Powerful+Voices+for+Kids

Armando Morales, Angela Carter, Molly Malone, Mia Spadoni, Colleen Quinn, Kelly McNamara
 * Project Title/Team Members: Powerful Voices for Kids**

What does the footage from the PVK camp tell us about how elementary school children develop media literacy skills? What are the characteristics of the MLE learner? Is there evidence of creativity, curiosity, enjoyment, engagement, etc.? How are students using popular culture texts in the classroom? ** How are students critically analyzing media? What skills are children using to analyze and express ideas? (reflecting, summarizing, synthesizing, drawing comparisons, sharing ideas, listening, reasoning leading to conclusions, identifying biases, gathering information, evaluating arguments, challenging perspectives, identifying patterns, making predictions, communicating with others to solve problems, raising questions, etc.) What specific language are students using that would indicate an understanding of the media literacy core concepts?
 * Key Ideas from the Literature:**
 * NAMLE's //Core Principles of Media Literacy//: Do the children express versions of these principles in their videos through performance, talk, or behind-the-scenes production work?
 * Tobias, //Culturally Relevant Pedagogy//: What pedagogies do the instructors at PVK seem to employ? Critical thinking, critical pedagogy, art/aesthetic?
 * Goodman, //Teaching Youth Media//: Production model for inner-city youth programs. What are some similarities and differences between PVK videos and Goodman's documentary production model?
 * Hobbs, //Seven Great Debates//: Does the use of popular culture texts increase the PVK kids' critical talk about certain media issues? (I.e. the Rihanna vs. Chris Brown videos).
 * Hobbs, //Reading the Media//: Are there any noticeable combinations of standard print literacy with media literacy (as with the Concord High English 11 class)? If so, does this increase critical talk? Is there an argument for implementing MLE curricula within standard print literacy or language arts curricula at Russell Byers Charter School?
 * Turnbull, //Dealing with Feeling//: How often (if at all) do students bring their personal lives and personal media experience into the discussion?
 * Masterman, //Teaching the Media//: To what extent do the students express Masterman's core concepts, such as ideology, genre, construction, non-verbal communication, narrative, participation/access/control? (pgs.23-24).
 * Big Research Question:**
 * Focused Questions to Explore:

We will conduct a content analysis of the 116 videos uploaded to the PVK YouTube Channel. Group members will work in teams of two to view and code a roughly equal number of videos; we will meet the first week of April outside of class to do the coding together. This approach will help lessen discrepancies in coding and also ensures a timely completion of the viewing/coding process.
 * Research Design/Methods:**

Preliminary Coding Schemes Include: Identification of Representation Issues; I.D. of Point of View; I.D. of Genre; I.D. of Author; I.D. of Target Audience; I.D. of Economic Interests; Utilization of Production Skills; Knowledge of Production Skills; Production Values; ...
 * Approach to Analyzing the Data:**

The results of this project are intended primarily to help those involved with the PVK program better understand the results of these various video projects, and the process of creating them. Hopefully the PVK team will be able to use this analysis to help them further develop the program, both in terms of video production specifically, and the larger media literacy program as a whole.
 * What New Knowledge is Expected to Result?**

These findings can help in determining not only the effectiveness of the PVK initiative and Summer Camp, but also might aid in more resources for the program if it is deemed productive. These findings can also contribute to the literature on implementing media literacy instruction in elementary schools.
 * Why this New Knowledge is Important:**

The primary question involves how to effectively implement the findings of this research in terms of improving the PVK program. PVK's leadership should be able to more effectively evaluate the videos the students have produced, not just in terms of their content, but in terms of how they fit into the larger MLE program. Hopefully they will be able to question and analyze these videos and the program on a new level. Questions around the effectiveness of media literacy instruction in a camp-based setting vs. a more formal educational setting may arise. This research may also raise questions about best practices for assessing media literacy programs.
 * What New Questions are Likely to Emerge?**