Final Project Ideas

Final Project Ideas 



As explained during class, I will be creating a news blog for my students to fill out every week. This is based on my beliefs that students learn over time and with reflection and that students like to learn and think in public, but specifically using technology. My students are much more willing to share and expand on their thoughts using technology than speaking face to face. While this is something I'm working on improving with my students, I want them to be able to think critically in a space that is comfortable for them. They will be asked to select a news article and discuss things they notice about it: what do you know about the news source, news topic, how the article was put together, how they cite/explain evidence and other elements that bring a news story together. I also want them to practice regularly reading/digesting the news. I will not require them to do specifically an article. If they want to use a video or podcast, they can do that. It's important that they tap into that curiosity and become self-sustaining learners. This allows them to be more engaged citizens once they are able to vote, which I am constantly explaining to them is crucial for a functional society. My slideshow will explain my media journey as a journalist and a teacher, and how my beliefs have informed both careers. I began thinking about media literacy as a journalist, where I observed a severe lack of understanding of how the media works and what qualifies as real news. We are seeing an all-time low of trust towards the media and it has seriously impacted the well being of our country. It's gotten to the point where we've seen countless people die because of this lack of trust, which really culminated in the disaster of vaccination hesitancy. I realized that media literacy is not something that is structured in our schools and is left to teachers to figure out on their own. While I certainly am figuring it out on my own, I want my students to truly grasp what they're reading and why. This project will be a good step in that direction.

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