Category - Media
Topic - Media (Information) Literacy
Issue - Getting the NAAC
Tiptoid -
Our Multimedia Productions program is affectionately called "M2P" (two "m"s in multimedia; one "p" for productions...get it?). Everything we do in this program teaches us how to become more media (information) literate.
When we are media literate, we become better thinkers, better interpreters of information, and better communicators...which means, I think, we are smarter, safer and more successful.
We have an acronym which helps us remember the M2P process towards achieving media (information) literacy. It's called "Getting the NAAC" - pronounced "knack," like, "getting the knack" at doing something.
We begin the NAAC by assuming (unless we learn otherwise) that the creator of the information format we are studying has been reflective and responsible, and has developed the work by way of a clear concept. A review of the content of the work reveals the details which bring the concept to life.
There are four steps to the NAAC -
(N) Notice - observe the details; you can't even begin to understand what is going on unless you notice what is involved
(A) Analyze - look at how the parts relate to each other, and how they contribute to the whole
(A) Assess - judge the communicative quality and value of the parts, and how well the parts support the whole
(C) Create - produce your own media, thoughtfully and imaginatively
We study, use, and create a wide range of media formats in our M2P class. We try a variety of strategies to help us Get the NAAC. Strategies teach us how to recognize the many different elements involved in the production of a media product. Comparing and contrasting one media form with another is one of our strategies.
An example of this strategy might involve comparing and contrasting the content and design elements of a video with a brochure.
1. NOTICE - What elements does a video have? (e.g. use of cameras, clips of moving images, audio). What elements does a brochure have? (e.g. text, still images such as clip art or photographs, product is printed on paper).
2. ANALYZE - Look at each element to discover what was involved in its construction. To videotape an action scene you need actors, location, props, cameras, crew, etc. To create a panel on a brochure you need to consider text content, size, font, framing, color, placement, etc.
3. ASSESS - Assessment is critical thinking. This is where you look at how well each element, and the media format as a whole, succeeded in communicating the concept and the content - with the support of the creative techniques of the design elements. Did the videographer include a variety of zoom and angle shots? Does the text in the brochure include vocabulary that is precise and attention-getting? What suggestions do we have for improvement? What would we do (strategy) if we were producing the video and the brochure to make the communication more effective?
4. CREATE - Now that we better understand what it takes to produce information that will have substance and appeal, we are ready to think about the concepts, content and design of OUR media projects.
I personally think that Getting the NAAC is a great way to approach studying a lot of things. Our world is full of information in all kinds of subject areas, and it's coming at us fast. We need to understand how to look at information before we know whether or not we should use it. If we follow the NAAC, we WILL be more media (information) literate.
Glossary -
knack - a clever or skillful way of doing something
media - vehicles which carry messages to be communicated (e.g. music, video, websites)
media literacy - the ability to read, analyze, evaluate and produce communication in a variety of media forms
format - the general organization or arrangement of something
concept - main message, main idea
content - the subject matter or topic; what is contained in the subject matter and how it develops
strategy - careful plan or method to achieve a goal
element - one of the parts of something
substance - the essential quality or meaning; of great value or worth
Find Out More - www.ced.appstate.edu/departments/ci/programs/edmedia/medialit/article.html
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Submitted by - Corrine Chagnot
Site Manager - Andrew An
May 2006