INDEX TO THIS EDITION:

1. CENTERpieces: News from the CML
2. New and Marked Down Teaching Resources
3. Calendar: National Media Education Conference Coming Up in June
4. TV to Tape -- Media Literacy and Violence Prevention
5. Download This! -- Images of Teens in the Media
6. Around the Media World -- Pearl Harbor

UPDATE ON WEBSITE CHANGES

Thanks to Corrine Thomas and Sarah Bordac for all their hard work on our continuing website revision. The first step was a "new look" and easier navigation for our on-line resource catalog. Because we are totally out of print catalogs (until next fall), we decided to update the web catalog before tackling another print edition. Now it's easier than ever to find the BEST and LATEST teaching resources

• by alphabetical title
• by curriculum area: language arts, social studies, health and the arts
• by grade level -- preK through College
• by topic or subject area -- from advertising to making media to violence in the media.

In addition there are cross-references of all Canadian published materials, new resources not in our print catalog, video/CDRom resources, CML's media literacy workshop kits, etc. Come and browse to see what's new: http://www.medialit.org/Catalog/catalog.htm

NEW VIDEOS/BOOKS ON ADVERTISING

The Center recently added not one but five new resources on the topic of advertising to our catalog distribution service. Exploring advertising is one of the most popular ways to "get into" media literacy so be sure to check the following URL for full descriptions of these new books and videos.

• Sell and Spin: A Video History of Advertising / suitable for middle school up
• Spin, Hype, Blitz: A Kid's Introduction to Advertising / a 15 minute video overview for upper elementary and middle school.
• Smoke and Mirrors: Media Literacy and Tobacco / A notebook of 16 lesson plans for middle school.
• Can't Buy My Love / The cogent analysis of feminist scholar Jean Kilbourne is now available in an affordable paperback book.
• No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies / Naomi Klein's best-selling analysis of global marketing issues, particularly to children and youth.

NATIONAL MEDIA EDUCATION CONFERENCE COMING UP IN JUNE!

It's not too late to register for the 2001 National Media Education Conference in Austin, Texas June 23-26, 2001. Keynoters Carlos Cortes (author of The Children are Watching: How the Media Teach about Diversity) and Canadian media literacy pioneer Neil Anderson head up the program which includes over 45 workshops, 7 expert panel presentations on hot topics in the field, a youth media camp, lunch-time networking, opportunity to preview video and CD Rom resources -- and more! CML president Liz Thoman will conduct a day-long pre-conference seminar with Renee Hobbs titled "Media Literacy 101" and executive director Tessa Jolls will coordinate a morning pre-conference seminar for administrators and principals. Highlight of the conference will be the Saturday night founding event of the new professional membership organization, the Alliance for a Media Literate America (A.M.L.A.).

If you didn't receive a registration brochure in the mail recently, then check the website below for complete online information and registration. Act NOW -- Early bird registration expires this weekend. http://www.nmec.org

COURT TV AND NEA TEAM UP FOR 'MIND OVER MEDIA'

Thursday afternoon May 24, Court TV will team up with the National Education Association to conduct a nationwide satellite broadcast on media literacy and violence prevention, the last in a series of programs in the NEA's Safe Schools Now project. You'll need a satellite connection to join in on the live taping but fortunately, Court TV will replay the entire program at 1 pm ET/PT on Saturday, May 26 as well as every Saturday in June at 4 am ET/PT. The program may be taped for educational use and saved in perpetuity. Tape it now and use it as a faculty in-service next fall. An excellent discussion guide, with dozens of recommended resources can be found at http://www.nea.org/safeschools/broadcast.html

IMAGES OF TEENS IN THE MEDIA

The fascination with youth in American popular culture has produced a split image of teenagers. On one hand, they're seen as the source of idealism and renewal; on the other hand, they are depicted as disruptive and degenerate. To explore this split with high school classes or teen groups, here are some resources:

1. "What's the Matter with Kids Today?: Images of Teenagers on Local and National News" is a report from a recent study of teens on television news at the Center for Media and Public Affairs. In addition to an excellent verbal report on the study, the following site has great graphs to make the numbers come alive for teens as well as their teachers. http://www.cmpa.com/Mediamon/mm091000.htm

2. Check out the series, "American High" (now on PBS / check your local station for day/time) which follows 12 teens in a Chicago suburban high school for their senior year. The teens were given video cameras to record their own lives and share their views of issues raised in the documentary. It's an amazing glimpse into the world our teens are growing up in. Plus at the end of each episode there's a short "Making of American High" clip that looks at the production/construction issues the producer and director faced in creating the series. Fascinating!

3. Helping kids to speak in their own voice is a major outcome of media literacy education. "Making Your Voice Heard: A Media Toolkit for Youth" is a wonderful website filled with activities and projects to help teens challenge negative portrayals, It comes from the Canadian Media Awareness Network, one of the best media literacy sites on the Internet. http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/med/comm/youth/toolkit/index3.htm

4. How adolescents actually use media in their lives is the subject of an article recently in the New York Times. "When It comes to TV, Coveted Adolescents Prove to be Unpredictable" is available online at http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/13/arts/13TEEN.html?pagewanted

PEARL HARBOR

The summer film blockbuster (so they say) opens this weekend around the country -- just in time for Memorial Day. It will provide a valuable "teachable moment" for young people to talk with or interview grandparents, great aunts/uncles, elderly neighbors, senior members of churches/synagogues, etc. about the REAL experience of Pearl Harbor. Whether or not they were actually in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, any one who was alive on that day has deep memories that are being lost daily as that generation ages and dies.

In addition to the movie itself, another resource to use is the actual account of the Pearl Harbor attack and Roosevelt's declaration of war as it was heard throughout the country on radio. It's easily available on the Audio CD that comes with WE INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST, a resource book/CD that provides the actual broadcasts of over 50 events that stopped our lives -- from the Hindenberg explosion to the death of JFK, Jr. There are six episodes on the CD related to WWII. For details of this resource scroll down to the second entry in CML's online catalog site listing resources about News and Politics: http://www.medialit.org/Catalog/newscitizen.htm

To subscribe to this E-Letter, go to: http://www.medialit.org/newsletter.html.

Information on how to unsubscribe is sent to the registered e-mail address upon registration and is also included at the bottom of CML E-Letters.

We do not share this list with any other organization.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS E-LETTER TO A COLLEAGUE. Or post it to listservs whose subscribers may be interested in this information. Thank you.

The CENTER FOR MEDIA LITERACY is a non-profit organization established to promote critical thinking about the media and to provide leadership, training and resources for media education in schools, religious and community organizations. In the global media culture of the 21st century, we believe in "empowerment through education" for children, young people and adults. We rely on tax-deductible grants and donations to sustain and expand our work. Thank you for your support. http://www.medialit.org/