Participatory Immersion in Online Learning for Media Literacy." Paper presented at the 2007 ICA China Communication Forum, "Harmonious Society, Civil Society and the Media," Beijing, China. October 20, 2007.

1. Critical Distancing &
Participatory Immersion
in Online Learning
for Media Literacy
Renee Hobbs
Temple University
Beijing, China
October 20, 2007

2. Media Literacy
An expanded conceptualization of literacy,
emphasizing the ability to
access, analyze, evaluate and
communicate messages
in a wide variety of forms.

3. Media Literacy
An expanded conceptualization of literacy,
emphasizing the ability to
access, analyze, evaluate and
communicate messages
in a wide variety of forms.
Media Studies
Education, Learning
& Literacy

4. Media Literacy:
Emphasis on Metacognition
Non-Transparent Representations. Messages are
constructed representations with embedded values.
Symbol Systems. Media use unique languages, codes,
genres & conventions that shape content.
Socioeconomic Context. Messages are created and circulate
within a socio-political and economic context.
Meaning & Interpretation. People interpret messages using
lived experiences and prior knowledge.
Impact. Media messages can affect people’s attitudes and
behaviors.
--AMLA Core Principles, 2007

5. New Media Literacy:
Emphasis on Participation
• Play:Play: the capacity to experiment with one’s
surroundings as a form of problem-solving
Performance: the ability to adopt alternative
identities for the purpose of improvisation
Simulation: the ability to interpret and construct
dynamic models of real-world processes
Appropriation: the ability to meaningfully
sample and remix media content
--Jenkins, 2006, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture

6. My Pop Studio
http://mypopstudio.com
Launched in July 2006

7. Learning Goals
Users will understand…
1) that people make choices
when they construct media
and those choices shape
the form and content of
messages;
2) that there are values
present in media messages
that imply ideas about
people’s attitudes, lifestyle
and behaviors.

14. Combining
Creative Production
&
Critical Analysis• Functions of celebrity culture
• Music, marketing and emotion
• Time & choice in media consumption
• Media’s role in the construction of
personal and social identity
• Stereotyping/issues of representation
• Impact of multi-tasking on attention
• How digital media affects friendships
• The beauty ideal

15. A Model of Program Impact
Program Mediators
Primary
Outcomes
Secondary
Outcomes
Media Literacy
Activation of
Critical Thinking
Skills
Activation of
Creation
Skills
Sense of
Mastery/
Competence
Positive
Developmental
Outcomes
Recognition of
Constructedness
of Messages
Recognition of
Values
Messages
Metacognitive
Modeling
Knowledge
Transfer of
Skills to Media
Environment
Awareness of
Media’s Role in
Health
Proximal Distal
Repeated
Use
Participation in an Online Community
Activation of
Creation
Skills
Enjoyment/Play
Pleasure

16. The Balancing Act
http://mypopstudio.com
Critical Distancing:
Media Literacy Skills
Participatory Immersion:
Learning through Play

17. Appeal
N = 200 girls ages 10 - 12
Critical Distancing:
Media Literacy Skills
85%
GirlsGirls recognize the constructed nature of images
in magazines.

18. Appeal
N = 200 girls ages 10 - 12
Critical Distancing:
Media Literacy Skills
76%
Girls recognize that TV editing affects viewers’
perception of characters.

19. Appeal
N = 200 girls ages 10 - 12
Critical Distancing:
Media Literacy Skills
73%
Girls recognize that popular music expresses
value messages.

20. How to describe it?
Fun
69%
Creative
60%
Cool
52%
Tell a friend?
2007 study
n = 200 girls aged 10 - 12
Participatory Immersion:
Learning through Play

21. Although respondents were
eager
to interact with the online
game,
most did not understand that
the
website had an educational
purpose.
Participatory Immersion:
Play without Awareness of Learning?

22. “The point is to visit and see what you
can do.
You can design and be creative and if
you’re
really creative, you can be a designer
and this
will help the process.”
~ Corrina, 10, CA
“The [multi-tasking activity] is
educational, but it’s not like school and
math and stuff. It’s
educational for people who like cameras
and
celebrities.”
~ Jenna, 11, NY
Participatory Immersion:
Learning through Play

23. Games provide immersive
experiences
where users can experience flow
states that
create pleasure
Media literacy games can support
critical
thinking skills about mass media and
popular culture
…but immersion may work against
the process of developing
Participatory Immersion:
Learning through Play
Critical Distancing:
Media Literacy Skills

24. Next Steps for
Game Development
1. Modify online learning experience to
increase metacognition through the use of
flash video segments that foreground
key learning outcomes
2. Develop additional support materials to
enable teachers to incorporate MPS in
school and after-school technology education
programs

25. Next Steps for
Media Literacy Research
Explore how immersion works as a design feature of
games and how critical distancing works as a feature of
media literacy education
Develop theoretical models for understanding the role of
metacognition in the development of media literacy skills
Examine the role of context as a component of
metacognition

26. CONTACT:
Renee Hobbs
Temple University
Philadelphia PA
Email: renee.hobbs@temple.edu
Phone: (215) 204 4291
Web: http://mediaeducationlab.com