EDU 566 Media Utilization and Curriculum
Course Description: The curriculum of the modern school is examined. Principles and methods of evaluation, selection, and utilization of media are related to curriculum and personal needs of children and youth.
Course Objectives: Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
Course Objectives: Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- Analyze the school curriculum to provide a frame of reference for the selection, evaluation and modification of media.
- Examine the structure and function of the media program in the school in order to effectively aid in the implementation of the instructional process.
- Identify media requirements (includes a variety of equipment/technologies and multimedia formats and resources) for the accomplishment of specific learning tasks required in various content areas and grade levels.
- Develop methods of utilization and modification of media to satisfy teacher and student needs.
- Examine principal bibliographies and sources required to facilitate the evaluation and selection of media.
- Analyze differentiated programming and media requirements for students with varied backgrounds and abilities.
566 is the teaching methods course for students in the Department of Information and Library Science pursuing the School Library Media Certification program. It stresses the instructional role of the school library media specialist in teaching information literacy skills and collaborating with teachers to meet curriculum standards. It was very valuable in demonstrating multiple ways to introduce information into the classroom through print and multimedia resources. Of greatest personal and professional value were the practical assignments which integrated a variety of media technologies in the design of instructional materials both to meet the needs of individual learners and to engage the student.
Each of the projects assigned in this course supported core competencies 5A and 5B in that a variety of multimedia resources were used to provide recorded knowledge and information to students. A seventh grade American Revolutionary War Lesson Plan focused on teaching students how to use the Big 6 Research Model to organize their research and design their project output. A webquest activity aggregated multiple online resources for students to use in the completion of an assignment on a specific topic supporting core competency 5E. Lastly, of particular value to a school media specialist, I was asked to evaluate video resources available on the world wide web. This exercise forced me to assess the value of this resource in response to the needs and learning preferences of our target audience and determine the appropriateness and value of incorporating this information format in instruction targeted to our user group.